Are you nuts? That may be the question many people ask when you plan to take your baby on a trip whether it’s a day at the beach, an airplane ride or a trip in the car to head a couple of hours away. However, as parents, you have two choices when you have a baby – you can travel or you can stay at home. Either is a fair option for you, but if you are looking forward to taking a vacation, then understand that baby just means you need to plan a little differently and be a lot more flexible – it doesn’t mean you are stuck.
So here are some tips for traveling with your baby:
Go Somewhere Family Friendly
When making your travel plans, choose a place that is used to young visitors. Most hotels will provide a crib if you like or if you are a co-sleeper, the king sized beds are very nice. Try to skip the hot tourist spots and look for the lazy retreats and nature resorts or other large facilities where you can dictate your own schedule and not have to cope with huge crowds.
Flexibility is a Must
Traveling with your baby doesn’t have to be a nightmare. There’s a lot that can over stimulate your baby and toddlers can get really tired of the hurry up and wait, so be flexible in what you need to do and where you need to be. Sometimes, when vacationing with baby – you just want to be away from the rest of the world – so limit how many sightseeing trips you want to take and choose activities that are not limited by hours.
Bring Your Own Food and Drink
Flying can dehydrate your baby – so be sure to bring plenty of formula or breast milk or be prepared to nurse as needed while in transit. It’s important to remember that your toddler can hardly wait for the airline staff to get around to delivering a tray, so bring snacks if they are on solids that they can eat. It’s easy enough to pack jars of baby food and baggies of cheerios or teething crackers. Make sure you can easily reach the moist towelettes as needed.
Car Trips Need Rest Stops
You can make a car trip with the baby as long as you plan frequent rest stops so they can get out and stretch their bodies – especially for mobile babies. Try bringing along some rubber mats or blankets so that baby has a place to crawl around on. You might bring a few toys as well – your rest stops can be 30 to 45 minutes and then another 2 hours on the road with another 30 to 45 minute break for play – this will keep both you and baby sane.
Build Up For the Real Thing
Take practice trips to build you up for the real thing. You can take day trips to destinations an hour or two away and as with anything – practice makes perfect. These tips are all pretty generic and your baby is very specific – so learn what works for you and for your baby.
I took my daughter on a cross-country trip when she was ten weeks old to visit our extended family out there. I dreaded it – but we’d planned our itinerary very loosely and her tiny self slept through most of the traveling portions – I was really glad to be home afterwards, but it was a great trip overall.
What traveling trips can you offer for taking baby on vacation?
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