How soon can I travel with a young baby?

Always take your own medical advice. Generally though the youngest age at which an infant can travel is 48 hours old. It is highly likely you will need permission from your consultant to travel with a baby so young. If you gave birth less than 48 hours ago, you and your baby will not be allowed to travel on a plane.

Babies between 2 and 7 days old can fly if you have a letter from your GP. If you have given birth by caesarean section you must wait 10 days before you can fly. In general, it is best to wait until the baby is over two weeks old.

Most mums will not want to travel for a few weeks anyway. You will of course have to have a passport for baby if you are going abroad.

Vaccinations

If you are travelling with a baby, make sure you obtain advice from either your GP or a specialist health clinic regarding which vaccinations are necessary for the country you are travelling to.

The vaccinations your baby will need will depend on his/her age and the region you are travelling to. Your baby may already be covered for many diseases. Babies in the UK are routinely given vaccinations against diphtheria, polio (orally), tetanus, meningitis (Hib) and, in some cases, tuberculosis (TB).

Make sure you have your baby's Personal Child Health Record with you, preferably in your hand luggage, as suitcases sometimes get misplaced. Immunisations already given will be recorded in this.

Some immunisations are free but for others there may be a small charge. Doctors can also charge for signing and filling in vaccination certificates (needed for certain destinations).

Yellow Fever and Malaria

Doctors advise parents to think carefully before travelling to places where their child may be put at risk of the more exotic diseases. Babies under six months for instance cannot be given yellow fever injections due to the higher risk of contracting encephalitis.

Babies under eight weeks old cannot take anti-malarial tablets. Doctors also advise against travelling to malaria-infested areas unless it is absolutely necessary for any infant.

If travel is essential ensure mosquito repellent is used on the child and their clothing, as well as using a mosquito net for the child's cot and buggy especially at night.

Mosquitoes can bite through thin cotton clothing, so covering up alone may not be enough. A repellent that does not contain deet is better for young skin; try to get one containing a natural ingredient such as citronella oil. Ask your pharmacist for advice about which insect repellent is suitable.

Always take out comprehensive travel insurance for all of your family.

When can my baby go swimming?

It is generally agreed that it is not necessary to wait until your baby should be fully immunised as the chlorine in the water should prevent infectious diseases. Do check this though depending on where you are and your own doctor’s advice.

Young babies are not able to fully maintain their body temperature and will feel the cold quickly so take your baby out of the water if they start to shiver and only keep your baby in the water for short periods. Keep your baby at eye level to reassure them, having a favourite toy is also a good idea.

Make sure you use aqua nappies such as little swimmers as these are designed not to absorb water which makes ordinary nappies swell and become heavy, aqua nappies also prevent any risk of leakage.

We have joined together with tinytotsaway to offer you a great family friendly service. With increasingly tighter airline regulations and no luggage allowance at all for infants less than two years of age, this service allows you to order ahead of time, saves you the hassle of shopping and carrying it to check in and also keeps track of it. Tinytotsaway has shared this guide with us for your benefit.

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday.

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