Many lessons were learned on our recent trip to the USA and Canada. We have done a lot of travelling on our own pre-baby and are very relaxed and confident. All of that went out the door the moment we arrived at the airport!

I never understood people who refused to travel with children. Our thought before having a baby was “children fit in with our life” so when it came to travel the younger we start them the better. This is partly true, I think the wise pre-baby me really had no idea, but I am glad I had that naievity as I am sure without it I would never have taken the leap to spend 3 weeks overseas with an 11 month old!

The travelling stress started before we even left the house, I really thought the peak of my stress was packing! Because we were travelling to the East and West coasts of the USA and the West coast of Canada, we had to pack for two climates! Los Angeles is still quiet warm in November, New York is very unpredictable and can be wonderful and warm or freezing cold and some chance of snow! With Vancouver there was no question, it’s cold and wet! After packing and re-packing our bags about 6 times I was finally happy with the amount and variety of clothing. I had jackets for the snow, shorts for the sun and light jumpers for cooler nights, mixed in were lots of layers to dress up and down according to the temperature. Squeezed in the 4 suitcases I had managed to fit a portable highchair, toys, nappies, formula and all the other baby items I can not live without!

Seeing 4 suitcases packed to the brim and all reaching our maximum weight limit allowed on the flight, I saw my dutyfree and New York shopping flash before my eyes!

Flying premium economy was the best decision we made. The cabin is smaller, seats are wider and recline further and best of all there is so much more leg room! Essential when you have a crawler! Being packed in like sardines in economy would have been a nightmare!

Our flight departed Brisbane airport at 11am … here is our first mistake. Never fly during your childs natural awake time! We settled into the flight and tried fruitlessly to get him to sleep, he just would not have a bar of it. During the first 6 hours of a 13 hour flight my husband and I spent the time walking up and down the aisles in the economy cabin, meeting the hostess’ and making sure we cause minimal disruption to the other passangers. Halfway through the flight he decided to sleep and slept for 4-5 hours before the cabin lights were turned back on …. very tired mummy and daddy. During the 13 hour flight we had many crying tantrums with him refusing to sleep, we both were very embaressed and appologised to anyone that made eye contact.

After 13 hours of flying we were not really looking forward to getting off and jumping on another 6 hour flight to New York. But we did and thankfully he slept pretty much the whole way!

My biggest fear travelling to somewhere like New York is not being able to use a proper child restraint in cabs. I did so much research before leaving and there is really no option but to sit the child on your lap. Thankfully New York is a very walkable city so we spent most of our time walking the streets and Central Park.

Our hotel in New York had a kitchen nook, so heating and washing bottles and heating baby food was really easy, just like at home. We didn’t experience problems until we went back to Los Angeles. We stayed at one of the Disneyland resorts and were really surprised to find they did not have microwaves in the room and even more surprised to find no kettle either! After a lengthy chat to the front desk staff and their refusal to supply a kettle as it was “again their policy” we were forced to go from the 11th floor to the lobby to heat bottles and food. Cooper is pretty good, he has one bottle before bed at 6pm and another at 6am …. but being out of his routine and needing some comfort we were forced into a few 3am feeds. So walking downstairs at 3am after having to get up and get dressed was not fun! Especially considering we were staying in a family resort! We then went to Vancouver we were provided a kettle on arrival with no fuss and found the bottle situation easy and the same in Vancouver.

All in all the trip was fantastic! We had a lot of fun and some wonderful memories even if Cooper is too small to share them. I did learn quiet a few lessons on our travels so here is my list on surviving travel with a baby!

* Any long haul flights should be done at night or during the babies longest sleep time
* Call the airline in advance and ask:
- Policy on travelling with an infant in your selected class – some airlines wont allow infants in premium, business or first class
- Baggage allowance for the infant – some airlines allow one extra check-in piece and one extra carry on
- What food is supplied onboard and can the attendants wash and heat bottles
- Request the bassinette seat – even if you don’t use the bassinette the extra legroom is a lifesaver!
- Can you check your pram at the gate – some airlines allow you to take the pram right to the gate and will return it to the gate at your destination
* Pack babies carry on items in 2 stages

Small bag with the essentials to keep by your feet

- Two nappies
- Wipes
- 1 Bottle and 1 serve of formula
- Sippy cup
- 1 Jar of food
- A few snacks
- Dummy
- 1-2 toys

Bigger bag with everything else to keep in the overhead compartment

- Nappies – for a longhaul flight allow enough nappies for your flight, waiting time at the depature airport and the destination and also a few extra just incase!
- Formula and bottles -  3 bottles was a perfect number for us, we asked the attendants to fill them with hot water at the end of our flight incase we needed them before our next flight.  Note: If flying to the USA make sure you pour the contents of the formula container into a plastic container as security is a little tight when it comes to taking the whole tin.
- Toys and books -  2-3 small no noise toys and 2 books is suitable. Kids still need variety so only bring out one thing at a time)
- Food - most airlines do not give you enough baby food to feed bubs so pack enough for the flight and for the departure and destination airports and a little extra!
- Spew cloths – These are a life saver for wiping hands, cleaning up messes and much much more!
- Change of clothes – we took bonds wondersuits to sleep in as the plane can get cold and they are easy to dress up and dress down. Plus a jumper, pants and a summer outfit incase it is warm. Pack enough clothes to last the flight and the departure and destination airports.
- Medications – check your medications are legal to take overseas and ensure you take enough to last your entire trip. If travelling overseas make sure you take the pain medication and gum soothing gel your child is used to. We had issues in the USA as their medication was totally different and Cooper did not take to it well.

* Call the hotel/s and ask
- If they have in-room facilities to heat and prepare baby food or if they will provide you with a kettle
- If they will provide a portable cot and linen
- If their is any extra charge for an infant
* Take a light stroller – we took our Baby Jogger City Elite and it was amazing! So light and easy to fold up and it travelled for 3 weeks on 6 flights and is still in perfect condition!
* Spread your itinery out, remember babies get tired really easy and try not to cram too much into one day. Also be aware you can have whole days lost due to illness, irritability etc. So plan your days to allow naps and rests.
* Do most of your activities in the morning when baby is happy and alert and more willing to have fun and smile for the camera! Leaving heavy duty sightseeing until the afternoon can be a nightmare!
* If formula feeding always carry a thermos of hot water incase a parents room or suitable facilities can’t be located while you are out and about.

Last but not least … relax! Baby can feel your tension and if you are uptight he will be too!

Travel with a baby is not hard, just different and as long as you are willing to adjust your itinerary to suit the babies routine it can be an amazing experience!

Jen xx