Travelling with Your New Baby

As a new parent, the idea of travelling with your new baby may, at first, seem completely overwhelming. Simply having a newborn baby can be hard enough, so unless you are particularly intrepid or have very specific reasons for travelling, you might feel like hunkering down for the first couple of months until you feel absolutely ready to begin making travel plans.

Whenever you decide to get going, travelling with a baby doesn’t always need to be complicated – yes, you will need more equipment than you are used to; yes, you will have to time your journeys more carefully than you did pre-parenthood; and, yes, you will have to take new precautions – but with a bit of careful planning you can travel with your new baby and still have a rich and rewarding time.

If you are travelling abroad, always check with your GP before travelling to ensure that the place you are going is safe for you and your baby.

Travelling with a new baby by car

Most hospital-born babies will make their first journey home by car, so it goes without saying that short and necessary car journeys are probably going to be relatively easy to negotiate. However, before you can travel anywhere, you will need to make sure that you have a baby car seat that meets the appropriate safety standard and is fitted correctly using the correct fittings for your car. The car seat must be placed in the right part of your car and you should check the operations of your car; particularly in relation to airbags.

Long journeys are not advisable for a baby under three months old. This is because they are typically deprived of parent-to-child contact for the duration and may be subject to adverse heart and breathing effects when placed in an upright car seat position, particularly if they were born preterm. Avoid keeping your baby in a car seat for longer than thirty minutes at a time and make sure there is sufficient shade from the sun as you cannot use any sort of sunscreen on a newborn. We also recommend a car seat mirror so that if you’re the driver, you can safely check on baby at regular intervals.

Find out more about:

•  Child and baby car seat safety
• Travelling with your baby on a long car journey.

Travelling with a new baby on public transport

Whether you are planning to take a bus, train (overground or underground), or tram, travelling with a new baby on public transport can feel intimidating. However, provided that official government guidance at the time does not advise otherwise, it should be possible to travel safely with your newborn by taking the following precautions:

• Travel off-peak: if you avoid rush hour, you are much more likely to get a seat and to ensure that your baby’s developing immune system is not overly-exposed to potential pathogens.
• Time the journey around baby’s routine: if you are planning a long journey, it may be a good idea to organise it to coincide with your baby’s usual naptime and (for shorter journeys) avoid a time when your baby might be hungry. It is likely to be less stressful if baby is asleep and/or just fed.
• Book a seat: if you are travelling by train or coach, book your ticket in advance so that you can be near to exits and entrances and any baby changing facilities. You may also save money by booking your journey this way. It’s also a good idea to check the level of facilities available at your departure, connection and destination points.
• Plan your packing: you do not want to be left short, but you don’t want to overpack so that you end up struggling to get on and off transport. Have a separate bag for essentials – i.e. baby wipes, nappies, spare baby clothes and hand sanitiser – and keep it to hand during your journey.
• Choose the right buggy: an easily foldable and neatly-sized buggy will make your journey on public transport that much easier. Make sure it is in good condition and that the brake works – the last thing you want is a runaway buggy, particularly if it has a child in it.
• Comfortable clothing: you and baby should both wear comfortable and seasonally appropriate clothing and, if you are breastfeeding you will want to wear something practical.
• Ensure you have enough formula: if you are bottle-feeding your baby, you will need to have enough milk for your journey, plus a little bit more (in case of cancellation or delay).

Travelling with a new baby by air

As a general rule, it is a good idea to wait until your baby’s immune system is more developed before considering air travel. This may be as soon as two to three months for full-term babies but may be longer for those who were born preterm or with heart or lung problems, which could be exacerbated by the lower air pressure in an aeroplane. As such, it is important to speak with your GP or paediatrician before flying.

However, if it is necessary for you to fly, and you have been advised that it is okay for you to do so, with a little bit of careful planning you can minimise any cause for worry. As it stands, there are no rules regulating how old a baby must be before embarking on air travel, however, it is important to know that some airlines require a baby to be at least two weeks old before flying and may require a letter from your GP before allowing you to travel. Always check with your airline regarding their policy for travelling with infants.

If the baby has a different surname to you, you may need to demonstrate that you have permission from any other party who has parental responsibility for the child. You will not need to book a seat for a child under two – although you are free to do so – as baby will sit on your lap with a special seatbelt during the flight. However, it is likely that you will have to pay a surcharge of around ten per cent for your new baby to travel with you and you will always need to inform your airline that you are travelling with a baby as many issue tickets regardless of whether the baby is using a numbered seat.

Useful tips for air travel with a new baby

• Get your baby a passport: if you are travelling by air and crossing international borders your baby, like you, will need a passport. The application process can take time and sometimes there can be unexpected delays so you will need to apply for a passport as soon as possible. If you flying domestically, your baby will not need ID, but it’s always worthwhile checking with your airline if you need to be carrying any documentation for them.
• Time your air travel: it may not always be possible, but if you can time the majority of your air travel to coincide with when your baby usually sleeps, it will hopefully minimise the potential for stress for both you and baby. Similarly, if you can begin your journey to coincide with baby’s ‘big feed’, you may end up with a happier traveller.
• Try to restrict travel time: if you have any choice in the matter it’s best to restrict journey times to less than four hours; anything beyond this may result in baby, and you, getting upset or irritable.
• Plan your packing: your hand luggage should include the essentials that you are likely to need during your journey – baby wipes, nappies, spare clothes, formula milk, medications and hand sanitiser .
• Use a front carrier/sling: this allows baby the comfort of being right against you during the stress of airport queues, while ensuring that you have your hands free for passports, tickets, wipes, baggage and snacks.
• Comfortable clothing: you and baby should both wear comfortable and seasonally appropriate clothing and, if you are breastfeeding, you will want to wear something practical. Planes can get cold on longer journeys, so have an extra layer of baby clothes or something warm to cover baby with packed in your hand luggage.
• Comfort baby during ascent and descent: you can equalize the air pressure changes experienced by baby by feeding or giving a dummy or a bottle when taking off and landing.
• Make sure you have adequate healthcare travel insurance for your baby.

Choose the right accommodation

Unless you are staying with family or friends, you will probably need to give greater consideration to the choice of accommodation at your destination than pre-parenthood. Of course, your criteria will be different now and, as such, you may want to think about the following:

• Is there a safe, quality cot available or, if you are bringing a travel cot, whether there is sufficient space.
• Quiet and privacy (for you and your neighbours).
• A suitable space for formula preparation or breast milk pumping and storage.
• A steriliser (if bottle-feeding or reliant on expressed milk).
• Suitable laundry services or facilities.
• Can baby’s room be made dark enough?
• Will you need to pay extra for baby to stay?
• If the accommodation is on a higher floor, is there a lift big enough for a buggy?

New baby travel checklist

Wherever you are travelling and whatever your means of transport, there are certain essentials you should take with you. These may include the following:

• Breast pump and bottles (if breastfeeding)
• Formula milk and bottles (if not breastfeeding)
• Enough prescription medicines for the journey
• Red book (your baby’s personal health record)
• Your baby’s passport (if relevant)
• Nappies
• Wipes
• Changing mat and bag
• Nappy rash cream
• Sunhat and sunshade
• Warm hat and mittens (for cooler journeys)
• Tissues
• First-aid kit
• Travel steriliser kit
• Suitable clean clothing
• Baby sling or other baby carrier
• Travel cot (if no suitable cot is available at your destination)
• Baby blanket

Travelling with a new baby – some general notes

Breastfeeding will almost invariably make travelling that little bit easier as you do not need to ensure that there will be a steady supply of clean water and suitable bottle washing and sterilisation equipment. If breastfeeding, it can be useful to take a muslin with you to help provide the level of privacy you require. If you’re feeding baby formula, consider a few travel-sized cartons of ready-made formula for the journey to reduce inconvenience.

Remember, even if your baby is very young, it will still have a routine that is based on your activities in your native timezone. Give yourself 24 hours to acclimatise in your new destination to avoid either you or your baby becoming unnecessarily jet-lagged.

Importantly, don’t be afraid to ask for help – particularly if you are travelling alone. Yes, a crying baby on a flight or in a hotel can be difficult (for you and other passengers/guests), but most people cannot help but smile when they see an infant and most people will readily help you with luggage, carrying a buggy up stairs or other tasks that might be difficult to perform on your own.