While it is perfectly fine to travel with a newborn in tow, that doesn’t mean that you should hit the road as soon as they are out of the hospital. If family or friends want to see your new addition in those first few weeks, request that they come to you, as you don’t want to have to travel too far with your new addition, particularly while you are still healing from the labour and delivery.
Once your little one gets a bit bigger, and you have healed up, then traveling is perfectly fine. Of course, traveling with a new baby requires more care and planning than normal traveling will do, as there is a lot more to take into account. Bearing that in mind, below are some useful tips for traveling with a newborn.
Flying with a newborn
It is important that before you book your plane tickets that you check with the airline about what age they allow babies to fly from. Some airlines don’t allow babies under a month old to fly, whereas others will allow babies of all ages to fly. So it’s worth contacting the airline beforehand, to ensure that your little one will be allowed to fly.
The number one reason why experts warn that airplane travel with newborns is risky, or can be, is because of the exposure to such a large group of people in an environment with no fresh air supply. The fact is that newborn babies have much lower immune systems than older kids do, especially before they have had their vaccinations, which makes taking them anywhere where there will be large groups of people, a big risk.
If you are going to take your new addition on a plane, it is vital to ensure that you pack all of the essentials into your carry-on luggage. From nappies and formula to spare clothes and a car seat for on the plane, there is a lot that you will need to pack.
Driving with your new addition
For traveling with newborns, driving is the prefered method of transportation, as this would mean that your little one would be exposed to fewer people. However, it is important to realize that when driving a newborn, there are some things that you should know, such as that the longer a baby is in the car, the higher the risk of SIDS. This is because they are trapped in one position in their car seat, which is why it is important to stop every two hours and get your little one out of their car seat for a while.
If you are going to travel with your baby, you will need to ensure that you have a reputable travel system to use, such as the Graco system, for instance – you can read reviews of the best Graco Travel System by going online and having a browse. When it comes to choosing a travel system, what you are looking for is an easy to use a system that offers you everything that you need for transporting your baby safely around.
While you can drive or fly with your new addition in tow at most ages, it is always better to wait a few weeks until they are older and stronger, and you have recovered from labor.
