Travelling with a 4.5 month baby - would love a step by step!

[HopefulKate1980]

Hi all

We are going to France in a month with our baby and I am already confused by how the hell people manage with suitcases, a car seat, buggy AND a baby!

Does anyone have any tips? I am especially worrying about getting to and from the airport. We have a Bugaboo Chameleon but that is too bulky to take on a plane surely? Should we buy a collapsible lightweight pram? Do you check in the car seat? Should we wrap it up or put it in a bag?

Any help or advice would be massively appreciated!

Thanks xx

Yes check in the car seat. Wrap In plastic.

The answer is it depends. Assuming you haven't booked a seat for the baby then you'll need to check the car seat in if you want to take it - and wrap it well (probably bubble wrap. I've never been happy with a car seat been thrown about by luggage handlers so have always just hired one with a hire car or from a separate company once we arrive
Pushchair - if your baby is the kind of baby that will sleep in a pushchair then yes take one. If you want one you can use up to the point you get on the plane it needs to meet specific airline requirements - size wise and the fact it folds in one piece. Otherwise you. Can take your normal pushchair and check it in in a travel bag. For us, we don't normally take a pushchair through the airport as I find it extra hassle - so if we are taking one at all I check it in with the luggage and put the baby in a sling. Other logistics to think of are nappies - take what you need for the journey (and spare clothes for the plane as flights often make babies POO A LOT) and buy more when you're there, and formula if you're not breastfeeding.

Yes check the car seat in. You can take whatever buggy you want but if boot space a premium then you may wish to get a lightweight one. We had a £20 one from Aldi (hauck) which lies flat and has been great for holidays since DS was about 4 months old. Take nappies, wipes etc but you can buy anything you need when you're there, it's only France.

If you have a sling, take it with you as usually you don't get your buggy back til baggage hall.

Oh and if you use formula you can pre order online at boots and pick it up airside if you're short on luggage allowance.

I travelled to Spain when DS was 4 months, we left the pram and just took a carseat and sling, is that a possibility?

Could you also look into hiring a pram when you're there, if you didn't want the faff of transporting one?

Most airlines let you take 2 pieces of baby-related luggage, so you would be fine if you did want to take a carseat and pram (obvs check with your airline though!) - I would get travel bags for both of them though, as you normally have to check them in (either at the desk or before boarding the plane) & our unbagged carseat got damaged this way.

For travel to/from airport, all I can say is leave yourself tonnes of time. What would be your usual way of getting there? We're in London and would usually get a train out to the airport, but taxi was much less hassle with carrying everything!

If you haven't got their passport yet, allow a tonne of time to get that ordered. And if they are bottle fed make your life easier by pre-ordering formula to be delivered for in-store pick up at the airport Boots, so no faffing getting extra liquids checked at the gate.

And I guess just accept things will take longer and be more faffy transport wise - I naturally get stressy when things don't run 'smoothly' so this was a learning curve for me!

You can normally take the buggy up to the plane door as long as it will fold (in 2 parts is fine), although at the other end you might have to go through passport control before getting the buggy back, so a stretchy sling might be a good idea.

For the car seat, we just hired cars with them in - assuming you need car seat at the other end for a car hire, see if you can amend your booking with a car seat, our last trip to Spain the car seat only added £30, was worth it for less faff! Otherwise, yes you need to check it in.

Thanks so very much for your help and advice - hugely appreciated!!!

Re: formula. Do people take bottles or powder? And if powder do you take your Perfect Prep machine or your bottle maker with you? Seems a lot for a week's holiday but then again a whole load of bottles will be so heavy.

xx

We went away when DS was 4 months old and he was fully formula fed at that point. I ordered enough ready made small bottles of formula for one feed a day plus an extra for the plane each way. Then I took a tub of powder. I used a PP machine at home buy when away I would add a couple of ounces of boiling water then top up with cooled boiled water (I took a screw top jar to keep a supply of this in). We used mam bottles that self sterilise in the microwave so that wasn't a problem.

This is one of the best times to travel as small babies are a lot easier than toddlers!

Most airlines (even Ryanair) will let you take two pieces of infant luggage for free.

You can take a pram to the aircraft steps if you want. But bear in mind you will 1. have to take the baby out to go through security and maybe take the buggy apart to put it through the X ray machine 2. collapse the buggy at the aircraft steps and 3. you may get it back at the aircraft steps on arrival but it may end up on the luggage belt.

If you prefer you can check in the pram. We bought a second hand Bugaboo travel bag which you can use to check your pram in and stop it getting damaged.

We also bought a travel bag to put out car seat in. Use the extra space in the bag to add in nappies, wipes and towels which also offer additional padding. I would be a bit wary of using a hired cat seat as you have no idea what you will end up with. I've often seen them stored outside in the sun at hire car places and they tend to be quite dirty - think how grimy car seats get! We are lucky to have a spare car seat that a friend gave us which we take on holiday. So whilst there is a risk it could be thrown around at the airport I'm less concerned as it's not in daily use.

I bought special bags off amazon to put the car seat and pram in (same pram as you). I checked the car seat in at the same time as my hold luggage, put dd in the pram until the steps of the plane and kept a sling in my hand luggage. When getting off the plane, I put dd in sling until pram and car seat collected at luggage hall - usually the first bits off ime! I also took car seat adapters so I could put car seat on pram wheels if travelling by taxi whilst on holiday.

I also bought big red travel bags to put the pram and cat seat in for the plane.
I always wondered what people do at lunch/dinner time when they only take a sling. We love eating out on holiday which is great when the baby is asleep in the pram but surely less so with just a sling?
We took an inflatable ring toy thing for the holiday apartment when ours was 6 months. Meant we had somewhere safe to put him in on the floor when we were in the apartment