Stress Free Travelling With Babies

Travelling with a young baby can often be any parents worst nightmare. Preparing for any type of journey with a little one is like staging a miltary operation, anything other than absolute precision may lead to stress and frayed nerves by the time you come to the end of it.

Long Car Journeys

Long car journeys with a baby can be very tiresome. Here are some tips on how to make it more bearable:

Sit in the back with your baby to make feeding easier, that way you can just reach over to feed them whilst on the move instead of having to stop for somewhere to feed. This can be particularly handy when travelling with very young babies who are being fed on demand.
Buy a 'travel toy', such as a travel mobile that plays a soothing tune or a car seat attachment that dangles eye catching and stimulating toys above your baby.
When your baby starts to grizzle, switch to classic FM (or have a classical CD ready to play in the car with you!). Classical music + the motion of the car should help rock your baby off to sleep.
Have your calpol handy, just in case. The stress of travelling can give baby's headaches, so having calpol sachets at hand will save you pulling in to the nearest garage to hunt for some.
Take a cool box filled with pumped breast milk or pre-prepared feeds as well as a travel bottle warmer. That way your baby's bottles will be sterile and at the correct temperature.
Have a changing mat and all the necessary items handy just in case you need to pull over and change a nappy. Again this is easier than rushing in to your nearest service station. (Don't forget the nappy sacks!)
Flying

If you can afford it, book a seperate seat for your little one and take on board an airline approved seat (your airline will advise you as to whether your seat is appropriate). Although regulations state that it is okay to take a 0-24 month old on your lap, that is not always comfortable either for you or your baby.
Have those calpol sachets handy! Young baby's don't always handle taking off and landing as well as adults do and the pressure can give them an ear ache. Having some calpol sachets handy for just after take off or landing will ensure you are prepared for a fractious baby.
Give them a bottle or soother to suck on whilst taking off and landing. This will minimise any uncomfortable feelings when the pressure affects their ear drums.
Take some snacks.
Be prepared to taste any pre-prepared milk at the security gate! Baby milk is one of the only fluids that can be carried through at 100ml+, so be prepared to taste it in front of the security guards to prove it isn't poison.
Buy a cheap stroller for the airport to save lugging your usual stroller to the check in gate.
Last but not least, no matter how you are travelling just remember to try and stay calm no matter what. Tantrums are often inevitable, just remember, everyone else will have been there before with their own children!