5 Tips for Caring for Newborns During the Holiday Travel Season

This post is brought to you by hydraSense® Baby Nasal Care, always remember to read and follow the label.

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Traveling with newborns is challenging during any time of the year, but during the holiday season it becomes a whole new ball game. Between the cold weather and dry air, the traffic, delays at the airport and sleeping in strange environments, your newborn deals with significantly more stress than the average trip. Which, of course, means you are too!

Today I’m sharing a few of my favourite tips to make caring for your newborn during the holiday travel season a little easier on all of you! From using hydraSense® Baby Nasal Care to combat the dry air to scheduling travel during your baby’s nap time, these tips will help all of you make it through your travels with the least amount of stress possible.

5-tips-caring-newborns-holiday-travel-season

5 Tips for Traveling with Newborns During the Holidays

Make them come to you!

Most pediatricians recommend avoiding flights shortly after birth. If your infant is less than a month, ask your family to come to you this year. Of course, hosting the holidays in your own home has its challenges too, but if everyone pitches in (and maybe stays at a hotel!), it’s definitely a lot easier on you and your baby than traveling far away.

Schedule your travel around your baby

If traveling out of town is a must, plan your trip around your baby’s schedule. If you’re flying, schedule a flight during the night or, for shorter flights, nap time. You might think that a direct flight is the easiest on all of you, especially given the amount of stuff you have to lug around when traveling with a newborn. For a short flight, by all means, schedule direct. For a longer flight, though, layovers are a good thing! Trust me, you’ll want to get off the plane at least once during a long journey.

When you’re driving to your destination, consider leaving at night and doing the bulk of the travel while your infant slumbers away in the back seat. The great part about doing this: you’ll likely run into less traffic!

Keep a “go” bag filled with baby care essentials

Pack baby care essentials into a separate bag that you can stick in the diaper bag so they’re easier to grab when you need them most. When you board the plane, keep the go-bag in the seat with you. If you’re traveling by car, keep it up front. That way, you don’t have to dig through an overhead compartment or your trunk for the essentials. Things to put in your bag include:

  • Small package of wipes and an extra diaper
  • Travel approved hand sanitizer (for you)
  • Extra pacifier, if you use them
  • Sample sizes of diaper rash cream, baby lotion, and antibiotic ointment.
  • hydraSense® Easydose® Vials- they’re individual doses of hydraSense® 100% natural-source, undiluted seawater to help relieve and reduce nasal cold symptoms and are just the right size for traveling. Why hydraSense®? Because it’s the #1 Nasal Saline Solution brand in Canada for children!*

How to help babies unblock their ears?

Babies cannot intentionally pop their ears, but popping may occur if they are sucking on a bottle or pacifier. Feed your baby during the flight, and do not allow him or her to sleep during descent.

Consider splurging on a hotel room

If your budget allows, consider renting a hotel room to stay in at your destination. I’ve stayed with family members and stayed in a hotel on separate trips. Let me tell you, having the option to go back to my own space with my baby was worth the extra money. It’s hard enough for a newborn to sleep in a strange place. Add in all the noise from non-stop holiday festivities and your poor baby’s schedule will be obliterated before the end of the trip.

The one downside to a hotel, though, is the dry air in the rooms. Since I highly doubt you travel with a humidifier in your suitcase, keep your baby’s nose hydrated with hydraSense® Ultra-Gentle Mist. The tip is designed for the littlest of noses and can be used up to 6 times a day when cold or allergy symptoms are present hydraSense® Baby Nasal Care products are available at your local mass food and drug retailer or online at Amazon.ca.

Let’s be honest here, traveling with a baby during the holiday season is always going to have more than its fair share of challenges. A little preparation and creative planning can go a long way to alleviating some of the stress, though!

Do you have any favourite tips for traveling during the holidays with a newborn? Share in the comments!

 *According to Nielsen, National. 52 weeks ending Aug 20th, 2016. Based on combined sales of hydraSense Ultra-Gentle Mist, Easydose and Congestion Relief Kids. 

 

20 thoughts on “5 Tips for Caring for Newborns During the Holiday Travel Season”

  1. That’s smar tot carry the hydra mist. And the tip to get the hotel is spot on. It really is hard for baby to sleep in a new place with lots of people.

  2. Great tips for newborn holiday travel, especially about clearing their ears. I always see so many new parents struggle with a crying baby during landing because they forget about the air pressure.

  3. I flew with our son quite a bit when he was a newborn because my Father was sick and I needed to be home. I nursed him almost continuously on every flight and he was a happy as a clam!

  4. Jeanine @ sixtimemommy.com

    Wonderful tips! Traveling with newborns can be hard, so having the tools to make sure it goes smoothly is so important!

  5. Traveling with a newborn is definitely a new ball game. You feel as though you are bringing you’re whole house with you just in case. This is a great list and great tips.

  6. These are all great tips! My son is 2yr. old and we would love to travel for the holidays. Will remember all your tips here.

  7. I like the tip of having family come to you. We had to visit 3 different families during the holidays when my daughter was a baby and it was a nightmare. Thankfully, we wised up and told them to come to us or wait to visit until she gets older.

  8. These are all such great tips. This time of year can be harsh for little ones. I think that all those products sound wonderful for babies too.

  9. What wonderful suggestions. Traveling with a newborn is always difficult, but I imagine it is extra tough during the busy holiday season.

  10. Catherine Sargent

    These are all great tips. When my son was really little we always stayed in a hotel when visiting family. It helped to keep noise down for us and for them.

  11. I remember traveling with a newborn and it isn’t easy. I think your advice on making people come to you is spot on.

  12. These are all really great tips, especially for the first time parent. Newborns are so fragile, so this is a great resource.

  13. Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle

    This is such an important post. Traveling anywhere with newborns can be tricky, and you really have to be careful with them.

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