Feeding Baby While Travel  

If you think having a new baby in the house is an adjustment, wait until the first family trip.  As you pack a bag or two for baby, don’t forget to consider what baby will eat while you are away from home.  Planning ahead can save you lots of time, stress and money. 

When most of us go on a trip nowadays, we stop at the nearest restaurant when we are hungry.  With small kids, it’s not quite that easy.  Depending on their ages, remember to have food on hand that’s appropriate for them.   

For babies that are starting out on solid food, cereal and milk should suffice.  Carry an insulated bag to keep breast milk and formula cold if needed.  Baby bottles that use disposable liners make cleanup easier on a trip.  You don’t have to worry about finding hot water to clean the bottles if you use disposable ones. 

If you are going to be away for few days or more, one box of cereal should be enough.  Bring the breast pump along to pump at night when baby is sleeping.  Taking a bottle with you to museums and other sightseeing stops avoids having to scout out a place to feed baby far from spying eyes. 

If baby drinks formula, be sure to carry several bottles of distilled drinking water for mixing.  Water you get at restaurants may not be quite the standard it needs to be for preparing your baby’s formula.  Bring your own juice for baby, also.  One hundred percent juice may not be available at all restaurants. 

If baby can eat solid foods other than cereal, bring along a few jars from home.  While on vacation, you don’t want to run out looking for a grocery store to buy baby food.  The prices may be higher than they are at home too.  If you have access to a refrigerator with a freezer in the hotel room you can even bring some homemade baby food with you. 

Feeding baby food at restaurants can be tricky.  Be sure to pay attention to what the foods are made with.  Even steamed vegetables are seasoned with too much salt for a baby’s diet.  If you order fruit or vegetables, make sure that you specify no added seasonings or oils of any kind.  Use your fork to mash the food and feed baby with his own rubber-tipped spoon. 

If traveling by airplane, try to feed baby beforehand.  The changes in altitude can be unsettling to baby.  It’s unsettling to many adults, too.  When baby is hungry during the flight, give them a bottle to tide them over until you land.  Solid food means the possibility of stinky diapers or motion sickness at 40,000 feet. 

Travels with baby require forethought, but what planning ahead can save headaches for you and baby during your trip.  Be prepared with enough of baby’s own food to avoid having to use restaurant fare or doing extra grocery shopping during the trip. 

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