Planning a few days of family vacation soon after the birth of a child is possible, but not without making some arrangements to keep your baby comfortable and lacking for nothing.

To avoid any unnecessary stress, for the child as for his parents, it is better to be organized. There is nothing like planning your trip well in advance, trying to avoid peak periods and crowds as much as possible. If you can, organize your travel times around nap times so that the child doesn’t feel tired, is relaxed, and more manageable. Also, try not to plan any stopovers during your travels and to meet baby’s needs before taking any means of transport. For example, it will be much more difficult for you to change it in the toilets of a train or an airplane than on the changing table provided in the waiting room.

Also, do not forget to specify that you are accompanied by a small baby. Whether in the hotel or in transport, you will need to obtain suitable equipment and ask specific questions about what is allowed in the cabin, etc.

Finally, remember to make an appointment with the doctor who follows your child to give him a complete examination and possibly check that the vaccines required by the country of destination have been carried out.

From a few weeks after his birth, taking the plane with his baby is possible. But it is better to wait a few months if it is very long flights. At this age, the little one will travel on your knees, attached to your own belt by a suitable device (you have to wait until the child has reached the age of two so that he can have his own seat).

Caused by the reduced atmospheric pressure and by a decrease in oxygen on the plane, children may experience some minor discomfort: earaches, bloating, discomfort, fears, etc. To help them manage these ailments, a few tips should be known and applied without hesitation:

• Provide familiar objects and toys to reassure and occupy them, especially during take-off and landing, which can cause stress;
• It is also during these two maneuvers that the pressure fluctuations are the most important and can therefore bother the child. To limit ear pain and force him to swallow, breastfeed the baby by offering a pacifier, bottle or breastfeed. If he is not hungry or refuses the pacifier, do not hesitate to pinch his nose lightly, which will have the effect of releasing the pressure felt in his ears;
• Finally, to prevent the baby from suffering from bloating due to changes in pressure in the cabin, massage his stomach to help him expel his gases.

Be careful, certain health problems prevent a little one from traveling by plane or impose certain specific precautions: ear infections, heart or lung problems, food allergies, etc. In any case, talk about it and ask your doctor for advice.

In order not to forget anything and so that baby does not feel too lost in this new environment, it is better to pack some of his belongings in your luggage. Here is a small list that is very useful for traveling:

• His favorite toys, usual soft toys and rattles;
• All his meals if he has already started diversification and his powdered milk (it is better to take with you products that you know, because abroad you are unlikely to find the same);
• Sunscreen, hat, glasses and other sun protection;
• A first aid kit with age-appropriate medication and hand sanitizer;
• A blanket to wrap baby around at all times;
• A few layers (or even all) so you don’t have to run out and buy some when you arrive;
• And of course all travel documents concerning the family as well as the baby’s health record.

Finally, learn to understand your baby and the manifestations of his needs and discomfort, to soothe him and avoid the onset of a crisis. His crying and screaming will be much more difficult to manage in the presence of accusing eyes than with yours, so anticipate as much as possible.