You can’t always control what your infant or toddler will do during travel. But, you can prepare to make travel as trouble-free as possible. In this blog, Gina Labovitz, MD, FAAP, of Ross Bridge Medical Center Pediatrics gives her top five tips for traveling with infants and toddlers.
1. Get a well-child exam before you go
It’s a good idea to make sure everyone in your family is healthy before traveling, but especially babies and toddlers. For any upcoming trips, you should plan to get your child checked out with a comprehensive well-child exam about a week prior to your departure. This will ensure that your baby is healthy enough to embark on an adventure. It will also give Dr. Labovitz a chance to offer advice on traveling with your child.
2. Make sure your child is current on immunizations
The last thing you want is for your infant or toddler to contract a disease while on vacation. Babies and young children are very susceptible to bacterial infections and viruses, so it’s extremely important to get all of their vaccinations on time.
This is especially critical if you’re traveling internationally. You never know what pathogens you might come into contact with overseas. Dr. Labovitz offers all of the routine vaccinations your child will need to fend off potentially life-threatening viruses and infections.
3. Bring more necessities than you think you’ll need
Extra clothes, extra snacks, extra formula, extra blankets, extra toys ― in short, bring extra of everything. Babies and toddlers have the most incredible ability to damage and make messes of everything they contact. If you’re traveling for three days and think three outfits will be enough, pack six.
You should also never underestimate how hungry, thirsty, or bored your child will get during travel. Make sure to have extra snacks, beverages, and toys on hand.
4. Dress your child in layers
It might sound fun to dress your baby or toddler in an adorable outfit and enjoy all the cooing from fellow flyers. But, as soon as your little one decides that the outfit is too tight, too hot, or too anything, it may become a lot less cute.
Instead, dress your little one in something soft and comfortable with easily removable layers. You’ll thank yourself when your toddler decides the outfit isn’t comfortable anymore.
5. Allow ample time for everything
Just like you should prepare with extra clothes, snacks, etc., you should also prepare by planning for extra time. Most moms and dads are familiar with the perpetual lateness that is a part of parenthood, but if you have a flight to board or an itinerary to meet, you can’t afford to run short on time.
Plan for all activities to take twice as long as they normally would, because you never know when you’ll have to change an emergency diaper, chase a runaway toy, or spend 30 minutes in a corner soothing your toddler.
We hope these five tips for traveling with babies and toddlers were helpful for planning your next big adventure! If you’d like to learn more about traveling with children, or if your child needs care, book an appointment online or over the phone with Ross Bridge Medical Center Pediatrics today.