9 Crucial Tips for Traveling to India with Children
As a mom, avid traveler, and owner of a specialized travel company, India is bridged between my personal and professional lives. I promote India, write about India, and have a passion for India. As the wife of an Indian man and a mom to three children, traveling to the country has become more than visiting the Taj Mahal and relaxing on palm-fringed beaches. (Although, I highly recommend both!) It is now focused on family, home visits, and exposing our children to half of their heritage. My roles and observations are split between tourist and resident, as I navigate hotels, transportation, and keeping kids content in a country of over 1.2 billion people. Here are my tips for traveling to India with kids.
This website sometimes receives compensation, hosted travel, or products related to blog posts. This article may include affiliate links at no extra cost to consumers. As an Amazon Associate, we earn money from qualifying purchases.
1. Be flexible.
When my husband and I first visited India with our firstborn, Alexander, he was just 6 months old. The entire trip was certainly a learning experience. (Example: We believe in the method of self-soothing. Indians? Not so much.) After numerous visits to India with children, I find myself more flexible with the schedule and routine – or lack thereof. I often remind myself, “It is only two weeks. Our kids can miss naps or eat more sweets from Dadi and Dada.”
2. Do your research or book a tour.
I recommend doing lots of research before your departure. Which hotels offer larger rooms or walk-in closets to accommodate a portable crib? Which airline allows you to check an extra bag for no charge, even on an infant fare? What activities and sites are appropriate for kids in India?
If researching for your visit to India with kids seems overwhelming, you may want to book a tour instead. A tour especially designed for children enables families to relax and enjoy all that India has to offer.
3. Find the right flights to India with kids.
Invest time to find the flight options and airline amenities best for your family. From U.S. cities, many airlines offer nonstop or one-stop itineraries to larger Indian airports, limiting your layovers and travel time. We like flying Air France and Lufthansa to India with children, both for schedule and the ability to check an extra bag plus portable crib for no charge.
4. Ditch the stroller.
Indian streets can be very crowded with limited sidewalks, so strollers are not recommended. Instead parents of little ones should pack a baby carrier. We learned this the hard way, after bringing our stroller all the way to Delhi only to leave it folded in the corner for two weeks. On subsequent visits, we used our child carrier, which was also an excellent resource for transporting our kids between terminals at airports.
5. Book a big room.
Many Indian hotels are converted forts, palaces, and/or private homes, which means larger rooms for spreading out. We love Maidens Hotel in Delhi. Although Oborei is considered a luxury hotel chain, this particular property is more budget-friendly. The rooms are very spacious, and our children love the swimming pool and peacocks that roam on the lawn.
6. Pack an inflatable booster seat.
With the exception of hotels, it is difficult to find high chairs in Indian restaurants. If traveling with a baby or toddler and you prefer to not have a lap child during meals, pack an inflatable booster seat. We also used it at friends’ houses when our children wanted to color or play at the table.
7. Bring the car seat.
Car seats are not a common commodity, so expect questions and pictures from curious locals. Our children thoroughly enjoyed the attention, and made many friends along the way!
8. Skip the bus.
Although buses provide a cheap mode of transport, most are overcrowded and do not offer air conditioning. Instead, consider hiring a private car and driver, either for a day or planned itinerary. Not only is it an affordable option, but also it offers more comfort and convenience. If traveling with young children, hiring one driver for a multi-day trip allows families to keep the car seat installed and saves time on buckling and adjusting every morning.
9. Embrace the culture in India with children.
Finally, immerse your family in the culture and integrate with the locals. Indians are some of the friendliest people in the world and enjoy interacting with foreigners. Children are considered an integral part of the culture and they are welcomed and included in almost any function or event. So if you are walking down the street and randomly get invited to a wedding, go for it and enjoy the experience!
Learn more about visiting India.
Discover more of India by reading this story about Mumbai with kids.
Explore India with Go! Girl Guides India: A Woman’s Guide to Traveling in North & West India by Allison Sodha.
Book your vacation to India with kids via Allison’s travel company, Sodha Travel.
Save these India travel tips.
For future reference, keep this list of these tips for traveling to India with kids. Simply pin the image below to Pinterest. We hope you’ll follow Travel Mamas on Pinterest while you’re at it!
Would you like to visit India with kids? Let us know in the comments below!
A Note from Travel Mamas: We did not receive any compensation from Sodha Travels related to this blog post.
Any advice on the flight?? We are traveling to India with our 19 month old son. Do we bring the car seat on the plane or purchase the FAA approved harness that they sell? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Megan, we never actually brought a car seat on the plane because our boys stayed calmer and quieter without it. I assume you purchased a seat for your son? If so, you can definitely bring it but please visit the airline website to verify the specs of the seat configure with your airplane. Otherwise you can just buckle him using the regular seat belt. I personally don’t feel the harness is necessary. Happy travels!
Megan – I am a big fan of the CARES safety restraint for use on airplanes. It’s for kids who weigh 22-44 pounds. It gives peace of mind for safety’s sake and is much easier to install/uninstall than a toddler seat. If you’re interested, here’s a link to learn more/purchase: http://astore.amazon.com/travmama03-20/detail/B0012E4FV8 Then you can gate check your car seat for use while in India.
Very useful tips! I used many of these when traveling to Bali with my son at 21 months of age.
What fantastic tips – and you’re right – letting it go for two weeks is a great stress reliever! 🙂
HI,
We live in Chicago and debating which airline would be better with our 2.5 year old son: Chicago-Newark-Mumbai or Chicago-Frankfurt-Mumbai. Thoughts?
Thanks!
Daniel
Great tips, thanks for these!
I am going to India in January with my 6 year old and 2.5 year old. We will be in Pune, Mumbai, Agra.
Are diapers readily available in bigger cities? Or should I pack enough for the entire trip?
Thanks so much!
Becky, diapers are available but in smaller quantities with a higher price tag. If possible, pack enough for the entire trip. Also, I found that the leakage protection isn’t the same, so my boys stayed drier with their own diapers.
This has been so helpful, mentioning things I wouldn’t have thought of! I’m Australian and my sister married into a lovely Indian family living in Kerala, and we’ve been invited to her brother-in-law’s wedding in nine months, and I’m so excited! At first I didn’t think it would be possible, my little one will turn 1 days before we leave, but after thinking about it and particularly reading this article, I can tell it is possible and that it’s going to be amazing.
Sharyn – I’m so glad you found this post helpful! What an exciting trip this will be for your family!
i like the tips and as i am visiting India next week your tips surely gonna help me lot to make my trip pleasant. thanks a lot for sharing
Thanks for sharing the useful information. As many international tourists choose India as the destination for their family holiday, these tips will surely help the readers in making the right holiday plan.
Yep, I guess you’re right, we’ll just have to inform the grandparents and make sure they don’t worry like they mostly do 🙂
On a different note; I was wondering if you or your readers might be interested in entering our travel competition? We’re offering the opportunity to win a luxury tour of North India, simply by sharing your experiences (and photos) of India, or by telling us why you’d love to visit.
We’ve teamed up with some of our exclusive hotels partners in the region to offer this amazing 14-day opulent adventure for two people, worth over £4000 ($6200, A$6000, €4900). Starting in Jodhpur, the ‘Blue City, the tour passes through Rohet, Ranakpur (including a fantastic leopard safari), Udaipur, Bundi, Ranthambore National Park (yes, a tiger safari too!) and finally Rajasthan’s vibrant capital, Jaipur.
The competition opens on 3rd January 2013, closes on 15th February and is open to anyone aged 18 years or above who is not resident in India. The prize is transferrable, so you can always nominate friends or family if you are not able find the time to travel.
To celebrate our partnership with children’s literacy charity – Katha Children’s Trust – we will also be making a donation based on the number of people who vote for competition entries by sharing a link on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or via their blog or website.
To take part, please visit our website: http://rajasthanwithwire.com/win-a-luxury-trip-to-india.html
If you know anyone else who might like the chance to win or simply to help us support Katha, then please forward this email to them or share via social media. We really appreciate your support!
Thanks for your time – we hope that you will be able to participate.
Best wishes,
Gerd, Khaled and the Wire team
Sponsored by
Devi Garh – Rasa Resort – Sher Bagh – Mihir Garh – RAAS – Mana
Looks like an interesting contest, Gerd! I’ll go check it out.
We lived in India when our twins were born, then left for the UK when they were about 3 months old: no problem! Now they are 18 months old and we would love to go back. Our main concern is not getting around in India, it’s getting there! Not that we feel it’s impossible, we’ve overcome some real challenges before, I just dread the reaction of other passengers on the flights when our boys are not in a sleeping mood and noisy. Maybe I’ll just have to get over my concern and just get on with it!
Gerd – You should go! The flight is temporary and as long as you are prepared and making an effort to soothe your kiddos, you’ll do great.
I recently flew from where my kids were born in Bali to the UK and they really surprised me. 37 hours travelling and they were really good. I was traveling solo with a 3 and 1 year old!
Emma – Very impressive little travelers (and mama)! Hope you had a wonderful time!
Emma,
Can u give me some pointers to help me out, i am planning to go to india with my 3.5 year and almost 2 years old kids. both boys. so will need a lot of tips and pointers.
Thank you
Hi Rushika – For additional pointers, I suggest reaching out to the guest author via her website: https://www.sodhatravel.com/contact.php Have a great time in India with your family!
Thank you for sharing your experiences & tips, Jen! Great stuff!
We travel to India every year and although I agree about the stroller (waste of any effort except in airports and if you fly through the middle east those airports provide strollers in the airport for free) the car seat is something that I don’t take because most of the cars except newer ones never have seatbelts. Most international flights say they will allow FFA approved car seats but they don’t. They’ll make you check it at the gate. I would say look into mosquito netting for any crib or the tents to cut down on bug spray at night. Definitely learn to be zen about bugs, heat, and dirt.
Thank you for sharing this article. We’ve spent the last year travelling around SE Asia with our 3 and 5 year old, and are keen to make it to India next year but of course concerned about travelling there with such young kids. Its nice to read others have great experiences and particularly hear that most hotels have large rooms. Would love to hear your suggestions sometime on the most kid friendly cities/areas.
Thank you very much for your information. Am wondering if you can hire a car seat for children over there?
No , As car seats are not legaly mandatory one a frmew people uses it.u can definity buy a car seat
How did you book a private car and driver?
Hi Ana – The author of this guest post is a travel agent specializing in travel to India. I bet she’d be happy to help you book a private driver! Contact her here: https://www.sodhatravel.com/
Thanks for the tips, it definitely doesn’t seem as intimidating as I had originally thought! And your son is adorable!
Allison – Thank you for writing a guest post for Travel Mamas! India can seem like a very intimidating destination to Westerners but your tips make such a trip sound like a breeze!
Yes, these tips are helpful, and after living in Delhi for many years, there are a host of other things that need to be considered when traveling to India, particularly with children.. do lots of research. Just a note, the Maidens hotel is on the VERY high end of hotels..usually not in most families’ budget. We usually suggest an unbiased travel person’s recommendation for hotels as “Reviews” on booking sites are frequently not to most westerner’s standards? Indians will have very different frame of reference/standard for what is “a good hotel”…e.g. help was great, good food….” but may not be bothered with the mildew in bathrooms and broken equipment, noisy room, etc..