"PLANES, TRAINS AND CARS: "
"Or, Travel Tips for Getting From A to B without Anyone Having a Tantrum and Enjoying It Once You Get There!"
In the first few days after your baby’s birth don’t be too ambitious about going anywhere. The smallest trip can initially feel like
packing for a month-long backpacking expedition. Yes, a walk round the park may require a nappy or two, a change of clothes, just in case,
and something to clean up, but, in London at least, you are never far from a chemist for supplies and it should not be too far back to base
if you need to get home in a hurry.
A baby bag, whether it be a custom-made one with lots of specially designed pockets for bits and pieces, or an old rucksack and a couple of
plastic bags for dirty things, is essential. Keeping it stocked with whatever you usually need, means you can grab it and go quickly.
Think layers: The temperature inside an air-conditioned car, a packed plane waiting for take-off or a train with the heating full on is
often no reflection of the temperature outdoors and is probably beyond
your control. Hats, cardigans and blankets can be taken on and off throughout the journey.
A sleeping baby may make for a quiet journey, but luck usually dictates that when you are exhausted at the end of a long journey your
darling will wake up refreshed, alert and ready to play.
Though you and your partner will probably look forward to a grown-up chat in the front while the baby sleeps in its car seat behind you,
it can be easier for the non-driver to sit next to the baby for at least some of the journey. You can do the entertaining, retrieve dropped
toys, clear up mess and soothe a hungry baby until you find somewhere to stop for a feed.
Trains and planes don’t wait for hungry babies or for dirty nappies to be changed, so board before starting a feed or changing a bottom.
Double your journey time: What was once an hour down the motorway, arriving at the grandparents just before Sunday lunch may take a couple
of hours when you need to check that you have brought all you need with you three times, after the baby has decided to stock up on milk
just as the key turns in the ignition or when you are 10 minutes from your destination. Arrange trips to fit in with your baby’s routine
and explain to friends or relatives that it’s better not to cook something that will spoil if it’s a minute too long in the oven.
Flying is dehydrating, so all the advice about drinking enough during a flight is even more important when you are breastfeeding both for
you and the baby. Bring your own water as some airlines can be very economical with their drinks --- soft ones as well as the alcohol.
Get the best seat in the house: Book train tickets in advance and ask for the family carriage or a seat near the baby-changing facilities
or buffet car and, mostly importantly a seat near to the door so that you don’t have to drag baby and luggage to the middle of the carriage.
With airlines, you won’t be given a seat by the emergency exits ---- often the places with more legroom --- for safety reasons, but it’s
worth checking the plane’s seating configuration when you book or asking if you can pre-book seats just before you fly.
Breast is best, but a bottle or dummy --- the equivalent of boiled sweets or chewing-gum for adults --- works just as well to soothe aching
ears. Delay a feed until take-off or encourage your baby is ready for a top-up. Babies feel changes in air pressure more than adults, and
their only remedy is to cry, so hold back on a feed until take-off, or hold some back from the last one so that your baby is ready for a
top-up.
Old favourites and new treats: If your child can’t settle without a particular toy, chewed muslin or whatever is an absolute must for its
bedtime routine, take it with you. When he or she is fast asleep the night before you travel, retrieve the comforter before you go to bed
and pack it away so that you don’t forget it in the morning. A few new things to be produced out of a bag just as the journey gets too much
can buy a few more miles on the motorway or stop the cries of boredom. Though they are not up to holding a pencil themselves, older babies
will enjoy you scribbling pictures, making the cardboard model or pulling things
out of the bag, so ask for a children’s pack even if it is intended for older kids.
Try a new way of travelling: Is it easier to fly rather than do a long drive, or take a train or ferry so that you can sleep when the baby
does?
Don’t forget the snacks: once they are on solids, babies like the rest of us get through long journeys by snacking. Airline food or what’s
available at the service station the limited selection on a train buffet car may not be suitable for your baby or what you would chose to
feed a toddler, so bring your own. If you need to stick something in the fridge, ask a flight attendant or put the food bag in the
luggage rack at the end of the carriage, which will usually be cooler than under your seat.
Make friends: ask flight attendants for a hand if you need it, it’s part of their job, and a wise flight attendant will know that
helping entertain a grisly baby will make all the passengers happy. Even if you are exhausted and would rather not make conversation with
anyone, a few cheery answers to the usual questions about your baby could
mean you find that a natural, but unexpected, baby entertainer is sitting in the next seat.
Be assertive: Ask flight attendants or station staff to help you, and go to the front of the queue, explaining why you need to go ahead.
At the check-in desk, ask whether the flight is full. If it isn’t, ask nicely and the staff will keep an empty seat next to you ---
useful for laying a small baby on or giving an older child its own (free) seat.
Added attractions: Plan where to break a journey: do a little bit of research and though the journey will take longer it will be less
stressful. Stop-overs on long-haul flights or spending a night somewhere when driving, will give everyone a break. Motorway service
stations are convenient and many have baby play areas. An alternative is to look for somewhere to visit on the way back from a family
visit.
Ask other parents: A dream holiday villa for a childfree couple or the perfect holiday cottage for older children can be full of potential
dangers for a mobile baby, and remember an easily contained four-month-old when you book could be a fast crawling seven-month old when you
arrive. Lots of places do say they are unsuitable for children below a specified age, it could be the owners are just not child-friendly,
but there is probably a good reason --- an unfenced pool, garden pond or steep stairs, stone floors and lots of breakable knick-knacks for
example. Recommendations from friends with babies or older children are invaluable: a holiday house or hotel where the owners genuinely
welcome your family will really make a difference. It will also usually mean that cots, high-chairs and even toys are provided. It is worth
asking, even if the advertisement doesn’t mention such things, and to find out what nearby attractions are good for children, just the
nearby playground or paddling pool will be more fun than the park near home.
Leave things behind: If you know that you will be visiting relatives or close friends regularly and they have space, it could be worthwhile
to ask them to find a travel cot or stroller and other bits and pieces to keep for you. Good quality second-hand items will be fine for
short visits, and grandparents can ask friends who might also already have things they use for their own grandchildren and can lend while
you are down.
Baby talk: If you are going off the beaten track or to somewhere it is unlikely that everyone speaks English, check your phrasebook has a
children’s section: nappies in Portuguese, baby changing in French, playground in Greek? It’s unlikely you will find the time to learn a
new language while coping with a newborn, but a few words looked up in a dictionary --- there are plenty on the
internet ---- might save a long explanation or hours of searching for the late-night chemist.
The smaller the baby, the easier the journey: Once you have the hang of the basics, the early months may be the best time to visit
relatives in Australia or friends in America. After all, you are likely to be used to getting by on broken nights, sleep deprivation
feels much like jet-lag and a baby won’t complain it’s bored when you do some grown-up sight-seeing. Sky cots are provided for small babies
on long-haul flights, so perhaps planning a trip in the latter part of your pregnancy is a good idea, but booking it may be a little unwise
until you get an idea if your newborn seems to be a baby who likes home comforts and routine or the sort of person that can’t wait until it
can afford to buy its own round-the-world ticket.
Happy travelling!
