Traveling with Babies

My kids are now 21 and 20 years old, and we began traveling since they were 3 months old. The younger you can get them to start traveling, the more they get comfortable with flights, cars, hotels, and cruises. It becomes less stressful and more enjoyable the older they get.

So when starting out with babies, try to pick flights where you will be in the air during their nap times. It helps them stay on schedule. If you have a layover, what worked best for us was longer layovers, picking airports that were kid-friendly, and giving them time to crawl or run around before their next flight. Some airports have kid playrooms and sensory rooms, and some lounges offer family rooms. It may mean a longer travel day for us but also a less stressful travel day. Especially now, with all the flight delays and missing connections, running to the next gate with a baby(ies) can be a stressful start to your vacation.

In your mom bag, make sure you have essentials and extra, extra formula and diapers, medications, a change of clothes, and empty gallon-size Ziploc bags. Pack as if you are planning on delays and cancellations. Yes, baby diaper blowouts can be real on flights, and having a Ziploc bag to put those clothes into can be helpful, even if you plan to dispose of the clothing item.

Our son (firstborn) flew as a lap baby in business/first. Yes, we got the looks. Yes, he got fussy before takeoff. But, by the time the plane took off, and feeding him his bottle, he was knocked out for the entire flight. As we prepared to disembark, people would comment on how well he traveled, and they didn't even know there was a baby in business.

Our daughter had a bit harder time as a baby with air travel. She didn't like car travel and didn't like her baby swing. We weren't prepared to stop our traveling, but she was miserable. She also suffered from severe GERD. After speaking with her pediatrician, ENT, and gastroenterologist, they believed she may have some fluid in her ear that was causing her these discomforts when traveling. They recommended Benadryl to dry her up a bit before the flight. They provided us with the smallest dosage to give her and made sure she stayed hydrated. It worked for her, and it solved our problem. I do not recommend just giving your baby Benadryl and to work with their team of doctors in helping you solve the problem. Our goal was to make our baby comfortable because clearly she was in pain.

I also carried a Monkey Mat with us. I still travel with it. It's compact and fits in your purse or bag. I just happened to see if they are still in business and saw they sell it on Amazon. It provides an instant clean space (you can wipe with your antimicrobial wipes) where babies can play at the gate or lounge, great for parks and beaches. It is water-repellant, spill-, dirt-, sand-, and grass-resistant. On our trip to London, our flight had a long delay, and we had already left the lounge and were at the gate. We had no time frame of when we would start boarding as there was a maintenance issue they were trying to repair. We threw our Monkey Mat down, and both my kids were sitting on it and keeping themselves busy with the activities they had in their backpacks.

For hotels or other accomodations, make sure they provide or can recommend where you can rent items. If you are breastfeeding, make sure your room has a mini fridge or they can provide one. What is normal in rooms in the US may not be normail in other parts of the world and items need to be requested ahead of time.

Do you need to bring enough diapers for the duraion of your trip? No, most places you will be traveling to will have places where you can buy diapers. Unless you are going on a cruise or some remote place, yes, then you may need to pack extra diapers. These are things a travel agent can assist you with and see what services are offered.

Overall, be flexible when you travel; what works at home and rules at home may not work when traveling. Make it fun and adventurous. Provide them with all their lovies and comforts to help with the transition. Most of all, be prepared for all the "what could happen" when traveling.