Nevan's first international vacation....Travel with babies

"Wow, it was Great" is what I can say after our first trip with Nevan....though before this one, we did go out for a weekend get away for Nevan's six month birthday but it was very different from this one.

We went to Sri Lanka and covered Colombo, Kandy & Bentota. Though we realized after going that it wasn't the best idea to travel to a destination wherein we had to do road trips to three different places in our tour; but it was manageable for us as we were travelling with our family.

So, Nevan had loads of fun....he loved the 'Stranger's more than us throughout the trip. In fact I can say that he ruined the breakfast of a neighboring table every morning during breakfast as he was more keen upon talking to them than letting them eat (But in the bargain he was distracted & used to finish his breakfast quickly too!!!).

Well, he is a water baby so apart from his love for the pools he experienced the beach for the first time & he loved every wave more than the previous one.....he was amazed initially by the waves but gradually loved them and wanted to touch them as they came & his first session ended with him kicking the waves as they were coming......oh it was so much fun to see him enjoy the beach!

And then came another aspect of our trip which were animals....before that I must confess am a big time animal lover myself & not scared of holding, touching any of them, even the scariest of the lot! So my son (& I am proud to say this) followed the tradition and was more keen to touch the elephants & the tortoise during our conservatory visits than any of us. He wanted to put the 'hatchlings' in his mouth & eat them and sit on their parents :)

Memories......

So in all there are a few pointers I would like to list for your travel with the baby:

Air Travel: 

• Put in the request for a bassinet seat (for 1yr below) kids
• Reach airport in advance to ensure you get them
• Carry baby food & drinking water; they are permitted on both national & international flights
• Carry your baby's favorite toy and one change of clothes for emergency
• Carry cotton to put in the baby's ear to avoid ear pressure
• Carry a stole/blanket as flights get colder for the baby

Travel:

• Carry basic essentials of the baby including diapers, sanitizer, baby food ,etc
• Carry a full sleeves/ jacket type of a cloth even if you going to a warm place just in case it rains or weather changes or the air conditioning is too strong.
• Carry some new toys so that the baby is more attracted to them
• Finger foods are a must to keep the baby busy for interim periods in between, which will also give you some breather
• Do not make any rigid or time constraining itinerary's; out of my personal experience he will poop as soon as we are about to step out so the whole scheduling goes for a toss
• Always carry the baby pram/stroller/baby carrier as it's very handy even if you don't use it always.

If there are other pointers which you any one can add....it would be great!

Applying for the Passport of your new born

Nevan will soon be having a passport now; so his first official document, after his Birth Certificate.... It's not that we are flying out next month but thought it would be better to get the documents ready to have it handy in case of need.


Well to my surprise government has now made everything easy & smooth by putting it online. So no long ques to get the form or getting hold of touts to assist you for a hassle free procedure. It was so simple & hitch-free that I still have my fingers crossed till we receive the passport. ;)

This post is specifically to assist all the new parents with the simple steps to get a passport for their lil ones. Pls read the below carefully

Step 1: Log on to http://www.passportindia.gov.in/

Step 2: Download the e-form for a Fresh Passport from: http://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/online/downloadEFormStatic

Step 3: Fill the form & in the end click on 'Validate & Save' option. You will automatically generate the saved form an xml file which would have to be uploaded.

Step 4: Register on the Home Page of the website by clicking on 'Register' under the 'Apply' section.

https://portal2.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/user/RegistrationBaseAction?request_locale=en

Step 5: Login with the newly generated Login Id

Step 6: Upload the file generated in Step 3 above (xml format & not pdf format) through 'Upload e-Form' along with other supporting documents through the link provided which in case of minors passport are: an address proof, parents passport and annexure H (pdf format with file size not more than 1MB).

Step 7: Re-check your final documents & click on 'Pay & Schedule Appointment' on 'View Saved / Submitted Applications' screen

Online Payment is to be made for getting an appointment. Fees for normal passport is 1000 INR and for tatkal is 3000 INR, We opted for tatkal for which we had to pay 1000 INR online and the balance 2000 INR in cash at passport seva kendra. The online payment can be made through:

• Debit/Credit Card of both Visa & Mastercard
• Internet Banking is avaiable only for State Bank of India, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala & State Bank of Travancore.
• SBI Bank Challan

Step 8:  As you make the payment you will be asked for your choice of location  & an automated date-time of appointment would be scheduled for your visit.

Step 9: Click on 'Print Application Receipt' link to print the receipt with the Application Reference Number (ARN) / Appointment Number

Step 10: Visit the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) where the appointment has been booked on the dedicated time.

Important documents to carry for the appointment:

• Application Receipt
• Photo (Do carry a passport size photo of your lil one in white background )
• All the documents uploaded in Step 7 along with their self attested photocopies.
• Only one parent is compulsory to accompany with the baby

Hope this post is helpful for obtaining your lil one's passport!!!