Vacation With Your Baby? Read These Ten Tips First
Planning your first vacation with you baby is essential to the success of your trip.
Here are ten tips to follow to help you when planning your trip.
1. If your vacation plans involve traveling to a remote location, or if your plans include time on a cruise ship make sure that you have made arrangements for food and water for your baby. If you are off to a major city in North America or Europe you will be able to purchase the required items when you arrive.
2. It will be easier to treat any issues that your baby may experience when away from home if you pack the right medicines with you before leaving home. It is much easier and more effective treatment for sore tummies, low grade fevers, diaper rashes if you have the right medicines with you - rather than trying to find a drugstore after your child starts to feel under the weather.
3. Accommodations. Think about reserving a room with a balcony that you can comfortably sit on viewing the ocean, or overlooking a mountain range. You can count on spending more time in your room as your baby will need their regular nap times. If your room has a balcony you and your spouse can still enjoy your time together - sitting on the balcony - while your baby gets their needed sleep.
4. Don’t plan on being as busy as you were on trips before baby. You can’t just go-go-go. Take time to stop periodically, and play with the baby. If there are some sites or adventures that one of you just has to see - agree up front that there will be times when one parent heads off on their own to see or do what is important to them while the other parent tends to the baby.
5. Our babies love to sleep in the stroller. That is great when we are at home - but not always so great on a vacation. If your baby is in their stroller too much during the day they may end up having too much daytime sleep making it difficult for them to sleep at night. During the day plan for regular breaks to get the baby out of their stroller and play with them at a park, or place a blanket on the ground and spend some time playing with them outside of their stroller.
6. Takes direct flights when flying. When possible avoid connecting air flights. Flying for babies is not always easy. The change in air pressure during take-offs and landings can be hard for babies.
7. Think about bringing a travel bed for the baby to sleep in - and before you leave home let them practice by having them sleep in it for a couple of nights.
8. Car seat. If your vacation plans include renting a vehicle then think about bringing your child’s car seat with you. Having your on car seat means that your baby will be comfortable in it and you will be comfortable knowing how to put it into the rental car and knowing that your child is as safe as they would be at home.
9. A month or so before you travel contact your baby’s doctor to advise that you will be travelling with your baby. Ask the doctor if there are any required vaccinations for the places that you plan on visiting during the trip.
10. Check list. Write a list of the items that you will carry with you as you travel and a list of the items that you will pack for your baby to be used during the trip. Check the list a week before the trip and then check it again the day before the trip to make sure that you have everything.
