As opposed to older ideas that adventures end when a baby comes, more travellers are proving the joy of sharing the experience with children, even infants. Of course, air travel has made it much easier to go from one end of the world to another and nowadays, no one is too young to start seeing the world.
Whether it is to visit grandparents or simply to use parental leave to finally explore that dream destination, you will most likely have to survive traveling with your little one. Despite what you may think, it is not actually impossible, if you plan and strategize well. Here are some tips to make your childs first trip a happy and memorable one.
Plan Travel Accessories
– It is always important to plan for a car seat, whether for a flight or while in a different city. After all, the safety of your precious child is at stake. An easy thing to do is to just bring one with you, so that the baby is comfortable with it, and so you know you always have one. Just make sure its compatible with cars in that foreign land, or that its approved for flying.
While strollers are a great idea and allow parents to walk for hours without back pain, you should definitely consider the fact that many countries do not have ramps or elevators. This means you will end up carrying it. Do your homework, and maybe get your baby used to a carrier instead to be safe.
Bring a Piece of Home with You
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Whether its a foldable bed, a beloved blanket or a favourite stuffed toy, make your baby comfortable in a new place by bringing something familiar. You would not want to end up with a cranky baby who cannot sleep in a strange bed and surroundings.
Plan for Food
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If you are breastfeeding, then this takes away a huge burden on making sure baby has food wherever you are traveling. However, take note that certain food items might affect milk supply and taste, so you might want to take it easy on trying out all that exotic food.
If your baby is a bit bigger and eats food already, you still have to watch out for hygiene. You may protect him by bringing your own utensils, but if they are mixed or washed in water that might not be as clean as back home, then he is still at risk. To be safe, always opt for bottled water.
Train Early
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If you foresee a lot of traveling in the future with your child, you can start getting him used to it by taking shorter weekend trips. You can see then how he reacts to whole day outdoors, or sleeping in hotel cribs. Moreover, he might start to get used to it and not long for the familiarity of home all the time. Once you get the baby to sleep in a few strange places, then he can definitely sleep like a baby wherever you plan to travel!
It is true that traveling with an infant or baby might seem tough, but it is also easier than with little kids who run around and worse, throw tantrums. The trick is to just prepare him beforehand and plan well. Soon enough you can start with the first of many fun family trips!