We’ve been on several trips since our daughter Sawyer was born. A few road trips to my parent’s lake cabin when she was 10 weeks and then again at three months. Then, we went to North Carolina when she was six months old.
Right now we’re in Palm Springs, a far cry from the rainy city our hometown of Vancouver is right now, and it’s a perfect little slice of paradise.
We’ve gotten quite good at travelling with a baby. Part of it is coming equipped with the right gear – knowing what you do and don’t need. I thought I’d share with you my tips and tricks for traveling with a baby, and my favourite gear. I hope it helps you get the R and R you deserve.
- Beluga Wrap– having on of these on hand for the plane rides and airport dashes is a life saver. Beyond the actual traveling, it’s also an awesome alternative to a stroller for when you don’t want to lug something big around. It barely takes up any space at all in your bag!
And if you’re going somewhere hot, the bamboo is hella breathable, so you won’t become a giant sopping sweat bucket. Win for the Beluga Wrap!
- Travel Crib – I really like the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light. It’s expensive, but it’s light as a feather and folds up small enough to carry on the flight.
- High Chair – this one from Phil and Tedsis awesome. It’s compact and light and can attach to almost any table. Love it!
- Duct tape – I go to town on wherever I’m staying to child proof the room using this grey goodness. The aftermath looks a bit like the Red Green show, but hey, I don’t stay at the Shangri La anyways so it’s all good.
- Squeezies – I like the ones from Love Child Organics. These little on the go packs have been amazing for preventing hunger meltdowns and for keeping baby entertained while in her car seat.
Speaking of car seats – most flights will let you check one for free! Bonus.
And finally, I just found out that most major cities have a baby rental company that will deliver rented baby goods right to your door. So if you absolutely must have that running stroller on your vacation (you crazy overachiever you), then you can get one for a low daily or weekly fee.
Aside from that, just go with the flow. Travelling with a baby is definitely different than life before baby, and the more you fight against that, the worst it’ll be for you. Especially during those first few months.
Now that Sawyer is ten months old, our holidays feel pretty similar to how they did before. Sure, she needs to be home for at least one of her two daytime naps, but we can work around that. And it’s so much fun to see her explore and get to know a landscape so vastly different than the one she’s seen for her whole life. We live in the British Columbian rainforest, so Palm Desert is a big change!
Happy travels!
XOXO
Haley
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