Travelling with a baby can be quite a daunting task especially for new mommies and daddies. It took me nearly two years before I was brave enough to bring my first born on his maiden flight. Even then, it was just a short 2-hour flight. I learned a couple of things on that trip and every trip after that, and after a couple of long-haul flights with a baby, I am still not an expert, but I am happy to share with you things that I learnt along the way that makes travelling with a baby much easier.
Packing for your Baby
1. Packing the milk powder
When travelling to countries that are strict about bringing in dairy products, there’s no harm being extra cautious and bringing a small unopened can of milk powder and pack it with the luggage. It is easier to inform customs that you have an unopened can as they know it is uncontaminated. Bring a clean Ziploc/plastic bag to store the unused milk powder and throw away the can when packing to go home. In addition to that, pack milk powder for the flight into small sachets with the correct amount per feed. These sachets are light and don’t take up much space.
2. Don’t forget the milk bottle cleaner
I have forgotten to pack this many times before. You can bring this in a small travel-sized bottle. I also bring a small sponge (cut 1/4 of the usual sized one) to clean the bottle properly.
3. Consider a travel bath tub
If your baby doesn’t like taking showers, and your accommodation does not provide a bath tub, consider bringing an inflatable travel bath tub.
4. Check if hot water is available
When you are staying in budget accommodations, check if they provide a flask and hot water to make milk for your baby. If not, consider bringing a travel kettle. The one I like is one that does not have a coil in it. I can use it to cook instant noodle or make porridge from those ready porridge packets or heat up bottled baby food. Also remember to check in advance whether water from the tap is drinkable in the country that you are visiting. If not, plan your itinerary to include time to buy bottled water for your baby and the rest of your family.
Flying with your Baby
5. Clearing airport security swiftly
There are a lot of things to take care of when clearing through customs and security at the airport, especially with young children. I’ve seen a lot of families struggle to handle a number of things at one time, from electronics, liquids, shoes, the baby and your other kids. It is possible to have a stress-free experience when clearing airport security. All you need to do is to be prepared. Before even joining the queue, remove all of the metallic objects on each person like watch and belt. Consolidate all your electronic devices in one place so that you can take it out easily. Consolidate all your liquids in one bag. If required, remove everyone’s shoes just before your turn at the security.
Another important thing to do before joining the queue is to give clear instructions to your kids. If they haven’t done airport security clearance before, show them the process by observing other people.
6. Prepare Carry-on Bags for Boarding
Packing your carry-on bags for the baby for a flight should be done with careful planning. If you are getting a bassinet for your baby, there is no seat in front of you to put your carry-on bags. This means that you have to keep your bags in the overhead compartment during take-off and landing. However, it is during take-off and landing that you want to have milk ready in case your baby’s ears hurt due to the changes in cabin air pressure. Put the essentials you need for the take-off in a smaller pouch or plastic bag ready to be pulled out from your carry-on bag when you board and put beside you on your seat. Doing it while people are boarding can be quite cumbersome, plus you might lose the cabin compartment space right above you to other passengers.
7. Bassinets: love it or hate it
I have this love-hate relationship with bassinets after using it a couple of times on long haul flights. What I like about the bassinet is that my baby has a proper little bed to sleep in. It is also a lot cheaper than getting a full seat. However, wait until you are on a flight with a lot of “possible” turbulences. I had to pick my baby up from the bassinet when the seatbelt sign turned on. Then when the seatbelt sign was off, I had to spend time putting my baby to sleep again before laying her down on the bassinet. Imagine repeating this several times during a long haul flight when everyone else was already in deep slumber. When I was holding my baby, I couldn’t sleep because if I did, I might loosen my grip on my baby causing her to fall. It was neither good for the baby nor for me.
After learning the lesson the hard way, I improved the situation on subsequent flights by carrying my baby in a sarong cloth baby sling and putting a pillow below her body. By doing this, my baby can snuggle up with me and sleep comfortably during the turbulence. I can sleep comfortably too knowing my baby will not fall off my lap. Another advantage to using the sarong baby sling is that it doubles as a cover for breastfeeding. As the bassinets are mounted to a cabin wall, there are usually toilets or a galley right in front of your seat. This means a lot of people will pass by or stand in queue for the toilet beside your seat. The baby sling provides excellent privacy for breast feeding even with people standing right next to your seat.
Touring with your Baby
8. Planning your itinerary
Don’t get too ambitious with your itinerary. If you look at a typical itinerary from a travel agent, packed from early morning to late evening, you could realistically cover not more than 80% of that itinerary. Relax and enjoy your trip. Have more breaks along the way. Instead of eating at a restaurant, go for take-out/take-away, and have a picnic at scenic spots.
My preference when travelling with a baby is on scenic road trips, because my baby can sit or sleep comfortably in her car seat while we drive and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way. I don’t have to lug around all the baby necessities the whole day. I just take out what I need whenever we make a stop at an attraction. If I need to breastfeed, I can do it privately in the comfort of the car. In places where the temperature changes throughout the day, I can just leave all the warm clothing in the car when I don’t need it, rather than carry it around. Certain countries like New Zealand, Australia and the United States are great for road trips. They have scenic spots along the way where you can stop, relax with your baby and enjoy spectacular views.
I try to avoid joining tours when travelling with babies. One time, when I brought my baby on a day tour, the tour guide was a bit worried that my baby would cry continuously and disturb the other people in the tour group. It is not only the parents who are worried, the tour guides are worried too!
9. Strollers or baby carriers?
When touring, should you push your baby in a stroller or carry your baby around with a baby carrier? Well, for me, it depends on where you are going for your vacation.
- Strollers I only bring strollers if the place I am going is stroller-friendly. Strollers also take up space in the car. When bringing strollers and driving, you need to be mindful about the luggage bags and car boot space that you have. I had a bad experience on my very first flight with my son and his stroller. I checked it in with my luggage bags instead of checking it in at the gate. The wheel got crooked when I retrieved it upon arrival at the destination. It was a good stroller and the only one I had. That was a lesson learnt for me. For all my subsequent trips, I did not to bring my good stroller. Instead, I brought an inexpensive, small umbrella stroller, and I only checked it in at the gate.At most theme parks and some malls, it is possible to rent a stroller. At theme parks where you have to park your stroller at designated areas before queuing up for a ride, you do not want to bring your good stroller, especially those pricier ones.
- Carriers Carriers are great when you are heading to places which might not be stroller-friendly. This could be nature parks with rugged paths or travelling on trains or buses in the city. There are three types that I have used before. Each has its own merits.
Baby Backpack
Sarong Sling
Baby Carrier
- Baby Backpack – The baby backpack leaves my hands free to hold my other kids’ hands, or a camera. The baby can see more as he/she is at eye-level with the person carrying. In crowded places, she will get the same view as the parent, instead of other people’s legs and bottoms. Although there is a neck rest, sleeping in the backpack is the least comfortable.
- Sarong sling – Whether I bring a stroller or a baby backpack, I usually bring a sarong sling baby carrier. It is good for carrying the baby during a turbulent plane ride and for privacy during breastfeeding. It is especially useful when going to theme parks. I can carry my baby in the sarong baby carrier even while queuing up for a ride. (Strollers and baby backpacks are not allowed when queuing). It is light and can go into the bag or remain on me when we go for a ride. The only thing about this baby carrier is that I am the only one using it. It is not common for men to use this type of baby carrier.
-
Baby carrier – Unlike the other two which your kid can use till they are 2-3 years old, the baby carrier is really just for babies. It doesn’t look comfortable with the weight of the baby at the area in between the thighs instead of the baby’s bottom. When facing towards me, my baby cannot see the surroundings. When facing forward, my baby’s head is not very steady.
- Carriers for two kids – When my youngest one was less than a year old, her sister was only 4. Although my four-year-old could walk, she would get tired from time-to-time. Apart from taking more breaks, what do you do when two kids need carriers? Some may opt for a twin stroller, but it is quite bulky to move around. For me, I used a combination of a stroller and a baby carrier/backpack. I have also ever brought an extension that can fit on most strollers where the second kid can stand and move together with the stroller.
10. What bag to carry
Considering that you have to bring the baby stuff like diapers, bottles, milk powder and hot water, and the travel stuff like maps, cameras, travel documents, etc, the choice of bag is important. You don’t want to get tired carrying so many things, and you want to keep your hands free for pushing the stroller or carrying your baby, and taking photos.
My favourite bag to carry when touring with a baby is a haversack with wheels. With wheels, you don’t have to carry it all the time, and if you do need to carry it, the haversack leaves your hands free to take photos, or handle your baby. The size should be big enough to accommodate all the baby essentials like diapers, bottles, milk powder and hot water and sweaters and jackets that your kids will remove when the weather gets hotter. I also use it to keep my video camera and camera in their individual padded bags.
There you have it – 10 tips when travelling with a baby. Hope you find the tips useful. If you have tips to share, do write in the comments.
You might also like:
Vacations I did before my babies started walking:
