Baby's First Air Travel

Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash 

Ladies, how are you all? Hope the virus, the lockdown and all other factors have not driven you insane! So,sit upright and pat your back, Queens. You have done fabulous so far and you will be doing just fantabulous all throughout. Now today I would like to share a few experiences that I had while air  travelling  with my little one for the first time.

She was only thirty-five days old when we had to visit our home town due to various reason. Since she was so small and I was totally a new mommy without any prior experience - it was scary as well as overwhelming for me. And mind you, the place we were visiting was having winter at that time and it was very, very cold out there. I needed to do my homework well otherwise the little one would suffer beyond point. I geared up made a list as to what would be important and useful for her. Therefore I would like to share my list with all you mommies. Hope it will be helpful to you all:

• Consultation 

The first thing I did before the journey was to take consultation from my paediatrician. I asked whether it was feasible to air travel with her. And he replied in positive saying that we can do so but we need to be little careful. We need to keep checking if she is comfortable. And he suggested that it is better to keep her breastfed during the take-off and landing episodes. And trust me mommies I followed his advice and there wasn’t any problem with my daughter. We had a safe landing. So, you can try the same while air travelling with a new born.

• Maternity wear

The second preparation that I made was regarding my dresses. I checked on the net and I was lured by their maternity wear collection promising comfort to the mother as well as the baby. But, in reality all of them were pathetic. It was messy and I faced a lot of discomfort. Therefore I choose to wear a simple top and trousers. And mind you mommies I had never had any issue nursing my little one after that. All you need is a dupatta and you are all set.

• Travel kit

Thirdly, I prepared a travel kit for for my baby. It had all her essentials like two spare pair of dresses, four diapers, baby wipes, her feeding bottle, lactogen, hot water flask, few medicines like paracetamol, blocked nose drops, medicines for gas and lastly her favourite toy. All this I carried in hand luggage with me.

• Documents

Now, mommies this is very important. While travelling with a baby please don’t forget to carry her birth certificate with you. Because you never know when the airport authorities might ask you for that. And we even had to buy her an air ticket costing around fifteen hundred rupees. So before you undertake an air travel with your baby please check all the norms and guidelines of the airline. Blind travel like me might cost you your precious time.

• Skin issues

Mommies, as already discussed, since my daughter was very small and was just coping up with all the new changes and environment. Just after  we reached our home town she got red and dry patches all over her cheeks and the left ear. I was totally scared as to what was happening with her. As, usual different opinions and remedies poured in. And we hadn’t had to do much. I massaged her face and ears with a little breast milk and warm coconut oil. Within a week she was fine. So, ladies a coconut oil is a must in your travel pack. It’s cost efficient and very useful.

• Baby wear

Last but not the least. Mommies, I know if we are travelling with a baby to a very cold place we ought to carry so many winter wear for them and make our luggage quite heavy. Which even I did when I traveled but to my utter disappointment I felt it was utterly useless. Since, an infant is mostly carried by us. Therefore I realised few warm tops, pants and blankets would be best to carry. Obviously , don’t forget to take a baby soft bag, socks and a cap.

 That’s  it mommies. After that trip we had many more and I followed all those above mentioned points and neither I nor my baby had any kind of issue or discomfort. She loves to go on trips with us.  I hope all these points would be fruitful to you all and mommies will be greatly benefited by it. Please add on to anything more that can be helpful for all of us. Would love to read your comments and suggestions.

Happy reading and take care!

Jusmi Saikia, mother to a one year old daughter is a  teacher by profession in one of the reputed schools in Bangalore, India. She shares an immense love for writing as well as reading. She loves to write and share her ideas with the world around.

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mom Store.