I'm fully aware that our advice and our experiences will change every time we travel with Cameron, but when it comes to being away from home and/or flying, there are some things we have learned.
#1 If you have a lap infant, make sure that your airline knows ahead of time and be sure to get a boarding pass for him or her. They'll appreciate it when you go through security. Also, it's not a bad idea to take a copy of your baby's birth certificate. We were only asked for it once, and it wasn't a big deal that we didn't have it, but after thinking it over I realized that they really have no idea who's kid it is that you're traveling with.
#2 Give yourself plenty of time at the airport. If you're a go-with-the-flow kind of person you'll be fine, but if you're not and you know your anxiety will be running you ragged, give yourself extra time on top of your extra time and stay calm.
#3 If your baby is in diapers, ALWAYS change him or her right before boarding or heading out on that road trip. The planes have changing stations should you need it, but it's a tight space.
#4 You're going to think of everything that you have in the comfort of your home and probably want to take most of it with you, but really think about what you're going to need. Oh and always look to see if there's a washer/dryer where you're staying when you travel. That will help limit any over-packing.
#5 Depending on how long you're staying, I suggest taking a days worth of diapers in your carry on and at least one bottle over what you think you'll need while you're in the airport and on the plane. You can stop and buy diapers and figure out your bottle situation once you get there. If you're pumping, fly with your pump. Don't check it! Trust me on this.
#6 Look into baby rental companies. In bigger cities, there are a lot of companies that will rent strollers, car seats, cribs, etc so that you don't have to travel with so much extra stuff. Also, if your baby is big enough, do the umbrella stroller - it's so much easier!
#7 Since you're not packing a ton of diapers, you have the room so take one towel and one crib sheet with you for your trip. Not every baby likes everyone else's washing detergent and it helps them adjust faster sleeping on something from home.
#8 If you're still nursing, keep in mind that even though you're on vacation, what you eat and drink is what baby eats and drinks. If it's not your usual diet, it's not their's either. If you're feeling a bit off, chances are that baby is feeling slightly off too.
#9 On the airplane, feed your child at take off and landing (this includes the decent as well). Or if your baby does the pacifier thing, use that too. The action of sucking will help equalize the ears, this goes for any age. Once baby is older and not doing the pacifier thing, try a lollipop. It helps, trust me! On our return flight, Cameron ate all of his bottle and we were still descending so we added a little water to his bottle just to keep him sucking. It worked like a charm!
#10 When visiting family, remember that if you can get overwhelmed, so can your munchkin. If the family is anything like mine they want as much time with Cameron as possible. Rightfully so, he is super cute. However, I had to remind myself that between the car seat, stroller and everyone wanting to hold him and love on him, he needed some alone time and some "stretch out time" also. There were multiple occasions where I set up a blanket and sort of created a fort underneath the table that we were all sitting at so that he was still part of the festivities but was getting his own time also.
This list is just a start and definitely. Work in progress. It'll just be a matter of time before we're traveling again. Might as well take advantage of the lap infant while we can!
No comments:
Post a Comment