Gone are the days when having a baby meant house arrest until the baby was old enough to travel! Traveling with a baby now is easier than it ever was. My first trip with my baby was to the United States when she was 5 months old. I did have some doubts on whether I could actually look after everything during the travel since it was a 24 hour journey with a 2 and a half hour layover.
It all started with the flight from Bangalore to Dubai which was a night flight. The night flights are a little easier if you are traveling with a baby as they can coincide with the sleep time of the baby. I did have a baby carrier which meant I could have my hands free. A stroller can also be useful since the baby can sleep in it during the layover and you can also use it as a temporary high chair. Since my baby was on formula, that did make things a little trickier. I had to have boiled water, formula powder, a transparent container in case the security didn’t let me through with the formula carton, sterilized bottles, a sterilizer. Bottle liners can also be used but I preferred to use the Milton solo travel steriliser with Milton sterilizing tablets. This steriliser could be used both with hot and cold water, hot sterilizing in a microwave and cold water sterilizing with the tablets. Also in flight once you clean the bottles, you can ask the stewardess to fill up the bottles with hot water. You can then close the bottles and keep them for half an hour as the steam from the hot water sterilizes the bottle. But do make sure the bottles are clean of all the formula residue before filling them with hot water. I also filled a thermos flask with hot water to make the formula. There are no restrictions on the quantity of baby products and also formula cartons pass the security check.
Next comes the solid food part. If your baby is on solids, do pack something your baby likes in case of delays or non availability on the flight. Some extra set of clothes, socks since the temperature can get cold at times, a small blanket (I prefer to use my own blanket even though some airlines do provide them) or a sweater, lots of diapers, some small toys, baby lotion. Also request for a seat with bassinet. This will give you some free time when the baby is asleep or you can use it for the baby when you need to use the restroom. Also the bassinet seats come with good legroom and large overhead bin space which is very useful when traveling alone with a baby. You might need some additional clothes for yourself as well.
Also I had read of how it’s important for the baby to suck on something during landing and take off but I didn’t see any discomfort in my baby. In fact, she was sound asleep for all the landings and take offs. In case this part of the journey concerns you, offer some milk which should do the trick of sucking. Some medicines for fever, upset stomach, thermometer, electrolyte solution specifically made for babies and any other medications the baby needs. I had her evaluated by the pediatrician and also asked him for a list of general medications needed during travel. Ask for an electrolyte solution that’s made for babies since there are some chances of dehydration in case the baby is extremely fussy in travel. I have heard of people giving Benadryl to make kids feel sleepy but I personally don’t prefer it since it can interfere in case of an emergency or otherwise. If possible pack a diaper bag that has all the baby stuff and a different bag for your things. I thought it was handy to have a small sling bag to keep my phone, some money and our passports.
These are the things that I used while traveling with my baby till she was 12 months old. I still use some of the things when traveling with her since she’s a toddler now. It’s a basic list that helps you modify it as and when the kids grow.
It all started with the flight from Bangalore to Dubai which was a night flight. The night flights are a little easier if you are traveling with a baby as they can coincide with the sleep time of the baby. I did have a baby carrier which meant I could have my hands free. A stroller can also be useful since the baby can sleep in it during the layover and you can also use it as a temporary high chair. Since my baby was on formula, that did make things a little trickier. I had to have boiled water, formula powder, a transparent container in case the security didn’t let me through with the formula carton, sterilized bottles, a sterilizer. Bottle liners can also be used but I preferred to use the Milton solo travel steriliser with Milton sterilizing tablets. This steriliser could be used both with hot and cold water, hot sterilizing in a microwave and cold water sterilizing with the tablets. Also in flight once you clean the bottles, you can ask the stewardess to fill up the bottles with hot water. You can then close the bottles and keep them for half an hour as the steam from the hot water sterilizes the bottle. But do make sure the bottles are clean of all the formula residue before filling them with hot water. I also filled a thermos flask with hot water to make the formula. There are no restrictions on the quantity of baby products and also formula cartons pass the security check.
Next comes the solid food part. If your baby is on solids, do pack something your baby likes in case of delays or non availability on the flight. Some extra set of clothes, socks since the temperature can get cold at times, a small blanket (I prefer to use my own blanket even though some airlines do provide them) or a sweater, lots of diapers, some small toys, baby lotion. Also request for a seat with bassinet. This will give you some free time when the baby is asleep or you can use it for the baby when you need to use the restroom. Also the bassinet seats come with good legroom and large overhead bin space which is very useful when traveling alone with a baby. You might need some additional clothes for yourself as well.
Also I had read of how it’s important for the baby to suck on something during landing and take off but I didn’t see any discomfort in my baby. In fact, she was sound asleep for all the landings and take offs. In case this part of the journey concerns you, offer some milk which should do the trick of sucking. Some medicines for fever, upset stomach, thermometer, electrolyte solution specifically made for babies and any other medications the baby needs. I had her evaluated by the pediatrician and also asked him for a list of general medications needed during travel. Ask for an electrolyte solution that’s made for babies since there are some chances of dehydration in case the baby is extremely fussy in travel. I have heard of people giving Benadryl to make kids feel sleepy but I personally don’t prefer it since it can interfere in case of an emergency or otherwise. If possible pack a diaper bag that has all the baby stuff and a different bag for your things. I thought it was handy to have a small sling bag to keep my phone, some money and our passports.
These are the things that I used while traveling with my baby till she was 12 months old. I still use some of the things when traveling with her since she’s a toddler now. It’s a basic list that helps you modify it as and when the kids grow.
