Travel Tips & Tricks
Traveling can be stressful. Traveling with kids can be stressful, exhausting, and completely anxiety ridden. One of the biggest things I am always nervous about is how or what Vincent is going to do on the plane. Will he sleep? Will he cry? Will he scream and make a scene? As much as we worry or as much as we prep, it’s impossible to know what is going to happen.
Vincent’s first flight was when he was 2 months old and he has been on many flights since then. Here are a couple tips and tricks I have finally figured out!
· Be Organized – packing the diaper bag has never been more important! If you’re like me, your diaper bag is kind of a mess. I throw things in, and definitely not in the most organized fashion. Except for when I am traveling. When I am traveling, my diaper bag is my bag of tricks. I make sure I have everything packed in the order of which I am going to need them. Some of the things I have –
o Extra Diapers (the first flight Vincent was on, he had 2 major blowouts within the first 45 mins of being on the plane)
o Disinfecting Wipes – THE MINUTE I step into my seat, I wipe down everything. I did this before Vincent, but it has become even more important now. Vincent is always putting everything in his mouth and we all know how dirty planes are.
o Nursing Cover – We all know that our ears pop on a plane. Which is often one of the reasons why babies and kids have a hard time traveling. Did you know, that having your baby suck while taking off and landing is one of the best ways to help this. Sucking on a bottle, nursing, or a pacifier are all great options. I always nurse Vincent during take off and try to nurse him during landings.
o Snacks – Since we’ve introduced solids, puffs and teething wafers have been our saving graces on planes.
o Toys ((and clips)) – We all keep our babes’ favorite toys in our diaper bag, but using a pacifier clip or double ended toy clip while on a plane is super helpful. It keeps the toys from being thrown everywhere.
o Zutano booties – planes get cold – Vincent is always trying to take his socks off; these booties snap in two places and are nearly impossible for him to take off.
o Extra blanket – I put a thin muslin blanket in my bag when I travel. They are lightweight, but do the job if it gets little chilly.
Other things:
· There is a great debate about strollers vs baby carriers in the airport. I choose to babywear. I have the Ergobaby carrier and both Vincent and I love it. It may help that my parents have a stroller so there really isn’t a need to bring mine, BUT, Vincent also prefers the carrier. He loves to be held and close to mama so the carrier allows me to do both those things while keeping my hands free. Plus, the carrier I have can go through the airport security without having to take Vincent out!
· We try to plan flights around nap times. Especially now that Vincent has a more predictable schedule. This helps us as well as him. The last two times we flew, he napped for 45 mins of the flight and woke up for the last 10 mins!
o This also means us packing “lovey” in my diaper bag so he has him with him while he naps. We have found it best to keep as much familiar as possible.
· All pain meds – I always keep Infant Mortin & Tylenol, especially now. With teething in full force, you never know when the pain will strike and the last place I would want to be without it is an airplane.
One of the most important things – YOUR ATTITUDE. You read that right mama! We’ve heard it before, babies pick up on how you’re feeling and what you’re going through. So even though traveling can be stressful, tryto not let it get to you. It is so much easier said than done, but mamas, if you are stressed and cranky – your sweet babe is going to be to! So how do we do this;
· Take a deep breath
· Stop and watch your babes go through the airport – look at how amazed and enthralled they are! How exciting everything is to them.
· Remember why you are traveling, (while I know not all travel is for pleasure) most likely there is some pleasure in your travels.
Hidden Blessing: I travelled with Vincent SOLO two weekends ago. I was so stressed trying to leave the house, I forgot my pump parts, I didn’t get TSA precheck, Vincent was teething, the lines were SO long, etc. Brian texted me and reminded me to just breathe and relax. If I was calm, Vincent would be to. So, I did. I taught myself my own lesson, again! I saw first-hand the power of choosing happy, calm, and peace vs stress, anxious, and overwhelmed.