TRAVEL 8 years ago

Traveling with a Baby Abroad

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As you know, flying to Paris for Couture Week was the first time I’ve traveled with Chloe abroad. I was initially really nervous about how she would adjust to a new place, so I searched the internet for as many tips and tricks as I could find for traveling with a baby, but this is what worked for me! Now that I’m flying out to Paris, I wish I had brought Chloe with me again! It seemed like just yesterday I was worried about whether or not we would make it through the plane ride smoothly (read the blogpost here) and now here we are again, flying to Paris fashion week! I didn’t bring Chloe with me this time because it’s only a short 10 days and then I will home with my baby for a while! (Not that I don’t love fashion week but there’s just no better feeling in the world than spending all day in bed with my baby girl!) But in light of my traveling to Paris, I thought this would be a perfect post to share today. When I was prepping to take Chloe to Paris with me I seriously couldn’t find that many helpful tips online. Not to mention there are so many things that you wouldn’t think you’d need that you actually do need! So after extensive research as well as having firsthand experience, here are my tips on how to travel with a baby abroad!

1. Car Seat or Car Service

Depending on where you are traveling to you may or may not want to bring your car seat. If you are planning to rent a car, you’ll probably want to bring your own car seat. As for me, we didn’t bring Chloe’s car seat with us because we ended up hiring a driver for the full week, and they had a car seat available for us. When you are renting a car seat or using one that’s not yours, you always want to double check on the year and make and model.

2. Jet Lag

I was extremely nervous about jet lag and how Chloe will cope with the new time zone but it actually was not that bad. Every baby is different but as for Chloe, she adjusted quite easily. We landed in Paris at around 1 pm and finally got to our apartment at around 4 pm. Whenever Chloe is in a new environment she gets very excited and has a hard time sleeping. So she was out and about ready to explore right when we got to our apartment. By around 7 pm she started to get a bit fussy and that’s when she fell asleep. Besides the fact that she woke up almost everyday at 3am and wanted to play for at least an hour, she did pretty well. We kept her really busy and kept her outside during the day, which made her stay up during the right hours. If she was really sleepy then she would go ahead and fall right asleep in her stroller. It took us about 2-3 days for Chloe to fully adjust to her new schedule.

3. Milk

When traveling abroad you definitely want to prepare for the worst. I am no longer breastfeeding so I had to bring an ample amount of formula to make sure Chloe had enough milk. I did some research and found that the type of formula we were feeding Chloe was not available in Paris. I think one full suitcase was dedicated just for Chloe’s milk and food supply. The last thing you want to happen is to run out of milk on your trip. The last day in Paris I was running short on milk for Chloe so I went out to a pharmacy to pick up a French formula brand. I felt uneasy about feeding her a new type of milk because she’s been drinking a certain brand for a very long time, and I didn’t know how her body would react to it. Luckily it all worked out and we ended up having enough milk for her, but I was definitely cutting it short.

4. Food

The first thing that I do when I arrive abroad is go to a local grocery store. I always stock up on fruits and veggies for the week and pick up a few things to cook. You can never fully rely on eating out with a baby… especially when in a foreign country. You don’t know what will be available on the menu, so it’s always best to find a local grocery store and stock up on things you know your baby can eat.

5. Diapers and Wipes

I did not pack as many diapers or wipes as I wanted to because I was running out of suitcase space. You can usually find local brands or similar diaper brands for your babies at the pharmacy or local grocery stores.

6. Housing

I love staying at my fancy hotels when I’m traveling alone or with my team, but when it comes to traveling with a baby; I always rent an apartment or house on Airbnb or Homeaway. I’ve also been using this site called KidandCoe.com which allows you to rent places that are kid/baby friendly. It’s so much easier when you have a separate room for the baby to sleep in along with a kitchen you can use to prepare food for your little one.

And there you have it! My tips for traveling with a baby abroad! Be sure to follow my team and I for our upcoming adventures in Paris! We have a few surprises planned for you all, but you’d have to follow on instagram (@chrisellelim) to find out more! Have a great Monday everyone!

Credits:

Photography by Karen Rosalie