New Mom Traveling With A Baby? What You Need To Know…

You may love to travel, I know I do! However, if you are a new mommy, you might think your globetrotting days are over. Don’t worry, mommas! Traveling with a baby is not as daunting as you think. Between mom groups, the internet, and this website  – we’ve got you covered! Start packing and don’t be afraid to take the littles along.

Here are some helpful tips to help prepare you for traveling with babies.

 1. Call the airline

Before you even book a ticket, I recommend you call the airline’s customer support team to know the restrictions regarding gate-checking strollers or traveling with any baby gear. American Airlines, for example, changed its policy in 2011. The new system requires collapsible strollers to be not more than 20 pounds.

The last thing you’d want is to have to leave a stroller behind or be stuck without any options. Call before and save yourself any trouble.

2. Create a packing list

Baby brain exists, trust me! The most important thing you can do before you travel is make a packing list. This way you’ll avoid forgetting something vital for you and your baby. Be sure to include any breastfeeding items, formula, bottles, baby medicines, pacis, teething items like the Baltic amber wonder necklace, or your baby’s favorite toy. It’s better to over prepare than to be somewhere away from home and wish you would have thought to bring an item.

Make those lists! You don’t want him having tantrums while riding a plane or in a car for hours, do you?

 3. Bring snacks

Lots of them! You must not leave your house without bringing snacks for your baby. They’re a travel diversion as they can keep your kids’ hands and mouths busy while you’re on the go.

But ensure that you pack healthy goodies. You can have crackers and cereals or sliced fresh fruits. Protein bars may also be a good option as a travel snack if they are old enough.

 4. Schedule on mellow days

Don’t plan your trip on busy day if possible. If your schedule is flexible it’s best to plan trips more mellow times. There’s nothing worse than waiting in lines or being delayed when you have a tired grumpy little one.

 5. Take your time

Don’t rush through security or feel like you have to accommodate to everyone else. It creates anxiety for you and your baby. Babies cry, that’s reality and you’ll find most people understand and are willing to help.

 The TSA agents can also help you out. In fact, some of them will just advise you to leave your stuff and wait on the bench while they’ll do everything for you.

 6. Bring twice the necessities

If you’re traveling with a toddler, make sure that you bring twice as much formula if you bottle feed and diapers on your trip. You won’t know when an unexpected day will come. Also, most airports do not sell diapers.

By bringing twice the necessities, you don’t have to worry about being stuck in a bind with a hungry child in a dirty diaper. You’ll have everything to appease your baby.

 7. Savor the moment

Your kid won’t be a child forever. So, slow things down. You and your child should savor the moment. Enjoy the time spent bonding with your baby away from home. You’re making memories and those last a lifetime.

 8. Avoid getting ill

Easier said than done, but it’s not fun when you or kids are sick when traveling. Therefore, it’s vital to bring medicines and ointment for you and your family just in case. If you are traveling abroad, make sure that you and your child have gotten the proper immunizations and boosters recommended.

9. Arrive to the airport early.

Airlines recommend that their passengers arrive at least an hour hour before take-off. However, you may want to try to get there an additional hour earlier for peace of mind as you can never estimate security wait lines or lines to check in baggage.

 10. Change diaper before boarding

Right before you board put baby in a fresh diaper. Changing diapers on the plane can be a hassle and most times baby will fall asleep – so you don’t want to have to wake them to change a soiled diaper.

Lastly, don’t stress and enjoy!

Tips For Road Trippin’ With Small Kids

Recently I embarked on a 15-hour road trip with my husband, my four-year-old and my eight-month-old. Before leaving I asked all of you if I was crazy or just stupid to think this could be done while still maintaining my sanity. Most of you answered “crazy” but I have to admit it turned out to be a little bit of both. I am happy to announce that we did survive, but to call it a “vacation” would be somewhat of a stretch.  Unfortunately road trips just aren’t the same with little ones – or at least with my little ones.  In my younger days I used to love road trips. I once drove from San Antonio to Tampa non-stop. I could stay up around the clock and compete with the truckers as to who could last longer. Not so much any more.  Now I get muscle cramps, nausea and spend most of my time counting down the seconds until we arrive at our destination.

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“Are we there yet?” – me every second…

This trip we did run into a few National Lampoons moments. Our hotel had a blackout and we had to entertain our toddler in pitch dark for hours. I also had to hand-express my milk because I forgot my battery charger for my pump. After about 30 minutes of pumping my hand felt paralyzed, so I had to enlist my husband to fulfill the remaining pumping shifts. My little guy had four diaper blowouts  explosions, which in turn ruined his infant car seat.  The disaster he created could only be cleaned up by The Ghostbusters, but unfortunately they no longer exist.  Let’s just say – the reminder of the trip our car did NOT smell of roses and we had to replace the carseat as soon as we got home.

Overall, the trip was worth it because we were able to spend time with family and make some wonderful memories, however until my baby gets a little older – home is where we’ll stay.

Here’s some tips to help keep your sanity on road trips with little ones.

  • Don’t do it. Just kidding, I know they can be fun and are much more affordable than flying.
  • Plan pit stops.  Check out fun stops along your route to break up the trip and let your kids stretch your legs.
  • Add a couple hours to your agenda. Your trip will take longer than you think, so just plan on it. You’ll have to make a lot of stops with kids to use the restroom, eat, stretch, etc.
  • Research your route. Look up major highways for any construction notices. This can shave hours off of your drive if you’re able to go around all the traffic delay’s.
  • Hot Spot. Having a hot spot in the car for our iPad was a life-saver for my toddler.  We played a lot of games, but when all else failed we handed him the iPad. We also downloaded some Apps that didn’t require an internet connection in case our hot spot went out.
  • Know when to stop. Six hours seemed to be the breaking point for my little guy. After six hours he became a ticking time bomb and it was difficult to console him. Next time this will be our stopping point for the night.
  • Take lots of food. Not only does this save money – but time as well. I took a cooler with several sandwiches and fruit along with a grocery bag of dry snacks. I hate eating fast food on road trips so this was our lunch and dinner.  My digestive system thanked me later.
  • Invest in baby gadgets. Buy one of these immediately for the car if your baby can’t hold his bottle that well yet. This little contraption prevented me from having to sit lodged between two car seats for an hour. Podee Hands Free Bottle

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If you have any tips to add please share in the comments section!