When we were prepping for our trip to Israel and found out we would be bringing a baby I searched everywhere for advice on international travels with babies. I could not find advice anywhere. This is probably because it is not the best idea for exposing germs early on and man it is not easy. However, we got approval from our doctor, social workers, attorneys, the court and his first round of shots before we left & we ended up having the trip of a lifetime! Here are some tips for traveling overseas with a newborn baby!

That being said I am going to keep it simple for you. What do you need for a 0- 6 month old. We were gone for 10 days and had 24 hours of traveling there and another 24 hours on the way back.

1. We packed 4 packs of diapers= 80 diapers which is about 10 a day. We did not go through all of them but good to have extra just in case the country you go to does not have them in stores nearby. Pack some in your carry on, personal bag and checked bag in case one of them gets lost or you need one nearby.
2. Formula: We calculated we need about 300 oz for the trip. He eats 4 oz each feeding and has 6 feedings a day which equals 24 oz a day which equals 240 oz. We packed extra in case something happened to one of the packages or if he increased any volume of eating which he ended up doing. He ended up eating 5 oz each feeding roughly. Pack some in your carry on, personal bag and checked bag in case one of them gets lost or you need one nearby. We prepped 6 bottles for the 24 hours of travel and put them in a portable ice chest for the flight. We got more ice when on the flight. When we were traveling each day we were out for 10 hours straight. So we prepped 4 bottles and used the ice chest or we used Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Travel Bottle & Food Warme and mixed it in the bus.
3. How many outfits to pack? We packed 3 per day so we could be prepared for spit up, sweat and accidents. So that equalled 30 outfits for the day and we packed 5 pjs for him and did laundry half way through the trip. 35 outfits in total.
4. What to expect for the flight? We gave him a bottle for each take off and landing. Most of the time it worked and when it did not we held him. For the flight we had bassinet seats. Ask for this if you can. If not bring a pillow and have him/her on your lap with the seatbelt they will give you for your child. We also took breaks and walked the aisles every 2 hours.
5. Time difference? This was the hardest. We spread out feedings and had him take his longer naps on the next time zones night time so when we was there it would be easier. It was a lot of work to keep him awake at times but made it easier to transition. We have been doing baby wise schedule since the first two weeks so its been amazing and he has been sleeping 9 hours a night since week 7. Now at week 13 he still does that but overseas he ended up needing a bottle in the middle of the night sometimes due to his third leap and not knowing what time it was so we gave in over there. Coming back we were stricter and he went back into his routine within 3 days thankfully.

Last tips: Look up the weather and plan accordingly. Have a rest day planned out for the middle of the trip you all will need it. Pack more than you think you need for your little one and remind yourself you can do this! One last thing for the airport bring birth certificate and passport!

If you want to see our Israel trip blog post check it out here.