Travelling South America with a baby may not be the adventure most people are willing to take, but it certainly is a unique family vacation!
When travelling with a baby, you will encounter the affectionate terms “qué lindo” and “qué hermoso” (‘how cute / beautiful’) almost daily.
Inspired by a New Zealand Herald article about a couple taking their baby to South America, Kylah and her husband and six month old son, Ollie, set out on a trip to South America, after deciding on a nine month adventure as a family to take time out from the rat race.
She has been kind enough to share with us her tips for travelling with a baby in South America, so you can have the trip of a lifetime whilst also staying safe.
Tips for Travelling South America With a Baby
1. Get the gear
We purchased a lot of baby travel gear to add to our kit, including a baby travel cot, a lifesaver on our journey.
You also need to pack plenty of sun screen, baby food, wipes, and diapers in your luggage to last you the trip, as you won’t find your store brands from back home.
Decide whether you can do without a stroller too. We found that carrying was far easier, especially when getting around on public transport.
Invest in a lightweight baby carrier, such as this Osprey carrier, which is designed for adventurous families!
You should also decide whether you’re going to do the trip as a backpacker or use suitcases. Backpacks are easier to carry, but you do find you have way more stuff with a baby, so suitcases might be better for small trips.
2. Expect to get some comments
What we love most about South America though is the sense of community. Travelling with a baby has meant we have experienced this even more so, as locals love to comment on your baby, and specifically, your parenting skills.
During our first week in Santiago, a woman weighing the veggies in the supermarket told us we need to cut Ollie’s toenails. Feeling a little inadequate as parents, we were later reassured by our expat friend that the woman would have meant it in a caring way rather than judging us.
Then there was a woman on the bus who taught Ollie a lovely song (in Spanish) about his hands, used to distract little children from touching anything on public transport.
Everywhere we go we have been the attraction as much as the people of Chile and Argentina have been to us, carrying our blonde-haired baby.
Although sometimes it can make you feel conscious when people comment, it can also teach you a lot. Raising your children on the road allows you to learn about parenting techniques from other cultures, and also gets your child used to family travel from a young age.
3. Preparation and Routine Have Been Our Saviour
That old saying; fail to prepare, prepare to fail. When you have a baby, you need to plan every moment of your itinerary and book excursions in advance. You need to plan a lot in advance not only so you can be mentally prepared, but often you need to inform tour operators that you have a baby with you so they can make arrangements.
Sticking to a routine as much as possible for Ollie, whilst being a little more flexible with our travel plans, had definitely made for a better travel experience.
We made the most of his sleep times to cover longer distances in the car and tried to plan bus trips or flights around sleep or meal times to keep Ollie occupied.
4. Prepare for disruption
At times we felt like zombies during our first couple of months in South America, and not because we were out partying all night long like the rest of the Latinos!
Before leaving home, Ollie was able to self settle and we started feeding him solids at around 4 ½ months, both of which helped immensely when it came to being on the road.
At times there have been challenges.
Ollie got a fever (> 39.5 C) about three weeks after we arrived in Chile. Fortunately, we were staying in the lovely Hostel Cepa Noble and the owner and manager looked after us like she was our own mother.
Without her, our first encounter with a Chilean doctor would have been far more stressful than it was being asked in broken Spanglish to strip our hysterical baby naked and hold him down on the bed for an examination.
5. Get up to date with injections before you leave
Ollie was up to date with his immunisations prior to leaving Australia. That and an appointment with the travel doctor before leaving meant we felt confident taking him to Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador (avoiding the jungle).
The medical care in private clinics (we have been told to avoid public hospitals) in both Chile and Argentina were great. Very clean and professional. However, you do want to avoid these as much as possible!
6. Know where your emergency services are
One of the first things we do at each destination, after finding a decent sized supermarket, is to work out where the nearest and best medical facilities are.
Fortunately, we have only had to visit the doctor in an emergency that one time. The farmacias in Chile and Argentina w excelleneret too and can always be relied on to find formula if we can’t find a big enough supermarket.
