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- Comment Thread:
- Comments: Tammie | Hi Natalie Thanks for your interesting questions about traveling to Africa with a wee sprog, which really mirrored my own thoughts last year when we first took (then) 5 month old Solo to Namibia and South Africa with us. Andy, Solo (now 18 months) and I have just returned from most of May in Zimbabwe and South Africa just a day or so ago, and it was absolutely fantastic. Even though it is different and certainly more challenging with a baby to be on a wildlife safari, it's still definitely worth doing. We always raise eyebrows when we tell people we're off to Africa again, particularly among friends who are parents of very young ones. Most people don't seem to want to risk traveling to Africa with a little one, but the great irony in this is that over there you meet southern Africans everywhere who have little kids and babies and they all go on safari all the time, not to mention the many who are raising families in the bush among the predators! It's harder - definitely - for the parents, that is, (I don't think it makes much difference to the little one really). If you've been spoiled by lovely long game drives and walks in the bush, followed by relaxing sundowners on the savannah, there's no question having a little one with you makes all that harder with working around daytime and night-time sleeping habits, feeds etc.... but it'd be hard at home too, right? As they say in Zimbabwe, you just make a plan and get on with it :) At 18 months, Solo was running around and was more of a handful than last year at 5 months when he wasn't yet crawling, but he got a lot more out of it this time, getting excited and pointing at animals we saw in the bush, which we loved to watch. Personally, I'm glad we've done both trips - both ages had their merits for traveling in Africa. We've learned that there are a few things that make your life easier on safari in Africa with a baby/toddler. One handy thing is to have a second bedroom if you can, or a family sized tent, so that you can both get some sleep and not be tip-toeing around. Another is to spend as long as possible in one place, rather than trying to see everything on a two week trip. Just plant yourself, give them a familiar environment with a few familiar things (travel cot, blanket, teddy) and within a day or so we found Solo was less jet-lagged than we were. In Zimbabwe on our first day there I picked up a plastic 3-wheeler motorbike which we took everywhere for Solo and he absolutely loved it. Your munchkin is a bit younger - is she crawling? It's probably easier when they're walking, because they're less likely to be constantly putting their hands into less than hygienic stuff on the floor and stuffing it all in their mouths. 5 months was a great age to take Solo on safari because he wasn't mobile, so although we weren't sleeping through the night and were still semi-zombies, we didn't have to watch him every second like we did more or less on this trip. You can also take advantage of great nannies - Africa has some of the best - I longed to bring one home! The lovely ladies at our camp in Zimbabwe would take Solo for a few hours when we went on game drives, something I wasn't ready to do last year when he was a baby, and we would find him perfectly happy strapped to one lady's back on our return. We took my parents with me last year and they were an enormous help with Solo, so that's worth considering too! Re malaria - this time we used a Chinese herb called Artimesinum, which is also successfully used as the treatment for malaria, that a friend got for me in Kenya. I don't know if you can get it in Australia - a Chinese herbalist might be able to help - but it's readily available in Africa at chemists. You take a tiny sugary tasting tablet for 3 days in advance of being in a malaria area - all very pain free. Alternatively, you might want to consider going to a malaria free area like Madikwe in South Africa which is family friendly but has the big 5 or try Namibia - most of this desert country is malaria free (too dry for mozzies) - or Botswana, where your friend is, which I've heard doesn't have much malaria either. You could go to a malaria area in the dry winter months when there's no mozzies around too to minimise the risk. I guess the big learning from our trips is, it's a mistake not to go to Africa just because you have a baby. I totally know what you mean about those anxieties you get as a mum around taking a little one to Africa. I had them too. Just remind yourself that loads of people have successfully raised babies and kids over there and still are perfectly well. And I wouldn't have missed our time in Africa in the last 18 months for anything.
- Comments: Natalie Manwaring | Hey tammy, my friend past this site onto me and then I realised I had read your book a few years ago. Anyway the reason for me writing is I have been battling to get to Africa for such a long time. And now, I have a 13 month old baby and was thinking of heading to see a friend in botswana. I have never been and now after having a child the thought is just terrifying. Mothers guilt if something where to happen all those crazy things that run through your mind as a parent. I wish I had of been before so I had some idea of what I was getting myself into. And my friends that are over there dont have children and dont really understand the logistics of taking a child anywhere. I really want to go but I am thinking of waiting until my daughter is a little older? I just would love my daughter to experience a different culture, and be able to come on the journey with me. We dont vaccinate either and I am sceptical regarding the usefulness of vaccines prior to travelling. So any informatiion would be great that you could give me, in particular malaria drugs? What did you have to do for lil Sol before you left? Thank you Tammy for your time.