There are various reasons to travel, you might choose to travel for the fun of it, or sometimes embark on a journey because it is absolutely necessary. Traveling with a baby is a very different experience because you are responsible for a whole lot of things.
It is important to plan adequately before embarking on a trip with a baby, Although there are a lot of variables involved, ranging from your mode of transportation to the duration and distance of your trip. Regardless of these variables, here are some of the tips that would get you started on the right track as you plan on traveling with your baby.
5 Tips for Traveling With a Baby
Every parent traveling with their baby should know these 5 things to ensure they are safe traveling and with a happy baby. Each baby traveling tip can help reduce the negative effects on both you and your child while moving from place to place.
1. Bring Extra Clothes and Diapers on Your Travels
This is the first item on your priority list when traveling with your baby. When diapers get soiled, they begging to cry. A crying baby is the last thing you want to deal with when you’re on a trip.
To prevent such occurrences, it’s important that you pack enough clothes and diapers for change as they soil them. Most portable diaper bags are designed to have a pocket for concealing soiled diapers, thus curtailing the stink within the bag.
Once you notice that the diaper is soiled, or their clothes are stained, and they’re beginning to show signs of discomfort, you can easily reach out for the extras. Examples of the most useful clothes for babies are the baby onesies shown below that can be purchased from Amazon.
2. Take Snacks and Fluid While Travelling
It’s better to keep them in a good mood than try to pacify them when they’re angry or not pleased.
One of the ways to keep babies or toddlers in a good mood is by giving them their favorite snacks and fluid. When traveling with babies, it is important to have enough supplies of their favorite. This will go a long way in keeping them in mood as you enjoy your trip.
3. Bring A Travel Toy
Babies can be easily distracted by toys. The more distracted they are, the better the traveling experience for you as the adult on the trip.
You can get them extremely engaged with their favorite toy. When packing for your journey, put two or three of their favorite portable toys in the bag, and give it to them when you noticed they’re begging to get tired of looking at the roadside attractions. A good example of a travel toy for babies is the VTech Click and Count Remote below.
It is equipped with 45 different sing-along songs and melodies to distract them with different sound effects and phrases to help keep them learning on the go. Also, the 10 numbered and different colored buttons help to keep them attracted to it. Click below to find out more.
4. The Shorter the Trip the Better
No matter how detailed your plan and preparation is, babies would get tired and extremely agitated on trips longer than six (6) hours. This is why you should plan your trip in such a way that babies are not actively journeying for more than six hours at a stretch.
If you’re traveling by road, draw a travel plan such that you have frequent stops in-between. The stop should be long enough to give them a sense of a fresh start as you commence the trip again. If you’re traveling by air, you can schedule a flight with two or more stopovers, if the journey would be more than six hours at a go.
5. Keep Them Next To You
If you’re driving, you should position your baby car seat according to safety standards. It is equally advisable that you get a travel companion if it’s a long trip and you would be driving. Because, driving is stressful on its own, coupled with the stress of keeping the baby safe and equally engaged all through.
If you’re traveling by air, ensure that your seat is right next to theirs. If your baby is less than a year old, reach out to your airliner and request for a seat that is compatible with a baby seat (As seen below). That way, they get to sit comfortably on the journey.
Whatever your means of transportation is; the main priority is your child’s safety. You should do all you can to make sure they’re well catered for, and also that they enjoy the trip.
