Traveling with a baby can seem a little complicated, but with our tips it will be a lot easier! After all, it’s the summer and after the past year of abnormal lock-downs and stress we all deserve a break even if we are staying within our borders or not!
Going on a trip as a family requires a little more planning and packing, but it’s also a wonderful time for bonding and creating family memories. With the below guide, it will simplify some of the guesswork so you can start your holidays stress free!
When can you start traveling with a baby?
Whether you were used to traveling before becoming parents or the lockdowns have made you angsty for some escape, you’re probably wondering how old your newborn needs to be before he can embark on his first trip.
It’s best to get your pediatrician’s greenlight before you book your trip, but a general recommendation is to wait until your newborn is three or four weeks old. From 9 months old your baby will find it easier to travel for a longer time. Of course, every child is different and it’s best to follow your intuition to decide if your newborn is ready for a holiday trip.
At the moment, it is best to avoid transports or areas that will be very crowded or unnecessarily stressful because of the current restrictions.
If you have nice holiday options a couple of hours away from your home, a road trip is probably better than flying this year. It is important to have a really good car seat, but other than that there’s nothing stopping you!
What to pack for traveling with a baby
Of course, packing for a newborn is quite different than for an adult, no reusing the same shirt twice as it will be covered in drool by lunch time.
What you will pack will depend on your child’s age and how long you will be traveling for. Obviously, staying in a place that has a washing machine will make your life easier. Here’s a travel packing list you can customized:
Baby’s holiday packing list:
- Diapers + overnight diapers (plan some plastic bags for dirty nappies in case there’s no bins)
- Wipes
- Diaper rash cream
- Multi purpose Nourishing Balm
- Baby wash + Nourishing Bath Oil
- Clothes: prepare 1 daytime + 1 night time outfit per day + extras
- Bibs
- Extra bottles + pacifiers
Some extras for a newborn:
- 10 or more diapers per day
- A few burp cloths
- Nursing cover
Some extras for a baby:
- 8 or more Diapers per day
- Healthy snacks
- Entertainment: books, toys, crafts (ones that are easy to regroup and keep clean)
Traveling with a baby by plane
If you worry your baby will start crying and being fussy on the plane, stop right now! The 1st cause of stress for a baby on a plane is the stress level of its parents. A bit chicken and egg, but if you are relaxed it’s more likely your child will be as well.
The main reason kids get fussy on planes is because their ears hurt from the pressure. An easy solution is to feed them or give them something to suck on during takeoff and landing. Of course, they also need some distraction during the flight as it’s much harder for little ones to be patient for such a long period.
We do advise not to travel by plane at the moment as all the restrictions are making it much more complicated and it’s not necessarily healthy for a young child to breath with a mask for long hours.
Packing list for your carry-on:
- Travel Size Wipes
- 1 Diaper for every hour of travel + plastic bags
- Multi purpose Nourishing Balm
- Disinfecting wipes (for your seats and tablets)
- An extra set of baby clothes
- An extra shirt for you (in case of baby drooling or worse)
- A baby blanket + plush toy for cuddling
- Healthy snacks
- Entertainment
- Travel changing matt
Traveling with a baby by car
Many of us are planning road trips this year to avoid the dreaded complications of the restrictions. It’s actually a great way to travel with a young baby, since you can pack away without worrying about your case’s weight and can adapt the car to your newborn’s needs.
A few tips to make it easier:
Adapt the backseat into a changing table
Fill a backseat organizer with diapers, plastic bags, wipes, baby balm and a toy. Then when needed just pull out your portable changing matt and a towel, you will already have everything handy right there.
Take a large pack of wipes & extra bottles of water
Keep wipes within reach from anywhere in the car. These will be handy all along your journey for sticky hands, spilled liquids and worse. So make sure they are easy to reach. It is always useful to pack extra bottles of water, just to be on the safe side.
Plan extra stops
Traveling with kids and especially babies is more tiring. Plan some extra stops along the way for everyone to stretch their legs and make the car ride less monotonous. Even better if there’s clean facilities and a changing station.
Enjoy the sunshine and good weather!
Until next time, Tania xx