You might find yourself traveling soon with your infant, but planning the trip can be overwhelming. While you may not plan to travel the moment you leave the hospital, you’ll likely want to plan something soon, especially as your baby grows and becomes mobile. Here is a new mom’s guide to traveling with a newborn.
Go To the Doctor and Get Immunizations
No matter where you travel, you’re going to encounter germs. Whether it’s a town over, another state, or country, you need to ensure your baby is up to date on their shots. Updated immunizations protect you and your infant from foreign diseases and familiar illnesses at home and abroad. Make an appointment at least a month before leaving to get your child their vaccinations.
Learn About the Place You’re Traveling To
While it’s fun to travel, it’s not going to be fun bringing home a sick baby. Before jumping into your car or on a plane, get to know the place you’re visiting. Aside from learning about the best restaurants and sights to see, learn about the common illnesses in the area. Doing so is especially crucial if you’re traveling during cold and flu season.
Continue watching for spikes in specific areas, and plan accordingly. If you can wait an extra day or week, do so. If you can’t, opt for wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer when out and about.
Pack Your and the Baby’s Bags
Even if you have packed extra hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to use, it’s not enough. After filling your bag, check your baby’s bag to ensure they have all they need to make feeding, changing, and playing in the hotel room safe. Pack the diaper bag per usual: diapers, formula, breast pump, toys, and extra nappies.
If you want to avoid changing the baby on the floor or bed, buy a changing tray instead. A changing tray is a portable changing station you can travel with and safely store in a bag in between travels. Ditch the diaper changing stations in public restrooms and hotels with a durable changing tray.
Plan Out the Departure Day
Before you had your baby, it was easy to pack the car and drive off. But with an infant in tow, things have changed, requiring you to make a list and check it a thousand times to ensure you have everything. Give yourself a few days to pack; then, the night before, pack the car up. Wake up early so you can check through everything one last time before heading onto the road.
This may be our new mom’s guide to traveling with a newborn, but we want to hear your tips! Leave a comment below and subscribe to That’s Total Mom Sense Podcast for more tips and information on parenting.
