Building Trails

Tag: babies

  • Travelling with Baby

    In A’s first two years, she visited 11 US states and British Columbia. These adventures included a few small road trips and 12 round trip flights. I want to share how we survived and had fun. I share about expectations and then tips for packing, riding on the plane, and hitting the road.


    Expectations

    20161110_094220We love adventures with our daughter but we needed to adjust our expectations. The biggest change was reducing the amount we do each day. We typically wake early, go on a morning adventure, return to nap, do something small in the afternoon, and return early for bed. For the first year, we could skip the naps and instead explore while she slept in a baby carrier. We also get nicer and more spacious accommodations compared to before kids. We love balconies or patios for while she is sleeping. We prefer kitchens so we do not need to eat out every meal and can prep  snacks.  And for longer trips, we need access to laundry facilities.

    Packing

    Packing depends on the trip but I recommend the following at minimum:

    • Diapers/Wipes: We pack all we need for a shorter trip. If more than a long weekend, we bring some and buy a pack at our destination. We always have a full pack of wipes and back up diaper bag supplies available while travelling. We do cloth diapers at home but stick to disposable when travelling.
    • Pumping supplies and bottles: I only bring pumping supplies if on a trip that I plan to spend time with friends or family minus the little one. For us that means only when we are visiting the grandparents and we can get away.
    • Clothes: This depends on where we are going. If the trip is more than a long weekend, we plan on doing laundry at least once. Layers are important to keep baby warm or cool as needed. I found I also need more clothes for myself than before kids due to spills and spit up.
    • Thermometer and Medicine: We often forget to bring over the counter medicines with us. As a result, one of us would need to run to a pharmacy in a city we don’t know at 1am because our daughter has a high fever.
    • Snacks: These of course change has she moved onto solids but we tend to let her have a bit more sodium and sugar on plane rides to keep everyone happy.
    • Toys/Activities: Our daughter is most happy with books. We bring along a few of her favorite books and smaller toys. Puppets are fun on airplanes. On our most recent flight at a little over 3 years old, we also brought crayons and coloring books. We have managed all flights and long car rides without a screen except going through photos.
    • Car seat: When flying, we bring our car seat and check if for free. We check it even when a seat is available to place it in, because we prefer the extra space. We did not bring one to Chicago and Las Vegas since we relied on public transit. In Vegas, we rented a car seat with our car rental when we ventured to Zion. The car seat made her legal but we questioned how safe it was.
    • Stroller/Carrier: We brought a stroller on our first trip and never bothered again. It helps with  managing an infant car seat through the airport but was a pain otherwise. We find it easier to bring a carrier and no stroller. We check the car seat and bags as soon as we arrive at the airport and then wear her in a carrier. In her first flight as a three year old, she rode around on her new Trunki.

    Babes on Planes

    First ride on an airplane

    We didn’t purchase tickets for our daughter when she was under 2. We preferred saving the money and we figure they end up in our laps either way. We have friends that buy a ticket for their little one for convenience, safety, or for fear of the car seat getting damaged in baggage. As for the latter, our car seat received only cosmetic damage. Although we did not buy a ticket, we always tried for a third seat. If available, we booked the aisle and window seats of an empty row. The middle seat stays empty or the occupant is happy to switch. With Alaska, we called to have the middle seat blocked, which they do until the flight is full.

    Out of concern for her developing ears, we used headphones for our daughter’s first flight at 5 months old. We always pack these just in case but they are usually not needed. We found that for us the key to flying was nursing. I nursed during take off, landing, and napping. We also changed her diaper every chance and we let her move around when possible (even if  between laps). Once she hit toddlerhood, we started providing snacks and activities. Last, if given the opportunity to check bags for free, we always take it. We often check our bags for free with the car seat when we first get to the airport. This makes moving around the airport and plane easier.

    We love that travelling with little ones comes with a little help:

    • Free car seat and stroller check
    • Early boarding while they are under 3
    • Seat hold – Alaska will block the seat until the flight fills.
    • Free flight until they are 2 years old

    Babes on Wheels

    I find road trips harder than flights because I cannot nurse and change diapers without stopping. It doesn’t help that our kids tend to dislike cars and we do not provide screens for easy entertainment. Our first road trip was when she was 2 months old and should have been about 2.5 hours. Between traffic and stops for nursing and changing diapers, it took us 5 hours. It was exhausting.

    By the time we did a big road trip when she was a little more than 2 years old, she was a champ. She would chat with us, play with toys, and read her books as we drove. We did another big road trip once she was a potty trained three year old and we had a 6 month old and the trip was surprisingly smooth. I often found myself in the backseat soothing both kids with songs and stories.

    We we found helps for a road trip with an infant or toddler:

    • We allow for plenty of time to get to our destination. Especially with a baby, we find that the trip duration can double.
    • We have found that blow outs are inevitable when taking an infant on a road trip. We change her diaper often (and still get blow outs).
    • We keep our distances short. Even once our daughter was 2 years old and we did our road trip to Banff, we never planned for more than 6 hours in one day. We tended to have it at 4 hours and never two driving days in a row. Even for our more recent trip, we are broke a potential 4 hour drive into two days to be safe.

    At the end of the day, I find that travelling with young children is not easy but worth it. We love the memories we have of exploring cities, mountains, and beaches with our little girl and we are looking forward to the many adventures ahead.

  • Prepping for a Baby

    I put this list together for a friend and updated it after our second daughter. I don’t include clothes since you tend to receive plenty from family and friends. On our first, we did make sure to start with a set of short sleeve onesies, set of long sleeve onesies, cozy pants, socks, and hats. I sprinkle in a few bits of advice and insight on our personal experience.

    Diaper Changing

    • 1 Change pad – Rather than a change table, we put a changing pad on the dresser.
    • 2 changing pad covers
    • Pack of changing pad liners – We initially didn’t buy these but kept needing to wash the covers.
    • Small trash can for diapers. This can be for cloth or disposable.
    • Wipes and wipe holder – We use both disposable and reusable wipes. For cloth wipes, we also had a glass water bottle for wiping.
    • Antibacterial gel – We keep this on the changing table.
    • Diaper bag supplies: soft fold-able changing pad, disposable liners, wipe holder (we bought one that later broke and now use one that came free with a large pack of diapers), burp cloth, and spare clothes (for baby and you!).

    Cloth Diapers

    • We used Flip diapers for our first daughter primarily with these prefolds but also have some of the official inserts.
    • For overnight, we used a cotten nighttime prefold with a hemp insert folded in (hemp insert shouldn’t touch their skin). We then covered her diaper with wool bloomers.
    • With the second baby, we added some Grovia hybrid diapers. You can also try their trial kit, which is a good deal.
    • We also have a waterproof bag for putting dirty diapers in.

    Sleep

    • Swaddling – We could not find any the right size for  newborn other than those at the hospital. For our first, we later used swaddling blankets. We stopped swaddling much earlier with our second because she was fine without and could roll over early.
    • Crib – For our first, we kept a standard sizes crib in our room the first year (lowers chances of SIDS). But she ended up in our bed much of the time after four months. We switched out the larger crib for a mini crib for our second. Our first switched to the crib mattress on the floor not long after turning one year. The crib has only a mattress and fitted sheet (no bumpers, blankets, or pillows). Our first got a small pillow and blanket at about 14 months.
    • We did not do a pacifier but bought natural rubber pacifiers in case needed them.

    Food

    • They don’t start solids until 6 months but I recommend baby led weaning (zero baby food). The Baby Led Weaning Cookbook has everything you need to know plus recipes.
    • We got a seat on Craiglist similar to this but it depends on what is best for your dining area. The biggest issue we have is that you cannot take the straps across the lap off to clean without taking the whole thing apart with a screwdriver (which we have not done).
    • We like these bibs as well as this full coverage one.

    Bottles (and the joys of pumping)

    • You should get a pump free through your insurance.
    • We did glass bottles and liked Avent Natural Glass the most because they are simple.
    • I recommend ordering some extra milk storage bottles and storage bags. I started pumping before going to work so she would take a bottle and I to build a frozen storage.
    • I personally cannot pump without my pumping bra.
    • You will want pads, especially at work. I have disposable and reusable.
    • And each morning, I packed a micro-steam bag for each pumping session. This made prep easy, especially if there is a microwave in the room you pump in. At home, I use a reusable sterilizer.

    Nursing

    • Buy nipple cream before your baby arrives. I prefer the kind that doesn’t need to be cleaned off.
    • For my first, I used a nursing cover for the first 3 months and then went without. I never bothered covering up with the second.
    • Nursing tanks are amazing because you can wear any top and not worry about pulling out the post baby belly.
    • I got a breast friend and a boppy. Probably overkill but I like having both. The boppy is also good for tummy time.

    Seats & Swings 

    • We have a cheaper version of this sleeper locally for hanging out and napping. We call it the taco. Once she could hold her head consistently up, we got a Bumbo  with a belt.
    • We had a swing because we got it free but never used it. That said, others have found it to be a godsend.

    Moving Around

    • We did the Chicco Bravo Trio System but you should check consumer report for the current safest car seat. I don’t recommend used but if you do make sure it is not expired and never been in an accident. At 7 months we switched to a Diono Rainier, but my husband thinks it is too heavy and ridiculous and recommends a lighter one.
    • Car mirror
    • I found our sidewalks to be difficult with the regular stroller so we ended up buying a used Bob Revolution too. I may get a double too but they take up alot of space.
    • Somehow we got the following for free: newborn sling, Moby wrap, BabyBjorn, and Ergo. We barely used the sling but used the rest. The Bjorn is nice because it is easy but it is painful when the baby hits 15 or 16 pounds. If you pick only one, I recommend the Ergo with the newborn insert or something similar. With our second, we replaced the old Ergo with a Lille.

    Other things we found useful