Oh baby! What a way to travel
Lisa Kadane, CanWest News Service
Published: Friday, August 31, 2007

Here's a Top 10 list of travel nuggets gathered after eight plane trips, six mountain getaways, 12 visits to grandma's house, five baby-free frolics and 13 Baby on Board travel columns.

1. Get your baby a passport. You may not use it right away, but chances are you'll need it sometime in baby's first three years of life.

Tip: Have the passport photograph taken at a travel agency or photo shop that has experience snapping babies. Passport Canada is finicky about the photo and won't hesitate to send you for retakes.

2. Create a packing checklist. Then, don't leave home without going through it or you will forget something (the monitor, diaper cream or your own toiletry bag).

Tip: Type up the list electronically, then save different versions -- one for airplane vacations, one for Fernie, B.C., weekends, etc.

3. Prepare for unlikely contingencies. Chances are your baby won't contract hepatitis A or require hospitalization while out of the country, but why risk it? Purchase family travel insurance and ask your doctor about any special immunizations you or your child might require.

Tip: Put together a baby doc kit filled with a thermometer, sunscreen, Tylenol for teething, and other essentials so you won't find yourself stuck in the Everglades without kid-friendly mosquito repellent.

4. Invest in a portable play yard. Many baby accessories are non-essential items you can probably live without. Playpens are multi-use: they're bassinets or change stations for newborns, cribs in a hotel room or at a relative's house, and playpens at the lake or beach.

Tip: Try setting one up in the hotel room closet to create a private nursery.

5.Hit the open road before cruising altitude. Before boarding a plane, plan some day trips to gauge how baby travels and determine items you can't live without when away from home.

Tip: Bring daddy, grammy or a friend to share in the laughter and tears.

6. Just say no to tiny hotel rooms. Live large, if possible. Book a suite or a room with a walk-in closet. That way, baby can have his or her own digs, and you and your partner can stay up reading, watching TV or, ahem, coupling, instead of hitting the hay at 7 p.m.

Tip: Ask for a room upgrade at check-in and a sympathetic staffer might make your week.

7. Prepare for airplane entrapment. Gear up for the mile-high parenting club by packing ample distractions (toys, food, a box of Kleenex) in your carry-on. Stocking up on strategies for dealing with ear pain is also a good idea.

Tip: Larger planes have more lavatories in which to seek refuge during a mid-air meltdown.

8. Choose a holiday that's right for your family. Pick a destination that's appealing and interesting, but not too challenging (for example, eastern Europe by train), and book accommodation that's appropriate (a hotel instead of a hostel).

Tip: Don't try to do too much: On a visit to Cancun, there's no shame in skipping the Chichen Itza day trip.

9. Be flexible enough in your parenting style to enjoy the time away. So what if baby misses a nap because you went on a tour? It wouldn't be a holiday if everything progressed on schedule like it does back home.

Tip: If your baby or toddler will nap in a vehicle, time long drives or plane rides to coincide with nap time.

10. Don't forget to have your own holiday while away. It's fun to bring a toddler to the beach six days in a row, but it's also work in the form of constant vigilance. Try to plan a child-free day or evening by organizing day care or a babysitter through the resort, or by travelling with grandparents or an aunt or uncle.

Tip: Leave the baby or toddler at home on occasion for a couple-only getaway.

Calgary Herald