'Game-changer' item you need for travelling with a baby

I used to be the kind of traveller who would book a last-minute ticket, pack a carry-on, and head off on an adventure.

But now I have a baby, that lifestyle is very much in the rear view mirror - if you know, you know.

Travelling with a little one is a balancing act - here's everything that I learned on a recent holiday to Thailand with my eleven-month-old.

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Get yourself an eSIM

I was always the kind of traveller who would rely on free hotel WiFi while on the road, and stay on airplane mode whenever I was out and about.

But travelling with a baby, we needed to be constantly connected. More than once, I was saved by being able to pull up Google or my maps app to find a nearby restaurant, café, or kid-friendly activity to help ward off any upcoming meltdowns.

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Getting a Holafly eSIM was one of the best investments of the trip. All I had to do was set it up before leaving home, then turn it on when we landed in Thailand.

Boom: instant, unlimited access for our whole trip. Plus, I was still able to receive and send messages from my Aussie number without being charged for roaming.

Don't fill your itinerary with stuff

As a rule of thumb, we limited ourselves to doing one thing per day - any more than that and it was too much for our little one.

Plus, because it was so much warmer in Thailand, he needed extra naps every day, which kept us tethered to our hotel room.

Sure, we could have pushed it and tried to check more things off our list, but it probably would have just ended with everyone being tired and grumpy.

Invest in a portable high chair

We were worried that not many restaurants outside of our hotel and high-end dining spots would have high chairs.

I found this portable cloth high chair on Amazon, which is basically like a harness that can be strapped to any chair. It rolls up small enough to chuck in a handbag, and - best of all - it's machine washable.

Though we only ended up using it a couple of times, it really came in handy, for the meals where he didn't want to be in his pram and preferred sitting at the table with us.

Don't throw your back out

For most of my son's life, I've relied on strapping him into a baby carrier to keep him happy and secure while going about my life.

But now he's a healthy 11kg, it's not quite as easy. Plus, in Thailand, it was way too hot to have him strapped to me for more than 10 minutes. We have a travel pram, but it's not always ideal, especially on crowded city streets or if we're heading to the beach.

Instead, I got a hip seat style baby carrier and - oh my gosh. It's a game-changer.

I got the Hackerlily Hipsurfer, which straps around your hips, with a seat that your bub can sit on.

It's surprisingly comfortable - at one point, I was standing up and holding him for two hours straight without any pain. He loved it too, as he could move around a bit more and keep an eye on what was going on around him.

It's also a lot easier than dealing with the straps of a baby carrier, plus it looked chic with all my holiday outfits. It's also got a zipper pocket, eliminating the need for me to carry a bag on short trips.

Limit your luggage

We were staying in hotels that were conveniently located near supermarkets or 7/11 stores, so I only packed enough nappies for a few days, then bought more when we arrived.

It meant we had less luggage to bring over, which was handy for getting around the airport and to our accommodation.

If you're staying in a remote resort, maybe this one won't apply - but it pays to look ahead!

Find a hotel with bub-friendly amenities

Maybe this is an obvious one, but considering my son is too young for kids' clubs, I assumed there wouldn't be much that a hotel could offer him.

I was wrong!

The hotel we stayed at in Koh Samui - the Anantara Lawana - had a great, air-conditioned kids' room where we could hang out with him. It had padded floors, plenty of toys, and beanbags where the adults could chill while he played.

It was a great way to kill time in the middle of the day when it was too hot to go out and explore - my partner and I took turns watching our son while the other had a cocktail by the pool.

Snacks are the best form of bribery

Screen time, plenty of toys, car keys - I tried all these things to keep my son calm and happy while on the plane. None of them really worked for more than five minutes.

In the end I threw those ideas out the window and just reverted to what I know he loves - snacks.

I stocked up on baby-friendly snacks (rice crackers, sultanas, bananas, dried fruit), and always had them on hand while we were out in Thailand. It saved us on more than one occasion.

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