Traveling with a newborn
The road to motherhood is a long winding one for some of us. Gratefully my husband and I received our bundle of joy in January at a whopping 9lbs, 21 inches even. 90th plus percentile for length and weight. We couldn’t be more thrilled and even though I’m on a well deserved maternity leave from my day job, I now have time to refocus on life as a blogger. Daily I have so many thoughts and want to expound on each and every one of them in long FB or Twitter rants/posts.
As a friend once said, “Blogging is like work, but without coworkers thwarting you at every turn.” Thank goodness for that. So with some time on my hands while baby boy sleeps peacefully, well I mean in between the crying, pooping, peeing, eating regimen he’s on…I’ll have time to do more. Or so i’m going to tell myself in order to get back into the swing of things.
For me, the definition of swing of things involves a passport or flights. Planning to travel has dramatically changed with a new born involved. The good news, he flys free on most airlines.
The bad news: traveling with a newborn can be stressful. Are we taking the car seat? Most likely. It must be checked. Are we taking the stroller? Depends on a few factors (length of trip, amount of walking to be done during trip, etc.) Has the baby had all necessary preventative shots to be traveling on a plane? (Personally, this is a non-negotiable requirement for me.) There are tons of checklists to consider and most likely you will overpack for those first two trips. The most important thing is making sure you and your little one(s) are ready for the next adventure.
Here are our top 6 items to have when traveling with a newborn:
- Plenty of extra diapers
- Disposable changing pad
- Blankets or swaddling cloths
- Baby Wipes
- Favorite Toy
- Formula or portable breast pump
Head over to Baby Center to see a more comprehensive list of items to carry on that first travel trip. We say, whatever it takes to make baby happy.
Now depending on your destination, you will need babies birth certificate and passport. Most pediatricians recommend newborn travel to begin between 3-6 months. Around 3 months several sets of shots have been delivered to your precious newborn to safely ward off any germs they might catch. (Disclaimer: We are not here to tell you how to address vaccinations, but experience teaches safety first. Always consult with your child’s pediatrician on the best ways to manage your child’s healthcare.)
Bring along any medications your child might be taking and always check with an airline on their preferred method of formula or breast milk storage for travel on the plane.
There are always factors to consider when traveling with a newborn and funny enough most recommend traveling a bit with the child while they are young despite it probably feeling like a daunting task to new parents. (I am new parents. It is daunting to us!) However, we look forward to taking our little munchkin on adventures.