Tips for travelling abroad with a ten week old

[charley39]

Hi,

Planning a trip abroad mid April and DS will be ten weeks old. Just looking for any tips/recommendation on how to make it easier!

Suppose it depends on how you are feeding. If you are ff you can take enough for the flight. Think you may be able to preorder your formula to pick up at boots on the other side.

If you’re Bfing, you can feed baby on take off and landing to help their ears.

Where are you going? On holiday or visiting family etc?

I flew when my DD was 8 weeks and back when 12 weeks. We were staying with my parents though. For the airport and the plane I pretty much had DD in the carrier the whole time and she only came out for takeoff and landing and for breastfeeding and a bit of a look around when she was awake. You’ll feed way more than normal on a plane so if bottles then take several more than you’d expect.

My parents borrowed a carry cot which DD slept in at night. And a bouncy chair for hanging out in and napping during the day. There was absolutely no routine but the baby was much easier to travel with than my 2.5 year old.

I mostly formula fed my DS, and having done both, breastfeeding my DD was much easier when traveling

My daughter had been taken all over the world and travelled from being very young.
Best advice I can give is some I got.
Wherever you go in the world there’s always babies. You can find most everything you need.
I used to take formula , nappies for two days, wipes clothes etc and just buy the extra when I got there. Nappies are nappies the world over, some better than others!
I always carried a dark pashmina too. I used this over my shoulder and over dd to help her sleep on a flight. Planes are generally very bright.
Buy a cheapish pram too as you don’t want your lovely pram thrown inti the hold (they generally take them off you at the plane entrance.

Get some ear plugs and put them in your babies ears for a week or two before you fly. I only used them on take off and landing but it helps keep the pressure inside the babies ear at a steady pressure. If you use a dummy take a few fir the flight. If you don’t then consider it, there’s nothing worse than being the parent of a child who screams fir the whole flight. My dd didnt cry much and didn’t mind flying but I used to hear some awful comments directed at babies and parents from judgy horrible people whose kids had obviously never ever made a noise in public!!
Good luck, don’t stress as baby will pick up on it. Just keep to your routine. Feed at feeding time, sleep at sleeping time. Oh and change the nappy just before you board. If it’s a short flight you might not need to change as it’s bloody hard changing in a plane! And take a couple of bottles of boiled water ( get baby used to having some water before flight) as bab6 might get thirsty and you don’t want him/her to be dehydrated.

You will be fine ! Promise!

Will probably be travelling to Spain/Canary islands etc. We are FF but on Hipp Organic so not sure how readily available this would be anywhere else. Was thinking of just spreading the load over our cases and take powder etc. We have a travel cot we could take but would need to buy a cheap pram! Just not sure on peaks etc if they are still supposed to be lying flat?
Thanks for all the tips a lot of things I hadn’t thought of!

Take everything you - or at least the baby - needs for an overnight in your hand luggage, in case your luggage does not arrive.

I assume you’re going on holiday for a week or 2? Definitely just take your own formula. Someone above said you can order it at boots and pick it up past security. Take more than you expect to need. Baby will prob have at least one extra bottle during the journey and if it’s hot then they will drink more too.

At 10 weeks I would think you will need a lie flat pram. Baby won’t be able to sit up enough to go in a stroller, although you can get some lie flat ones so worth investigating that. We used a travel system with a detachable car seat and carry cot and then used the carrycot for night sleeps too (which I know isn’t recommended, but sometimes you got to make do) You probably want to check with the airline what you can bring. You can usually gate check that kind of thing though. Hotel might provide a travel cot.

For bottles I liked the microwave sterilizing bags when traveling. Super convenient. Assuming you have a microwave of course. If you can get accommodation with a kitchen it will make life a lot easier for bottles!

Charley, I bought ( I think from Argos) a buggy that had a lie flat option and a really big hood that was flat but gave great , complete, 100% shade while she was laid flat ( as a small baby) or when she got older ( for sleeping). I ‘acclimatised ‘ her in it for a couple of weeks before we went, just once a day for a sleep or a walk to get her used to it. She was fine. It lasted us fir travel until she didn’t need a buggy anymore and it wasn’t expensive, certainly under £100.
The other thing I though of today was get some sunglasses. You can buy them ( think I got mine from boots) with Velcro fastening at the back. I also put these on her several times before she went. It’s really 8mportant to make sure they have uv protection in them.
Take all the formula you think you will need then add 20% more just in case. While you can use any nappies, wipes etc it’s best to stick to the formula she is used to. If I think of anything else I will add it! A

Don't worry, it's easier than you think.
Boots soltan baby - keep baby in the shade obviously but just in case! Sometimes little limbs escape into the sun
Pram fan is a god send.
Parasol, not just for pram/buggy (good to have incase pram shade isn't covering) but also for sun loungers. We made a baby station - in the shade, under the parasol just to be sure, favourite toy dangling from parasol, pram fan blowing gently on baby.
Milton cold water steriliser tablets, just ask for a wine cooler when you arrive and change the water everyday with a new tablet, simple and effective. Don't forget a small bottle of washing up liquid and bottle brush.
Sling/carrier - check the pram (in a protective cover) at the desk. The sling is your new best friend in airports, so much easier, I've done both.
Feed far more than normal in the heat and if you can during take off and landing. If LO won't feed when taking off give a dummy and tug at it so they sook hard to keep it, helps their ears.

Take the little sachets of calpol in hand luggagejust in case.

You will probably find baby sleeps the entire flight, my DD slept all the way to Asia at the same age - if only she would do that at home.

Enjoy!

Take complete change of clothes for both of you for the flight