Mothercare identifies parents’ bear-necessities for holiday packing

With new research from Mothercare finding that 69 per cent* of parents say their kid’s favourite cuddly toy is a must-pack holiday item, a parenting expert from Mothercare offers advice on how to ensure your beloved bear comes home with you safe and sound.

Liz Day, Parenting Consultant for Mothercare, comments: “As well as keeping children calm and entertained during the journey, home comforts such as a favourite cuddly toy can often help little ones settle better into new locations as parents unpack and start to relax. Here’s my advice on how to keep their favourite friend safe and make sure the bear makes the return journey home with you:”

1 Tag your cuddly toy using the same safety ID bracelet or wristband as you use to keep your child safe – matching their favourite bear will encourage your little one to keep the tag on at all times. Include a return address and your phone number so your invaluable bear finds its way back to its little owner if it gets lost
2. Buy two of your child’s favourite cuddly toy and secretly pack one in your suitcase when you go away. If your tot’s toy does manage to escape, it’s really useful if it can miraculously reappear when you get back to your holiday accommodation
3.When on the beach, tie a brightly coloured ribbon to your tot’s favourite fluffy friend so they don’t go missing in the sand
4. When travelling, keep bear safely in your hand luggage or pop them in an easily accessible bag so they are within reach to soothe and calm your tot if there are any upsets during the journey

As well as you child’s favourite cuddly toy, the other top four items parents say are essential to pack for family holidays are*:

• Sunhat (84 per cent)
  Sunshade (66 per cent)
  Armbands/ pool floats (55 per cent)
  Travel cot (53 per cent

*A survey of 1,670 parents with children under the age of three from the Mothercare CRM database, June/July

**This is a collaborative post