If you thought travelling on your own was challenging, wait till you have to plan a trip with a little one. This type of travel presents its own specific challenges, and yet as scary as it might seem, most parents agree it’s totally worth it.
If you’ve travelled a lot with your SO before you started your family, why stop now? Whenever you’re on the go, you’re presented with learning opportunities, and this one doesn’t fail in this aspect either. Travelling with a baby teaches you how to be selfless and respective of another person’s needs first and foremost. As soon as you take to the road or fly with your bub, you’re going to see how enriching of an experience it can be. Yes, the baby won’t remember anything of the trips, but hey, that’s what pictures are for!
If you want to make the most of it for you, your partner, and your little one, the key lies in the preparation, specifically the luggage you take along. So, before the trip arrives, create a checklist and buy baby products online to meet your little one’s needs. Don’t know where to start? Here are some ideas.
Take Care of Food
One of the easiest and cost-efficient ways to keep a baby full is by breastfeeding, but for many women that’s not possible. Especially if you’re travelling using public transportation and don’t have the necessary privacy. But if you’re going to feed your baby with a bottle, the reality is that this requires extra planning, like having your own supply of milk formula at all times.
Of course, you probably don’t want to overpack, but this is one item you should definitely get in bigger amounts because you never know whether or not the place where you go will have the same formula your baby needs. You can make things easier by buying powder instead of premixed formula and get a sectioned formula dispenser to rid you of the powder-measurement chore.
When eating solids, pack up a few jars, snacks your bub loves and bring the utensils along too. If your child is already able to sit and crawl, look for a baby shop that offers a practical portable booster seat you can strap on any chair or a multi-use mat that can come in handy with playtime and diaper changing too. These two are items that can make feeding on the go a lot easier!
Take Care of Sleep
Now while there’s the famous idiom that goes “sleeping like a baby” a parent knows that’s not always true. There are times when the baby is restless, other times colicky, especially when being elsewhere than home. It doesn’t have to be stressful as you to make your bub’s stay pleasant by bringing along his or her sheets and blankets to ensure there are familiar smells and feels around. Besides, this way you know the baby has a bacteria-free environment.
You could throw in a bamboo towel or wrap as well, if you don’t want a blanket, as they can double as a breastfeeding cover, and even as baby carrier if you know how to wrap up around you properly. As a fabric, bamboo is the best choice for babies because of its properties.
Also, if you plan on staying longer at the destination, buy baby products online that are created for comfort like a compact and easy to assemble travel cot design or a travel bundle that transforms from a bassinet to a cot. In case you’ll be sleeping in separate rooms, the baby monitor is another must-have.
Take Care of Clothes
Same as when packing up for yourself, the child’s clothing should be suitable for the weather. So, you need to be mindful when you buy baby clothes. Since little ones tend to mess up their clothes easily, it’s best to have two outfits per day, especially if the destination is known for the changing weather during the day. What happens when they need a third outfit? Count on PJs!
If you tend to keep the load lightweight, onesies are the basics, as they serve as t-shirts and undershirts, followed by pants that can be transformed into shorts. For the hot periods, keeping your baby cool and comfortable is the recipe, the focus being on loose clothing. Whereas for the cold, overalls are necessary, as are cardigans, long-sleeve flannel shirts, and of course accessories like socks, hats, gloves and adequate shoes.
Take Care of Hygiene and Medicines
Babies are so delicate and while you may not be a germaphobe you’d still have to do whatever’s in your power to ensure the environment around them is as clean as can be to protect them from all sorts of germs. This requires packing up disposable bottle liners or sterilizing equipment for microwave for bottle-feeding babies. In case you aren’t sure about the microwave, be sure to check with the hotel or AirBnB place where you intend to stay prior to booking. Another excellent piece you can buy at babies shop is the UV sterilization wand to disinfect whatever and whenever you need.
As for items of cleanliness and medicines you can get from the pharmacies, the supply of diapers for all of the days you’ll be staying there and the disposable nappy bags to put them in are mandatory. Don’t forget to also bring along lots of wet wipes, pacifiers, saline spray for stuffed nose, sunblock for babies, teething gel, anti-allergy cream, antiseptic cream, colic drops, insect repellent, and nasal aspirator. Additional things you might find important are thermometer, bsndaids, hairbrush and comb, body wash, body lotion, nail clippers and infant pain reliever.
Take Care of Travelling
By this, I mean both sitting and being on the move, which is why you need to buy baby products online designed to make trips easier such as baby car seat and baby carrier. Seats are a great idea even if you don’t get to ride in a car because they can be put anywhere, even on the train for instance, whereas the carrier is the perfect alternative for a stroller as it’s more compact thus easier to pack and carry.