Travelling with Baby is not easy. It can be difficult if you are not prepared accordingly.
If you are flying longer than one hour or overseas, you should put enough nappies, wipes, baby food into a nappy bag.
Also, put extra clothes in the bag because your baby may make a mess on the plane. Take a dummy and some rusks for your child to chew on. They are essential and will help your baby to ease the ear pain which may occur during take-off or landing.
Taking an umbrella stroller for travel is a good idea. It is light and easy to fold, and takes little space in the car boot. You will have to give the stroller with your other suitcases while checking in. It means you have to carry your baby and other bags till you reach your gate. Keep carry-on luggage to a minimum. You can ask for airport stroller from the customer service area for use until boarding.
Like other Melbournians we wanted to be out of the city during Melbourne Cup and enjoy the long weekend.
We left to the airport early Saturday. The airport was very busy with people looking forward for the holiday.
Before check -in, we made sure that our carry-on baggage contained items necessary for the flight.
It was hard to sit our baby fastened with a seat belt on my lap on the plane. But, he fell asleep after take- off with the help of his dummy.
We arrived in Sydney around 11 am and caught a big taxi with a child seat on it. Later, when calling from the hotel, it was impossible to find a taxi with a child seat. The front desk person at the hotel also had no luck.
The train from the airport to the city cost $15 per person. But, not all city stations have lifts, making it hard with stroller and bags.
Sydney airport is located close to the city. After 20 minutes we were in our hotel next to the Museum Station in CBD.
Before going to lunch, I fed my baby, and packed a small bag with his food, cold and hot water, and a change of clothes.
We had lunch at the cafe next to the Sydney Opera House. It was hot and sunny. So I applied enough sunscreen on my child’s skin and gave him a bottle filled with water.
After taking photos of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, we decided to come to the hotel so I could feed my baby, change his nappy, have shower and go for dinner.
Of course Sydney has all the facilities for parents and babies. But, my baby doesn't breast-feed unless I lie down. If some of you have this problem, there is a solution for this, which I would talk about right away.
We had dinner at the Korean cafe around Museum Station for $40 for two people. After dinner we came to the hotel to put our baby to bed at his usual time.
Parents can eat out if they do it at the right time. Then the baby will not be cranky and annoy other people. Knowing baby's schedule is very important to have a stress-free holiday.
Timur (our son's name) goes to bed at 7:30 pm which is very early for parents. Since a good sleep is important for a baby, we were staying in the hotel after dinner.
On the second day of our trip in Sydney we took a ferry and went to the famous beach at Manly. We came to the beach early as our son, like other babies at his age, wakes up early. He is 9 months old. It was cloudy and windy. The wind was making nice conditions for the surfers, bringing big waves to the shore.
After a couple of hours the weather had changed completely. It became sunny and very warm. You could see the reflection of blue sky on the sea at the Manly Beach. More people were eating their lunch outside, while some of them sat on the grass looking at the view, while enjoying a glass of champagne.
This was also lunch time for our baby. We were far from a parent's room. So, I fed my baby lying on the grass and covering ourselves with a blanket. I also changed his nappy after looking at the signs on the board and finding nothing prohibiting baby nappy change.
Now my son was happy with his full tummy and dry nappy, so we decided to have our lunch at one of the many cafes of Manly Beach. I had salmon with mashed potatoes and vegetables and my husband had a big Hawaiian pizza with beer. We paid $36 for two people.
Manly Beach is not only famous with its famous clean bays or big waves for surfers but it is also popular for its infrastructure.
This place has good hotels, cafes, restaurants, shops as well as picnic settings, beach shower amenities and everything for tourists and local people.
So, if you decide to go to the beach with your baby, you have to apply sunscreen on your baby, take a hat and to the Centrepoint Tower which is Sydney's tallest free-standing structure. The cost of ticket for the tower is $25. It was raining when we went to the Centrepoint Tower but it cleared quickly, and we could enjoy the view from 309 metres of tall building in the city. We could see the Sydney Opera House, the famous Harbour Bridge,and all the way to the Blue Mountains.
If you are travelling with a baby, it is always best to get to your hotel before it gets late. During our travel in Sydney, we were coming to the hotel before 7 pm. He becomes clingy after 6 pm. So, it is not good for either baby or parents trying to visit tourist places when the child is tired and cranky.
On the third day of our trip we went to the Chinese Garden of Friendship at the Darling Harbour.
It is a beautifully created garden with parent's room and a cafe, but unfortunately not many ramps. I was carrying our baby and my husband was carrying the stroller and bags. There is no microwave at the parent's room, so it is good to carry a thermos of hot water bottle for warming the baby's food..
There are national costumes of China at the garden. If you want to dress up as a Chinese king/queen or prince/princess, you have to wait till 11:30 am. That's when the dressing section opens. Then you can take your photos inside the garden in a Chinese costume as many times as you wish. It will cost you $10. And to see the garden you have to buy a ticket for $6.
In the afternoon, we went to the shopping mall where I was able to feed my baby lying on the couch at parent's room. I have been struggling to teach him drinking formula. So far I could not teach him formula or my boy is just a little “Mr. Fussy”.
After shopping, we took a monorail. It was my first time taking a monorail. I liked this transport because it was comfortable and every carriage has only 8 seats. The best thing was the view.
The next day which was the last day of our trip in Sydney. We spent our time at the shopping centres in the CBD. We did some shopping at the Queen Victoria Building after checking out from hotel. And before going to the airport, we bought baby food and ensured that Timur was happy.
The things that you need to do for travel with the baby:
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Carry enough food and baby needs.
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Have a good light weight stroller. Don't save on a cheap stroller. The stroller has to have sitting up and lying down positions for the baby, as well as the cover to protect from sun/rain. It would also hold the bags so parents don't get tired.
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Be prepared for different conditions of the weather.
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Know where the parent’s rooms are in shopping centres or where you can privately feed and clean your baby.
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Know your baby's schedule! Your trip will be a lot more enjoyable if you do activities based around his times; when he wants to sleep or eat and when and where to change his nappy. Then everyone will be happy.
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And don't be afraid about travelling. It’s a big step but with the right preparation everyone can have a good time and look forward to the next vacation.
