5 golden rules to enjoy traveling with a newborn

Tips for traveling with a newborn

Where to go on vacation with a 3-month-old baby? You can go to any destination or almost any! Except for adventure travel, high-altitude hiking trails, and extreme weather destinations, parents shouldn’t give up their regular vacations. Traveling with a newborn is possible. You just have to know how to organize. Do you want to know how? Continue reading!

The first question for all new parents is: but won’t such a long trip be bad for the baby? The truth is that traveling with a newborn, even if the trip is long, does not have to be bad. If the baby is in good health and does not need special vaccinations for the destination country, she can travel without any problems. Even by plane? Yes, even by plane. After the first month, there are no contraindications to flying. To verify this, you can read the policies of the airlines in this regard: there are those who accept children after only two days of life, some after a week, and others after 15 days of birth. In other words, you can travel with children by plane without risk.

By three months, in fact, your baby will likely have settled into bedtime and diaper-changing routine (hopefully). It will thus be strong enough to face a new environment and new conditions.

5 golden tips for traveling with a newborn

Planning a trip with a newborn always requires some precautions and a minimum of programming. In the first place: to travel, to leave Spain, minors need documentation. Once you have the necessary documents, read our tips for traveling with a newborn and you will see that your fears will disappear. You will be able to fully enjoy the first holidays with your child!

Adapt Your Expectations

Enjoy traveling with a newborn

The golden rule: accept the reality of your new family circumstances. Therefore, adapt your vacation idea to your newborn. Did you give birth a few months ago? You cannot think that you will go out for drinks every night and that in addition to sunbathing, you will take long walks with a jet ski along the coast. This year, your summer will be made up of more intimate pleasures, less sleep, but new discoveries. If you accept the idea and stop comparing this vacation with those of two years ago with your partner, you have already taken a big step.

A good strategy is also to organize your vacations with couples of friends who have small children. In this way, it will be more fun to share experiences and you can have some extra help. In fact, maybe together you can look for a shared babysitter that will allow you to disconnect from time to time. To help you choose the right professional, read our tips for choosing a babysitter for newborns.

Choose Your Destination And Accommodation Well

First of all, with a very young child, it is better to rent a house, apartment or bungalow, rather than book a hotel. These options offer greater flexibility of schedules, the use of a kitchen, and more space. If you think it will be too much work, another option is to take your own babysitter on vacation. What are the functions of nannies or caregivers? In addition to helping you with the baby, they can lend you a hand with small household chores.

Last but not least: it is better to go to places where you have access to a washing machine. The alternative is to pack as many clothes as possible into a suitcase, but as well as being impractical, it would be impossible at the pace of a newborn. Babies at this age do not stop getting dirty.

Where to go on vacation with a 3-month-old baby? If you go to the sea, make sure it is an easily accessible beach and better sandy than rocky. Coastal sites with a temperate climate are usually preferable. If you opt for a mountain destination, any place is good. The only requirement is that the altitude is correct for a newborn.

But, above all, if you like to travel, take advantage of the fact that airlines do not charge children up to two years of age (as long as they do not occupy a seat). Take the opportunity to fly to destinations that are far away. Among other things, traveling by plane with a newborn is much easier and more relaxing than traveling with children one year old or older.

Travel Light, Use “Smart” Bags

Don’t panic, you don’t have to put the whole house in the suitcase! Try to save space by planning everything ahead of time. The key to packing smart is to make a list of the main areas of baby care:

  • feeding,
  • sleeping,
  • changes of clothes,
  • entertainment.

Prepare everything you can take in advance and check out these amazing gadgets for traveling with small children. A practical tip is not to take everything you can buy at the destination (diapers, wipes, powdered milk if you are not breastfeeding, etc.). You will avoid carrying weight unnecessarily.

Make The Ride Comfortable

An old trick to cope with long trips with a newborn: try to travel during the hours when your child usually sleeps. Also, remember to bring some parasols with suction cups; they adapt to any window (train, car, bus) and will prevent the child from being bothered by the sun.

Finally, remember to dress him in a way that makes changing his diaper as easy as possible. Every two hours stop the car or get up from the seat if you go by plane or train, so you can entertain yourself a bit.

Distract, Distract, Distract

From time to time, talk to your child a little, joke with him, and sing a little song. Another important thing when traveling with a baby, whatever the means of transport: take him in your arms, and take a walk from time to time. The change of scenery distracts the child, amuses him, and calms him down. Obviously, in the car this means frequent stops; not bad, you can recover when the baby sleeps!

Recommendations for traveling with a newborn by car

First of all, make sure you are wearing an approved safety seat suitable for your age. You can read everything related to child restraint systems in the following guide from the DGT. The newborn must travel in the appropriate group zero, facing the rear. Remember to deactivate the airbag in the child seat. If the baby travels rear-facing, do not forget to hang something that can distract him a bit.

Other useful tips for traveling with newborn babies by car :

  • Attach sun visors with suction cups or tinted windows
  • Play relaxing music, at a low volume
  • Respect their sleep schedules, as well as their usual eating routine
  • Take the child out of the car when the vehicle is stopped

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