Last month we embarked on a holiday filled with laughter, tantrums and more ice cream than you can possibly imagine (& about 56 margaritas).  We set sail for a 12-day cruise with a one-year-old and a two-year-old in tow on the MSC Virtuosa.  As you can imagine, with 2 toddlers it was hell on earth about 90% of the time (I love them, but fuck me, it was hard).

This was our third holiday with the babies so I've learnt quite a bit in the last year which I wish I knew prior to my first holiday which I spent most of the time crying on!

So here I am, writing a blog (I'm not a writer so please don't judge my poor grammar) to give you the run down on what you could need if you're planning a holiday with a toddler (or two).  If you're not a parent look away now - this is about to get VERY boring (but very helpful). 

If you're not interested in reading why I love all the products I bought & used you can go straight to my amazon shop to  see the products here.  

So here goes, in no particular order.

The Trunki.

The first thing I bought which I used every single day was the Trunki. 

Here's why this was SO amazing for us!  We filled it with toys, colouring books & anything the kids hadn't played with in ages.  We took it out every night with us & as soon as the boys got bored we'd get it out & they instantly calmed down. 

But the best thing is Spencer rode on it EVERY WHERE.  It made getting around the ship much faster & we didn't have to carry him when he got tired. 

Here's what we put in the trunkie: 

Stickle Bricks: - https://amzn.to/3qhq1AV - 5/10 - Weren't that interested, but all the adults loved them!

Lego - https://amzn.to/3oDTPqU - 1/10 - They loved it but it was way too messy. We only bought home half of what I packed of it!

Play doh - https://amzn.to/3C0s92l - 10/10 - Loved the messy bastarding stuff (I hated it - most nights I was scraping it off the carpet in the dinning room)

Toy Cars - https://amzn.to/3MHLZod - 10/10 - Ugly, but they bloody loved them!

Tattoos - https://amzn.to/3oDU4lO - 8/10 - These were fun for them at dinner.  It was impossible to keep them quiet (so they didn't annoy other diners) for 3 meals a day - but these tattoos always calmed them down.  I just used the water from the table and a napkin to apply them, it's super easy to do!  They came off really easy with after sun aswell.

Colouring Books & colours - https://amzn.to/3C2zzCq & https://amzn.to/3WFufy3 - 6/10 - they get really bored of colouring, but they worked some nights.

Action figures - https://amzn.to/3MCML5S - 9/10 - Spencer loved these & he took them in the pool with him everyday! 

& of course... THE IPADS!

POTTY TRAINING DURING A CRUISE!!

I've tried three times to potty train Spencer (he'll be 3 in June) but failed every time.  I have no idea why but I thought 'let's try and potty train 3 days before we go on holiday' - I spent 3 days with him running around the house naked & putting him on the toilet every 20 minutes with the help of Alexa!  I found this potty on amazon & I can't even tell you how much it changed everything!  

He loved using it - When we travelled to Southampton to get onto the cruise I was worried he'd wee in his car seat but every hour I took him out, put this potty on the seat next to me & he thought it was hilarious to just wee right there.  From then on he would ask me for a wee.  We spent the entirety of the cruise looking for fun hiding places to use the potty, which he loved! It's got a leak proof seal so if you do use it when you're out and about and can't empty it, it's fine!!

I loved the fact I didn't have to take him to any public toilets all holiday.  He only had 1 accident in 12 days. 

You can get this potty here: https://amzn.to/45B14jJ - we picked the penguin design! 

The Nappy bag of dreams!

Next up was my new nappy bag.  An the award for the worst photo of a product goes to me & my wedgie!  Anyway, I've bought every nappy bag under the sun ranging from cheap to silly expensive and not one of them has been good enough!  I've always got to take out an extra bag.  This Nappy Bag I found is AMAZING.  I have 2 babies & I've used it every single day since the day it was delivered!

So, why is it so amazing?  It has SO many compartments & space. It's by far the best bag I've bought & I can't recommend it enough.  It comes with a space at the front to hold three bottles. So I was carrying 2 water bottles (one for each baby) & a spare bottle of water for me.  The changing mat it comes with opens into the shape of a cross - the 2 side panels hold nappies & wipes.  The wipes section has a hole so you don't even need to take the wipes out!  It also had a little cushion for the babies head to rest when you're changing them.  The list is endless with this bag - I promise you will not be disappointed if you get it!

You can get this Nappy Bag here: https://amzn.to/45xVqPx

Portable High Chairs

If you're anything like me & you HATE high chairs in restaurants then you absolutely *need* this next purchase!  I've always used these seats but I didn't take them on the first cruise we did in December & I instantly regretted not having them.  Don't get me wrong eating in  a public place with 2 toddlers is hell on earth and these little seats aren't going to change that BUT it does make it slightly easier & here's why... they feel like they're sat in the big seat with you.  These seats just clip onto the normal seats (using a strap around the seat & a strap around the back so it's secure) - You can also choose the height of the seat so they feel like they're sat the same as you.  

You can chose to have the tray on the seat or take the tray off & they can eat at the table. 

They're SO easy to clean & it stops you from having to use the bogging public high chairs which let's be honest, no one else seems to clean apart from you! 

They have a strap to carry them.  We just put one on each pram & kept them there all holiday - they weren't in the way at all! 

You can get these seats here: https://amzn.to/3ON85YS

FLOATIES

(I was very skeptical about these)

Both of the boys hate water so I wasn't even going to buy these but I read about them online & thought I'll try them.  I am SOOOO glad I bought them!  Spencer wouldn't even go in the water at first.  They used these for 2 days & on the 2nd day spencer was swimming with it on!  I couldn't believe it!  Preston was jumping in the water & popping back up so quickly!  

Obviously I still never left them unattended & I'm not claiming that Spencer is like Michael Phelps but they were bloody good.  I was so impressed. 

You can get these floaties here: https://amzn.to/3ot5RU1

Clothes Steamer of DREAMS! 

I didn't get a photo of me using this but I have filmed it (message me for the video if you'd like to see it being used) - but this is hands down my favourite steamer I've ever used & I much prefer it to an iron! It's compact so didn't take up much space in my suitcase!

You can get this steamer here: https://amzn.to/3IN7Edf   

I must admit, going on holiday with toddlers is absolutely not a holiday & I did at one point say to lewis 'we're actually paying for this experience' as spencer was screaming in the middle of the ship with one shoe on and laying on the floor.  But I do also love making memories with them & seeing them learn from different people and environments. 

Overall I loved MSC cruises & I'll definitely write another post all about our cruise soon, I know there were so many questions I had before I went on which I wish I'd known before so hopefully I can help some people! 

Let me know if you have any questions about cruising with toddlers or about any of the products in the blog! 

Have a lush week. 

Toni 

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