Hitting the road with baby in tow can be daunting, right?! That's why we wanted to share these travel tips from busy mom and personal trainer, Roxy Exhaese!
I have now traveled 5 times since my baby Kyrie was 3 months old and have now found a flow with it. I am finally sharing all the tips I have learned along the way!
A lot of people give the excuse that they can’t go to places because of the baby. I have always had the mind set that I don’t ever want my baby to hold me back from life experiences, I wanted him to experience them with me, and I think now we have proven it is 100% doable. I know its scary at first, and seems a lot of work but honestly guys you will be so happy once you have done it and know that you haven’t missed out on events and exploring.
So here we have my top travel tips when traveling with a baby:
Make a list – This was so important for me and made me feel confident that I had not forgotten anything. It also made packing a lot more efficient and less stressful. I made one list for baby and one for me which broke down what to take with me in my carry on and then what to pack in our checked in luggage. Once you have ticked everything off your list you know you can relax as it’s all there.
Feed or sleep during take off and landing – This worked so well for us to avoid any ear pain and fussiness when you cant walk around with the baby. I found that if the timing was off for Kyrie’s feeds, then holding him with the pacifier and gently rocking him sent him to sleep and kept him calm.
Walk around during the flight – If baby starts to show signs of fussiness walk around the plane to distract them will help them snap them out of it and also gives your legs a stretch! It is important to catch it before they get too worked up, so watch for the signals. Another tip on this subject is to bring a cuddly top and rattle toy they enjoy so if you can’t walk around you can still distract them. We also had our iPad to play a baby program he loves.
Packing for baby – Pack travel size items for them and try to avoid bulky items. If you’re going to a major city, just take enough diapers etc for flight day and then buy them there. This saves you carrying loads of stuff – The lighter your travel-on bag the better!
Hygiene – Pack baby distinctive wipes or sanitizer to wipe down your seating area when you get on the plane which will help prevent germs and potential infections. I also wiped all of our hands too. Another great tip is to put vaseline in the baby’s nose to stop germs getting in their system.
Organise your seating – Try to confirm your seats in advance. If you are flying long haul, you will want to try and be on the aisle or have seats with more leg room. This will mean you can get up easily and also have more room to put the baby down as well. Some airlines will also offer a bassinet in certain seats so make sure you ask when booking.
Sleep suits – Theses are super easy to get on and off for those tricky in-flight changes.
Time management – This is one of the most important tips to make traveling more stress free. Give your self lots of time to get to the gate. You may also want to speak the staff at the desk to ask to get on the plane earlier so that you have more time to get your self set up. As well as making boarding more stress free, it means you will make sure there is space for your bags fit in the overhead bins just above you, rather than further down the plane.
Be flexible – Its important to know that things don’t always go to plan when traveling with a baby! Once you accept that, you can just roll with it and have a positive relaxed mindset towards this.
Nursing and feeding – Don’t worry mamas you can take as much breast milk or formula as you want on the plane. Just make sure before you go through security to tell them you have bottles in your bag. We also had to take medicine for Kyrie and there was no issue, providing we had a doctor's note.
I pumped a lot the day leading up to the journey and made a few bottles in advance which I could give straight to Kyrie. I stored them in a travel size cooler bag – click here to purchase. Some airports have pumping stations, so if you have a long flight and don’t want to breast feed, take your pump in your carry on (its allowed) then pump when at the airport. Also don’t forget to use bottled water to mix formula if you haven’t already mixed it up.
Just a heads up not to get worried if you can’t breast feed as well on the flight. Sometimes the air pressure as well as the stress of travel and being around a lot of people decreases our supply so just have that in mind and come prepared.
Ask for help – Always ask for help we did a lot of the time with the airport and airline staff and it got us a long way. This made my travel so much easier and stress free. We got on plane first, through security quicker and got settled on the plane. Remember people do like to help moms and dads as most know how tricky it can be so don’t be scared to ask!
*******
Roxy Ekhaese, is a former professional tennis player and now a personal trainer based in New York City. She has helped countless people on their roads to a new happier healthier and athletic life. To learn more head to, http://www.roxy-fit.co.uk/ and follower her on Instagram @roxyfitblog.
