The benefits of baby travel

When you read to a baby can they understand the words and the meaning? When you play them music, do they understand the lyrics and how the sounds were made? What do they understand of the television show they’re currently watching? Probably not a great deal, but does that mean that these things aren’t valuable to a child’s development? Absolutely not, they are essential. The same can be said for travel.

Travel is seriously good for children’s development, with every new sight, sound, and smell contributing to developing new connections in their brain. A child might not be old enough to appreciate the history, architecture, and culture of a place, but what they do learn is confidence from constantly meeting new people, and resilience from adapting to different circumstances.

Most importantly, travel gives children the ultimate quality time with us as parents, that doesn’t happen at home with all the distractions of daily life. To have both parents in the same place at the same time for an extended period is like winning the jackpot for a child. Now don’t get me wrong, traveling with a baby or toddler is no walk in the park, but it’s not exactly easy raising them at home either! Yes, you get to cart a lot of gear around, but you really don’t need to take as much as you’d think.

Download your free baby packing checklist

Which are the best travel high chairs? – review by Travel Gear for Kids

travel with baby There are plenty of positives to traveling with a baby. Their airfares are seriously cheap (and possibly free) up to the age two. They sleep more and talk less than school kids do, meaning you get more time to enjoy being a couple. Heading off before they start walking is brilliant as there’s no need to chase them around the place. If they scream their lungs out on the flight, chances are you’ll never see those onlookers again, plus you’ll find that a lot of cultures are much more accepting and nurturing of children than they are in countries like USA, Canada, UK, and Australia.

From a mother’s point of view, the other benefit of a taking a family trip is not having to work out this whole parenting thing alone but having your partner there to pitch in. It’s also great for the dad or other parent who’s usually at work, that they get to spend some quality time with their child.

How soon can you travel with a newborn?

Surprisingly most babies can fly a few days after they are born, however, this won’t be the case if your baby came into the world early, you had a caesarian birth, or there are any breathing, ear or other issues. Our preference is to wait until three months when the baby has built up its immune system and you have a settled into parenting life.

If you’re thinking of heading somewhere exotic where you’ll need vaccinations, speak with your doctor before you book your trip, to make sure you know all the risks before you go. You don’t have to stop having fun and exploring the world just because you had a baby. Yes, there is a lot to learn but there are plenty of people, including us, who are happy to help you on your way.

Download your free baby packing checklist

Further resources

If you’re going to start travelling with your baby or toddler, you’re going to need a few things. So, we’re on the lookout to find the best reviews for travel gear for babies and toddlers.

Here’s what we’ve found so far:

Best Travel High Chair – reviewed by Travel Gear for Kids

Best toddler travel beds – reviewed by FlipFlop Globetrotters