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Traveling with babies is never an easy task, it always demands excessive attention and precautions from caregivers. However, the degree of difficulty varies according to the stage of life. For newborns , for example, a phase that extends to 2 months of life, travel is not recommended.
They are still in a very premature stage of life, with a poorly developed immune system , as well as a fragile muscular and skeletal structure. Parents should also be low on energy and energy at this stage – especially the mother, who may be recovering physically.
How Many Months Can Baby Travel?
From 3 months , the scenario starts to change, because the baby is no longer so fragile, nor has motor autonomy – that is, he does not walk or crawl. This ends up giving him great “portability”, which is the ease of carrying the child on his lap. It is easier to travel with the baby, although it is still not ideal.
In the later stages of the child, with the progressive development of crawling and walking, the parents’ challenge is no longer in the comfort of travel, but in the attention to the child’s activities. It is good to try to choose destinations that do not need to limit the baby’s exploratory curiosity with “no”.
Can Baby Travel by Airplane?
Generally, airlines do not accept newborn babies, less than a week old, to board. There is a recommendation from the medical profession that, if the trip is not an emergency, it will only take place after 2 months or more.
There are some risks involved in this type of travel that justifies not recommending it to newborns . They have a less developed immune system than the adult, since they have not yet had all the vaccines , which makes the space of the plane, in which several people share the same air, unfavorable for their health.
Air Travel Precautions
Another risk, which the adult is also not immune to, is exposure to new viruses and diseases present in the destination region. Despite this contraindication by doctors, the newborn with more than a week of birth can now, by the rules, travel by plane. However, if this happens, it is important to take some precautions , such as:
- Make sure that the aircraft has a pressurized cabin;
- Buy a ticket for the baby too, so that he can have his own seat, and take his baby comfort seat .
It is necessary that the airplane has a pressurized cabin, which is a structure present in almost all larger commercial airplanes, because its purpose is to maintain a pressure inside the airplane similar to that felt on the ground.
Up there, there is a change in air pressure, decreasing the amount of oxygen. Regarding babies, any possible decrease in oxygen is more felt by them , because the smaller the person, the less oxygen they have. Therefore, the decrease in the amount of oxygen leaves the baby more vulnerable to the entry of other diseases or may worsen a pre-existing illness.
Baby on the Lap or in the Airplane Seat?
When parents are going to travel with their babies, they may also have the question: should the newborn go on the lap of the guardian, or on a baby-comfort seat, rested in another seat on the plane?
The question arises because the airlines even allow children under the age of 2 to not be charged , or when charged, it refers to 10% of the ticket price, and the child has to be held by the responsible adult.
However, when referring to newborn babies, it is not recommended that they remain on your lap during the trip. In the first 2 months of life, the baby is unable to firm the neck , and it is recommended to use the comfort baby with a neck protector to keep it more stable and safe during the trip. The financial burden of buying an entire ticket instead of the free lap is offset by the baby’s greater security .
IMPORTANT: Companies do not usually provide the baby-comfort, leaving the parents to take it home for the baby’s safety during the trip.
Places to Travel with Baby
The choice of a baby travel destination varies according to the parents’ financial possibilities . However, the free or low price charged to infants can make even the most expensive options, such as airplanes, economically interesting, despite the care we have already mentioned above.
For those traveling by bus , children up to 5 years old (until the eve of their 6th birthday) will be able to travel without paying for a ticket, as long as they do not occupy a specific seat for them, that is, by going on the parent’s lap.
In any case, when choosing a place, it is necessary to pay attention to the duration of the trip, trying to avoid displacements of many hours and in unfavorable conditions, such as uphill on hills and roads without much maintenance.
An option that is viable from the structural point of view is cruises , with small functional cabins. For the leisure of those who still wear diapers and, therefore, cannot enter the pool, there are spaces with water available just for babies.
The problem with cruises is the minimum age, which is not universal, varying according to the company. This minimum age can vary from 4 months to 1 year of age , depending on the company and / or vessel. When the baby is still in the “portable” phase (carried on his lap), for example, which is in the 3-month age range, he usually cannot board, much to the parents’ sadness.
Another less restrictive and more peaceful option is the farm hotels , which bring the family closer to nature. The baby will be able to explore the environment by running or crawling, coming in contact with plants, trees and animals, being a great choice for those who are raised in the urban environment. Parents also enjoy the activities and the calm atmosphere, making this a relaxing destination. There is no minimum age for accommodation.
There is also a recent phenomenon, which are ‘baby friendly’ hotels and inns . There is a wide structure for the little ones, ranging from a 24-hour pantry, filled with everything the baby may need, to the restaurant menu with baby food and soup, as well as a crib and bathtub in the room.
This offer tailored to the needs of babies makes travel much more economical when it comes to the amount of bags with baby things you would normally have to take.
See also: Travel Food for Children
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
