Tips to travel with your baby in a public transport vehicle

Travelling with your new-born baby, toddler or young child is always refreshing for parents looking for a get-away or a nice vacation to get a break from the stressful home routine. Therefore, it is a good idea to explore new places and take your baby to the outside world, maybe for a vacation at a relative’s place. Although, travelling with your baby can provide you with a lot of obstacles and problems, as long as you are properly prepared for the worst, you and your child are bound to have a good time. You can choose from a variety of modes of travel. While most parents prefer to travel by air or drive their own car, using public transport can have its own advantages.

photo credit: JLaw45

First of all, in a public transport, you can give your child undivided attention and participate in the joy of your child at journeying to a new place. Secondly, public transport can actually prove to be a comfortable and inexpensive way to travel since most transport facilities offer free or discounted seats for your baby. Lastly, public transport is bound to take less time to transport you to any city or town. Just remember to equip yourself with just the right amount of baby gear, more can act as a hassle and less can cause discomfort for you and your baby.

Pushchairs or strollers are an important baby gear item for babies and toddlers. Push chairs vary from convertible, forward facing, stroller, carry-cot to lift-off push chairs. The best way to carry a sleeping baby is in a lift-off push chair, a convertible chair can be used for babies who have control over the position of their head and neck. A carry-cot is nicely padded or has a mattress; this is usually used if your baby is sleeping overnight during travel. Three-wheel pushchairs are convenient for an outdoor jogging trip whereas a waterproof push chair is good if you are going to a place prone to rainfalls. The push chair must be foldable, lightweight, sturdy, well padded with nice lockable swivel wheels. All these features can allow you to navigate the push chair easily through crowds and on and off public transport, curbs and foot paths.

If you are going to be using a baby car seat instead, make sure it is appropriate for the age of your baby. Check the weight and height limit of the car seat; durability of car seats is important for the safety of the child. Know that rear-facing car seats are appropriate for infants, only infant-only car seat and convertible car seats can be used for them. A baby can travel rear faced till it weighs either 20 pounds or 30 to 35 pounds after which a convertible car seat or booster seat is used forward facing. Make sure your car seat can easily be installed and un-installed in a public transport.

Carrying a few basic skincare products while travelling with your baby is a good idea to keep your baby’s skin well-protected and moisturized. Take some snacks with you if your baby can nibble on them as the baby is bound to feel hungry; food can also be used as a distraction. Travel light since you are already carrying your baby’s gear which includes at least one carrier, diapers, feeding supplies, snacks etc. It is a good idea to arm yourself with as much information about public transport and baby travel as you can to minimize the chances of discomfort during the journey.