How To Travel To Senegal with a 2.5 months old Baby

In January 2019, I found out that I was pregnant. At that time, our wedding in Dakar was scheduled for December 2019. Invitations had already been sent. The baby would not even be 3 months at the time. I didn’t worry about the event of the wedding but was it possible to travel from Tokyo to Dakar with a baby this small?

My online research about traveling to Senegal with a baby came up empty unfortunately. In the end, we traveled and celebrated our wedding with our little one in Dakar. Hopefully, our experience can help the next new momma looking to travel to Senegal with her baby.

I had been to visit his family three times already. We had also travelled in Senegal. Therefore, I knew where we would stay, what the weather conditions were like and the places we would go.

I also remembered a trip to a Cheetah farm near Durban, South Africa with a friend years ago: In our group was a couple with a six week old baby. They went to pet the cheetah with the baby in the carrier. If they did that, I could travel to Dakar with my baby.

Travel Preparation

Vaccination

Once my baby was born and healthy, I started checking travel requirements. After checking off travel documents, vaccinations were my biggest concern. I am not a medical professional so please check with yours for vaccination requirements according to age and travel destination. 

For our trip, we made sure she got all the vaccinations according to the Japanese vaccination schedule for her age. My husband’s family recommended to get a vaccination for tuberculosis. Luckily, in Japan the BCG vaccine is part of the regular schedule once the baby is 3 months old. It was possible to get the vaccine just before we travelled when baby was 2.5 months old.

Yellow fever is a vaccine recommended for Senegal that you might not have and is not on the regular vaccine schedule of your country. However, infants under 6 months should not get it. It is mandatory only for people from 9 months old if arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.

We felt ok to have followed Japanese vaccine schedule plus the BCG vaccination for her to travel. 

Packing List for Baby

What to bring

• Arm’s Reach MINI EZEE™ 2 IN 1 CO-SLEEPER® BASSINET – I wanted to make sure baby had a proper, clean and familiar place to sleep. Our Arm’s Reach Co -Sleeper worked as advertised during the travel. While assembly was a bit difficult, it folded up nicely and was easy to carry in its bag. We checked it in with our luggage and there was no problem.
• Baby Nest – Baby still slept in the nest in the co-sleeper at home to feel comfortably surrounded. Therefore, we also brought the nest. We often took it to our relatives’ places and she could just sleep in it there. When we went to Saly or stayed at the Pullman, we only took the baby nest with us. We put it up close to our bed and it worked perfectly for a good night’s sleep for our baby. She didn’t turn at the time so it was always felt safe to have her just in the nest.
• Baby Bjorn Carrier – It was great to bring the carrier for moving around at the airport, during the flight and being in Dakar. Roads in Dakar are very sandy and sidewalks not always in the best condition. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to bring a stroller in my point of view.
• Diapers and Wet Wipes – We brought a lot of diapers and wet wipes which seems silly in retrospect. At the time, I felt comfortable knowing we had enough in stock. No need to stress upon arrival. In the end, it’s unnecessary as you can get diapers in Dakar just like anywhere else. 
• Shampoo and Body Lotion – Everyone has their own products. It is easier to bring them than to search for it locally and possibly having to look for a substitute. We didn’t bother with sun lotion since we knew we were going to spend a lot of time inside.
• Clothes – In December, it is usually a comfortable warm during the day, occasionally hot. At night it can get quite cold. If you’re by the sea at aa e.g. restaurant the wind can also make it quite cold. Therefore, do not just ‘pack for summer’ but do bring long and warm clothes as well. Think about protecting baby from sun with a Baby hat, long sleeves. Due to all the sand and dust you should also consider long clothes.  
• Swaddle blankets – They are easy to pack and have so many functions. You can use them to cover yourself while feeding, to burp the baby, for diaper changes, to protect baby from the sun, to lie the baby down anywhere.
• Baby Sleeping bag – To make sure your baby stays warm during the night.
• Mosquito Protection – In Dakar, there aren’t that many mosquitos around that time of year. To protect your baby, I recommend mosquito repellent stickers that you can put on their clothes during the day. For the night, I recommend a repellent that you can plug in the wall and put in your room.

Unnecessary Items

• Stroller – Roads in Dakar are very sandy or not in the best condition. You’re likely not going for long walks so there’s no point in bringing a stroller.
• Baby bath – It’s convenient to have a baby bath. I love the Stokke bath we have at home. However, it is not necessary to drag it across the globe. I washed my baby in the sink at every place we stayed. You would laugh how perfectly she fit in there (and how cute it looked) if I showed you the pictures. 

To see what items you can find locally and might not have to bring, scroll further down and continue reading on.

For more insights on preparing travel to Senegal with a baby you can also read How to Prepare for a two-months stay in Senegal.

Flight

We flew with Emirates and Business Class. This made the travel a lot easier and I would only fly business if I could but who wouldn’t?

Great tips from other mommas that worked well for us and baby for the flight were the following:

1. Try to time the feeds so that there is a sufficient or normal gap between the last feeding and take off. I was exclusively breastfeeding my baby. This way I didn’t have to deal with feeding equipment, asking for bottles to be warmed of the likes. 
2. Let baby stay with Papa for a while before take off. This way baby will be happy and calm when you take her back. 
3. Feed baby during take off. The sucking and swallowing will help baby deal with the pressure change and her ears. My baby started crying before take off. I gave in and started feeding her. Even though she didn’t drink all the way through the rise she was fine and did not cry. To feed her, I covered myself with a swaddle blanket that I tied behind my neck.
4. Keep the baby carrier with you. We had a bassinet/baby bed to put her in. This was nice and she was comfortable in it and fell asleep. When I checked on her during the flight she was freezingly cold though. It didn’t seem to bother her (yet) but my momma heart couldn’t take it. I kept her on me the rest of the flight. With the baby carrier, you don’t have to worry about baby falling in case you fall asleep. 
5. Don’t bring too much stuff for changing. Airplane toilets are small. To change her I only took a swaddle blanket to lie her down on, diapers and wet wipes. This worked well.
6. Have a spare set of clothes or 2 in case of any accidents. 

In Senegal

Accommodation

In Dakar

We stayed in a local apartment that was in a normal condition. It was great to have a cleaning person come every day. If you’re staying in an (Airbnb) apartment, check if a cleaning service is included. There is a lot of dust and sand in Dakar that accumulates quickly in the house, too.  

We also stayed the Pullman Hotel for a few nights around our wedding. The Pullman is on international standards. 

In Saly

Transportation

Traffic

Traffic in Dakar looks absolutely crazy. When you’re driving yourself it is surprisingly less crazy and quite manageable. If you’re not an experienced and confident driver, consider getting a driver. It can be stressful and if you have a crying baby in the back of your car even more so.

Car

The best way to get around in Dakar is by car. We had a car for the period we were there with a baby car seat. It made transportation very easy. You can either rent a car or a car with driver. Check before if they can provide a baby car seat and check how to get one otherwise.

Local taxis

Usually, we take local taxis without hesitation. Their condition is often far from what would be allowed on the roads by a German TUEV. Therefore, we definitely did not plan on taking any local taxis with the baby. One day we were desperate to get from A to B but didn’t have the car or anyone to drive us available though. We took a local taxi with the baby and it went perfectly fine. She didn’t mind it at all. The only problem was the heat and no air conditioning in the car.  

Baby Items found locally

With all of the above being said and truly felt at the time, I want to give you some ideas of the things you can find locally in Dakar to put you at ease. At Pharmacies, at supermarkets like Auchan or Casino or in dedicated baby/toddler stores at Seaplaza you can find pretty much all the necessary baby items.

Activities

December is the season for weddings and baptisms in Dakar. A lot of people return home from around the world during this time. That year, it was our wedding and baptism. Our activities were mainly centered around these in Dakar with a weekend in Saly for New Years Eve. These are the activities we did and places we visited with our baby. She was fine through all of them. 

Dakar

• Visiting relatives at their places all over Dakar
• 2 weddings at Église Catholique Sacré Coeur De Malenfant
• 1 baptism at Cathedral of Dakar
• Supermarket 
• Several visits at the Pullman incl. the pool, the sea side terrace and restaurant
• Different Restaurants
• Spa at

Saly

• Beach
• Restaurants 

All of these activities felt easy and comfortable to do with a baby. I wouldn’t recommend traveling to the inside of the country. Risk of infection with certain illnesses might be higher. Facilities will not be as nice and comfortable for baby. 

If you’re also traveling with a toddler, take a look at things to do with a toddler in Dakar.

Conclusion

Traveling to Senegal with a 2.5 months old baby is not a problem. You should take precautions with regard to vaccinations, planning for more feeds to keep Baby hydrated and clothes to protect her from sun and heat during the day, wind and cold during the night. 

Senegal is a wonderful country with very friendly, social people and fantastic food. It is definitely worth a trip. If not with a baby, then maybe later in life.