If travelling by car it will be important to consider car seat safety. All babies and children are required by law to use a car seat until they are 135cm in height or 12 years old. Choosing the right car seat for your baby’s age and weight is crucial and you must ensure it is properly installed. The seat should be held tightly in place with either the seatbelt or isofix fittings. Evidence suggests rear facing car seats are safest for both babies and young children.

When planning what you are taking with you on your trip, keep it to a minimum. Plan to buy the more bulky items like nappies and wipes at your final destination, obviously keep a few in your bag for the travel time. A good companion would be a travel steriliser kit for your bottles and your breast pump, making more room for toys to keep your little one entertained on the journey. A small first aid kit and a changing mat, then you’re pretty much ready to go. The most important thing to remember is to relax and enjoy your trip and take lots of pictures!

You’ll need to consider how to feed your baby when out and about, if you’re breastfeeding there will be minimal equipment to take along with you, the benefits of breastfeeding means you can breastfeed whenever and wherever you are, your milk will always be the right temperature and there will always be enough for your baby. If you feel a little uncomfortable breastfeeding in public you can always take along a breastfeeding cover or scarf to drape over yourself.

Metting Other Mums

Meeting up with other mums is really important as it can be quite isolating at home on your own, and being able to talk to mums who have babies the same age is incredibly reassuring. If you’re having any issues with your little one, then 9 times out of 10 they will be going through it too and being able to talk about it halves the problem straight away.

If you would like to meet up with other mums but don’t feel like you know anyone in your area, then there are lots of ‘mum meet ups’ that are organised all around the UK by reputable organisations. Search ‘mum meet ups’ in a web browser and you will find lots of websites that can help. Alternatively ask your health visitor for a list of activities available in your local area.

So what do you need to pack in your bag for when you do go out and meet other mums? Here’s a list of items to keep in your nappy bag – and remember to keep restocking it!

• Nappies
• Muslin Squares
• Baby Wipes
• Dummy (if using one)
• Nappy Sacks
• Disposable Nursing Pads
• Changing Mat
• Antibacterial Hand Soap
• Change Of Clothes
• Nipple Cream
• Nappy Rash Cream or Barrier Cream
• Breastfeeding Shawl
• Bibs
• Snack For You