Travelling abroad with a newborn

I hear you say… what is she on about with travelling at the moment?! And with a newborn… crazy! Yes that’s right. I don’t think we would have travelled anywhere this year if my parents were based in the U.K. but they live in the South of Portugal and we decided to take the risk to travel there beginning of December to see them with our little one Leo who is 2 months old. It’s also a great opportunity to load up on sun and vitamin D before the rest of the English winter… We got lucky to leave before it all went absolutely mad back home and before Hertfordshire got put into Tier 4 and of course we would not have travelled if the restrictions had come earlier.

Anyway covid-19 aside, I thought there are some tips worth sharing with new parents when it come to travelling abroad on a short haul with a newborn. It can be a stressful experience even more so in the current pandemic situation. As it’s our first baby we are learning as we go so please if you feel you could share some tips too let us know 😉

📝 Make a list of the stuff you want to bring at least a week in advance and go through it several times to ensure you have the most important things and to remove anything you think is unnecessary or you could easily get in the country you are headed to. For example, we only packed nappies and wipes we needed for the journey and first night as we knew we could get some in a supermarket. We did pack his nappy rash cream though in case we could not find a similar one.

👀 Bring a baby monitor but not a WiFi one! Internet connection abroad is usually nothing like the one at home so best to rely on Bluetooth. We made the mistake to bring the Nanit and a few times the WiFi broke down and we were left with no baby monitor. We learnt a lesson.

⏰ Get to the airport early! This is even more important when travelling during covid-19. We planned a bit more than 2 hours before and it was perfect timing…

🦘Wearing your baby with a baby carrier once you get to the airport is a must as you can keep it on to get through security and obviously you have the benefits of having both hands free to wheel a carry on suitcase for example. I used the wheeled suitcase to put my handbag full of baby stuff on top of it.

🧼 Change nappy just before boarding to avoid too many trips to the small airplane bathroom.

💺 Book an extra comfort seat or a seat for your baby even if he/she is going to travel on your lap. We didn’t on the way to Portugal and luckily there was no one next to us which quickly let me appreciate the benefits of an extra free seat next to us when travelling with a baby! After take off, I used it to put my handbag (full of baby stuff..!) and to have more space when breastfeeding Leo. It’s also quite convenient if you have to stand up often either to change your bubba or to rock him… On top of this, not having anyone next to us felt better in this time of pandemic. We have now booked a spare seat for our flight back. It does add to the cost of the holiday but if you book your flights well in advance it should not be extremely expensive and really improves the travelling with a newborn experience!

😴 Eye mask, no not for you tired parents… but for baby! The lights in the cabin are so strong it’s impossible for a baby to sleep, it’s also useful during the day if your baby is starting to get curious and has FOMO like Leo but needs a nap! We managed to get him to sleep for a couple of hours with the mask on and look how cute he is.

🤱 Feed your baby during take off and landing (or get her/him to suck his/her dummies). This will help with relieving ear pressure because the sucking motion helps equalise their ears. Wait for the captain’s announcement and feed that baby!

🚗 Take your car seat in a car seat travel bag (it’s free as a checked luggage when travelling with an infant - you are allowed 2 baby items with Ryanair) and put as much as you can in the car seat bag. We bought this one (£35) from Pramworld, you can wear it as a backpack too. We used the space to put all Leo’s toys, blankets, baby gym and mat, pram accessories… By taking your own car seat you are also 100% sure that it is right (and secure) for your baby.

🌍 If you are going to travel often with babies, we really recommend investing in a babyzen yoyo stroller. It’s probably the most compact one on the market and you can even store it in the compartment above your head on the plane! It’s great if you hire a small car too.

👜 Organise your handbag so you know where everything is:

baby portable changing pad - I love this one so everything I need is in one place.
muslin
spare clothes in case of accident 🙈💩
blanket (it can be quite cold on certain flights)
antibacterial wipes to clean seat tables, arm rests… any surfaces near you!
antibacterial gel
small toys to entertain baby (we had a rattle, a soft toy and a white/black soft book)
tissues
electronic thermometer 🌡
medicine bag with calpol and sterimar for baby and paracetamol/ ibuprofen for parents
passports / money in a separate pocket
eye mask for bubba
masks for yourselves

😁 Keep smiling and don’t feel bad if your baby cries during the flight. You are doing all you can to keep baby happy but sometimes there is nothing more you can do, babies cry! If other people get annoyed just smile, you are doing your best.

Hotel or Airbnb? If you stay for more than a week we highly recommend booking a flat rather than an hotel so you can keep your baby’s sleep routine. We had not thought about this well enough initially but we were so happy we had a flat in the end. We could eat and chill in the evening whilst baby was sleeping. I imagine it would have been quite painful to stay quiet in the evening in a hotel room… having a separate bedroom was brilliant to keep Leo’s sleeping schedule and in fact he has never slept so well! The other great thing with a flat is we had a washing machine which meant we could clean Leo’s clothes as soon as they were dirty.

We brought his tiny love play gym which was super useful to put him down during the day. It’s easily foldable and light enough to pack in the car seat bag.