However, parents will have to take extra precautions in the light of Nepal's poor sanitation, dogs, crowds, traffic, pollution, bright sun and steep slopes. It may be hard to keep hands clean and yucky stuff out of mouths. Small children will have to be kept a firm grip on most of the time. Drum into them the necessity of keeping away from dogs and only drinking clean water. If your child comes down with diarrhoea, it's extremely important to keep him or her hydrated and topped up on salts - have oral rehydration formula on hand.

Naturally you'll want to plan a more modest itinerary and travel in greater comfort with children than you would on your own. Nepal's winding, bumpy roads are likely to make kids travelsick, so take bus journeys in very small doses, or rent a car. Most cheap lodgings will be out of the question on account of their bathroom arrangements. In tourist areas it should be no problem finding food that kids will eat, but they're bound to turn their noses up at "spicy" food. Baby food and disposable nappies/diapers are available in Kathmandu and Pokhara, but are hard to come by elsewhere.

Trekking is logistically awkward with children, especially ones who are too old to ride in a backpack and too young to hike on their own. You'll need one or more porters for all the kiddie paraphernalia; porters can also carry young ones in modified doko (wicker baskets). Trekking with an agency can alleviate some of the hassles.