Travel

[SuzySunshine]

Ok, what do I really need to take?

Good thing: we're flying out of our local airport. Bad: leaving at 7:20am. Our layover is about 45 minutes one way and 90 on the way back.

We're staying the first night with BIL in his condo and then staying 2 nights in the same hotel as the rest of the wedding party and guests. How do you stay in a shared wall building with an infant? I'm pretty much getting no sleep, right? :huh:

We're taking the pack and play, her car seat and her stroller that the car seat snaps into. We plan to check the PNP and gate check the stroller. We're also using sposies instead of our usual cloth.

Any advice, tips, etc???

TIA!

Re: Travel

I would just make sure to bring a couple extra sets of clothes, a blanket, and a few more diapers than you think you'll need in case you experience any delays. Some hand sanitizer will also come in handy especially at this time of year.

She'll probably be relatively easy to travel with at this age since she'll most likely just nurse and sleep the whole time. Good luck!

[DCJenn]

Re: Travel

I agree, this is probably the easiest time to travel. Definitely bring at least one entire change of clothes, probably two. The puke monster can visit at the most inopportune times. and bring a clean shirt for you for the same reason. I wore apple juice puke from Moscow to Frankfurt and then onto DC. I offended myself.

Jenn

[samssugarmomma]

Re: Travel

For nursing in the plane, I used two receiving blankets draped around me to help keep me covered.

Have you thought about bringing a boppy or pillow to help you with nursing? Every time I flew with DD, I always brought a boppy with me on the plane.

Re: Travel

If you plan on pumping during the trip, make sure to bring a little soap to wash your bottles and pump. Extra pacifiers if she takes one (I always seemed to lose these) and an extra blanket is good to have too.

It is best to be prepared not only for spit up, but also for poop explosions.

However, I'm sure you can run to the local Walmart for anything you forget or for anything unexpected.

[peggyfromwastate]

Re: Travel

Less is more on the airplane! You will need the extra clothes for baby, an extra shirt for you, lots of diaper/baby wipes, I always use disinfectant wipes too to wipe down the armrests, windows, trays, buckles, etc., and some extra receiving blankets. You won't need any rattles or toys for the plane. Also for the plane, bring some infant tylenol just in case. You probably won't need it, but if you do, it's nice to have it there.

Do you sleep with a sound machine? That helps to drown out some noise in a hotel-- so at least you don't feel like the baby's cry is so loud in the middle of the night.

Does she actually use the PNP? Or is she just going to end up with you in the bed?

I would pack some extra waterproof pads to put on the bed, just in case she ends up in there. My little infants in hotel rooms always ended up in the bed for part of the night, so that I could get some sleep at least. And the waterproof pads helped me not worry about leaks of all kinds. Nuff said.

Don't worry about the hotel stay. I've done this with practically every baby- even the twins, and never had a complaint. It's always worked out. Since you don't have a lot of night-time issues at home, I wouldn't think you would at a hotel. It's not like you're doing the cry it out routine in the hotel-- so don't stress about it!

One thing I did experience when traveling with Luke at about this age was the dreaded fever above 100.4 or whatever the benchmark was. We did have to go to an ER for a complete workup, which took like 8 hours. Not sure how to prepare for or avoid this, but it is good to travel with a safe digital thermometer so that you don't have to run out to a drugstore to pick one up-- just in case. I always have one in my "medicine bag".

Anyway, have a great time! Prepare to be exhausted! But everyone will appreciate you being there so much.

[alison]

Re: Travel

Make this a sticky, plllllleeeease!

[Auspicious]

Re: Travel

I was dreading traveling with the baby, and then it ended up being a pretty enjoyable time. (So I should probably tell you it was horrible, so that you, too, can be pleasantly surprised by only minor difficulties. )

We gate checked the stroller frame and baby bucket and brought on a backpack of our stuff, our coats, and a (small) diaper bag. I unzipped the diaper bag and kept it upright between my feet so I could just reach down and grab stuff out of it. We just had diapers and wipes, burp cloths (several), and a small flannel receiving blanket that I actually used to fold up and pad between my elbow and the armrest, since our flight was too short to have any pillows or blankets onboard. We did have an extra outfit for the baby, but there was so little room to change her, that when we did have some diaper leakage*, we just said "eh, she'll dry soon."

The other thing is if your baby bucket has a metal clip that goes on the seatbelt to hold it secure, don't forget to take that off your car at home and bring it with you.

We didn't stay in a hotel, so I don't know about that, but I was surprised at how well the baby slept away from home. (Napped poorly, but then slept better than usual at night.) She seemed to like traveling in general--lots of new stuff to look at, lots of car rides and being pushed around in the stroller, mom and dad both present and paying all kinds of attention to her--all her idea of hog heaven and enough to balance out the disruptions to her little comforts.

*Change the baby right before it's time to board the plane, even if she isn't due and isn't acting like she needs it. (These things seem so obvious when I write them out in black and white--how did we miss this one? tsk tsk) I ended up having to change her twice in a two hour flight (all that excitement gave her an overactive bladder, I guess) and she screamed blue murder on that tiny bathroom changing table--though I went in there with a calm baby and emerged with a calm baby.

[Phoebe]

Re: Travel

I second the thermometer. Every time we have traveled someone has gotten sick. Tylenol.... as well.

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Travel

Thanks for all the tips, keep them coming. She does sleep well in the PNP, she doesn't sleep in bed with us.

[Cumberland]

Re: Travel

I always travel with tylenol too.

We didnt use the PNP until our girls got very mobile. When they were really teeny we put them in a drawer lined with blankets or on a pallet on the floor. The pack n play is SO heavy that it wasnt worth it to me to lug. Also, we didnt bring the stroller either, just the bjorn, same bc they were teeny and fine in the bjorn. Also if we had a rental car, I usually paid the extra for a rental car seat. Can you see the theme of me hating to lug a ton of baby shad?

[HouseofWool]

Re: Travel

I found it was so easy to travel when they were infants. Only once did C make a fuss on the plane. Nursing was the VERY BEST way to ensure that I had all the space I needed on the flight. Nothing like throwing the blanket over my shoulder to make the poor business men crawl out of their skin and find a new seat! hehehe

My go-to kit for traveling was:

-sling for carrying the kiddo
-one very large carry-on containing a complete change of clothes for me and the diaper bag
-twice the number of diapers that I thought I would need
-2 changes of clothes for kiddo
-tylenol/OTC's that could possibly be needed
-a crib blanket that I could spread out on the floor during layovers if he wasn't mobile.
-carseat that I would gate check if there wasn't an empty seat next to me (I was way to cheap to buy him a seat)
-just a handful of toy/books for him. He had no interest and the white noise of the planes put him right to sleep. I usually had time to read or nap myself during the flights.

Walking through the airport, I would have the sling on with C on my right hip. The carry-on was across my body on my left hip. If I couldn't get a SkyCap to help, I would end up carrying the carseat over my head. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, but we managed to never miss a flight.

Since I traveled alone with him, I don't think I ever brought the stroller, I just didn't have enough hands to manage it as well as a carseat.

[DCJenn]

Re: Travel

My strategy was this:

1) Sit N Stroll for carseat/stroller abilities
2) Diaper Bag/Back Pack for all dude related items: wipes, diapers, formula (obviously you won't need) syringes and tylenol, toys, etc. I also had a pocket for my stuff: wallet, cell phone, pens, paper, gum etc. I have also taken to carrying a baggie of medication for any and all possible situation. In later years it also carries snacks and the empty water bottles (mine and his). Nothing chocolate, trust me. It's amazing how far chocolate chips can be spread in less than one minute.
3) In Russia, because so much of that last week was paperwork related, I also had a briefcase that held ALL Very Important Papers and it was slung across the handles of the Sit N Stroll.

Jenn

[peggyfromwastate]

Re: Travel

I always travel with tylenol too.

We didnt use the PNP until our girls got very mobile. When they were really teeny we put them in a drawer lined with blankets or on a pallet on the floor. The pack n play is SO heavy that it wasnt worth it to me to lug. Also, we didnt bring the stroller either, just the bjorn, same bc they were teeny and fine in the bjorn. Also if we had a rental car, I usually paid the extra for a rental car seat. Can you see the theme of me hating to lug a ton of baby shad?

I love this idea.

Re: Travel

I was really nervous when I traveled with DS last October but everyone here was right. It was a really easy time and he just slept on the plane most of the time. We didn't bother with the pack and play so ended up
co-sleeping in the hotel bed which was easy for breastfeeding and keeping him from crying (our hotel wall was paper thin). We asked ahead for a king size. What I brought that I found helpful was my baby einstein playmat---it folded nicely in my suitcase and it gave me a place to entertain him in the hotel while I was getting ready.