Travelling with baby

So the first thing I want to say is DO IT!!! Travelling with Tayo was the best experience ever. Taking your little one around the world to see new places is both memorable and rewarding. We have just got back from a 10 day stint of travelling and when I say that , I don’t mean a 10 holiday. In those 10 days we took 5 flights in total , adding up to a massive 22 hours of flying in total. Whaaaattttt?!!! Lol. We started off flying out to NYC to surprise my best friend for her baby shower, she had never met Tayo so I thought it was a great time for that to happen. From there , we followed my husband to Milan as he booked a shoot there for one day. While at the airport he then got another message saying he was to fly to Barcelona straight after work then connect the following day to A Coruna for 4 more days of work. Since we caught the travel bug , Tayo and I decided to tag along lol. Finally on Friday we flew back to London.

Now I don’t know if we were just blessed with a really good baby, but he slept every flight and only really cried once on our flight back to London!!! So, I hear you asking. What’s the trick ? I have a few tips that I seriously recommend you follow !!

Feed during take off and landing. This I found to be ESSENTIAL. By doing this, it’s less likely babies ears will hurt and it kept him settled for literally the whole flight

If baby will take a dummy , use it. The more comfort the better

Don’t let baby get over tired. This was our mistake on our flight back to London. Tayo was super stimulated but seriously over tired. So when we got on the flight he was fighting sleep and screaming for a solid 10 mins before take off. Luckily we distracted him with the safety instruction card (it’s black and white) and he gave in and went to sleep.

Book the extra leg room !!! You will need it! If you can afford it , it’s well worth it. Failing that, board the aircraft last and if there’s an extra leg room seat free , just sit in it. Don’t even ask. You will not be allowed in the exit rows with a baby though so they will have to be priority seats

For long haul flights, make sure you have the bulk head seats if you wish to use the basinette onboard. It’s first come , first serve at the gate for the actual basinette but it only attaches in front of the bulk head seats so your more likely to get it if you have already brought those seats

Book over night flights for long haul - baby is more likely to settle and sleep

Don’t use the priority family boarding!!!!! The less time on that plane, the better

Take a lightweight stroller , with a car seat that attaches. It’s pretty essential to have a car seat while taking Taxis so avoid carrying it around we decided to leave the basinette attachment behind and just use the car seat attached to the wheels. The QUINNY ZAPP FLEX PLUS was a dream to travel with. Seriously

Take a good sturdy baby carrier. Our ERGOBABY OMNI 360 was perfect for when we couldn’t have our pram

If baby cries it’s ok. Stay relaxed and don’t stress, it will only make it worse. Use your carrier to hold the baby and pace the plane. That will help settle baby and also give them a slight change of scenery. Your fellow neighbouring passengers will like you for it too so the screaming isn’t just in one place lol

So apart from the flying part , everything else was pretty much the same as home. Here are some other tips non fly related.

Don’t over pack and take hand washing detergent. The last thing you want is to drag around a 50kg bag so only pack essentials, you can wash vests and outfits as you go. Everything disposable (nappies , wipes etc) you can buy as you go, just google the best brands in the country your in.

There aren’t a lot of Baby change units around. Especially in NYC. It’s definitely worth having a really good portable baby changing mat. I just used the one that came with my changing bag, as it’s super padded and folds small and lightweight. If your baby is in to grabbing everything maybe buy the one that traps their arms (pic below if you don’t know what I’m talking about lol)

Milton baby wipes are a must have. The sterilise everything on the go. As well as that, microwaveable sterilising bags are flat to pack and can sterilise bottles and bigger things in just 3 mins

Don’t take an abundance of toys, they take up space and babies are just as easily distracted with random objects like half full water bottles and food menus. Two or three hanging toys for their pram will do

Don’t take too many blankets. One cellular blanket is fine , as they’re suitable for warm & cold weather. Blankets are bulky and it’s easier to layer up clothes if it’s cold.

I didn’t ever put Tayo down for a nap like I would in London. Because of the time difference I just let him sleep when he wanted. I don’t know if this is necessarily the right thing to do, but it worked for us. I tired to not let him nap too near to bed time though.