I’m not a professional mommy traveler- far from. To be honest, I came to a lot of these conclusions after I made quite a few mistakes the first time we traveled with J. To my defense, we flew out short notice due to a family emergency, so when I was told I have less than 3 hours to pack for a trip out of state for no set amount of time- I was strictly in “go” mode. Alas, we made it, had a great time with family, and it was an awesome learning experience for me. Here is my take away.
Traveling with a baby:
1. Stick with what you know; now is not the time to try something new. I failed and failed in this department. We made the decision to buy diapers instead of bringing them, but we bought a package instead of a box. We ran out (of course we did) and chose to try a cheaper brand to hold us over until we return home. Big mistake. She leaked through the diapers every day she wore them. Every. Day. I def won’t be purchasing Walmart brand diapers again.
2. Pack for every occasion you can possibly think of. I had no idea that J would sprout ridges of her first tooth while we were traveling. We had no coconut oil (for her gums), no meds, no teething toys. What was I thinking, not even a teething toy? In the future I will be packing for any scenario, to avoid spending extra time (and money) searching for things to keep her comfortable.
3. Bring your baby carrier! It was a lifesaver for us. In the airport, sightseeing, even on the plane.
4. Stay in sync with your “back home” schedule. It will make things ten times easier on you when you return home. It was super rough at first because we had a few factors working against us- J was teething, we were in a new environment AND there was a one hour time difference- but we tried our best to stay on time with her meals, based on the timezone we are used to. Unfortunately, J is a busy-bee who doesn’t want to miss a thing so any time we are in a new place she doesn’t follow her nap schedule and rarely keeps her bedtime. We’re still working on this part.
Flying with a baby:
1. Reserve a window seat. Trust, you will thank me.
2. Arrive at your gate as early as you can, to try and secure an additional seat. This worked in our favor on the way back because we had a layover of a few hours, so we literally went to the gate as soon as it opened. There was no need for us to buy an additional seat, but because there were seats available we were able to secure an entire row of three seats to ourselves (well, we paid for two). This made all the difference in terms of space and comfort.
3. Nursing is your friend. Nurse, nurse, nurse! If you don’t breastfeed, have bottles, pacifiers, and food on deck. I’m almost positive that this is equivalent to an adult chewing gum to help with popping ears. Aside from J’s initial fits, nursing was the only thing that kept her comfortable and soothed her. She nursed until she fell asleep, which lasted a majority of the trip.
3. Stay calm. People will shift in their seats. They will wonder when your baby will stop crying, and why they got stuck sitting close to the lady with the screaming baby. They’ll get over it. Baby comes first, so stay as calm and collected as possible and tend to your muffin’s needs. Once baby is happy, it will be smooth sailing for the both of you.
4. Organize your baby bag based on your immediate needs. By this, I mean keep important things within arms reach and make sure you know where everything is. The Mr. thinks I’m obsessive because I reorganize the bag every time we head out, not realizing that there is a method to my madness. Doing this is a sure way to keeping my sanity while we are out. For example, I keep J’s meds in the front pocket for emergencies, personal items (like keys or my wallet) in the inside zipper and out of eyesight, and her wipes and diapers on the inside flaps so I can grab them in a hurry. For the flight back home I kept all items associated with her mouth in one central area. This includes her pacifier, food and spoons, and her teething toy.(Yes, the one that we bought last minute.) Knowing where everything is will save you time and energy, and it will also make things a million times easier when you are balancing a baby on your lap while reaching under the seat in front of you to get something you need.
I’m sure this list will grow as our traveling picks up over the next year, and I’m excited to see what our next adventure brings. I would love to hear what your tips and tricks are for traveling with a baby. Leave a comment for me, below! 🙂