Planning

The following ideas are things that we've found have worked exceptionally well for us on our international travels. Please bear in mind that they are suggestions only - they won't work for everyone - it will depend on you, your baby and your individual travel requirements.

Consider pre-purchasing nappies, wipes and baby food online. Before traveling, try to locate a local baby supplies store at your travel destination (in the UK we use Kiddicare and in Australia we prefer Baby Bunting) and order everything you need online a few days before departure. Have those items delivered to your hotel (Kiddicare deliver free of charge) so that everything you need will be there upon your arrival. This will enable you to travel a lot lighter, using your valuable luggage space for things other than nappies, wipes and tins of formula.

Take disposable everything: Paper bibs, wooden spoons, plastic containers. Most of these items become so disgustingly grubby that it's just easier to throw it all out along the way, making your bag increasingly lighter as you go. Disposable products are usually cheap to purchase and will otherwise reduce stress and mess, minimising cleaning time and effort.

Consider NOT taking your pram. With so many other items to carry, you might like to consider leaving your heavy and cumbersome pram at home. Carry bub through the airport in a sling or Baby Bjorn and consider purchasing a pram or stroller at your destination (include it in your advance online shopping order) - one that you can donate or leave behind when your travels are over. After a few months in the UK recently, we donated our pram to another family and then purchased a cheap $20 stroller (an umbrella one - lightweight, folds to nothing) to use through the airport for our return journey. It was the best $20 we spent on our trip!

Your child needs his/her own passport. Once upon a time a newborn or infant could travel on their parents' passport but this is no longer the case. Regardless of age (and even if they don't require their own seat) every single international-traveling passenger MUST have their own passport. If you intend to travel with your newborn soon after he/she is born, you will have to wait until they can have their passport photo taken (post-birth) before you can submit their passport application. Bear in mind that the passport application process can take many weeks so it's not a great idea to book international travel until you have that documentation or you risk not being able to take your child.


*Please note that most of the points suggested under 'Planning' and 'Packing' go hand in hand so be sure to read and relate to them both.