The first trip with a baby is a real challenge for parents! It often takes a lot of time for parents, especially with a first child, to decide on a trip. And when you decide to travel, preparing for the trip itself causes a lot of stress.
Therefore, we want to share our recommendations and tips with you! In this article, we share information based on our personal experience. We traveled with a newborn a month ago, so all experiences are new. Read the article and you will find all the answers on how to prepare, how to travel and what to take to make the first trip with a baby a fun experience for the whole family!
Meet the Little Traveler Paulė
The 2022 Christmas and New Year were special for us – Paulė was born on December 29. It was because of Paulė’s birth that it was the first winter that we spent in Lithuania and did not travel to warm countries. in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 last year we spent the winters in Thailand, and this year we were waiting for the new family member in Lithuania. Since we traveled abroad until the 30th week of pregnancy, and then traveled in Lithuania, so even before Paula was born, we were already planning our first trip as a foursome. And while planning, we dreamed of how unforgettable and fun our first trip with a baby would be.
And although the first week for both me and Paula had to be spent in the hospital due to health conditions, the planned (albeit tentative) first trip with the baby was a great motivation to recover faster.
Travels with a child
Baby’s First ID Card for Travel
The first trip with the baby cannot take place without his identity document. Therefore, when you start thinking about traveling with your baby, hurry up and order his first identity document.
Many parents think that the baby’s birth certificate is the right document to travel with. This is a misconception. A child’s birth certificate is not suitable for traveling abroad! The baby’s first trip outside of Lithuania can only take place if the baby has an identity document.
Traveling with a child
The child’s personal documents suitable for traveling to foreign countries are only the passport of the Republic of Lithuania and an identity card. If you are traveling in the European Union, an identity card is enough for children, a passport is not necessary. Personal documents for a baby can be ordered urgently within one or five working days or normally within a month.
Ordering an Identity Document for a Baby
One of the parents can order an identity document for the child. For this, it is necessary to have the child’s birth certificate and the identity document of one of the parents.
ADVICE FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE! If the baby does not hold its head, it will be difficult to take a picture of it at the migration department. Therefore, you can bring a printed photo of the baby. In this way, you will take a picture of the baby in a calm and stress-free way, and you will not have to wake him up or distract him at the Migration Department. When we made Matthew’s passport, he was 2.5 months old. Unfortunately, we did not know that it is possible to bring a photo that has already been taken. I still remember how difficult it was to make it. The baby was squinting and squinting, also crying. And the baby didn’t hold the head, so in the first passport photo you can see my hands in addition to Matthew’s face.
First passport for the baby
Place the child on a white sheet or flat white surface. The child’s head should be straight, eyes open. Take your child’s photos at your leisure. Then go to the nearest photo studio and ask them to make and print a document-fit photo for you from the photos you have. The service costs 10 euros (as far as we were concerned, the prices in Vilnius are similar in various salons). After 10 minutes, we held in our hands an organized, compliant printed set of Paulė’s photos.
The first passport of a baby
The First Trip with a Baby – Travel Planning and Preparation
When you already have or have ordered an identity document, you can start seriously planning where your first trip with your baby will be.
Our advice? Travel by car.
With our firstborn Matthew, he was then exactly one month old, we also went on a short first trip by car to Poland. And after three months on a trip by car to the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany.
Why is the first trip with a baby by car the best decision? First of all, that’s because of convenience. You can leave whenever you want without having to coordinate with the plane schedule. The second is flexibility. You can stop when it’s convenient for you, where it’s convenient for you. You can adjust the trip according to your baby’s schedule or needs. Third and often relevant for first-time travelers – you can take as many things as you want. You don’t have to worry about how to fit in your hand luggage and what to take. In addition, if it happens that the trip does not go well at all and it is difficult for you or the baby, you will sit down and return home. No need to change or search for new plane tickets.
The most important thing for the first trip with a baby is to have a comfortable car seat. Also, make sure to protect the window from the sun.
Planning a trip with a child
You can easily plan a trip with a baby or children using our map of places to visit with children.
During the Trip
The first trip with a baby is a test for both you and the child, so be flexible. Plan your route, do your homework, but don’t try to follow it blindly, be flexible. If you are used to reaching the Vilnius-Lithuanian border in two hours, consider that it may take three hours when traveling with a baby. We recommend stopping every two to three hours to feed the baby and change the diapers. Try to feed the baby only when the car has stopped, primarily for safety reasons, because the baby cannot be taken out of the car seat while driving.
Tip no. 1 – it is very important to choose the right temperature of the car so that the first journey with the baby will be successful. Most people turn on the air conditioner in the car so that they can even get cold – this is a huge mistake, especially when traveling with children or even a baby. The temperature in the car during the summer can differ from the outside temperature by only 5 degrees and no more. In winter or when traveling in cool weather, never use the heating at maximum capacity because the baby or child may overheat, you will go outside, and it will be cold there. The consequences can be really painful. The most common ailment for both children and adults at the beginning of a trip is a sore throat. And sometimes a more serious cold or overheating.
Tip no. 2 – baby clothes are very important. Choose it so that it is comfortable and does not restrict movement. Do not collect too warm. We don’t use the usual warm winter overalls that we usually go outside with for our trips, but a thinner fleece one. It is easy to take off, it is fully unbuttoned, it is easy to put on when you need to get out to change the baby’s diaper.
Traveling with a child
Tip no. 3 – put the most important things in your hand luggage so that you don’t have to unload the entire trunk of the car if necessary. It is advisable to always have at hand the following things: a baby toy or contrast cards, a light blanket, diapers, wet wipes and a change of clothes. Also, depending on the age, consider taking a drink and some snacks.
If you breastfeed your baby, there will be no problems with feeding, if you feed with milk or formula from a bottle, you MUST take care of proper sterilization of parts of the breast pump and bottles. We recommend having several bottles and using a new one when traveling and sterilizing them safely and properly upon arrival at the hotel.
We highly recommend travelling cards for the baby’s waking period during the trip. Take a look into “I use travel cards“. Also, the publishing house “Flintas” always travels with us – take some Bzz cards for babies.
First trip with a baby
First trip with a baby
The First Trip with a Baby – Taking Care of Baby Insurance
One of the most important tips before traveling is to get travel insurance. Although this is the first trip with a baby, he must have insurance. We recommend that you and your children have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This is a document confirming the right of a person covered by compulsory health insurance (PSD) to receive essential medical assistance services paid by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (PSDF) during a temporary stay in the countries of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
IMPORTANT – if you left Lithuania without taking the ESDK or lost it during the trip and you urgently need to apply for necessary medical assistance to a treatment facility in an EU country, you can join the VLK information systems and independently, safely and quickly create certificates for yourself and your children, temporarily replacing the ESDK.
We also have a gold credit card with insurance that is valid for all family members. If you are going to more distant countries, print an electronic banking certificate from your bank that the whole family is insured.
If you don’t have insurance with the card, make sure to get it. Never risk going on even a short trip without travel insurance.
The best breast pump for traveling
If you are breastfeeding your baby, but sometimes you give him a bottle or feed him with discontinued milk and you are worried about how you will need to do this during the trip – do not be afraid. MOMCOZY is a wireless electric breast pump that is simply designed for active and traveling moms.
The MOMCOZY breast pump, like manual breast pumps, does not have any cables that restrict movement, and at the same time, its operation is fully electric, so it does not require additional effort! In addition, you have both hands free to drive a car, hold a baby, push a stroller, read a book or lie on the beach. It is almost invisible, so no one will even understand what you are doing.
Read about our experience using this breast pump, situations, when it really comes in handy, and why it’s something we totally recommend, even for breastfeeding moms, in the Best Breast Pump for Travel article.
The best breast pump for traveling
The breast pump is easy to use when traveling
Ailments of the Baby During the Trip – Colic
Colic has always been the baby ailment I dreaded. I had heard very painful experiences of mothers. We managed to avoid this ailment with our first son, Matthew, and I really hoped that he would overtake us with Paule as well. But it just so happened that colic started for us on the trip. I am very happy that we have a wonderful family doctor who always consults us on the phone. She suggested we try Colief colic drops. And it was Colief who helped us. I didn’t know colic could be caused by undigested milk. Colief is a lactase enzyme that helps digest breast milk or formula.
Infant drops
Abdominal Colic Caused by Temporary Lactose Intolerance
Did you know that milk, milk products, infant formula and follow-on formula contain a complex sugar called lactose. Lactase is an enzyme that is normally produced in the human body and breaks down lactose into glucose and galactose so that it can be absorbed by the body. In the first months of life, some babies may have difficulty fully digesting the lactose in milk. Because of this, Paula started having colic.
Colief drops help break down the lactose in regular milk (breast milk or formula) and makes the milk easier to digest. These drops can be used for both breastfed and formula-fed babies.
It is very easy to use – just add it to the milk mixture. A Colief dose can be found here.
I am so glad that there are tools that can help our beloved babies and children avoid ailments and discomfort. Therefore, Colief drops are always with us both when traveling and at home. Colief is a food supplement and you can buy Colief in an online pharmacy.
Tips for traveling with a baby
How to Help a Baby Suffering from Colic not Only During the Trip
You probably already knew, but we want to remind you that there are many ways you can help your baby avoid colic or reduce discomfort. These are the most general tips:
- Breastfeed the baby;
- Whether you breastfeed or bottle-feed, try to hold the baby upright;
- If you are feeding your baby with a bottle, choose a slow-flow neck;
- Take breaks during feeding and allow the baby to ferment;
- Avoid high caffeine content, spicy food and food that causes flatulence even in an adult (cabbage, beans, peas);
Other Tips
- After feeding 15-20 min. hold the baby upright;
- Massage the abdomen in a clockwise direction;
- Place a heating compress on the abdomen;
- Bathe the baby in a warm bath;
- Try white noise. White noise is noise whose sound is constant, uniform, unchanging. It is believed that white noise works so well on babies (especially newborns) because it creates a sound environment similar to what was in the mother’s womb.
More Information
You can find all the information about preparing for a trip with children and what to do while traveling in the articles “Tips for preparing for a trip with children” and “How to keep kids busy while traveling”.
Make your everyday life easier by traveling with the whole family and using myTU Lithuania mobile banking. Parents can conveniently access free financial services. It is relevant when shopping and entertaining in Poland – always pay in the local currency and myTU will apply the best conversion rate for you. You can open an account for children from the age of 7 simply with a mobile phone.
This article is author’s work and was prepared by “Travelling with Children ®”. Copying and using without permission is strictly prohibited.
You can find more information about places of interest throughout Lithuania on our website, on the Facebook account “Travelling with children” and on the Instagram account “Travelling with children”.
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Looking for more places to visit with kids, travel tips and recommendations? Please join some groups of travelers with children. We also invite you to share your travel experiences here.
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