Travelling With an Infant?

Travelling With an Infant? Travelling by yourself is quite a feat. Flight delays may happen. You may get lost. You may lose money. But there is something far more difficult than that—travelling with an infant. Aside from the fact that you will have to deal with crowded airports, language barrier and many more, you also have to find ways to make sure that your baby will be safe and sound through all of that.

With that in mind, here are some things you need to know before travelling with an infant:

Health and Safety

The long hours on the road, the pollution and bacteria you may be exposed to, the ever changing climate—these are some of the health hazards that you may encounter along the way. That’s why the first thing that you need to think about before you travel with your little one is his safety and health. To help keep your baby safe and healthy at all times, here are some tips to keep in mind:

Bring a first aid kit with you.

You will never know what may happen during your trip, so it is best that you come prepared. One of the best things that you can do is assemble a first aid kit that contains medical supplies that will come handy in managing minor medical problems that you baby may have.

When assembling a first aid kit, you need to make sure that you will bring a few bandages, alcohol, disinfectant and thermometer. When it comes to medications, opt for the usual over-the-counter medications like antipyretic, antihistamines, anti diarrheal and many more. If your baby is asthmatic, you may also want to bring a nebulizer or inhaler with you.

Create an emergency health sheet for your child.

This sheet will come handy in the event that your child will be hospitalized or may require medical attention during your trip. In this sheet, place all the contact numbers and names of the doctors of your little one. Aside from that, it would also be best if you will indicate all the allergies your child may have along with the medications that he is taking.

You can print this sheet and place it inside your travelling bag. You can also save it in your phone so that you can access, it anytime.

Keep him warm and protect him from heat.

As mentioned above, you will experience the change in temperature and climate as you travel. To ensure that your child can be able to withstand the temperature changes, the best thing that you can do is to bring a hat and a shade to protect him from the sun and a jacket to keep him warm when the temperature drops down.

Entertainment

The long hours of travelling can be extremely boring for your baby so don’t be surprised if he will be throwing tantrums (lots of it!) along the way. Because of this, the best thing that you can do is to bring a few things to keep him entertained while you are on the road or you are at the airport.

It is recommended that you bring a goodie bag filled with toys that you know your child may love. Some of these may include his nesting toys, teething rings, musical toys, stuffed toys, rattles and many more. You may also want to upload a few songs on your mobile phone or tablet so you can play it to your baby during the trip.

Food

We all know that preparing your newborn’s food and milk is not a piece of cake. It requires plenty of preparation and great care. To ensure that your baby will receive proper nutrition during your trip, take a look at these tips:

Bring a bottle of water with you.

There’s a high chance that your baby will get dehydrated during the trip because of the hot temperature. To prevent that from happening, you should always bring a water bottle with you. Just make sure that your source of water is clean and reliable.

Bring the right feeding gear.

If you are breastfeeding, make sure to bring a breastfeeding wrap so you can breastfeed your baby anytime all the time. If you are bottle feeding your child, you may wish to bring a breast pump (if you are exclusively feeding him breast milk), plenty of baby bottles and a bottle sanitizer.

Travel Gear

Comfort must be your main priority when you are travelling with an infant. Lucky for you, there are plenty of travel gear that you can use to make the trip as hassle free as possible. With that in mind, here are some advice on travel gear:

Bring a lightweight, portable yet roomy diaper bag.

You have to make sure that you will be bringing the perfect diaper bag since you will be using it wherever you will go. When choosing a diaper bag, opt for one that has useful features like a free diaper bag and stroller straps, roomy compartments, exterior pocket for baby wipes, insulated pockets to keep baby bottles warm and make sure that you bring a separate wet bag so you can store soiled clothes and cloth diapers separately.

Bring a sling or front-carrier.

It would be a big hassle if you will be carrying your child during the entire trip. But if you want to keep your baby close to you at all times, the hassle-free way to go is to use a sling or a front-carrier. If your baby is light and a lot younger, front carrier is the best option. For heavier and older babies, you may want to use a backpack carrier.

Bring a portable play yard.

If you have a portable crib and play yard, you may wish to bring it with you on your trip. You can easily set it up in the hotel room or your relative’s house, and your baby can already have a safe place where he can play and sleep in.

These simple tips can make travelling with an infant a whole lot easier. Before you go, make sure that you keep these tips in mind so you can enjoy your trip with your little one and the entire family.

Author:

I am Josephine, a blogger at babykis.com. I love children and I want to share my knowledge to all parents about child care. Say hi on Twitter @Josephine_GL

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