Hey friends!
It’s been a while! I’m excited to share with you some tips on how to travel with your little one. In April, Tony and I traveled to Europe with Sicily and some of our best friends Kam & Eric. We felt confident traveling with a 9 month old because Sicily was such an easy baby. She made us think we were super awesome parents, but really she’s just been an easy babe. So we bought our tickets, first stop Paris, followed by Florence, Tuscany, Positano & then Rome.. Sound a little ambitious? Pshhh, yea right! Haha, little did we know, the time change was going to rock our world & moving from one city to the next was not as easy as I thought it would be. I thought that maybe after 1-2 nights, Sis would get on the new schedule, but we were totally shocked that she never really adjusted to sleeping at night. Now let me preface this by saying, she was SOOOO good in Europe. Like shockingly good & happy. But she didn’t sleep at all during the night. She wanted to party from 11pm to 3am….EVERY NIGHT. So that was the roughest part on me. I was super exhausted and needed rest. The days were great, she napped in the stroller or in the carrier and was a total champ. We ended up coming home 5 days early….we lasted 10 days though, so don’t feel too bad for us! We skipped Positano & Rome because it was just so far from where we were & would’ve consisted of a lot more travel, which I was so not up for. But overall we had a great trip, we learned A LOT, and we are still planning on traveling with kids in the future (just differently than we have). So I hope you can take some of these tips below and put them to good use on your next international trip!
But first, here’s two photos to make you smile!
Expectation:
Reality (tired tired tired mama):
The plane:
- Start adjusting baby’s schedule the week before you go. If that means putting baby to bed a little earlier each night so that they’re closer to the time zone you’re traveling to, DO IT!
- Take lots of snacks for the plane: squeezable pouches, puffs, cheerios, whatever!
- Download some shows ahead of time on your phone. We downloaded Elmo’s World & it was entertainment for days!
- A redeye flight was nice because it was time for bed & Sis slept on the plane for 5 of the 11 hours.
Once you arrive:
- Stay at an AirBnB if possible. It was SO nice having a kitchen to cook food for her and having our own space for her to crawl around. Plus you won’t feel as awkward when your baby is loud or crying in the middle of the night because the time change.
- Call ahead of time to request a crib or pack n’ play for baby to sleep in.
- Hit the local market or farmers market when you arrive at your destination. Then you can cook veggies or quinoa or oatmeal at your hotel or AirBnB. If you don’t want to cook food you can always pack baby food!
- Pack easy containers to put snacks in for baby. We bought some plastic ones at Target that we threw puffs in one container, cooked veggies in another & fruit in another.
Exploring the cities:
- Take a carrier! We took the Ergo Baby 360 and wore it EVERY SINGLE DAY.
- Get a travel stroller. We bought the gb Qbit stroller because it folds up and you can put it in the overhead compartment.
- Pick one or two cities or destinations to visit. We overdid it and tried to do too much. That added extra stress to me & made it less enjoyable because we had to keep packing up, traveling & unpacking…all with a baby is not that easy!
Don’t forget to pack:
- Snacks (Puffs, Cheerios, Squeezable Pouches, Teething Crackers, etc)
- Bottles + Formula (just in case)
- Extra pacifiers
- A couple crib sheets
- A warm stroller blanket
- A couple light swaddle/muslin blankets
- Toys + Entertainment
- A backpack or diaper bag
- Diapers + Wipes
- Carrier
- Travel Stroller
- Sippy Cup + Travel containers for snacks
Remember that this is your vacation, and while it won’t be like vacations pre-baby, it’s a new norm for you and your family! Enjoy the small things, take joy in little victories, and sit back and don’t forget to enjoy your time with whoever you’re traveling with!!!!
Xoxo, Sam
Tres Madres 