9 Tips for travelling overseas with a baby

Easy Journey: 9 Tips for travelling with a baby

Lim Han

05 May 2017

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Ship baby essentials to your destination
Why lug around those cumbersome formula cans or bulky diaper packs when you can have them arrive at your doorstep the moment you reach your destination? There are several websites that cater to such needs of travelling parents, from Babies Travel Lite to Jet Set Babies. Pick whatever supplies you need, whether it’s strollers, high chairs or boosters. Travelling with infants has never been easier.
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Fly with child-friendly airlines
These airlines will certainly make you wish you were a child. Providing in-flight entertainment, special accommodation and junior luxuries, these family-friendly airlines make plane rides with infants a total breeze. Got an implacable wailing infant? No problem, the sterling facilities and amenities on board will placate them in no time. Take your pick from a whole range of such airlines, such as Asiana Airlines Magic Shows and Special Accommodations and Emirates Airlines Skysurfers and Fly With Me Monsters.
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Prepare in-flight ear pain relievers
If take-offs and landings engender stress and ear pains for you, can you imagine how much worse it’d be for your infant who hasn’t even got a clue what an airplane is? Preparing pain relievers for your baby such as pacifiers and sippy bottles is an essential step you need to take to ease his/her discomfort and prevent relentless wailing, which is going to beget even more pain for your ears.
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Designate areas for infant needs
The real deal starts the moment you unpack. Curating your abode to transform it into a baby-friendly home is key to easing your infant into the new environment. Set specific spots for nappy-changing, a play area and, of course, a ‘kitchen’ that will house all the milk bottles, baby food and formula powder. With this measure put in place, it’ll be like you never left home!
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Squeeze in short naps
Of course, your infant’s inclination to naps won’t dissipate during your vacation. The landmarks and views are breathtaking, yes, but they won’t be enough to keep your baby awake the whole day. Instead of dedicating a long stretch of time to your infant’s naps, why not squeeze in quick power naps throughout the day? You can drag out your car rides, lull them into a slumber in the stroller while sightseeing, or wear your resting baby as you walk around. This way, you definitely won’t be wasting your vacation away.
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Pack a baby ‘goodie bag’
Also called a child kit, this bag will carry everything you need to feed and entertain your baby. From milk bottles and baby food to pacifier and toys, this child kit is every mother’s lifesaver. If your kid gets hungry or bored, simply pull out from the bag whatever will appease her! Who needs Doraemon’s magic pouch when you have this all-rounded goodie bag?
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Use umbrella strollers instead
If you’re thinking about ditching the pram for the vacation, we suggest you don’t. Strollers are vital for your travelling baby, especially when you get worn out from holding your baby – or, if your baby gets tired of being held. Why not opt for umbrella strollers? These slim, fold-up prams do the job and are way more convenient to carry around.
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Dine early
Yes, dining early while on vacation can disrupt your usual mealtime routine and dampen the joyful holiday mood. But, dining early possesses a great number of perks that will make up for your modified timetable. For instance, you’ll be lavished with palatial parking space, an emptier restaurant, more efficient service and ample room for your stroller and other bulky baby equipment. Not to mention, your darling won’t be plagued with cranky sleepiness during dinner.
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Put measures in place for easier bedtimes
If bedtimes were a struggle back at home, you’re in for a real fight here at your holiday abode. Although a new environment and possibly different time zone do not bode well for your infant’s sleeping ritual, there are a ton of ways you can ease your baby into his/her foreign crib. For instance, if your baby is sleeping in a portable travel bed, let him/her sleep in it a few nights beforehand to get him/her used to it first. Also, if the country you’re going to entails a new time zone, instead of making your baby’s body clock do the hard labour, why not shift your timetable a few hours earlier or later to suit his/her internal clock?

Ship baby essentials to your destination

Mothers, here’s how to make travelling with your baby the dream you always imagined.

So, it looks like you’ll be carrying one more passport this trip! Travelling with your baby entails a whole different experience, from your packing priorities and mealtimes to the plane rides and type of itinerary planned. Not only will you have to care for yourself in a foreign land, you will also have to take into account the various needs of your infant. Now, no one said motherhood was a walk in the park.

Although inevitable challenges await, it doesn’t have to be an abysmal catastrophe. There’s plenty of tips you can employ to make travelling with your darling a sweet piece of cake! Whether you’ve got an overloaded suitcase stuffed with cumbersome baby essentials or an inconsolable baby on the plane, we know just how to ease your parental burdens and unleash your traveller’s spirit! With our tricks up your sleeve, you’ll be ensured uninterrupted gazing of the gorgeous Eiffel Tower or, maybe, even a serene climb up the Great Wall of China, wherever your wanderlust may lead you to.

Lim Han

Photos: Getty Images

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