Best Travel Insurance for Babies

Travelling with an infant? Here are the best travel insurance plans for them.

If you’re travelling with a baby, there are many things you have to consider on your trip. From choosing a baby-friendly travel destination, to planning your entire itinerary around your baby’s schedule, there’s also another aspect that’s as important — and that’s travel insurance. (If you've got a kid in tow, check out the best travel insurance plans with pregnancy-related coverage!)

While some insurers allow you to buy a single-trip or annual travel insurance policy for a child and an adult, others require you to purchase family travel insurance for your child’s coverage. Insurers may offer complimentary coverage for your child, up to a specified number of children, while only paying for 2 adults’ premium under the family plan. However, others may charge a lower fee to add on coverage for a child.

Do take note of the claim limits per child though — some policies may offer the same coverage compared to an adults, while others may provide lower coverage per child.

Since the basics are covered, let’s dive into the best travel insurance plans for your child to quell all your travel-related worries.

Table of contents:

• What to look for when getting travel insurance for a family with a newborn baby?
• Travel insurance for babies and newborns
  • Overview
  • Seedly Travel Insurance
  • Direct Asia Travel Insurance
  • FWD Travel Insurance
  • AIG Travel Insurance
  • MSIG Travel Insurance
• What are some of the travel inconveniences that happen frequently with a baby?
• Travel tips for travelling with a baby

 

What to look for when getting travel insurance for a family with a newborn baby?

Premiums for extra coverage for baby

If you purchase family travel insurance, you might have to pay an additional premium for a child under the family plan. However, some insurers only charge the premiums of 2 adults and offer complimentary coverage for up to a certain number of children.

Coverage limits

As mentioned earlier as well, the coverage limits for a child differ for each policy. Some insurers offer a lower coverage for children, while others offer the same level of coverage, be it under the family plan or an individual child’s policy. It ultimately depends on you to decide if it's sufficient for your baby.

Medical expenses coverage

One of the main reasons why travel insurance is extremely important is the medical expenses coverage it offers. Healthcare can be extremely expensive when you’re in another country as a tourist, as you won’t be offered any subsidies or discounts that residents have. Depending on your illness, these expenses can rake up to thousands, especially if you require urgent medical attention or sugeries.

This is why having a travel insurance that offers high coverage for medical expenses is important, and more so for children as they may have weaker immune systems and may be more prone to falling sick.

 Do look out for overseas medical coverage, medical coverage when you’re back in Singapore, emergency repartriation and evacuation coverage limits.

Travel inconveniences coverage

There are 101 things that can go wrong on a trip, some of which include lost, damaged or stolen personal belongings, last-minute travel cancellations, postponements or delays, baggage delays, flight delays and many more.

Ensure that your child is sufficiently covered in these areas for a peace of mind when you’re abroad.

Travel insurance for babies, newborns and children

Overview

Product	Plans available for babies and children	Coverage for babies and children	Premiums*	Apply
Seedly Travel Secure Apply Now	Family plan	Up to S$500,000 overseas medical expenses (including COVID-19) Up to S$6,000 personal accident benefit per child Up to S$10,000 trip cancellation Up to S$30,000 child support grant benefit Up to S$10,000 child companion benefit Complimentary coverage of up to 4 children	S$77.36 (Family plan - 2 adults, 1 child)	Apply Now
Direct Asia Travel Insurance - Voyager 500 Apply Now	1 Adult, 1 Child Family Plan	Up to S$2,500,000 overseas medical expenses (family limit) / Up to S$500,000 per child/adult Up to S$1,250,000 personal accident (family limit) / Up to S$500,000 per child/adult Up to S$37,500 trip cancellation (family limit) / Up to S$15,000 per child Same level of coverage for both adult and child Complimentary coverage of up to 4 children	S$44.63 (1 adult, 1 child) S$59.50 (Family plan - 2 adults, 1 child)	Apply Now
FWD First Apply Now	Family plan	Up to S$2,500,000 overseas medical expenses (family limit) / Up to S$300,000 per child Up to S$1,000,000 for personal accident (family limit) / Up to S$120,000 per child Up to S$37,500 trip cancellation (family limit) / Up to S$15,000 per child Up to S$10,000 child companion benefit No additional cost from 2nd to 5th child	S$60.76 (Family plan - 2 adults, 1 child)	Apply Now
MSIG Premier Plan Apply Now	1 Adult, 1 Child Family plan	Up to S$2,600,000 overseas medical expenses (family limit) / Up to S$300,000 per child Up to S$2,400,000 for personal accident (family limit) / Up to S$200,000 per child Up to S$37,500 trip cancellation (family limit) / Up to S$15,000 per child/adult Up to S$8,000 Child Education Grant per child, up to S$32,000 Up to S$5,000 Family Assistance Benefit Up to S$37,500 child guard (family limit) / Up to S$15,000 per person  No additional cost from 2nd to 5th child	S$81 (1 adult, 1 child) S$122 (Family plan - 2 adults, 1 child)	Apply Now
AIG Travel Guard® Direct - Supreme Apply Now	Family plan	Up to S$300,000 per child for overseas medical expenses  Up to S$100,000 for personal accident per child Up to S$7,500 trip cancellation per person Up to S$10,000 for Child Guard per child Up to S$5,000 per child, with a cap of up to S$20,000 for Child Education Grant	S$94 (Family plan - 2 adults, 1 child)	Apply Now

*Based on a 5-day trip to Thailand, with the lowest tier plan

Seedly Travel Insurance

Seedly Travel Insurance is one of the newest travel insurance products in town, but it surely packs a punch. For starters, it’s great for all travellers, but most ideal for families with children as it offers complimentary coverage for up to 4 children.

If you’re purchasing a family plan, simply indicate 2 adults and the number of children you’re bringing — the premium will automatically be calculated, and charged for only 2 adults.

The plan offers coverage up to S$500,000 for overseas medical expenses, up to S$6,000 personal accident benefit per child and up to S$10,000 for trip cancellation.

On top of that, it also has family-centric benefits like the Child Support Grant that ensures financial assistance for children in the unfortunate event of the insured individual passing away during the trip, leaving dependents behind. 

They also have the Child Companion Benefit, which provides reimbursement of travel expenses for one adult to travel to the destination country and bring a child home. This benefit applies in cases where the insured sustains an injury or falls ill while abroad, resulting in hospitalisation, and is accompanied by a child who would otherwise be left unattended.

For a full list of the benefits, click here.

Direct Asia Travel Insurance

Direct Asia travel insurance is also another go-to plan when it comes to travelling with kids. Firstly, it also extends complimentary coverage to up to 4 kids if you and your spouse are travelling together, which means that no additional cost will be incurred for your child.

On top of that, they offer the same level of coverage for both adults and children, though up to the specified family claim limit.

For example, there is an overseas medical expenses coverage of up to S$500,000 per child or adult, up to a family claim limit of S$2,500,000. This means that if you and your spouse is travelling with 1 kid, and all of you have to claim S$500,000 worth of medical expenses, the highest you can claim up to is S$1,500,000. If you have 4 kids, though you can technically claim up to S$3,000,000, the family claim limit is only up to S$2,500,000.

Aside from that, the plan also offers coverage for death and permanent disability up to S$1,250,000 (family limit) and up to S$500,000 per child/adult. The family limit for trip cancellation is up to S$37,500, with an individual limit of up to S$15,000 per child or adult.

For a full list of the benefits, click here.

FWD Travel Insurance

FWD travel insurance has been a very popular go-to policy for travellers, mainly because of its value for money. Not only are premiums considered affordable, but it also offers very decent coverage.

For overseas medical expenses, the highest-tier plan will allow you to claim up to S$2,500,000 under the family limit, up to S$300,000 per child. For personal accidents, the family limit is up to S$1,000,000, while a child can only claim up to S$120,000.

If there are any last-minute (but valid) reasons to cancel your trip, FWD’s family limit is up to S$37,500 for trip cancellations and loss of deposit, up tp to S$15,000 per child. FWD has also recently rolled out their trip cancellation for any reason clause of up to S$6,000, allowing you to cancel your trip for any reason that is not considered valid for the former coverage. However, this is only available as an add-on.

In the event you (the parent), are the only one travelling with your kid and you get badly injured such that you’re hospitalised for more than 5 days, there is a Child Companion Benefit of up to S$5,000 that allows a family member to come over to take care of your child or children.

For a full list of the benefits, click here.

MSIG TravelEasy

If you want a travel insurance plan that offers high medical and personal accidents coverage overall, MSIG TravelEasy ranks high amongs the rest, offering mostly higher family limits than the plans featured.

Though they don’t offer complimentary coverage, you’ll just need to pay a small premium for your child if you purchase a family plan. From the second child onwards up to the 5th child, no additional premiums have to be paid.

The overall family limit for overseas medical expenses is S$2,600,000, up to S$300,000 per child. For personal accidents, the family limit is S$2,400,000, up to S$200,000 per child. Coverage for trip cancellations is around the same compared to other family plans, capped up S$37,500 per family, up to S$15,000 per child.

The great thing about MSIG is its family-centric benefits as well. There is a Child Education Grant that pays for the insured adult’s education if they unfortunately passes away overseas, as well as a Family Assistance Benefit which is a lump-sum payment for an insured person’s death.

If an insured adult is injured and hospotalised overseas, leaving a child unattended for, the Child Guard benefit will provide reimbursement for a family member to come over to take care of the child. This benefit is up to S$37,500, up to S$15,000 per person.

For a full list of the benefits, click here.

AIG Travel Guard

AIG Travel Guard offers a Family Plan for 2 adults and your children, though you don’t have to specify how many children you’re bringing along on your trip.

They offer a lower coverage for children than adults, though it is still fairly decent. For children, you can claim up to S$300,000 per child for overseas medical expenses, up to S$100,000 for personal accident per child, and S$7,500 for trip cancellations per adult or child.

AIG also offers other benefits like Child Guard benefit of up to S$10,000 per child, and up to S$20,000 for Child Education Grant if the insured passes on during the trip, up to S$5,000 per child.

For a full list of benefits, click here.

What are some of the travel inconveniences that happen frequently with a baby?

Sleep disruption

When you’re travelling, it might be hard to stick to your baby’s sleep schedule that they are used to. Things like a change of environment and different time zones can keep them from having proper rest and disrupt their routine. This may make them more irritable and cranky.

Feeding challenges

When you’re on the go, feeding can be a challenge since you’ll have to bring all the equipment with you and find a quiet and private spot to feed. If your child is slightly older, you might have to pre-cook the meals and bring it with you in order to keep to their meal timings.

Changing their diapers on-the-go

Diaper changes can prove to be a challenge if you’re travelling to somewhere more rural, where baby changing facilities aren’t as commonly found. This is when you might have to adapt and get creative. Either bring a portable changing station or do it in your car.

Entertainment

Distracting your infant on board long flights or while commuting is essential to avoid your crying baby from disturbing other passengers. But it could also be a challenge if the different environment scares them, or if they are feeling restless and cranky from a lack of sleep.

Luggage

Bringing the endless logistics for your baby might be a hassle, especially if you need to carry their barang-barangs while you’re on-the-go. Things like a baby carrier, stroller or car seats are extremely bulky and cumbersome to bring around.

Travel tips for travelling with a baby

Pack their essentials

Preparing for your baby's travel needs can be a meticulous task, requiring a comprehensive checklist of all the items they might require during the journey. Essential items include diapers, formula, breast pumps, strollers, baby snacks, food, pacifiers, entertaining toys, suitable clothing, and more.

It's highly likely that your little one will necessitate more luggage space for their belongings than you!

In a situation like this, overpacking is preferable, and it's wise to anticipate potential scenarios and pack accordingly. For instance, if traveling to a hot destination, include a hat, sunscreen, or a portable fan for your child. Colder climates may require extra layers, so packing additional jackets ensures your child stays warm.

Consider what your baby will need during the flight and while commuting between cities.

Strategise your itinerary

Planning your schedule around your baby's routine is a prudent approach. If your infant needs periodic naps, utilise their awake periods for exploration, returning to your accommodation when it's time for sleep.

Select a flight time aligned with your baby's nap time to minimise the chances of disruptive crying that could disturb fellow passengers.

Flexibility is key, and preparedness for unexpected challenges due to your child is crucial. Allocate extra time for rest, as both your baby and you, as parents, will inevitably tire.

Plan in advance

It goes without saying, but meticulous planning is always advisable.

While booking flights, check for the availability of seats with bassinets. When reserving accommodations, inquire about baby cots, extra mattresses, or high baby chairs for meal preparation in hotels or Airbnbs.

Research Baby-Friendly Facilities

Traveling with a baby can be overwhelming, prompting anxiety about every detail to ensure your baby's safety and well-being.

To alleviate stress, check in advance for baby-friendly facilities at your destinations. If unavailable, make necessary arrangements by packing more supplies or adjusting your itinerary.

For instance, choose a conducive place for breastfeeding, like your accommodations or a venue with a nursing room. Before heading to a tourist attraction, check for stroller rentals. If unavailable, decide whether to bring your own or ensure your toddler wears comfortable shoes for more walking.

Prioritise Safety

Especially in areas with higher crime rates, remain vigilant with your toddler or baby. Never leave a stroller with your baby unattended, even for a moment. Keep your child within sight when handling tasks like paying for food.

Consider a baby leash or toddler sling for active toddlers. Enhance peace of mind with a GPS tracker like an AirTag placed in your toddler's pockets.