“Should I travel with a carrier or a pram?” is the question asked by many parents on their first family adventure as a, well, family.
Travelling with kids hits differently.
There’s a lot more to consider, to pack and to figure along the way.
If your children are still little or their little legs get easily tired, it’s important to figure out how you will get around with them while you’re away.
Is it better to travel with a carrier or a pram?
I’ll share my experiences with both so you’re better set to make the right decision for your family.
If you’re planning a road trip with your family, you might be interested in my A – Z guide here.
What’s a carrier?
A quick google will show you all kinds of baby, toddler and child carrying options. In this post, I’m referring to “carriers” to include any of the following:
- cloth baby wraps,
- structured carriers like the Ergo Baby or similar, and
- Carrier backpacks, such as this one from Deuter.
Should I travel with a carrier or a pram?
When planning out your holiday with kids, it’s important to think about the following questions:
- Will we be walking around a lot?
- Does my baby or toddler normally enjoy being carried?
- Will my pram
When is a pram the better option?
Straight up, I have to admit that I am a proud baby wearer. I love the contact with my little baby, while also loving the freedom I have to do things if I want to. But I’d be lying if I said carriers have always been the best option for me while travelling.
When your child can walk . . . but not far
When your toddler has found their feet, it’s impossible to stop them from walking.
No matter how slow they are.
No matter how quickly they wear themselves out.
You know your child best, but in these circumstances I’d recommend having a pram. This allows you the flexibility of letting your little explorer easily out to stretch their legs and then easily back in to rest.
For example, when my eldest was not quite 3, we explored Latvia. Spending most of our time in the capital city of Riga, we spent the majority of our time exploring on foot. At that time, she could run and walk easily, but not for long before needing a rest.
As we’d driven to Riga from our home in Germany, we had the luxury of taking the Thule with us. This afforded her the opportunity to say “STOOOOOP!” when she was ready to hop out and explore again but also the chance to easily flop back in when she was tired.
Or we wanted to keep moving at a slightly faster pace.
If walking long distances is a must on your travels
For some trips, walking long distances never occurs. For others, it’ a must.
Take Dubrovnik as an example. If you would like to explore the old city, it can only be done on foot. There’s no option to drive or take public transport around the old castle area.
So, as a family, you’re left with the question: Do we visit that site? Or do we skip it?
For any family, it’s important to weigh up the sites of the destination with the needs of your kids and yourselves. It’s not an easy juggle.
Always think about how much walking is required on your trip, how much your children can handle and how much patience you as parents have with the inevitable slower-than-average pace.
If you’re determined to see particular places that can only be accessed by foot and your little people have found their legs, take a pram.
It’ll save you all a lot of upset and disappointment.
Late-night plans?
Occasionally, grown-ups like to enjoy their nights on holiday, right?
Or maybe your day trip has just run well longer than expected.
Either way, it’s likely that your little person has begun to get tired and needs a rest.
On these occasions, a pram is a life saver. Your little one can curl up, lay back and have a well-deserved sleep.
Then the grown-ups can enjoy a little bit of a relaxed time too.
For us, again, bringing the Thule was the best decision for our trip through Latvia. We were actually there for a wedding, which ran very late into the night.
Being able to pop our little one in there with a blanket as the celebrations dragged into the evening meant that we were able to enjoy the less kid-friendly end of the day, including speeches and dancing into the wee hours.
A note on exploring old cities with prams
The best way to explore cities of all kinds, in my opinion, is on foot. You get to get up close and personal with the locals, take in the architecture, feel the vibe of the place.
There is not a city that we’ve visited that we haven’t traipsed through from end-to-end on foot.
But.
And there is a big but here.
Be mindful, especially in Europe, that many of the old cities are covered in cobblestones.
Do they look beautiful? YES! That’s why we visit old cities.
But they provide a very bumpy ride for your little one.
And these surfaces can wreak havoc on the wheels of your pram.
So, if you are planning to do heaps of walking around the beautiful old cities of Europe, be mindful of this challenge.
When is a carrier a better option?
So, now that we’ve explored a couple of examples of when it might be better to have a pram handy on your adventure, let’s think about when a carrier might suit your plans.
Baby is used to being carried
This one seems pretty straight-forward. If your family typically carries your little bundle of joy, then it makes sense to continue that on the road.
In this case, it will be important for you to carefully consider your itinerary throughout your journey.
Be sure to think about your own needs as well. Your family need you to be strong for the entire duration of your holiday. And you deserve to enjoy your time away!
Travelling brings changes to your family’s routines and can cause some children unease, sometimes being seen to be more fussy or clingy to their carers.
If possible, take it slow.
Take breaks as needed for you and baby.
This way you’ll both be able to enjoy your adventure together.
You’re exploring nature
We’ve talked a lot about exploring cities, but what if you’re planning to get out into nature?
Needless to say, in these cases it’s best to use your carrier.
It’s unusual that walking tracks and hikes are pram friendly (but let me know if you’ve been somewhere that’s in both nature and is pram friendly!).
In nature, the kind of carrier you settle on will depend on your child’s needs.
Still an itty, bitty baby? Then I’d recommend continuing to use your usual cloth wrap or structured carrier.
If you have a toddler or small child on your hands, why not use the carrier backpack? We have used our backpack consistently on hikes throughout Australia, New Zealand and all over Europe for nearly five years now, with great success.
They’re comfortable, sheltered from sun, wind and rain and can be set down safely if your little person is sleeping.
This option makes for a hassle-free and stress-free hiking experience.
Of course though, look after yourself. If carrying your little person is getting tiring, take a break.
There’s no medals for hurting yourself.
Your toddler is a runner
Ok. Confession time.
Our eldest was a runner.
What do I mean?
I mean, that between the ages of 2 and 3 years, she would run like the wind anytime she became tired or overwhelmed.
And that kid could run!
I vividly remember her running down the main drag of the old city quarter in Warsaw, Poland.
Straight. Across. A. Road!
My heart was in my mouth. I was chasing her so fast I lost my sandal!
Thank god nothing happened (other than me scuffing my foot).
But from then on, we agreed that she needed to be some how contained when we saw the signs of her slipping into that state of tiredness.
For us, the pram often didn’t help. Given the easy access nature of the Thule, she could easily get herself out if she really wanted to.
That’s why the carrier backpack became our go-to mode of transport, not only for out in nature but in the city, too.
Sometimes this was actually more convenient. Not only was it easier to move through crowds, but we could easily enter attractions or stop for a meal without having to disturb if she’d dozed off.
A note on travelling through airports
Of particular importance when considering if it’s better for you to travel with a carrier or a pram are the requirements of airports. If your journey includes airports, pay special attention to the following points:
- If you’re travelling with your pram, you will need to check it with your airline. Most airlines or airports do offer free rental of a stroller for the time that you are in the airport.
- If you’re carrying your child in their cloth or structured carrier in the airport, they will need to be taken out at all security checks, with the carrier itself needing to be scanned along with all hand luggage. This is good to know when you’re considering nap times on the go!
- Check your airline’s rules about prams and carrier backpacks. Many airlines allow one piece of luggage specifically for the child to be checked free of charge. In my experience, this can be a pram, a carseat or even a carrier backpack.
Have you travelled with your kids? Did you travel with a pram or a carrier? Let me know in the comments!
