20 Tips for Iceland with a Toddler

Here are 20 Tips for Iceland with a Toddler. From food advice to sleep recommendations, these are the things I wish I would have known prior to taking our toddler to Iceland.

For us, it was Iceland with a 2 year old. We took our almost (1 week away) 2 year old to Iceland for 11 days and had the most amazing time. I would recommend Iceland to literally anyone – it’s just the best – but I especially recommend it to people with small children. It’s so easy, so beautiful, and you can spend so much time outdoors.

Hopefully these tips help you to have the greatest time possible. If you want a detailed Iceland Itinerary with a toddler, I’ve got that for you too!

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#1. Go in the summer.

It’s way better for travel with a toddler. I wrote a whole post about it here.

(If you’re not convinced and want to read about The Best Time to Visit Iceland, I dive deep into it in this post.)

#2. Should you rent a car and drive or sign up for tours?

I vote for self-driving. Tours keep you an a stricter schedule, don’t allow flexibility for naps, meal times, etc., and if your kid throws a fit on the tour bus, you have the extra stress of people around. Iceland is a very easy place to drive on your own – in summer at least; winter driving can be treacherous and roads can close. You can easily rent a car, they drive on the right side of the road, and most car places even rent out car seats. We were able to get some car naps in, and we liked being able to go where we wanted when we wanted.

#3. Try not to fit too much into your trip.

There are so many things to see in Iceland, it’s easy to be a little overzealous and fill every moment with activities. But you’re traveling with a little one who has no sense of time or urgency. Relish watching your kiddo pick up every rock they see at the waterfall. I promise you’ll have a better time in Iceland with a toddler if you’re not constantly rushing to the next place.

#4. Keep the time change in mind for your accommodations.

Iceland’s time zone is 6 hours ahead of Denver/mountain time zone. We stayed in a guesthouse on our first night, and our little one was awake from 10:30pm-2am. We knew she was likely waking all the other guests, so we drove her to a hike (it was still light out at midnight). It would have been nice to have had our own space for that night of the trip.

#5. Book accommodations well in advance!

I am usually one who thinks you can find somewhere to sleep no matter what. Not. In. Iceland. Some of the country towns have very few places to stay. We had an issue with my husband’s passport, and I thought we were going to have to re-book our trip (luckily, we all still got to go). When I looked for hotels, AirBnbs, or guesthouses, there was absolutely nothing in some of the towns we wanted to visit. Book ahead! You definitely don’t want to be stuck without a hotel/airbnb with a toddler.

#6. Try to book accommodations with kitchenettes.

This will help with food cost and always knowing you have a back-up if you can’t find a restaurant when your toddler needs to eat. We grocery shopped at the beginning of our trip and had things like spaghetti to cook when we needed/wanted.

#7. Be careful with the hot water.

Water from the tap in Iceland can get extremely hot. Be careful if you let your kiddo control the faucet. The water gets really hot really fast.

#8. Pack food from home.

While there are grocery stores in Iceland, some of the food that your picky eater likes may not be available. Food is notoriously expensive in Iceland. We also didn’t always find an available restaurant when we needed something to eat. If you have space in your suitcase, throw in some extra toddler food. We brought instant mac n cheese bowls and snacks.

Read Next: TSA Precheck with a Kid or Baby is Super Helpful or How to Camp with a 1 Year Old.

#9. Bring ziplocs!

If you cook and want to bring leftovers, you can throw them in ziplocs. I also used ziplocs to make ice packs to transport our food. They’re just handy.

#10. Don’t buy bottled water.

Iceland has some of the best drinking water in the world. Fill those sippy cups from the tap.

Skogafoss Waterfall with our almost 2 year old toddler

#11. Be careful at some of the outdoor destinations.

Some of the waterfalls have steep drop-offs, the geysers have HOT water all around, and the black sand beach in Vik can have “sneaker waves” that suddenly come up further than you’d think. Keep your kiddo close, hold hands, or use a hiking backpack. Don’t get distracted by the beauty and let an accident happen.

#12. If you’re traveling to Iceland with a toddler in the summer, take advantage of that Midnight Sun.

When your toddler is refusing to sleep because of the time change or because they’re just a toddler who hates sleep, go outside. Go for a late night hike, walk to the beach, sit in the grass outside your guesthouse. It will be awesome.

#13. No matter when you go, pack lots of layers.

Iceland’s weather changes constantly. You don’t want to have to skip fun things because you didn’t pack a warm hat for the little one.

For everything you need to bring, check out my Packing List for Iceland with a Toddler.

#14. Buy this rain suit for your toddler so you can be outside even if it’s raining.

It looks hilarious, my kiddo was totally comfortable in it, and it keeps them SO DRY. It’s also helpful at the waterfalls that you can walk near. Usually you can get one of the colors on sale for less than $30.

#15. For summer travel, buy a slumber pod.

If you can afford it, this thing is awesome. It is basically a dark, breathable tent that goes over the pack n play/portable crib. It keeps it dark, so you can get your toddler the longest sleep possible. We have used one for travel since our little one was very young, and it has been well-worth the money.

#16. Bring a carrier and/or hiking backpack.

It was super helpful for some of the less safe adventures. I use the Deuter Kid Comfort, that I found for cheap on Facebook Marketplace. We used it at Kerid Crater, the Bruarfoss waterfall hike, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall (to hike behind), and the Gullfoss hike.

#17. Check and see if your accommodations have portable cribs.

As I’m sure you know, toddlers somehow require so much crap. All of our accommodations except one listed a portable crib as an amenity. I called the one that didn’t, and they had 2 available. It was very helpful to not have to bring a heavy, huge pack n play.

#18. Coordinate naps with drive times.

This seems obvious, but you might want to take it into consideration when you’re planning your trip. Checkout times are typically around 11am or noon. Your kiddo’s wake up time might be different because of the time change, so try to adjust your long drives to coincide with naps.

#19. Check out local playgrounds!

Remember when I said to not pack your schedule? Maybe you’ll end up with a little free time to meander through an Icelandic playground. Iceland has awesome playgrounds for toddlers. Some have these huge bounce pads and others are very nature-themed and cool.

#20. Rent a WiFi device ahead of time.

We rented one through Trawire. We picked up at the airport when we landed, had great wifi the whole trip, and it was $10 per day. You can rent through your car rental company, but I read ahead of time that Trawire was more reliable. It was worth it to us to always know we’d have access to the internet. We used it to find places to eat, grocery stores, etc.

I hope these 20 Tips for Iceland with a Toddler were helpful!

Enjoy your time in this beautiful country, and enjoy watching your toddler experience new things. Please let me know if you take a trip and have any advice for me to add. Happy Traveling!

For more on Iceland, read my post Be Kind to Iceland to learn how to treat this beautiful country with respect when you’re there 🙂

For more Iceland with a Toddler travel advice, check out all my posts. And make sure to visit The Golden Circle while you’re there!

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