Travels With Baby

Namastè!

I hope you are experiencing a huge downpour thereof this evening!

I am actually blogging on the go tonight. Family Namastè is taking a little road trip, and we are on the tail end of that journey.

Traveling with Baby Namastè has become super easy,  but we are not without our battle scars. Since his first trip at about four weeks old, he has been a seasoned road warrior. We took him to New York City, and he saw Times Square and the Statue of Liberty before he discovered his own little feet!

I read all the lists about stuff to carry when traveling with a small baby. They made my head hurt. I didn't want to have a ridiculous overflow of items, but I wanted to make sure I had what I needed. As we generally do a little shopping each time, I had to account for those additions when calculating our cars real estate (space) on the way back. Having gotten it fairly narrowed down, I went with the basics--and yes, I'll share!

Clothing. We packed three onesies per day,  which put us at 21. Add in 3 gowns (with foldover sleeves to protect from those little bitty nails), 3 footed pajamas, and 3 pairs of those adorable little baby pants. We also brought socks (7 pairs) and hats. Because it was cold, we also brought a bunting. Baby Namastè and I only ventured out one afternoon, and the bunting kept him toasty and safe against those biting northern winds. Looks like a lot, but it all fits in ome suitcase, trust me. Now... we just bring one outfit and a backup, plus a onesie and socks, for each day we'll be gone. Weather appropriate and simple.

Blankets. You don't want to have your new baby sleeping on a brand new blanket when they're in a brand new place. We learned this the hard way. (They need their familiar blankets--their tears, snot, and drool, along with the scents of home, make their blankies a safe spot for them.) We brought Baby Namastè the fluffy green Chickpea blanket he slept on since birth and five of his receiving blankets. That cute little brand new Mickey blankie? It became a backup. We were in a nicer hotel, but I still preferred having him on his own blankies, and he slept well. So well in fact thay he got his first 4-hour "snee" in while relaxing in the Big Apple! Now... we just bring his green Chickpea blanket and a duplicate thereof.

Toiletries. We aren't big on dousing baby in soaps and scents. (More power to you if you love this! The goal is a clean baby and however you achieve that is a-okay, mamas and papas!)  His toiletries have always been the same-- either Noodle & Boo (get it here) OR Parachute Coconut Oil (get it here). He usually smells like a delicious little coconut pastry, and we love it. Also, his skin and hair are like the buttah.

Toys! Baby Namastè's a very laid back baby. We got lucky. We also own the Infantino Grow With Me ball pit (get it here or here) and he loves it. We also brought his Topsy turtle (here),  along with his Chickpea elephant and of course, Sophie (We didn't trust the ones on Amazon due to rumored fakes so we got ours here). He travels with these 3 toys all the time, whether it's a run to Walmart or a flight to Chennai. We know we'd get souvies and surprises along the way so we keep his big 3, then add in a newbie for excitement if he seems bored.

Containment! We carry our pack and play. It's taken us from the bassinet days to the oh-my-goodness-he-is-mobile days we currently endure and enjoy. He still likes his playhouse, as we affectionately call it.

Feeding time! Of course, you'll want to bring your formula and bottled water, baby food and spoons, and bottles and sippy cup. For us, it means packing up the Medela bag, throwing some dry ice and regular ice in the cooler, and now making sure we have plenty of Kiinde pouches because the Twist and Foodii are LIFESAVERS.

First aid kit. You can purchase a ready made one, or tailor one to your family, but please bring it. Also include sunscreen, your trusted fever reducer, and your medical insurance cards, a current list of medications, current medications, and your pediatrician's number. If your baby has a medical condition, make sure you have it, as well as its complications, written down in the kit.

We are road warriors, so we also have to consider entertainment. We have lots of audio books and children's music to sing along with. Baby Namastè is generally a happy passenger, especially when he's got his Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Veggie Tales. We like a little bit of electronics time, so in the car he gets to look at flash cards and the Fisher Price Puppy Player--a platform of songs, stories, and nursery rhymes centered around their popular Learning Puppy character.

We stop every two hours or so, and we never drive overnight. We have a few trusted hotels along the routes, clean, safe, admittedly kind of posh places we are comfortable taking our Littles Namastè. We're especially fond of hot breakfast, turn down service, and room service. Stopping often can be a time killer but even if we adults aren't ready to tuck in, it can be overwhelming for a little one to sit for hours on end in the car with no respite. Plus we like to keep the bedtime routine the same, even if the times are skewed a bit.

When we eat on the road, it's basically treat time. Good Indian or Jamaican restaurants barely hold a candle to what we make at home, after all. Baby Namastè's travel nosh includes vegetables now, but he is still roughly 90% breastfed. Thanks to Aunt Brittany we have gotten some great leads on baby foods that babies actually eat, so we carry a few of those along in case he feels like tucking into some taters.

For us, it's more fun to drive every couple trips so Kids Namastè can see, experience, and enjoy the different regions. They have had pizza in Brooklyn. They have had seafood in Atlantic City. They have even enjoyed biscuits and homemade  molasses on a farm in the mountains of Virginia. 

Bottom line...traveling with baby (and/or kids!) can bring logistically harrowing. The amount of stuff you carry can be downright obnoxious. Kids aren't born, great travelers.

But we teach them. Feel free to travel with your little baby. Even if they sleep and eat through the whole journey, it builds your confidence to go farther and do more, next trip. At first you'll have either sleepy or cranky face selfies, but in time there'll be so many gummy grins, happy giggles, and bubbly memories. Nothing in life is a Hallmark card BUT Hubby Namastè and I are picking in high cotton with our tiny one now and through much trial and error, we've hit an easy stride. Finally.