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Travelling with a baby.

Fon Shibuya Papaya
Oct 30, 2018
5 min read

It's almost the end of the year which means it's close to holiday season ! It's always exciting to go on vacation that you have planned for such a long time. However it can be a bit frustrating and confusing if it is your first time travelling / flying with a baby. That was just how I felt on our first family trip with our little 6 month old girl. What should I pack ? How do I carry (expressed breast) milk ? Should I bring stroller or carrier or both ? Will she behave on the plane ? Basically so many questions were in my head and I really didn't know where to start from. Since my trip went well with the baby - here's some personal tips of what I found to be useful for all you new parents. ( **Note that I was travelling to Japan from Thailand which took approximately one way 5-6 hrs on Air Asia business class, 15 days trip )

Packing

I am usually a very fast packer of my own belongings when I travel. I travel light and usually just throw in all the essentials and I'm done within an hour or 2. BUT packing for your little one is just another story! There are so many little things that you need to bring and that is why making a list beforehand is always a good idea. It will not only save a lot of time , but it's always better to have everything you need rather than running around to find what you need in a foreign country. However remember though that packing the essentials is the key here, no need to make a super long list. Your baby is travelling on vacation, not moving to another country! Just to give you an idea, here are the essentials that I packed for my 6 months old baby girl.

Passport !! (The most important thing)
Going out outfits for every single day of the trip and extras in case of accidents
Pajamas for every single night of the trip
Bibs
Half a pack of diapers (bought new ones at the destination supermarket)
Wet tissues 1 big pack
Clothes to wipe her face etc..
Changing sheet
Inflatable tub (baby soap I bought at the destination)
Towels
Blankets
A couple of bottles (I brought 7)
Bottle cleaning sponge (I got another one at the destination along with cleaning liquid )
Eating set, bottled food (my girl just started eating)
Milk (lets get to that in the next section)
Toys, pacifiers

...and of course

Stroller
Carrier

Breastpump (I'm a pumping mom)

Phew did I forget anything ? All of these fitted in one small suitcase and some were stuffed into the diaper bag to carry on the flight.

The milk situation

If you are feeding your baby with formula or breastfeeding directly every meal then this is not really a worry for you. However, if you are like me and feed breastmilk through a bottle most of the daytime, then the question would be .. can I bring breastmilk with me on the plane or to another country ?

The answer is YES. Know that it is totally ok to bring an efficient amount of liquids and foods for your baby for the duration of the flight. So if you need to bring milk, juice, water, solids it is absolutely fine. For my trip, I brought some milk (expressed) I had to also bring some stored frozen breastmilk along with me...but that is another story (if you are interested to know the details let me know).

Also if you need to chill or freeze your milk you may need to check beforehand if the airline provides any service on that. In any case make sure to bring your own cooler bags etc. Hot water - the airline should be able to provide. For myself - we were on a budget airline (Air Asia) so they didn't allow me to put any milk in their fridge ...bummer.. but they provided a bag full of dried ice so that I could at least chill some milk.

As for bottle sterilising - I didn't have to do that until I reached my accommodation. I brought plenty of bottles so they were ready for usage.

The plane situation

When you are booking a flight, it's always a good idea to find a night flight or a flight time that corresponds to when your little one usually sleeps. That way you can mostly enjoy the flight in peace and not have to worry too much about your baby being fussy. Make sure that the airline can provide you bassinet seat for the baby as well. Most of the airlines have weight restrictions for the bassinet (usually up to 10kgs - 14kgs) so please make sure that you check with the airline beforehand or else you might end up having to carry your baby throughout the flight ugh!

Next up is the airport check-in, the first question that came to my mind was 'What about the stroller? Do I have to carry the baby up to the gate ?' It was a relief to hear that I could bring the stroller up to the entrance of the plane. Without a stroller, I would be carrying some carry on luggage plus a baby .. which would've been a bit crazy. Most airlines will allow you to bring the stroller up to the plane. Once you reach the plane, the staffs will take it and load it on the plane for you. At checkin make sure to ask the staff if you are able to get the stroller right away at the entrance of the plane once you land at your destination or you will have to pick it up with the luggage.

Finally during take off and landing, try to have your little one drink milk or suckle on a pacifier to limit the effects of the pressure in their ears. Luckily my little girl was drinking milk and seemed fine during takeoff and landing. All in all, the plane ride went smoothly for my experience. My baby girl mostly slept through it all and was ok with takeoff and landing.

The hotel

When booking a hotel for my trip, I considered 3 things - Is the hotel convenient for a stroller ? Do they provide a baby bed / crib ? Is there a tub or is there a shower room only ? This varies for every parent however it is always nice to check in advance at the hotel for you and your baby's convenience.

There you have it, these are some of points that I was worried about myself during the trip. Of course every trip, family, baby is different so some of the points might need to be adjusted. Hopefully what I've written at least has given a brief overview of what to expect when travelling with your little one.

If anyone has any additional tips please do share ! Also if anyone has had travelling experiences with even younger infants or older toddlers, I would love to hear your stories!

Alrighty - thanks for reading till the end ♡ Till next blog :)

From your favourite Papaya in Shibuya,