Thailand with kids: Good to know before visiting

Good to know

When visiting Thailand with the kids, they are few things to consider.
Here are useful travel tips that will make your trip easy and enjoyable.
*When to go*
**Best season:** November to March
**Rainy season:** June to October
**Hottest month:** April
*To consider*
Thai new year (Sonkran) happens in April. During a week or so, the entire country slows down. Shops are almost all closed, and the prices of hotel and local flights soar considerably.

What to pack

Honestly, you will find pretty much everything you might need in Thailand, so no need to worry about forgetting something critical. The local Amazon is Lazada, you will be able to get delivery at your hotel anywhere in Thailand.

Light weight clothes that will cover your shoulders and knees (mandatory to visit temples). Ideal fabrics are linen or cotton gauze.
Mosquito repellent and anti-itch cream as the ones found in the country are not really efficient.
Waterproof sandals.
For young babies, I would take nighttime diapers as I find that the ones in local stores leak a lot which might bother your little one.

Here is a selection of my favorite items to pack for the kids.

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Local life

Phone

Get a local sim at the airport upon your arrival. Easy and cheap.

Money

ATM are easy to find, and always available in surpermarkets. Locals love to pay with their phone via QR codes, but it is only available if you have a local account. Plan to have to cash with you.

Line & Grab

Two apps you might need to order food, a taxi, or chat with local businesses.

Visiting temples

Cover your shoulders and knees. Get ready to take off your shoes.

MRT & BTS

Local subway, convenient, cheap ,easy and with AC.

Public Toilets

Easy to find but bring your own tissues!

Food

Street food

Delicious, cheap, fast, but oh so spicy. Don’t forget to mention not spicy (or little if you like it pretty spicy). My kids favorites are: fried omelet served over rice, “Moo ping” (pork skewer grilled on the barbecue and sticky rice (white or brown), fried chicken, noodle soup.

Spoon

Used for most meals, knives are really uncommon.

Food court

In every shopping center, you will find a food court either on the top or bottom floor serving Thai street food. Some malls actually have several food courts, and the way to know if you are in the right one is to look for a booth that will give you a card in exchange of money to pay for your food. Don’t forget to give back the card at the end of your meal to get back the money you did not use. The reasons why I love to go to such food court with kids is that it makes trying street food much easier : you can easily wash your hands before and after the meal, or take them to the bathroom when needed, it is cool, there is no need to worry about nearby cars or motorbikes… It does take away some of the fun of street food but again, convenience especially with young kids is critical.

Kids and baby

Baby food

You will be able to find purée and compote mainly for babies 8months + in big supermarket chains (Tops, Villa Market, Gourmet Market, Big C) but it is hard to find things for younger babies. Milk powder is easy to find, lots of brands including specific milk: Lactose free, Goat milk, Pepti…

Locals

They love kids! You will get a lot of smiles, and they will try to make your little ones smile for sure.

Stoller

Difficult to use in Bangkok as there are very few sidewalks. If you can bring a baby carrier.

Fun facts

Monkey feast

Every year in November a monkey festival is held in Lopburi province and a real feast is served to hundreds of animals. 2 tones of salad, rice,meat and even ice cream!

Smile

Smiling is the default reaction in Thailand and so you will find locals smile when annoyed, sad, embarrassed, scared… It explains why the country is often referred to as the land of smiles!

Siamese

Siamese cats and Siamese twins. Both originated from Thailand that used to be called the kingdom of Siam.

Orchid

The national flower. There are over 1000 types of orchids in the country and Thailand is the main exporter of orchids in the world.

Nicknames

Thais love them. Easier to pronounce that their birth name, they usually don’t have any specific meanings. Some exemples: golf, art, Benz, New, Beer, Ball, Film