Travelling with a newborn to eight month old

You probably won't want to go anywhere with your newborn baby except straight home. She requires almost nonstop attention and feeds. Not to mention the fact that you're probably feeling exhausted! By about 3 months old babies are pretty good travellers. As the child gets older car journeys become more of a disruption.

Health and safety tips

• Removable window shades for your car to shield your baby's skin and eyes from the Sun.
• To make sure your baby's car seat is properly installed and that the seat belts are correctly threaded or have a correctly fitted Isofix base. Your baby should ideally travel in a rear-facing car seat installed on the back seat of your car. Never place your baby's car seat on the front seat of a car with a passenger air bag. Passenger air bags can be turned off in some cars, check your manual before you install your car seat.
• Nappy Rash cream, bags for dirty nappies, enough nappies for the trip and infant paracetamol for relieving aches and fever.
• Babies under six months should be kept out of the sun, and babies between six months and a year should have only limited exposure, especially between 11am and 3pm on hot days. Hats and sun protection of at least factor 20 should be used during summer months.
• If you're flying, feed your baby on take-off and landing to ease any ear pain.

Food and comfort

If you aren't breastfeeding, take formula and add cooled boiled water as needed. Many baby bottle brands now have formula containers that fit into the bottle securely, so that bottles can be made up when needed.

You may be tempted to take along some tins, jars and packets of baby food but, unless you are going somewhere really exotic, you should be able to buy all of these things when you reach your destination. Also check with your airline about taking food containers with you.

If your baby sleeps in a cot, check with your hotel or the company you are booking your holiday with to reserve one when you make your room reservation. Alternatively, take along your own travel cot.

Entertaining your baby

Take a bag containing a few of your baby's favourite toys, plus a couple of new ones. A wide selection of children's toys can be found on www.kiddisave.co.uk

Travel gear

For young babies, a complete travel system takes some of the hassle out of getting in and out of cars and airplanes. A lightweight buggy you can stash in your car boot or a plane's overhead locker makes sense for babies who can sit up. For smaller babies, a baby carrier may be useful.

Here are some tips to help keep baby entertained and comfortable while you are travelling by car.

• Always secure your baby in an age appropriate car seat and ensure it is fitted correctly before you leave home.
• Try and plan the journey around your baby's normal sleep routine. If you plan to travel at night or early in the morning, the roads will be quieter and baby is more likely to fall back to sleep when you start driving.
• Babies are always happiest when they can see one of their parents so if you are not driving, sit in the back seat and keep your baby company.
• Plan your route before you leave home and take clearly written instructions with you, alternatively follow a satellite navigation system.
• Take regular breaks for feeding and changing. You should not breastfeed your baby in a moving car as this would mean taking baby out of their safety seat.
• Take a waterproof blanket with you so that wherever you stop you have a clean, dry surface to change and feed baby on and which baby can have a little play while you have a rest - this will help to tire baby out.
• Take a light blanket to place over the car seat - this will help your baby to feel comfortable and may encourage them to have a nap.
• If you do have to drive, baby car mirrors are readily available and allow you to keep an eye on your baby.
• Play nursery rhymes or song tapes when in the car and sing along, this will help to keep even a young baby entertained.
• Take their favourite toy or comforter to keep them happy.
• If you are travelling during the day, fit a sun shade on the back windows to help prevent glare and stop your baby from overheating.
• Take plenty of drink and little snacks to keep older babies happy.

Travel systems at Kiddisave

A travel system is a type of pushchair which is compatible with a rear facing car seat and usually a carrycot. The car seat clicks in and out of the pushchair, and into the car very easily, which can be very handy when you have a sleeping baby that you don't want to wake up. Although travel systems may seem expensive, buying a travel system can be an economical way of buying both a pushchair and separate car seat.

The drawbacks to travel systems are that you will still need to buy another car seat in another nine to twelve months or so when your baby reaches 10kgs. It is important to try out pushchairs before you buy them, Kiddisave have got an extensive showroom of many different travel systems in store.

Safety First

• Never leave your baby unattended at any time.
• Always use the brakes, even on a flat surface.
• Remove the rain cover indoors to avoid overheating and never use in direct sunlight.
• Do not be tempted to use the pram to carry two children unless designed for that purpose.
• Check the safety lock preventing the chassis from sudden collapse is working.
• Do not hang shopping bags from the handles of your pushchairs.

Baby Safety Equipment at Kiddisave

Buying safety equipment

Accidents can and do happen to babies and toddlers, especially once they're mobile. The best way to prevent them would be to make sure your child was supervised at all times. It is worth investing a little time and money on baby proofing your home.

A large selection of safety devises can be found on Kiddisave.

General safety

As babies get older they focus on what adults are doing, and want to play with the items they see you using. Give your baby child-safe versions of your work tools - toy mobile phones, CD players, pots and pans - and be sure to keep appliances, sharp objects, and tools safely out of reach.

Not all of these safety measures are needed from the moment your child is born.

Smoke alarm - essential for every home with a child or not.

Corner protectors - designed to cover sharp furniture corners, and prevent bumped heads.

Door slam protectors - clip over the edge of doors to prevent them slamming on little fingers.

Glass safety film - can be stuck onto large sheets of glass to prevent them shattering into little pieces if broken.

Temporary window locks - these cheap plastic locks only allow windows to be opened a small amount.

Cupboard, drawer, oven and fridge locks - fit them wherever your child could possibly get access to something dangerous, such as sharp knives, medication, pens, cleaning products or a hot oven.

Cooker guard - This is a narrow strip of clear plastic which fits across the front of your hob to stop your child getting hold of hot pans. Always make sure pot and pan handles are turned towards the back of your stove, not the front.

Lead guard - if you have leads hanging down where your child can reach them, you can also buy a device that shortens them and keeps them out of harm's way.

Bathtime can be very dangerous as babies can drown in a few inches of water. Bathrooms can be very hazardous places due to many slippery surfaces. Making sure that the temperature of your baby’s water is important, as babies’ delicate skin can scald easily.

Bath thermometer - floating thermometers often change colour to let you know whether or not your baby's bathwater is the correct temperature. Other types of bath thermometers can be attached to the side of your bath/baby bath. Some look like bath toys, so your baby can enjoy playing with them.

Safety tap covers - inflate and fit over taps, protecting against bumped heads, scalded hands and little hands playing with the hot water tap.

Bath supports – suitable for under 6 months. These allow your baby to lie supported in the water so that you have both hands free.

Bath seats - suitable from around 6 months. These allow your baby to sit safely in the bath without slipping (but babies most not be left unsupervised in them).

Slip-resistant bath mat - to prevent slipping in the bath. Suitable for adults as well as children.


Socket covers - Choose socket covers that plug in place, and fit them before your baby starts crawling.

Lead tidy – Make sure if you have lots of electrical leads lying around in your living room, you can buy simple bits of foam tubing that gather them together and hide them, making them less attractive to small children.

Safety gates
Gate and barriers keep children out of kitchens and off stairs where serious injuries can occur. Stair gates are usually meant only for children up to about two years old, as three- and four-year-olds will probably be capable of opening them.

Permanent safety gates: These are best for places that need to be permanently guarded, such as the top of the stairs. The frame is permanently mounted between two walls, or the doorframe, and will have a toddler-proof gate in the centre or at the side, which can be opened in either direction using one hand.

Spring-mounted safety gates: These are held in place with spring fittings so that they can be moved more easily from place to place.

Mesh safety gates: The major benefit to these gates is that they are a lot more discreet then other gates as they have two permanent fittings on either side of your gap, then a strip of mesh can be pulled across whenever you need it.

Extending safety gates: Some extend automatically to fit any gap, and others come with an extension kit that can be used when necessary. These gates can be moved and fitted into any doorway.

Build-your-own safety gates: These come in several pieces, which you can fit together however you want.

Travel safety gates: These consist of four metal tubes which you fit together to make a rectangle, plus a piece of mesh that stretches between them. The top and bottom tubes are extendable so that it fits any gap.