How do you take a trip with your baby or multiple children without losing your mind exactly?! Sounds pretty impossible right? My first child was a crier and a screamer and we got stuck on a runway leaving Florida to make the long back to California one summer, because of a lightning storm.
After 2 and a half hours of pulling my hair out, it was time to get in the air and start our long journey back. After that, my husband and I swore we wouldn't be taking vacations for a while. We can laugh about it now, but with your first child everything is more stressful. So, how do you cope? How can you prepare?
Request the right seats and book your flight in plenty of time before the trip
Create a packing list prior to stuffing your bags - Asses what you need and what isn't needed, specific for each trip. Baby monitor? Check. Heavy jacket? Check. Baby bottles? Check. Think about what you use on a daily basis.
Plan as much as you can, and let the rest go - if it's a short flight and you can plan your travel around naps, then hooray! If it's a long flight, all bets are off.
Use natural remedies for relaxation and teething if necessary like Bach rescue remedy
Use a baby carrier
Bring extra snacks, squeezes or puffs from Serenity Kids, milk, whatever you need to bring your baby comfort and can be used as a distraction or soothing technique (if you are nursing, use that to your advantage)
Allow your baby to nurse or suck on a bottle during take off and landing
Bring a small Stasher bag with diapers and wipes and a change of clothes to have handy at all times - in case of a a blowout, you can grab this and jet to the bathroom in a jiffy.
Bring a few new toys - packing a surprise bag that contains a few toys or sensory books they haven't seen, helps with distraction during the flight. I have quite a few fun options linked in my Amazon store and many of them are small enough for travel such as baby size sensory boards.
Stay calm - although this is easier said than done, remember that your baby feeds off your energy
Shop all my travel essentials here, that includes everything from water bottles to snacks and even natural remedies or coolers for road trips.
Flying to different time zones are going to mess with their nap and sleep schedules - let's face it! Let your baby nap whenever they can, even if it's a small amount versus sticking with your usual routine. I tried to fight this so hard with my first two children, but by the time it came to the third, I knew my expectations needed to change.
For more additional tips and an all inclusive packing list to help you prepare for your adventures, including product recommendations like travel air purifiers, check out my Travel Guide.
I hope this was helpful! Happy Traveling y'all! If you have any special secrets that have worked for you and your family when traveling, drop them below in the comments!
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