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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.
You can read more about the gear you need in our guide on essential products for travelling with a baby
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.
7. Bring formula with you
We found it difficult to find the brands we were used to back home in South America, though of course they had their own brands too.
We wanted to keep our child on the same formula that he was used to, so we recommend you bring as much as you need from home.
Assuming you only take a few weeks to travel, this wouldn’t be too much, but if you are travelling for an extended period of time, plan to stock up in larger cities which might have your preferred brands.
8. Take Time Out and Rely on Support Networks
Babies pick up on your energy. Staying in touch with my ‘mothers group’ back home and making connections with expats on our journey have been super important to put our minds at ease whenever Ollie has gone through a new or difficult ‘phase’.
Alec and I even managed to get out on a few date nights thanks to people we have got to know or solid recommendations for babysitters from expats. This time has been gold. It doesn’t take long to blow out the cobwebs and recharge ready for more amazing adventures as a family unit again.
We also took turns giving the other person time-out to themselves.
You can also stay in luxury resorts or hotels that have baby sitting services, depending on how old your baby is.
Alec and I were even able to get out and do a couple of more adventurous non-baby-friendly activities like Climbing Volcan Villarrica, which was a personal highlight for me and a South America bucket list experience.
9. Stay in vacation rentals when you can
If you’re travelling long term, staying in apartments most of the time means we have the flexibility of cooking at home and having more space for Ollie to roam.
We have been fortunate to be able to stay longer in one location if we like it or want to take some more time out before moving on.
Apartments also usually work out cheaper than staying in hotels, though it’s worth splurging on a luxury hotel once in a while for the babysitting service (see point above).
Read more: Tips on how to save on accommodation)
10. Be ok with missing some things
Ok real talk, there are some places in South America that are just not suitable for a baby.
I’m talking the high altitudes of Peru or Bolivia, or hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
You can still see Machu Picchu, just take a bus instead of the trek. Just remember that Cusco is high altitude so you will want to speak to your doctor before visiting to see what the possible concerns are.
The Amazon was out for us, we didn’t want to risk getting bitten by a diseased mosquito.
Some experiences are also better to be had when your children are older. For example, visiting the Galapagos Islands to see the wildlife is expensive. Sure, it would be awesome to go, but what’s the point if your baby won’t remember it?
Many of the highlights of South America are possible to see with a baby, such as Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, or Buenos Aires in Argentina, but you might not be able to go hiking in the beautiful landscape of Patagonia on this trip.
Save it for another one!
Would We Recommend Travelling with a Baby?
We travelled for four months in Chile and Argentina, which was relatively similar to travelling with a baby in Australia or NZ.
Apart from different formulas, Huggies products are everywhere and much of the food is the same, although you do need to be vigilant to find products without sugar added.
It is hard at times, but so is raising a baby at home.
I’m so grateful to be able to share the load and also the amazing milestones that Ollie has gone through in his first year of life with Alec as we travel through South America, banking so many amazing experiences as memories.
Although Ollie may not remember (consciously) a lot of this trip, we are sure it will shape his personality and have a positive effect on his development.
Watching him play with the Mapuche kids we met in Iclama and being fascinated by the trompe, a traditional musical instrument, will always be a fond memory of us travelling in South America with our baby.
Kylah is an intrepid parent who took time out from the rat race to travel South America with her partner and baby boy. She loves yoga, hiking, exploring new places and spending quality time with family. Published alongside bestselling authors from ‘The Secret’ in the ‘Adventures in Manifesting’ book series, Kylah is also currently dabbling in travel writing.
More South America Travel Tips
- South America Bucket List
- Must Visit Destinations in South America
- The Ultimate 10 Day Peru Itinerary
- The 15 Best Cities in Chile to Visit!
- 13 Exciting Things to Do in Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Colombia Travel Tips: 11 Things You Need To Know Before Visiting Colombia
- 15 Important Things to Know Before You Visit Buenos Aires
