Travelling with a baby: checklist

Every baby needs their own passport, even for a short trip, and it must be valid for the period the destination requires. Some countries ask for six months of validity beyond the return date, and a few ask for a blank page. Apply early: infant passports often take longer than adult renewals because of the extra identity checks.

Visas are the second trap. A visa exemption for adults does not always extend to children, and some countries require a separate visa or an entry stamp for an infant even when the parents do not need one. Check the destination's own immigration site, not a blog. If you are travelling alone with the baby, or with a child and without the other parent, carry a signed consent letter and a copy of the other parent's ID: border officers in several countries ask for it.

Keep a paper folder as well as phone copies. Passport, visa, birth certificate, insurance certificate, vaccination record and the consent letter, if relevant. If a phone dies or a border officer wants the original, paper still works.

For a child under 2 you have two options. An infant on a lap is the cheaper one: you pay a percentage of the adult fare or a flat fee plus taxes, and the baby travels on your ticket. The alternative is a separate seat, either in an approved car seat or in the airline's own child restraint, which is safer for turbulence and much easier on a long flight. On flights over about four hours, the extra seat is usually worth the money.

Bassinets are the middle path. They attach to a bulkhead position, are free on most long-haul carriers, and are limited in number, so they go to whoever asks first. They normally have a weight limit and a length limit, and the baby must be able to lie flat without the sides pressing in. Request one at booking and call again about 72 hours before departure to confirm; a bassinet that is not reconfirmed is sometimes given away.

Bulkhead rows have the legroom but also the noise, the light from the galley and the constant foot traffic. If your baby is a light sleeper, a normal row with a seat for the baby can be calmer. Whatever you choose, board early when the airline offers it, wipe down the tray and armrests, and feed the baby during take-off and landing: swallowing helps equalise the pressure in small ears.

The rule that saves trips is simple: the hand luggage must cover 48 hours without the checked bag. Delays happen, and a bag that arrives a day late is an inconvenience for you and a crisis for a baby. Pack nappies, wipes, a full change of clothes for the baby and one for you, formula or expressed milk, sterilised water, a couple of bottles, a light blanket, a carrier and any medicine in the cabin bag.

Baby milk, formula, sterilised water and baby food are normally exempt from the 100 ml liquids limit, but they are screened separately and may be opened or tested. Pack them in one clear bag so the security tray is quick. If you are carrying expressed milk, some airports test it; a few ask you to taste it. Allow extra time at security rather than arguing at the belt.

Checked baggage is where the bulky items go: the pram, the travel cot, the car seat. Most airlines carry a pram or pushchair free, either in the hold or at the gate, and gate-checking is the usual arrangement so you keep it until the aircraft door. Confirm the infant baggage allowance in writing, because it varies from nothing extra to a full extra bag depending on the carrier and the fare.

Feeding is the part of the trip you can control. Breastfeeding is the easiest option in transit: no bottles, no sterilising, no liquids screening. If you formula-feed, carry ready-to-feed cartons or pre-measured powder and ask cabin crew for hot water to make up a bottle, then cool it. Sterilising tablets or a microwave bag handle bottles in a hotel room; a kettle and a clean container do the rest.

Sleep is where jet lag hits hardest, and babies reset faster than adults if you give them daylight. On arrival, get outside in the morning light, keep naps short in the late afternoon, and hold the usual bedtime routine — bath, feed, dark room — even if the clock says otherwise. A sling or carrier lets the baby nap through a museum or a meal, and a travel blackout cloth turns any room into a dark one.

If you are changing time zones by more than a few hours, shift the schedule gradually in the days before you fly: 30 to 60 minutes a day is enough for most babies. Expect two or three rough nights at the other end, not a week.

This is general information, not medical advice. Before you go, check that your travel insurance names the baby as an insured person and covers medical treatment, hospital stays and, where relevant, repatriation. Many family policies cover children automatically, but the age from which they are covered and the countries included vary. Read the exclusions for pre-existing conditions and for travel against medical advice.

Vaccinations and malaria tablets depend on the destination and the baby's age, and some are not given to infants at all, so a travel clinic appointment several weeks ahead is the practical step. Take a small kit: a thermometer, oral rehydration salts, infant paracetamol or ibuprofen at the dose your doctor recommends, any prescription medicine in its original packaging, and a copy of the prescription. If the baby has a chronic condition, carry a short letter from the doctor describing it.

Abroad, use the same judgement as at home. A baby under 3 months with a fever needs medical attention quickly; so does a baby who is feeding poorly, is unusually drowsy, or is breathing hard. Private clinics in major cities treat children every day and usually speak enough English to help; ask your insurer for the approved list before you need it.

Car seats are the biggest gap in most trips. Rental companies often cannot guarantee one, taxis rarely have one, and ride-hailing apps almost never do. If you will spend real time in cars, bring your own seat and check it into the hold, or book a private transfer that confirms a seat in writing. On buses and trains, a carrier is more practical than a pram, and a lightweight pram that folds into a cabin locker beats a heavy one that does not.

For hotels, ask three questions before booking: is a cot available and does it meet current safety standards, is there a fridge for milk, and is the room quiet enough for daytime naps. A kitchenette or at least a kettle makes sterilising and bottle washing far easier. Apartments and family rooms usually beat a standard double once you add a cot and a pram.

Food is simpler than it looks. If you are breastfeeding, eat and drink normally and keep water intake up. If you are formula-feeding, use sealed water or boil and cool it, and clean bottles with hot water and soap or sterilising tablets. Introduce new foods at home, not on the road, and keep a familiar snack in the bag for delays.

Premature babies, babies with heart or lung conditions, and babies recovering from illness need a doctor's clearance before flying, and some airlines require a fit-to-fly letter. Altitude and cabin pressure are the reasons: a healthy infant handles them well, a fragile one may not.

Travelling alone with a baby adds two things: a consent letter from the other parent if you have one, and a plan for the airport, because you cannot leave the baby to fetch a bag. Ask for assistance at check-in, use the family lane at security, and keep the carrier on your body rather than in a bag.

Some destinations are genuinely hard with an infant: very high altitude, extreme heat, areas with malaria or yellow fever risk where the vaccines are not licensed for babies, and long overland journeys on rough roads. None of these is automatically a no, but each one changes the plan, and some change it enough to pick a different trip this year.

The first is treating the baby as luggage. A lap infant still needs a ticket record, a boarding pass in some systems, and a document check, and that takes time at check-in. Arrive early rather than cutting it fine.

The second is under-packing the cabin bag and over-packing the hold. The hold bag can be a day late; the cabin bag cannot. The third is booking a connection to save money and losing a day to a missed transfer with a tired baby. The fourth is assuming the airline or the hotel will supply a cot, a car seat or formula. They usually will not, or not reliably.

The fifth is skipping insurance to save a small amount. A single paediatric hospital visit abroad can cost more than the whole trip, and evacuation cover is the part you hope never to use. Buy the policy, read the exclusions, and save the emergency number.

The questions below cover the decisions readers ask about most: what to do before you travel, what the common mistakes are, and how to handle the parts that go wrong.