Traveling With An Infant: What To Expect?

Travel with infant/children etc- I think it all comes down to the parent trying. I was on a flight a few months ago AUH to IAD in W- 2 year old in the row was not happy. Yeah it may have been a bit annoying but I wasn't that upset. The reason - the parent tried and cared. Mom was constantly trying to sooth the child, playing, reading, movies, etc. All trying to get the kid to calm down. The flight from BWI to MDW with a screaming child where the parents did nothing just let him scream - that was way worse. I'd rather be stuck next to someone trying for 14 hours than a parent who doesn't do anything for 2.

First of all congratulations! I started travelling with my son when he was 1 and he slept most of the time. His first flight was a 3 hours flight so no fuss. I asked advice to the pediatrician and she told me that travelling within Europe (I’m Portuguese) was totally fine but advised us to carry antibiotics and antipyretics such as Paracetamol. Just in case. A comfortable stroller where he may sleep is paramount specially on city strolls. Even when he’s 6! We’ve been traveling with him ever since and he’s becoming a bit of an aviation geek. I bet Miles will be passionate about traveling as well.

My child is 18 months old and here are my thoughts: 1. Worst time to travel I: crawling baby, because airplane/airport floor is disgusting. Worst time to travel II: 15 months to 21 months. Attention span minimal, communications skills minimal, but already in a developmental stage of 'I am a person and I have wants'. 2. Travel from early age applies only after 3rd birthday, until then 'less is more': less contacts, less change, less everything. Developmentally kids reach a stage around their third birthday that change that and kids start needing more contacts, more sights, more stimulation. 3. Nap times. Oh, holy nap times. An infant sleeps a lot, but the infant stage is short. Starting from 3 months the schedule settles and messing with it is a pain. Stable nap times come first. 4. Worst thing when traveling with a baby: sick baby. All is well when baby is healthy, but being on a road when your child is ill is a next level of hell.

If you have Miles as a lap infant for an international flight using miles, make sure to get him ticketed before your flight. Otherwise, the operating carrier will charge you more to get him ticketed at the airport. Personal experience, Qantas using AA miles. These airlines keep passing off responsibilities for who will charge the infant.

Hi Lucky, Congrats again. I think infant travel can be fun. I would say less than month old is too young to start traveling. Baby's immune system is still immature. And if baby has a fever, it's a big deal and the workup could be extensive. I currently have a two month old. We started taking him out and doing short-ish (less tha 2 hours) road trips when he was one month old. We will start taking him on short flights in the same time zone when he is three months old. I think after three months old, babies are more sturdy and their immune system is more developed. They are done with the "fourth trimester" newborn stage. I think staying roughly in the same timezone is a good idea for the first few flights. In general, babies do best with routines and staying in the same timezone helps a little. We took our four year old daughter from LAX to CDG when she was 18 months old. She probably could have done it when she was 9 months old too. I wouldn't hesitate to take my now 2 month old son internationally to Europe when he's 6 months old. Type of destination probably doesn't matter too much. A resort is fine since you have all the amenities and convenience right there. Traveling in Western Europe would be equally easy. I wouldn't take a baby to a destination that was a bit too adventurous tho... Traveling with an infant is not a recipe for a bad time. You just have to manage your expectations. If you expect to do whirlwind traveling and see a bunch of sites in an action packed itinerary, you'll likely be disappointed and that is a recipe for a bad time. Expect to see just a few things and activities a day. Don't pack an itinerary too much. Allow time for naps. AirBnbs or apartment rentals are generally more comfortable with kids. Obviously, a lot depends on the kid too. Some kids just have an "easy" temperament and some have a "hard/difficult" temperament. My daughter was "hard" and was not a good eater or sleeper. But my son so far is "easy" and is an excellent sleeper, eater, and super easy going. A lot depends on the baby/child's temperament. To your last question... gee... I'm not sure if there is a point ever where you feel totally comfortable finding some sort of child care. But to me, I don't feel comfortable trusting another adult stranger (not a trusted relative, nanny, caregiver, etc.) with the care of my child until the child is about 4 years old or when the child has the ability verbally express if something is not right. We usually bring our parents on trips, so they act as trusted caregivers when my wife and I go on date nights when we travel. Hope that helps!!!