Traveling with Babies and Very Young Children

Traveling with young children can be stressful. You may feel you are constrained to short distance travel and wish to avoid some forms of public transport. Equally not all types of holidays, or destinations, are child friendly.

If you do decide to travel then the best advice is to be well prepared. Most new parents remark on the sheer volume of material that needs to be taken - not just the obvious such as a travel cot, food, nappies etc. In addition there is a need to pack favorite toys and other items. In fact, the need to transport child plus all the attendant material means that many parents automatically opt to drive if just for the convenience of packing.

If you do drive, it is important to allow extra time for a journey. Lower boredom thresholds, a need for more frequent toilet breaks and the risk of travel sickness can all mean that a journey takes longer due to the need to stop more frequently. If you need to travel long distances it is often an idea to try and travel at night - not only might your baby be asleep but also the roads will be emptier with less risk of being stuck in a traffic jam.

Even if you opt to drive, you will find that traveling with young children means much more planning than just with adults. If you intend to fly or travel by train then planning and careful packing becomes even more important. In both cases you will need to think about how much you can carry (in addition to the children) and to organize this for convenience.

Trains are relatively simple in that you can usually access your bags so it is less critical to have organized the packing so the things you need are easy to access (though this helps). The main problem with trains is getting on with prams, luggage etc and settling down. If you can, you should always reserve seats so are not searching for seats laden down with baggage and children.

Flying presents particular problems. It is a time efficient way to cover long distances and sometimes the only way to make certain journeys. The main difficulty is the need to separate the things you'll need during the journey from the rest of your luggage. This has become more complicated as airlines are being more prescriptive on what can be treated as hand luggage. Equally, restrictions on fluids etc in force in most airports over the last couple of years have created further difficulties. Again the emphasis is on pre-planning and checking the specific guidelines of each country and airline.