Travelling with your baby is a great way to share exciting experiences with your little one, but all of these new sights, sounds and faces can be overwhelming and quickly lead to a cranky baby and cranky parents. Thankfully, there are steps that can be taken to help reduce the amount of stress a baby can feel while travelling. It is important to set realistic expectations, realize that your baby has to take in all of this new information at their own pace, and plan accordingly. 

 

Familiarity- Travel will throw off a child’s usual routine, and can lead to high anxiety. That is why it is important to surround your baby with as many familiar things as possible. For sleeping this includes a favourite blanket or cuddly toy, to help make bedtime seem more “normal”. As grownups a big part of vacations is sampling the local cuisine, but these unusual foods are hard on a babies system. Parents are encouraged to pack some of their baby’s favourite foods or snacks (Cheerios, fruit, etc.), and keep them especially close by at dinnertime. Vacation time is not a good time to try to introduce new foods to your baby. The routine and patterns that you and your child have established at home should be maintained as much as possible while on vacation. This doesn’t mean you have to be watching the clock while on holidays, but eating meals and taking naps at roughly the same time every day will help to comfort your baby, and make them a better traveller. Travelling over time zones can complicate this, but a good tip is to plan to arrive at your destination in the evening and stick to your usual bedtime routine. Jetlag affects babies less severely than parents, but it will certainly still take a few days to adjust.

 

Shorten Your Days- When travelling with your babies, you have to be realistic. It is going to be very difficult on everyone if you are planning on staying out late and sleeping in every day. Babies are generally at their best after lots of sleep. So plan any extensive trips, or sightseeing adventures in the morning. Afternoons and evenings might be better spent lounging around the pools, taking relaxing strolls, or finding a quiet place to play.    Even if you are excited and want to jam your days full of new adventures, don’t expect your baby to share your enthusiasm even though you are on holidays. Planning around your babies’ inner clock will make a better trip for everyone.