holidays

We just can’t help ourselves at the moment – the Amoralia office has got a severe case of Royal Tour Fever. And who can blame us.

Whether you’re a Kate and Wills fan or not, the pictures have sparked some of our best office chat recently. Prince George is just utterly delicious and The Duchess of Cambridge looks stunning as ever. The red Catherine Walker coat was my particular favourite.

But I have no doubt, and I did it myself, that most mums let out an inner groan at those scenes as the Royal family arrived in New Zealand and Australia and Kate stepped serenely off the plane with a placid smiley baby in her arms.

I know, I know – we wish! More likely it’s a case of arriving at destination looking exhausted, screaming child under one arm and carry-on luggage in the other, dreading that juggling act as you descend down those treacherous airport steps – cursing that your plane never seems to be the one that just hooks up straight to the terminal.

Of course Kate will have more reason than most to look her best at the other end of the journey (I mean not many of us will have hundreds of photographers waiting to capture that moment, possibly a pesky husband but that’s it) and she also has a significant amount of help to arrive refreshed.

But it certainly got us talking about ways in which – without the support team or the threat of the papparrazi – we had survived travelling as new mums and as mums-to-be.

So we thought we would share a few of our tips with you all.

Firstly – think flight times that suit the new baby’s routine rather than yours. If there’s a flight that takes off at 8pm and might land in a destination late at night don’t worry about it if it means your baby has slept through and you haven’t had to pace the plane trying to keep them quiet. One friend made sure to book the 8.30pm flight to New York so that her baby could have his last feed just before take-off, and then went off for the entire six hours after the seat belt sign was turned off – she watched two films back-to-back and enjoyed the on-board refreshments in peace – bliss.

Dress for success when travelling too. We know it’s tempting to wear layer upon layer to avoid baggage charges, but comfort and practicality are key when pregnant or travelling with nursing babies. There will be too much hanging around at airports to be burdened with extra jumpers and jackets you don’t need.

Wear a comfy seamless legging (Seraphine has good maternity and post-partum ones), a nursing cami (check out our seamless one here, or a silky soft version here), a long shirt with buttons down the front (Cos has some great ones) as these are easy to open for breastfeeding when sitting down, and the cami will ensure discrete feeding, and a lovely snuggly cashmere scarf (try Hush-uk, Feather & Stone or The White Company) – it’ll work as a blanket for your little one and breastfeeding cover too.

Remember baby’s essentials in your hand luggage but don’t forget things to help you feel human at the other end – favourite lip balm or lipstick (Bobbi Brown’s lipsticks are soft and moisturising so great for altitude), hairbrush. etc

Ask for help if you need it – despite assumptions to the contrary most of our mums have had a good experience with fellow passengers even those not travelling with children. People are mostly generous human beings and will carry luggage down the steps for you and lift it into overhead lockers. Particularly remember this if you are pregnant as you may be travelling at a stage when it’s not obvious.

But one of the most basic pieces of advice was – “do travel, don’t avoid it”. Before 28 weeks most airlines consider it safe to fly – so safe they don’t even expect you to officially declare it on your travel insurance.

And like anyone else, children will adapt if you give them the confidence to. Summer is coming so look forward to that break – don’t dread it. And if you have any tips that have made travelling easier for you then do please share!