Backpacking with a 20 month old

My wife, 20 month old daughter and I are going to Thailand for 4 months and I'm concerned about safety in travelling around.

Since we will be moving from place to place and don't plan to take a pram of any kind, it would be impossible for us to take her car seat. Can anyone who has travelled with young childern share your experiences with this please?

I saw this http://www.bubblebum.co.uk/ which would be very easy to back, but it's for 4+ years

Any advise will be gratefully received!

-Andrew

We have traveled twice in Thailand with an infant/toddler. Strollers are almost worthless there given the condition of the sidewalks (if available) and the streets. We did take a small umbrella stroller and were grateful to have it on occasion. We traveled by tuk tuk and taxi without a carseat. Not ideal given that the drivers are a bit crazy. Having said that, we felt that Thailand is completely friendly and safe for traveling with kids. We stayed in Bangkok (Kao San Road), Chiang Mai, Phuket, etc. Just watch what your kiddo (and you) eat and drink!

If its a booster seat you need, just bring a booster seat from home.

Thats what we dd ..... It weighs about 4 pounds, and packs up light.

Does your 20 month old still accept strollers and backpack carriers? If so, consider the Ergo carrier.

To manage drivers in Thailand, select them carefully. Older is better (they usually have kids ....), nad let them know - no cell phones. You will have to set aside your first world safety values, and actively manage your risks of travelling with your kids.

I think you can divide the actual transport in Thailand into two categories, being long and short distance.

For short distance trips, you might take a taxi, tuk tuk or songthaew (or however to write it, meaning pick up with seats in the back). In those you will not have a car seat. But since you are only in it for a short period, it might not be worth it to take it with you. In a songthaew and tuk tuk, you will not be able to place a car seat any way.
In Bangkok you might also use the sky train. No use for a car seat in that as well.
For longer distances you will probably take either bus, train or plane. In all of these you do not need a car seat.

On the occasion you go for a guided trip. Do as mentioned below and select your driver carefully. Sometimes you don't know what driver you will get. Just use common sense. If you see the guy is almost falling asleep, using his mobile all the time or smoking. Tell him to stop with it or get out of the car and look for other transport.

Thailand is very kid friendly and you shouldn't have any problem at all in traveling.
I also agree with the suggestion of a back pack. We also have the ergo carrier and I can also recommend it.

Enjoy your travels!

Thanks for your responses! Very helpful

Writing from Thailand.

Unless you are hiring a car then you will have difficulty finding cars or taxis with rear seat belts - which boils down to having to accept you and our child travelling without a safety belt.

The issue then becomes one of avoiding accidents, not one of reducing the consequences of an accident.

My top tip is never travel on the roads at night - I've driven in Thailand for over 12 years and will still avoid night driving unless absolutely necessary.

When booking a taxi or private car/driver I always agree a price and then offer a tip if the driver drives slowly. As a passenger keep your eyes on the road and don't be shy about telling the driver to slow down (Kap Cha-Cha).

If you have to travel long distances - look at flying, trains or Government (Blue) Coaches.

Contrary to others above, I'm a fan of folding strollers over back packs - and have given my views on that in the attached link.

[www.thailand4kids.com]

I wouldn't go without a small folding stroller with a shade. You can use it for her to sit in while eating in restaurants, napping in while you're out and about and around airports. You can usually take the folding umbrella strollers on board the plane as carry-on which means can use it around the airport which really helps. It's hard carrying bags and chasing a toddler around in airports. I also try to make sure we don't have enough luggage that we require two airport trolleys that way one of us can push the child in the stroller and the other can look after the bags. It's way harder with more luggage.

Consider staying in places with a swimming pool and maybe a TV in the room so you don't need to leave the hotel for amusement. Sometimes she just won't be up to it. Midrange accommodation with pools attract more families and I'm sure she'll appreciate some playmates if she's a social child.

Moving around frequently is difficult. We tend to stay in one location longer rather than hoping around. It's easier and you can get into mini-routines. Also, we've often found we need to abandon activities and cut outings short due to hunger, tiredness, grumpiness etc. Take that into account when you're planning how many days you'll need in a location.

I would consider taking a life jacket for your child if you're going to be island hopping at all.

I have a bubblebum. It's a great piece of kit, but would never use it on a 20 month old. Mine first used one aged 4. Wouldn't go below that as it's a booster seat and at 20 months old they are too little. You can get inflatable safety seats with the back as well http://easycarseat.com/ just checked, it's from 4 upwards too. Sorry.