Infant Travel Tips to Keep Stress Levels Down
Traveling with a baby can present quite a challenging scenario and there are quite a few infant travel tips you could benefit from to keep the stress of traveling down to a minimum. Whether you travel by plane, train, car or some other mode of transportation, many infant travel tips are universal and can be applied or adapted depending on the situation.
Packing Ideas
Packing for baby can be a trying time and sometimes you feel that your entire house is being toted around! The best infant travel tip to keep in mind is that diapers and wipes can be purchased anywhere so pack only what you need for the to-and-from traveling itself. Yes, purchasing smaller packages of these items is a bit expensive but you can use the room in your luggage for more important items.
Bringing the necessary snacks and bottled formula is important and counts among the many infant travel tips to follow. Unless the baby is breast fed, you need to ensure that you have enough formula for your entire trip, especially if the baby is on anything special (like lactose-free) that cannot be readily obtained at your destination.
Plastic diapers covers, bibs and extra changes of clothing count as important infant travel tips because you know that accidents happen. Pack a few plastic baggies to contain the soiled clothing to prevent anything else from getting soiled too. Medications are also a must, even over the counter pain reliever because you never known when your baby is going to start teething, get a fever or have an earache if flying.
Air Travel Specific
Traveling via car is one thing but air travel is definitely another when it comes to baby so infant travel tips is essential here! The biggest dilemma is the "do I buy an extra seat or not" debate and that will depend on several things. First, if you can afford an extra seat, you should do so mainly due to safety reasons plus the fact it will give you a break and allow you child to rest in its own strapped in child seat.
Among the many infant travel tips is choosing your seats on the plane as sometimes, you can do so with enough preplanning. There are always one or two rows that are extra wide for a bit more foot room or even seats near built-in bassinets. Request one of these areas and when you check in at the airport, see if there are any free upgrades available to first class as agents may take pity on you and give you a seat in first class where you can stretch out with baby.
Among the important infant travel tips to follow when traveling via airplane is bringing a stroller. Do not check the stroller in with your luggage but instead do so at the gate before you board. When you check the stroller in at the gate, it will be the last thing placed on the plane and the first thing off so it will be waiting for you when you depart the plane at your destination. That stroller is a godsend in a busy airport as it will not only allow your child to rest comfortably but it is easily portable and can hold quite a few other things as well that you have to cart around.
All in all, there are countless infant travel tips you can follow and most of them can be adapted depending on your individual needs as well as destination. When traveling on an airplane, just remember to talk with the ticket agent about any restrictions regarding traveling with a baby.
