Traveling is hard. Traveling with an infant is even harder. Make it easy on yourself -- read this blog post.
We survived...
Good news, friends -- my husband, our 6 month old son, and I just returned from our very first family vacation!
Where'd we go and why --
Chicago's winter has been pretty brutal on us, and we were way past due for some fun in the sun. We decided to head to Naples, Florida, and boy, was that the best decision ever. From warm weather, to a phenomenal hotel (Naples Grande Beach Resort), to a gorgeous downtown area with kind-hearted and gracious people, this trip was just what we needed.
Baby's very first plane ride --
First things first, baby sat on my lap... might as well take advantage of the free airfare while we can :) Just an FYI- on a domestic flight, which this was, space is TIGHT. Try to cozy-up in a window seat where you can maximize space for both you and your baby. My little one is only 6 months and we were definitely pushing it - just be prepared! I also made an effort to put the seatbelt around both myself and baby, yet there's not a whole lot of slack for this. Do this in the case of turbulence -- you definitely don't want baby flying up in the air, while you're securely locked in.
Neighbors on the plane were...
so very kind, understanding and compassionate. I've definitely been that person on a plane (pre-baby, of course) saying things like, "great, we're near the screaming babies." Other people looked at us in amazement and said things like, "way to start them young." You start to realize that parents are everywhere, and just like you, they "get it." Don't stress or fret about the screams, laughs or funny noises that your baby makes... they're a baby and that's what they're supposed to do. This trip has really given me the encouragement to travel again (hopefully soon!).
What about the air pressure?
Prior to this trip, all I kept hearing / reading about was the intensity of the air pressure... and how it really bothers little ones. This was my greatest fear. As a remedy/aid, I wanted to ensure that little one was sucking on something at takeoff / landing, whether that be his pacifier or bottle (he's been refusing nurse, otherwise that would definitely be an option as well). Landing was worse than takeoff for me personally, so I'm assuming it had to have the greatest effect on baby too... To be totally honest though, our little guy didn't seem phased by it at all. He was such a rockstar on both flights. If your baby relies on a white noise maker at home, the plane ride will work wonders and will most likely put him/her right to sleep. I had this amazing ugg travel blanket, that I used to wrap baby up in. It kept him warm and cozy throughout his lengthy naps. He napped 2 hours heading to FL and literally the WHOLE ride heading home (woke up after we landed), hence why this kiddo was born to travel. I couldn't have asked for better!
What did I do for milk?
He's at the phase where he doesn't want to nurse much, so when we got to the airport, I literally went into the ladies' room and self-expressed into a bottle. While there's work involved, this method seems to get so much more milk for me than even pumping (which I didn't bring by the way - too big). After I was able to express a good 6-8 ounces, I knew we'd be good to go for the airport / plane ride there. A little bizarre, but I hovered over the changing table in order to do this. I placed the bottle on the table, and simply hunched over to fill it. This took about 10ish minutes or so - well worth it knowing that the bottle would be good to go for the next 4 hours.
How to keep baby entertained?
Wipe everything down on the plane first! Baby will love this new environment and will want to touch/explore everything. I used Flight Wipes. I felt much more at ease when little one was touching the window, then sticking his hand in his mouth and then touching the window again. Just do it for your little one's sake. In addition to the sheer joy of exploring the plane, we brought a few teething toys that didn't make a whole lot of noise (we didn't want to be too disruptive to our neighbors). He also loves to jump and listen to himself make noises - sometimes it's the easy (effortless) things that keep our little ones at bay. Our time on the plane honestly cruised by!
How'd we get around the airport?
The Uppa Baby G-Luxe Stroller was everything we could've asked for and then some. It was hands-down the BEST travel stroller. I saw plenty of people in the airport with their baby in their tummy-carrier. While I'm a fan of the tummy-carrier in general, it just didn't make the airport-cut for us. We really leveraged the stroller's storage space for all personal items / extras. It also held my (very heavy) diaper bag on the handle without tipping, which was such a win. We we're able to stroll baby right over to the gate where we dropped it off and packed it in our Uppa Baby G-Luxe Travel Carrier Bag. The attendants took it right as we boarded, and provided it for us immediately as we got off. It was a dream.
Rental Car + Carseat?
If you plan on cruising around town, I definitely recommend a rental car. We used Fox, just outside of RSW - a shuttle drove us there from the airport. The car we were supposed to rent was previously occupied by a smoker. The lady working there knew we had a baby, so she gave us a brand new Kia Soul. I always joked about the boxy appearance of this car, but it was perfect for us - just the space we needed!
We decided to bring our own carseat - the UppaBaby Mesa. While we easily could've rented one, I've heard some horror stories about how filthy these things can be. I decided to bring our own, and it truly worked out for the best. We dropped it off first thing and checked it along with our luggage. We used this fabulous car-seat travel bag, that's TSA approved. I've become quite the germaphobe since having baby, and this gave me some peace of mind knowing that baby's carseat would be protected amongst all the other (dirty) luggage in the undercarriage. I was also very pleased with the fact that we didn't need to travel with the carseat base... The UppaBaby Mesa can securely be locked in with just seat belts as well.
This was an amazing first trip and I already catch myself saying, when's the next one?! Hoping these notes can help guide you as you prepare for your first trip with baby -- feel free to reach out with any questions along the way. Safe travels - and cheers to hoping your baby love the travel life as much as our little guy! xo - Nicole
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