Post Travels: What I Learned About Traveling With A Baby

I think I speak for everyone when I say Happy Friday! Yay for the weekend!  It’s been a slow week around here and my kitchen table is still covered with clean, folded laundry that just can’t seem to find its way into the closet.

I thought I’d finish all my Mexico posting with a roundup of dos, don’ts, and even more must haves for traveling with a baby. Before I left, I put together a bunch of travel essentials that you can find here, and I must say that everything on that list made life so much easier. But there are a few more things that I bought that I failed to mention, so here they are:Stroller and Carseat Gate Check Bags: I literally went out and bought these the day before the trip and was SO glad I did. First of all, they’re super easy to bring with you because they fold up into a small little attached pouch. Secondly, they are super bright red with a spot to write your name and info on it; there will be no mistaking which stroller/carseat is yours. And finally, after just one flight the bags were filthy, so I can only imagine how dirty our carseat would have gotten without it. We landed in the middle of a thunderstorm on our flight home and when we got the carseat, the bag was soaked but the seat was dry!

Suitcase organizers: These bad boys aren’t just for your little one, they are perfect for anyone that travels. I used them to keep Livy’s clothes, bottles, and toys separate so that I wouldn’t have to rifle through a bunch of mini outfits in the suitcase. I’ll be using them again in a few weeks when we go to Canada.

Disposable Swim Diapers: I was a little skeptical about how these would work, especially because the smallest size is for 16-26 pounds and Livy is only 11 pounds, but they worked like a charm. They didn’t bloat like normal diapers would in the water and the velcro tabs stretched enough around her little body and kept all the poopy-doopies where they belong. 🙂

Indestructible Books: You need these. Trust me. These super lightweight and adorable books are made to withstand the brutality of your tiny tot. They are rip/tear proof, water proof, and washable. If you’re like us and you like to read to your babe every night but don’t want to lug around a library then these are for you.

Travel diaper changing kit: For when you don’t want to schlep your whole diaper bag, this little guy holds a couple of diapers, wipes, and one change of clothes. Whether you travel or not, you need this.

So remember when I said I was nervous about Olivia screaming on the plane? Mmmyeah that never happened. In fact, the loudest person on the plane was the chick two rows in front of us that talked like she was standing in front of the speaker at a heavy metal concert. At one point I stood up, gave her the “teacher look” and did a long, slow “Shhhhhhhhhhhh” and sat down. Anyway, as you can see here, this was our sleeping angel in our very unconventional use of the Solly Baby Wrap. I harnessed it around her when Daddy’s back started to hurt from holding her up. Can you say genius?!

Okay, so aside from all the goodies that I think you should have with you while traveling, here’s my personal list of Dos and Don’ts:

DO:

– Bring your sound machine if you use one. Whether you’re in a hotel or a house, there are new and different noises that will likely wake your sleeping babe and traveling with a baby won’t be fun if you’re not all getting your sleep!

– Bring extra clothes and diapers on the plane. If you normally bring 2, bring 4. We had blowouts on each way and had to change her outfit.

– Try to coincide your baby’s feeding time with take off so that you can nurse or give a bottle to avoid that painful ear popping.

– Try to get a hotel room near the pool so that you don’t have to go far when baby goes ballistic and is ready for a nap.

– Try to find a local place that rents baby gear so that you don’t have to bring everything. I mentioned previously that I was renting a crib and a Bumbo seat from Baja Baby Gear and I cannot say enough good things about them. They delivered the items on time, were very responsive via email, and everything was clean.

DON’T:

– Bring your carseat base if you can help it. Carseats can very easily be strapped in using the seatbelt and you probably won’t be driving that much anyway.

– Let your baby’s routine dictate your vacation. I am the first one to say that routine is everything with a baby, but if you try to stick to a rigid schedule then you won’t be able to enjoy yourself.

What are your dos and don’ts of baby travel? Any recommendations from the seasoned mamas for the brand spankin’ new mamas like me?

XO,

L