Travelling with a 3 Month Old

You have some great advice here. One additional thing I did with my kiddos when traveling, going to public places, etc.
Use a chest carrier. It keeps him close to you and guess what the easiest thing for the little kids (and adults) to touch is. . . the feet! (I hate it when people touch babies' hands and faces without asking first. . . just a pet peeve.
Have a safe and wonderful time!

Yes, you are being overprotective and unrealistic. You will be fine on the drive- we had a death in the family three hours away when my son was about 2 months old. Again, family flew in from everywhere and he was fine! Germs are everywhere, not just on planes.

For the car ride:
- First, if you can travel during his nap or when he would be sleeping for the night. He'll sleep for most of your trip regardless, but at least you'll keep him on schedule.
- Bring plenty of formula/milk and don't forget your pump if you are still nursing and a cooler to store the milk
- Plush toys and a few things to keep him visually entertained
- Sit in the back seat with him so he can see you

For the reunion:
- Go, this may not happen again for your husband and unless you are avoiding the grocery store, shopping mall, hair salons, the inside of your car and your diaper bag/purse... germs are everywhere and I assume these folks will shower at some point.
- Just have some anti-bacterial and ask people to wash their hands before holding him. I have never had a person get offended at that request and MOST do it w/o asking
- Make a "rule" that the children cannot touch his face or his hands. Again, most parents will tell this to their children anyway, but you can do it too! My nieces, nephews and young cousins were all really respectful of that request. If they ask why, tell them!

I think Krista is correct re. the travel and germs, but I would call your Pedi re. exposure to the kid w/bronchitis. THAT would determine attendane for me.

Being overly concerned with regular germs is actually BAD for the immune system - we need to be exposed to the minor stuff so our systems can develop strongly to fight the big stuff.

Traveling when they are infants is SUPER easy compared to when they are toddlers, believe me! ENjoy your family. It's totally normal to be overprotective of your first/only, but you need to fight against that a little for both your sakes (and for your sanity :).

It's hard not to be overprotective of your baby (I'm assuming this is your first), but you can't protect them from everything. I have been driving long distances since my baby was probably like a month old. I also flew with my baby at 2 months, so she was right there in the all the germs on the plane. Both my kids have also been in the nursery at church at the age. Germs are EVERYWHERE.
As for the drive, your baby will probably spend most of the time sleeping in the car anyway. If he cries he cries. Stop for a few minutes let him out of the car seat.
Krista P gave you some great advice. Go. It'll be fine. Even if he would get sick, he'll be alright. Kids get sick. Helps build their immune system.
Give your baby some tri-vi-sol if you aren't already. Put some probiotics in his formula if you give some. I use jarrow infant probiotics for my babies.

At 3 months I'm sure you'll have no problems traveling with him.

As for the germs, just have everyone wash their hands or provide hand sanitizer for them. Keep him away from the cousin, although if the cousin is over it, I don't think you have much to worry about.

Try to relax and go, your husband and you just had a proud addition to the family. Your husband just wants to share it with his family.

K. - been there done that and it's not easy to control who has your child at what time with that many people around but you are the mom and you lay down the rules.
Have a hand sanitizer handy and if someone wants to hold your child they have to use the sanitizer first. People will understand. Not sure how much of an outside world he has been exposed to you yet but if he has not been around groups of people prior to this you have to take it slow and the best way to go about it is for you and your husband to keep a close eye on him.
Keep some Lysol wipes handy as well to wipe down surfaces.

I took my daughter on a 2 day road trip when she was 4 months old. After I reached my destination, I stayed about 2 weeks, the flew back. She was fine. In fact she slept for most of the trip. Granted some kids are better travelers than others but your son should be fine. As far as germs, kids need some germs to build up their immune systems. I'm certainly not suggesting letting him share a crib or anything like that with a child that just got over bronchitis, but getting passed around between his family shouldn't be a problem.

The baby will probably sleep for the entire ride, or most of it. As for the baby who just got over bronchitis, he/she is not contagious and was probably on antibiotics so he/she is probably very healthy right now. Everyone will obviously want to hold the baby, and i can see how that would stress you out, but it's xmas and I don't see any way you can get around it.

I think you are rightly concerned and I would not go. Call the Dr for backup and tell them one of the other kids just had bronchitis and see what the Dr says. I had a similar situation and the Dr said it was up to us but he would not recommend going or having our child around ones who had been sick until 6 months. At 6 months I think they can take more medicine and it's not as big of a deal if they get sick but at 3 months it can be scary. If you need to go for husbands sake I would try to limit him being passed around as much as possible. You can let people know you are concerned without being rude. Good Luck!

You've gotten a ton of great advice already, so I'll just add my story:

We decided to take our son on a three-hour drive to see family when he was just a month old. I sat in the backseat with him so I could talk to him and play with him and also so I could pump easily (challenging, but not impossible. Bring a blanket or large towel so you don't flash other motorists!). We stopped only once to change him and give him a break from the car seat.
All the family knew my rules: Either wash your hands or sanitize them before holding the baby. Children must be seated to hold the baby (with me sitting next to them). No sick children could hold the baby.
Everyone was fine with the rules. Those with children understood that, since it was January, we didn't want the baby getting sick.
On the drive home, our son slept most of the way with just one stop to change a diaper. He didn't have a problem with the disruption in his routine and didn't get sick.
Even now, at 3, he's still an excellent traveler. I'm not going to say that the one trip did it, but we did travel quite frequently with him when he was a baby. Getting them used to traveling at a young age seems to help.

it is good for babies to travel, to get used to disruptions in routines (routines are way over-rated) and to experience new people. and yes, even new germs.
i second the advice to give him some probiotics, and to be watchful that people are considerate re: holding him if they're sick, or touching his face. it's perfectly reasonable to insist that a snotty child not kiss your baby.
it'll be fun! go and enjoy it
:) khairete
S.

Babies learn to travel by traveling, so I'd say go for it. Our kids traveled 7 hours to visit my family from their first month or so, and were good travelers.
The baby still has immunities from you so he is less likely to get sick. It's reasonable to keep him away from anyone who is actually sick (and my guess is the baby who is getting over bronchitis probably isn't contagious any more).
You could ask people to wash their hands or use hand-sanitizer before holding the baby.
When people are coming from so far away, it seems like a real shame to not have the baby there.

I understand where you are coming from! There are super-bugs out there now that affect children differently than they did when we were kids. My two cents....
Go to the reunion. Lay down the ground rules before you go (hint around to family members that you know will stick up for you). Wash hands, no sick people etc. The good news is that if a 3 month old were to catch a bug, it is much less critical than, say, a 1 month old. If you are uncomfortable with a lot of people passing the baby around, keep him in a baby bjorn and blame it on all the over-stimulation. That's a big day for such a little guy, so he may feel more at ease being close to mom and not getting passed around too much. You would be surprised how many people will respect your boundaries. You might want to break it up into two days so your little guy doesn't get totally fried by the time in the car. Most of all, relax and enjoy time with the family!

Two things... First, I would try not to make that kind of trip in one day. Several reasons for this... one is that it's just too hectic for all three of you. Another is with all that family there, why wouldn't you want more time to visit?
As for the germ issue, it's perfectly fine for you to be protective. If someone has the sniffles, by all means ask them not to hold or cuddle your little one. Ask everyone else to be considerate about the time they spend holding or being close as well. Most people understand the concern we have for our little ones not getting sick. While it's disappointing to not be able to be close to a sweet little baby, people generally understand the importance of keeping them safe.

The traveling isn't so bad, but plan extra time. Your schedule may be a bit off, but when he is ready for a nap, throw him in the car and take off. He may sleep the whole way, if not, then stop, feed him, change him, and if needed, sit in the back to play with him for the rest of the ride - same on the way back.

I don't think that you are overthinking it about the germs. Doctors usually recommend that you don't take babies into crowds until they are at least 3 months.

Put the baby in an ergo facing you. If he falls asleep, you can put that head holder up and it protects him even more. Put hand sanitizer in the ergo (burts bees has one that I am okay putting on my baby), for anytime someone touches him. Don't worry about the looks you get. Also keep some alcohol-based sanitizer for those that want to hold him. You may be able to restrict it to just grandma. If you keep him in the carrier, people are more likely to not ask to hold him. I also have a baby with sensitive skin, so in some situations, I will ask that someone wearing perfume not hold her, or have a supply of receiving blankets that I also use to help keep the scent (and germs) away.

Tip - the time that most will ask to hold him will be when you eat - oh, would you like me to hold him while you eat? If he is passed out in the carrier, it is easier to eat and not feel the need to pass him, as you don't want to wake him.

This may sound a bit harsh to some people, but you are trusting that everyone that holds the baby is healthy, hasn't been exposed to anything and are properly vaccinated. Yes, they are family, and yes, you should go (I opted not to for a similar event when my daughter was 5 weeks), but that doesn't mean that you have to pass her around to everyone during flu season.

Traveling with your little one won't be much of a problem. Even though car seats are required, you can perhaps hold the baby for short periods of time to relieve the boredom of being in a carseat. The illness is another matter. If someone is obviously sick of course, you avoid that person. But I don't think you need to worry about airplane germs. Not many of us get sick from riding on airplanes. I'm sure the grandma will really appreciate your bringing your little one for a visit.

Hi K.,

I totally understand. My son was born in December and it was so hard to be so anti-social during the holidays but we declined many invites because I just wasn't ready for a sick newborn. If you explain to your husband that in a few more months the baby (and his immune system) will be ready for more interaction - and the flu season will be over - hopefully he'll be understanding. Also point out that EVERYONE wants to see a new baby and there's a lot of pressure on the parents but it's ok to say no since it's your choice :) I know it's hard, especially with large families with lots of other kids and people might not share your concerns. Most of them will get over it as soon as they get to meet the little one ;) If it is indeed a large family reunion that may never happen again, consider going but just don't let too many people hold the baby -- if people get real demanding, you can always blame it on the doctor and say the doctor was concerned about the baby getting sick this time of year. People sometimes forget what it's like to have a newborn, much less, a sick one! As far as the drive - doing that much all in one day seems way too much at any age. I say at least stay the night to break it up. Enjoy your new baby!!

My husband's father died two weeks after my daughter was born, and we had to drive seven hours with a newborn and a two year old to host the funeral 400 miles away. I had similar fears, and I certainly sympathize! However, newborns have a lot of immunities through your breastmilk (if you're breastfeeding) and even if not, may still have some immunities from being inside of you. You certainly don't have to let little kids (especially one's who are sick) hold or touch the baby. And the love that your child will get from the family may do so much benefit that it may well help to counteract all those germs. Babies get sick a lot in their first year - there is almost no way to avoid it - and you can certainly not let your child be held by those who are visibly sick. But if your doctor is okay with it, I wouldn't worry too much.