Things I learned from traveling w a baby

So I recently went on a trip with my 7mo baby. Lots of thoughts and reflections, but I wanted to share some tips from my experience for any new parent who aspires to do the same!

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1️⃣ Avoid early morning flights! For our flight to Perth, we took a 7AM flight, and it was a huge mistake! It severely disrupted everyone’s sleep schedule because we had to wake up by 4AM to reach the airport by 5AM. The end result was a really cranky baby who had difficulty falling asleep and just melted down during the flight 🥲

Late morning and early afternoon flights should be a better option! Our return flight was at 2PM, and that was much more manageable. The baby fussed a lot less.

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2️⃣ Bassinet on flight is a gamble. We paid extra to get the bassinet seat. Little did we know, you have to take the baby out of the bassinet when the seatbelt sign is on. i.e. if there is turbulence, you have to take the baby out.

That happened to us when we finally got our baby to sleep in the bassinet. 20 minutes later, there was turbulence and we were told to bring her out. She woke up during the movement and just melted down big times because her sleep was disrupted. The whole turbulence lasted 15 minutes and I swear that was the longest 15 minutes I have ever felt hahaha.

In the end, the baby eventually fell back asleep and we just ended up letting her sleep in our arms for the last two hours. Guess what? There wasn’t any other turbulence since LOL. But it’s okay, we did not dare to ‘gamble’ again, and the baby slept well 😅

During the return flight, we tried some turbulence website to pre-empt things. I think that helped a little to time things but it really depends on luck.

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3️⃣ Sterilizing things on the go. We got Pigeon sterilizing tablets and a foldable bucket. It was easy to set up, and each tablet lasts 24 hours. We also borrowed a portable sterilizer, but we didn’t use that at all.

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4️⃣ Moisturizing the baby’s skin. Singapore is super humid (duh), and that always makes me forget how dry other countries can be. If you’re going somewhere cold and dry, go to a local pharmacy and get baby moisturizer. We brought ours from Singapore, but it wasn’t effective; the baby’s mouth area turned red. Thankfully, a relative gave us a better one. My own lips also chapped on the first day, so remember to pack some lip balm hahah.

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5️⃣ Make a list of things to buy at the destination. We overpacked because it was our first time. Looking back, there were certain things that we could have just bought it at the country instead. Such as baby soap, baby dishwashing liquid, baby laundry detergent, and even baby clothes.

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6️⃣ Avoid long car rides. We underestimated the car rides, thinking the baby would just chill and sleep. But, like adults, they get fussy after sitting too long, especially when they are strapped in. Some of our drives lasted over 3 hours, which was definitely too long. A more comfortable duration might be 45-60 minutes, with longer breaks if you’re traveling further.

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7️⃣ Not really baby related but the last learning is to appreciate your partner haha. Traveling with a baby is tough, there are many variables, many things at stake, many decision to be made. It can get very taxing physically, mentally, and emotionally. Even if there are others in the group, the parents are often the main caregivers. As such, both you & your partner are playing very important roles.

Take the time at the end of the day to give each other a pat on the back. Ultimately, the kid will keep growing and never be this size again. The next trip will look different so the present would always be the most special. Appreciate and cherish it.

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Alright! Just some key lessons I could recall for now. Drop a question or comment if you want to know more about anything. Hope this helps!

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#traveling #parenthood #travelwithbaby #fyp #parentsoflemon8