These days, security’s tighter than ever, even when it comes to traveling with a baby. If you’re taking your child overseas alone, you may need permission in writing from his or her other parent to do so—or proof that you are the sole guardian. Policies vary from country to country (and may even vary from day to day, depending who’s on duty at an entry point), so do your homework well before departure day. You should check with the airline you’re flying and your travel agent, as well as with the foreign consulate or embassy of the country you’ll be traveling to. Bring more than you think you’ll need (for instance, have the letter of permission notarized), just in case you’re asked for it.
If your baby takes medication, be sure you have enough for the trip, plus a prescription in case the supply is lost, spilled, or otherwise meets with calamity. If a medication needs to be refrigerated, keeping it on ice continuously may be difficult, so ask the doctor if it’s possible to substitute another medication that needn’t be kept cold. Since a stuffy nose can make a baby miserable, interfere with sleep, and cause ear pain when flying, also ask the doctor to recommend a decongestant in case your older baby should come down with a cold. If you are going to a place where “traveler’s stomach”
might be a problem, stock up on pediatric rehydration fluids. For any medication you are taking along, be sure you know the safe dosage for a child your baby’s age, as well as the conditions under which it should be administered and the possible side effects. Also useful, especially for extended trips: the name of a pediatrician at your destination or destinations. Of course, you can also call your baby’s doctor for medical advice no matter where in the world you are.
Time your trip. What hour of the day or night you begin your journey will depend on, among other things, baby’s schedule and how he or she reacts to changes in it, your mode of travel, your
destination, and how long it will take to get there. If you’re leaving the East Coast for the West by plane, for example, it might make sense to plan to arrive around baby’s bedtime (East Coast time).
Assuming a nap has been taken en route, the excitement and chaos of arrival will probably make it possible to keep baby awake a couple of hours past the usual bedtime. This may enable baby to sleep until a relatively respectable 5 or 6 A.M. Pacific Time rather than rising raring to go at an indecent 3 or 4 A.M. (Of course, you will also have to pray trains and planes will be on schedule.)
Consider the advantages of traveling at off-peak times, when there are more likely to be empty seats for your baby to crawl over and fewer fellow passengers who might be disturbed.
If your baby habitually falls asleep in the car and you’re planning a long-distance car trip, plan, if possible, to do most of your driving when he or she would ordinarily be asleep—during nap times or at night. Otherwise, you may arrive at your destination with a baby who’s slept all day and is ready to play all night. If your baby sleeps well on trains or planes, but is fussy when awake in such confined quarters, coordinate nap time with travel time. But if your baby is always too excited to sleep in such environments, plan to travel after nap time to avoid crankiness during the trip.
It may seem that getting to your destination as quickly as possible makes the most sense. But it doesn’t always. For an active baby, for example, a connecting flight with some time to let off steam between legs of the trip may be better than a long nonstop.
Order ahead. When flying, don’t plan on feeding even an older baby from a standard airline selection, since the food offered is usually not appropriate for babies. Instead, plan on placing a
special order, such as a cottage cheese and fruit platter and whole wheat bread, with your older baby.
Special orders are usually just a one-day-in-advance phone call away, and you can often arrange for one when confirming your tickets. Even once you’ve put in your order, however, plan to take along a substantial stash of snacks. When flights are delayed or special orders go astray (not unheard of these days), long waits between meals can make baby, and everyone else in the vicinity, miserable. For flights on which no meals are served—just those little bags of almonds baby can’t dip into—make sure you take along enough food to keep the peace until landing.
Some airlines, particularly on overseas flights, offer baby foods, bottles, diapers, and bassinets.
Ask about these when you make your reservations.
Arrange for suitable seating. If you’re traveling by air, either fly off-peak and have the airline save an empty seat for you, or take advantage of the 50 percent discount offered for children under two.
Bring along baby’s rear-facing car seat (make sure it’s FAA approved), and use it—laps aren’t safe during takeoff, landing, or turbulence.
An aisle seat for you (so you can pace up and down, when necessary) and a window for the baby (interesting if there are clouds or sunsets to watch) are ideal, but not always possible. Whatever you do, don’t accept seats in the middle of a wide-center section, not just for your sake, but for the sake of those seated around you.
Though you can, and should, reserve space on many railroad trains in this country, you can’t reserve specific seats. But you can reserve sleeper compartments on some long-distance runs. Such compartments give you a measure of privacy, something you may really appreciate when spending long hours or days on a train with a baby.
Book in advance. You may assume that when traveling by road in off-peak seasons, motel reservations won’t be necessary. But in this nation of travelers, many roadside establishments, especially those with lower rates, hang out No Vacancy signs nightly. So plan ahead where you will be stopping overnight, allowing more time to get there than you could ever possibly imagine needing, and reserve a motel room with a crib (make sure it meets the standards on page 49, or if you can, bring a safe portable crib).
Choose a helpful hostelry. Whenever possible, look for a hotel or motel that caters to the needs of families; many do not. One clue to what you can expect is whether or not cribs and baby-sitters are available. You will probably have an uncomfortable stay at a hotel without such amenities. You will probably feel unwelcome, as well.
Equip yourself. Getting around, especially if you’re traveling without another adult or with more than one child, will be easier if you have the right equipment:
A baby carrier, if baby is small. It will free your hands to juggle luggage—important when
boarding and disembarking. But don’t forget to bend at the knees when picking up that collection of bags, so baby doesn’t fall out.
A lightweight and very compact umbrella stroller, for an older baby. You can hang totes from the handles, but be careful not to let the stroller tip backward. Most airlines will let you drop off your stroller at the gate right before you step on the plane and will return it at your destination, as soon as you step off the plane.
A portable baby seat—a cloth one adds almost no weight to your luggage.
An FAA-approved car seat. You can carry it on and use it in flight when traveling by plane. If you’re traveling by train and plan on renting a car at your destination, you can rent a car seat, too
—but be sure to reserve the age-appropriate seat at the time you reserve the car.
You can also rent or borrow other equipment, such as cribs, playpens, high chairs, and feeding seats, at the other end. Try to make these arrangements in advance.
Don’t rock the boat before you set sail.
To avoid unnecessary problems on your trip, avoid unnecessary changes just before it. Don’t try weaning your baby, for instance, just prior to departure—the unfamiliar surroundings and changes in routine will be hard enough to deal with without adding other stresses. Besides, no other way of feeding baby on the road is as easy for you or as comforting for baby as breastfeeding. Don’t
introduce solids close to departure, either. Beginning to spoonfeed is enough of a challenge (for both of you) at home. If your baby is ready for finger foods, however, consider introducing them pretrip.
Portable nibbles are great for keeping babies occupied and happy en route.
If your baby isn’t sleeping through the night, now is not the time to try to remedy the situation.
There’s likely to be some regression into night waking during a trip (and for a while, upon return), and letting baby cry it out in a hotel room or at grandma’s will enhance neither your vacation nor your welcome.
Confirm. The day before your departure, confirm all your reservations if they haven’t already been confirmed, and call to check departure times before leaving home. You don’t want to arrive at the airport to find your flight’s been canceled or delayed four hours, or at the train station to find the train is going to be late.
PACKING WISELY
While virtually everything, including the kitchen sink (for rinsing off dropped bottles and dousing stains), might come in handy on your trip, packing it all would obviously not be advisable. Neither, however, would be starting out perilously underpacked. Instead, strive for a happy (albeit heavy) medium, taking only what you absolutely need, being as efficient as possible in your selection: travel sizes of liquid baby soap, acetaminophen or ibuprofen, toothpaste, and the like; the extra-trim and extra-absorbent variety of disposable diapers; mix-and-match clothes in bright patterns that conceal stains well and thus hold out longer between launderings, in lightweight fabrics that will dry fast if you need to rinse them out.
You can pack less if you’ll be someplace where you can fill in the blanks, particularly if filling them in will be part of the fun—buying a couple of tiny shorts and T-shirt sets in Bermuda, for
example, or a bottle of bébé shampoo in Paris. But if you’ll be hiking in the Adirondacks or camping in Yosemite, everything that you could conceivably end up needing should end up in your backpack.
For the typical trip, you will probably want to pack the following:
A diaper bag. It should be lightweight, plastic-lined, have outside compartments for storing tissues, wipes, bottles, and other needed-in-a-hurry items, and have a shoulder strap so you won’t need to tie up a free hand carrying it. The items you may want to keep handy in the bag include:
A light jacket for baby (waterproof nylon with a hood is best, since it doubles as a raincoat) or sweater in case the car, train, plane, or bus is chilly.
Enough disposable, extra-trim, extra-absorbent diapers for the first leg of your journey, and then some more, in case of a delay or a bout of traveler’s tummy. Plan on buying diapers as you go rather than carrying cases with you from home, unless you’re traveling by car and have the room, or unless you won’t be able to purchase them at your destination.
Diaper wipes for your hands (and baby’s) as well as the obvious. They can also serve to sanitize the arm of the plane seat that baby seems intent on chewing or the train window that he or she is set on licking clean and to outsmart spills on clothing or upholstery before they set into stains.
Diaper rash ointment or cream, since unfamiliar foods, fewer diaper changes, and warm weather can all prompt an outbreak of diaper rash.
A large waterproof bib, or a pack of disposable ones, to protect clothing. Just in case you
accidentally leave the plastic bib in a restaurant or run out of throwaways, bring along a safety pin with which to fasten a restaurant napkin over baby’s clothes.
Some reclosable plastic bags to hold leaky bottles, dirty bibs or clothing, and soiled diapers when a trashcan isn’t immediately available.
Sunscreen, if your destination will be sunny or snowy.
A light blanket or quilt for baby to nap on or play on en route and in homes that you visit. Or take along a shawl you can wear on your shoulders and use for baby when necessary.
A small waterproof lap pad or changing pad to protect hotel beds and other surfaces when baby needs a change.
A comfort object, if your baby has one (and maybe an extra, in case you lose it).
A pair of socks or booties for a barefoot baby, in case you run into some heavy air-conditioning.
Plastic outlet covers if your baby is a crawler or walker, to babyproof hotel rooms or homes you’re visiting. You may also want to take a toilet lock if your baby is into water play. (Some chains offer babyproofing kits.)
A generous supply of snacks and beverages. Don’t rely on being able to find appropriate food for your baby on the road, in the air, or on the rails. Bring along enough food and drink for one or two more meals than you anticipate feeding, just in case. Depending on baby’s culinary repertoire, take along baby food (dehydrated, if you must travel light); whole-grain crackers; small containers of bite-size dry cereal for nibbling; ready-to-use formula for the bottle baby in disposable bottles;
watered-down juice in a small bottle or thermos with a cup (if there’s a favorite sippy cup in your baby’s life, bring that, too). Carry the 3-ounce baby food jars to provide variety and avoid waste.
Plastic spoons stashed in a plastic bag, for feeding baby en route.
Paper towels, unrolled, which are more practical, stronger, and usually more absorbent than napkins.
Something old and something new to entertain your baby—the old for comfort and reliability; the new for excitement and challenge. A small activity board and a brightly illustrated board book are good choices for an older baby; a mirror, rattle, and a musical stuffed animal for a younger one.
Leave home toys with a lot of pieces that can get lost or which are too bulky for easy packing and use in tight spaces—as well as toys that make noise (and headaches). For a teether, be sure to take a couple of items to gnaw on.
A small purse. Since you have a limited number of hands, carrying a separate handbag will be virtually impossible as well as a little risky (you’ll most likely look distracted and disorganized enough to qualify as easy prey for a pickpocket). Instead, keep personal items, plane, train, or bus tickets, and your wallet, with ID, money, credit cards, medical insurance information and copies of medication prescriptions, as well as baby’s doctor’s phone number and the names of
recommended doctors at your destination, in a small, easy-to-identify-by-feel purse in the diaper bag. Or, as an alternative, keep your wallet handy in your pocket (if all of your travel outfits have safe, deep pockets, you’ll find life much easier).
A cell phone, to use in case of emergencies, medical or otherwise.
If you still have room (and motivation), a square yard of clear heavy-duty plastic to protect hotel furniture and rugs during feedings, and to serve as unobtrusive protection under baby’s high chair in restaurants.
A bag for baby’s clothing. Ideal for baby’s travel wardrobe is a small, lightweight, soft-sided carry- on with a shoulder or backpack strap. Since it can be kept handy in car, plane, or train, you’ll be able
to get at a fresh outfit without any fuss and without rummaging through your own suitcase in public. If you choose to pack baby’s clothes in your suitcase, however, and that bag won’t be available while you’re traveling (because it’s going to be either checked through on the plane, train, or bus, or buried in the car trunk), make sure you keep an extra outfit or two for baby in the diaper bag.
A medical and toiletry bag. This bag should be inaccessible to a curious baby at all times (in overhead compartments on trains and planes, for example), and should preferably be difficult for a child to open. Ideally, it should have a waterproof and washable interior as well as a shoulder strap.
Keep this bag with you as you go so that medications will be available, if needed, and to protect liquids from damage by freezing in the cargo compartment of planes. It can contain:
Any prescription medicines and vitamins to last your trip; baby acetaminophen or ibuprofen; any other medication recommended by the doctor.
For outdoor trips, insect repellent, calamine lotion, bug-bite medicine, and a beesting kit if baby is allergic.
A first-aid kit containing Band-Aids and self-adhesive gauze pads; antibacterial cream (such as bacitracin); elastic bandages for sprains; thermometer; tweezers; baby nail clipper.
Liquid baby soap, which serves as a cleanser for both hair and skin. The soaps found in hotel rooms aren’t usually gentle enough for babies.
Baby’s toothbrush, finger brush, or gauze pads for tooth wiping, if teeth are in.
Multipurpose pocketknife, with can opener and scissors (but don’t try to carry this on an airplane;
it will be confiscated).
A night-light, if your baby likes to sleep with one.
GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN?
Not likely. But you can at least try to ensure that it will be half the hassle. Whether you will be going by land, air, or rail, there are several ways of making your trip easier.
If you’re flying. Planes have the advantage for family travel of usually being the fastest commercial way of getting from one point to another. You can make a flying trip pleasant (at least relatively so) as well as comfortable, if you:
Consider requesting bulkhead seats. They offer more leg and maneuvering room and privacy,
though less storage space for diaper bags, etc. Another plus is: no seat in front of yours for baby to bang on; no passengers in front of you for baby to annoy.
Arrive early enough to take care of preboarding details like luggage and seats, and to get through security screenings, but not so early that you have an uncomfortably long wait in the air terminal.
Preboarding is an advantage offered on some airlines to those traveling with children, allowing them to settle in and stow luggage in overhead compartments before the rush. However, if you have a baby who you expect will be fidgety in close quarters (remember, you won’t be able to walk the aisles while they’re being used for boarding), you may want to wait and board last. If you’re traveling with another adult, ask if one of you can board with the luggage while the other