How to plan a trip with a baby

The pre-crawl window

Babies between 3 and 9 months are the easiest to travel with. They sleep on planes, do not run, and have predictable schedules. Once they crawl (around 8 to 10 months) the difficulty curves up. Once they walk (12 to 18 months) it plateaus high until around age 4. Plan trips in the easier windows.

The flight timing

Two flight strategies that work:

• -Red-eye flights timed to overnight sleep, baby sleeps in the bassinet (request at booking)
• -Morning flights timed to nap window 1, baby naps the first 2 hours, awake for the rest
• -Avoid afternoon flights, baby is overtired and resists sleep
• -Direct flights every time over layovers, the extra cost is worth the half work

Family-friendly destinations

Cities with strong baby travel infrastructure:

• -Tokyo, the cleanest baby change facilities in the world, train stations are baby paradises
• -Lisbon, walkable historic centre, family-friendly restaurants, mild weather
• -Amsterdam, Netherlands, every cafe is baby-welcoming, cycling families everywhere
• -Porto, even more relaxed than Lisbon, smaller and easier to navigate
• -Copenhagen, Stockholm, kid-first urban design with great public infrastructure

The gear math

What to bring:

• -Baby carrier (Ergobaby, Tula, BabyBjorn), better than stroller in cobblestoned European cities
• -Compact stroller (YoYo Babyzen, Cybex Libelle) only if you do walking marathons
• -Travel cot that fits in checked luggage, or rent at destination via BabyQuip equivalents
• -Skip the high chair, restaurants have them, bring a portable clip-on if you eat at Airbnbs

The accommodation choice

For trips longer than 4 nights with a baby:

• -Airbnb with a separate bedroom and kitchen, the parent and baby sleep zones are separated
• -Hotel suites with two rooms, more convenient but pricier
• -Avoid standard hotel rooms, the baby crib next to the parents bed kills sleep for everyone

What to skip until they are older

Things to defer:

• -Long museum days, babies tap out after 90 minutes
• -Theme parks, save for ages 3+
• -Adventure trips that require gear (skiing, hiking serious distances)
• -Trips with 4+ destinations in 2 weeks, the moving is the work