13 Considerations for International Travel with Your Baby

1. Passport - Your child needs one to travel overseas. 
2. Visas - If you are an American citizen, you get a free pass into most places, but you still need to check up on visas. If you are an expatriate in another country, make sure your child is able to re-enter the country of residency once you leave. 
3. Language - While it's really fun to be adventurous is non-English speaking countries, it might not be such a great idea while you are just getting into the parenting thing. At least ensure that you know how to say basic words like "taxi", "doctor" and "food" in the local language.
4. Travel Time: If you have to take a 12 hour flight with 2 stops and then drive 2 hours to your destination, you probably want to hold off till your child is a little more independent because you might be suicidal at the end of your trip
5. Vaccinations - Before you embark on exotic travels, check with your doctor about recommended vaccinations for that area
6. Epidemics - Avoid all places that have been used in the same sentence as "SARS", "Swine Flu" or any other serious epidemic
7. Fares -Babies under 2 travel for 10% of the price of your ticket, which is a good reason to get some traveling done while they are young. Beware, however, if you are booking through miles. They will charge you 10% of the MOST EXPENSIVE fare to accompany your miles ticket or the full number of miles. May make sense to buy your tickets now and save the miles for later.
8. Accommodation - Book it before you arrive at your destination. The last thing you want to be doing is "inn hopping" after an international flight.
9. Availability of products - While you can stock up before you leave, camping in the Amazon with your baby is not a good idea if you don't have access to basic baby products like medicines, diapers and creams. 
10. Foods (particularly if you have special dietary needs) can be difficult with babies and young children. Ensure you know what the staple foods are and what you are in for. Otherwise ensure that your accommodation with a kitchenette so you can cook for your baby.
11. Babysitting - Countries have different standards for screening and hiring babysitters, even in 5-star hotels. Ask your hotel about their screening and hiring process and guarantees before considering leaving your child with an unknown babysitter.
12. Political stability - This may sound a bit dramatic and obvious, but in today's day and age, it is important to assess the political stability of a country before planning a trip there with your baby. While nothing gets you more familiar with a country than using its emergency services, it is not a situation you want to be in with a new baby.
13. Travel Insurance - It's worth it when you are traveling overseas with a family. Kids are accident-prone, if you haven't noticed, and nothing ruins a holiday faster than an unexpected bill. 

Other posts in the Travel Tips series:

Travel Tips: 13 Steps to Baby-Proofing Your Hotel or Apartment on Vacation

Choosing Between Apartments and Hotels

Favorite Travel Accessory: The IPad

Travel Tip: Combating Jetlag, The Enemy

Travel Tip: How to Warm a Bottle in a Hotel Room

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Favorite Travel Accessory: The Totseat!

Favorite Travel Accessory: Fridge-To-Go Portable Cooler

Travel Tip: Ditch the Travel System for Travel

A note on airplane bassinets (and other notes)

If you're anything like me, you will take solace in the fact that schlepping  your little one around the world costs you nearly nothing extra until they hit the grand old age of two. However, here's some of the "fine print" I have learned wrt airplane travel with a sub two-year old:

1) Airline bassinets have different weight limits. Singapore Airlines is 14 or 16 kgs, Air China is 6 months and Quantas is 11kgs. Make sure to ask when you are booking your ticket. If a bassinet is unavailable or if your baby is too big, ask the airline to block one or two empty seats for you. However, make sure these seats are not in the front row, because there is more leg room available, the armrests don't go up which means that baby can't lie across the seats, which is the whole purpose of blocking off seats!! Or just upgrade to business class.

2) Singapore Airlines (and others, I am sure), will make you take the  baby out of the bassinet during turbulence which is really a pain the neck (literally) when you have spent an hour trying to put them to sleep, enduring the insensitive stares of non-parental passengers. Qantas doesn't do this. Again, ask. It's just easier to mentally prepare if baby's going to be sleeping on your face for most of the flight.

3) When some flights offer an infant meal, they mean a jar of banana porridge or something similarly inappropriate for a post-weaning baby. Ask for a CHILD meal instead or make something yourself.

4) Airlines will try to stick all the babies at the back of the plane. When your card says row 57, don't assume it's because that's all that's available - ask for something up front. Traveling parents have enough to deal with without being the last in the immigrations queue.

Other posts in the Airlines and Flying series:

For First-Timers: Overcoming Your Worst Fears of Flying with Your Kids


For Travelers in America: Preparing and Protecting Your Children from New TSA Security and Pat-Down Procedures

Flight Safety Tips from a Professional!

Airlines and Flying: Traveling Domestically? Carry Age Proof (for the baby)

10 Insider Tips for Travel with a Baby

10 Tips to Surviving a Long Flight with Your Infant - Alone!

Kudos to Qantas for Child-Friendly Skies!

Six Reasons NEVER to Fly Air China (even without a child)

Packing for China: My All-Inclusive List

Air China: Most Baby-UNfriendly airline!