Traveling with a baby can be pretty scary for many parents. I know that as a first time mom, when I travelled to Asia to visit family with my then 1 year old daughter four years ago, I didn’t know what to expect. To be honest, I prepared for the worst and hoped for the best on that trip. I was pretty lucky because we flew the red eye and my daughter ended up sleeping 12 out of the 15 hours we were on that plane. Now, as a mother of two, the idea of traveling overseas with 2 little ones wasn’t exactly appealing to me. However, my grandmother’s health was deteriorating rapidly and she hadn’t met my son, so I knew we had to make the trip regardless of how difficult it might be.
To prepare for the trip, I made sure that we had everything we needed and more. During our first visit with my daughter, our plane was delayed by 10 hours. I ran out of diapers and milk, so I had to borrow diapers from other moms and asked the flight attendants to search for whole milk. It was a stressful situation made worst because I packed just enough essentials for the hours I expected us to be inflight and at the airport. Learning from this unpleasant experience, I doubled up on the formula and the diapers for my little guy on his first trip. In the end, we did not need all of the extra formula and diapers I was carrying, but I felt strongly that it was better to be safe than sorry.
If you are flying like we did, be sure to check the TSA website for the latest requirement on traveling with breast milk, formula or juice for your kids. Keep in mind that if you plan on using the stroller up until you are ready to board the plane, the stroller still needs to go through the security check point. You will need to take the baby out of the stroller and unload everything from it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but don’t lose sight of your children at the busy airport either.
Although travelling with a baby can be difficult, it can also be fun. For us, it was definitely exciting to share our son’s first visit to the airport, first plane ride and first time in a foreign country. I think the key to traveling with a baby is to be well prepared.
Here are my tips: Be sure to pack toys to keep your child entertained at the airport and while you wait for the plane to take off, pack enough basic essentials like formula, diapers and changes of clothes for your trip and keep your child’s lovey with you to help ease any possible discomfort or anxiety and to create a comforting sleep environment. Remember, too, safety is the key to traveling with your baby. Above all, enjoy your trip with your baby, it might be the adventure that will provide a lifetime of wonderful family memories!
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Written by Jennifer Maldonado, Sugar Pop Ribbons is a review and giveaway blog that features products for women and children. As a mother of two young children, Jennifer reviews baby gear, kids related products as well as eco-friendly merchandises for the entire family. In addition to offering reviews that might interest other mothers, her blog also hosts daily giveaways.