Gone are the days when Alec and I could just go away for a few months with nothing but a pair of backpacks. Travelling requires more strategery, but this is one of my strengths, so allow me to share a tip:
You do not need to bring it all with you!
Flying with babies is a whole new adventure. After a recent trip to Chicago (when we did not travel light), I discovered that there are many ways to avoid carrying 17 bags, a stroller, a suitcase full of diapers, a carseat and a sleeping place for the baby. Here’s how:
- Call before you go. If you’re visiting friends or family, can they borrow a bouncy seat and a pack n play for a few days? Does the hotel already provide portacribs? Whitney and I bring our own sheets so it will smell like home and that’s a lot easier to pack.
- Send stuff ahead. Jet Set Babies and Babies Travel Lite both send ahead kits of diapering and feeding supply “bundles.” You can do it yourself on Drugstore.com.
- Shop when you get there. Do yourself a favor and carry on one diaper per hour of the flight and toss a few more in your luggage. Then plan to buy ‘em when you get there. On this same trip to Chicago, we only packed about 10 of Holden’s #2 Huggies and the drugstore we went to carried only #1 or #3 (of every single brand!) but we managed.
- Rent some baby gear. After you’ve exhausted the free options, Babies Travel Lite lists many baby equipment renters across the country so you can have a high chair and a bag of toys ready when you get there. If you are traveling without your partner, you might want to consider doing this, as carrying all that crap AND a baby who needs to get changed or fed as soon as you get off the plane is pretty overwhelming.
Now, going to visit grandma doesn’t have to be like camping unless you want it to be…
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On recent trips to Texas and Florida, we rented a car seat for my daughter. BEWARE, however, of doing this. The car seat rental company was separate from the car rental company, and we arrived at midnight to a seat that was too large for my daughter (in Texas). I didn’t even have the option to wait until morning because we were actually going to Waco (from Dallas, where we flew in) which was a 2 hour drive. We just did our best, tightened the belts, and prayed the 3 days we were there (and she was fine, but I felt like the worst mother ever).
Make sure that you specify the weight of your child when you call (I had only given them her age, and she’s petite), because there may not always be someone available to correct it if the rental company sends the wrong size.
Here’s a tip: pack earplugs and hand them out to fellow travelers to secure their affections and sympathy.
Here’s an article with more travel tips (and the best travel websites) on TimesOnline.
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