Ratgeber
Holiday with a baby: when to travel and fly
When a baby can travel or fly is decided by the paediatrician, and airlines have different rules, so check beforehand. With a baby, short distances, a calm daily routine and accommodation with a cot are worthwhile. Swiss Vibes is a Swiss travel agency with video consultations and plans family trips with small children.
Von Family, Stand
Schritt für Schritt
- Discuss health and travel timing with your paediatrician
- Ask the airline about its conditions for babies
- Choose a destination with a short journey and no change
- Book accommodation with a cot, a kitchen or room service, and shade
- Apply early for the baby's ID
- Pack hand luggage, travel first-aid kit and a change of clothes
- Draw up a daily plan with naps and breaks
Checkliste
- Health check discussed with the paediatrician
- Airline conditions for babies checked
- Own ID for the baby applied for
- Cot and space for the pushchair requested at the accommodation
- Nappies, wipes and a change of clothes for the journey
- Milk, baby food or bottles in case of delays
- Sun protection and a hat in the luggage
- Travel first-aid kit following medical advice
- Travel insurance including the baby checked
When you can travel with a baby depends on your child's health and cannot be answered in general terms. Clarify it with your paediatrician. After that it is about a destination with a short journey, accommodation with good facilities and a plan that leaves room for breaks.
From what age can babies travel and fly?
There is no fixed number here, and we do not give one. Whether your baby is healthy enough for a trip is for the paediatrician to judge. This applies especially to premature births, pre-existing conditions or questions about vaccinations.
For flights there is a second authority. Airlines have different rules, so check the conditions for babies before booking. This covers the minimum age, carrying the baby on your lap, bassinets on the plane and the permitted luggage.
If you are unsure, you can deliberately plan a smaller first trip. A journey by car or train into the mountains is easy to cut short if needed. A flight, by contrast, is a decision with no way back.
Which destination suits a baby?
The shorter the journey, the more relaxed the holiday. For babies, destinations that are easy to reach at any hour and where you can find peace are a good fit. As a guide, Mallorca and Crete are reachable from Zurich in around two to three hours and offer hotels with cots and baby food.
If you would rather skip flying entirely, the Bernese Oberland has walking trails suitable for pushchairs, lakes for paddling and accommodation with space. The journey by train or car can be arranged around your baby's sleep rhythm.
On long-haul trips, climate, heat and the health situation at the destination decide. Clarify this with your paediatrician and check the current status at the FOPH (BAG).
Which accommodation makes a holiday with a baby easy?
A room with space for a cot and a changing table saves nerves. Before booking, ask whether a cot is included, whether there is a kettle or a kitchen, and how quiet the room is.
Two types have proved their worth for families with a baby. The family hotel with half board takes the cooking off your hands, while the apartment gives you your own mealtimes and a place for dinner once the baby is asleep. Which suits better depends on how you usually eat and how flexible your baby is.
Look for shade, a short walk to the beach or park and a lift if you have a pushchair with you.
What does a good travel day with a baby look like?
Choose flight or travel times that fit your baby's rhythm. Many parents deliberately book times around the nap or night sleep, so that the baby sleeps through as much as possible.
Allow generous time at the airport and at the hotel. Changing, feeding and waiting take longer than without a child. In your hand luggage, pack nappies, a change of clothes, milk or baby food and something to keep the baby occupied, and more of it than you think.
On take-off and landing, sucking or drinking helps many babies. Ask your paediatrician for personal tips on equalising ear pressure.
How much of a programme makes sense with a baby?
Less than you suspect. One or two fixed points a day are enough, such as a walk in the morning and a visit to the beach or park in the late afternoon. In between, your baby needs rest and a familiar place to sleep.
Expect plans to change. A hotel with flexible breakfast and mealtimes helps when the day goes differently from what you thought. A free day without a programme also belongs in a holiday week with a baby.
A video consultation with Swiss Vibes helps to match destination and accommodation to this pace. We advise exclusively by video call and know the questions that concern parents with a baby most.
What belongs in the luggage on a baby holiday?
Pack fewer clothes, but more spares for the travel day. Nappies, wipes, a change of clothes for baby and parents, a cloth and a blanket belong in your hand luggage. Delays with babies often last longer than planned, and a supply for an extra half day prevents stress at the airport.
For the accommodation it is worth asking what is available on site. Many hotels provide a cot, a bath or a high chair. That saves space in the suitcase, and you know beforehand what you do not need to bring. Also clarify whether there is a laundry option or a fridge in the room.
You put together the travel first-aid kit following medical advice. Fever medicine, plasters and remedies for constipation or diarrhoea are typical candidates, but which products suit your baby is for the paediatrician to clarify. It is best to pack medication in your hand luggage rather than in the checked suitcase.
