Flying with a babe is daunting for anyone. I have a few tips that seemed to help us out, and keep Sawyer happy!
1. Wear your baby!
I opted to wear Sawyer because hands free! We didn't have to worry about pushing a stroller, or carrying a car seat through security. I saw plenty of moms with strollers, but for us that just seemed like more work than it's worth. Also, they let you go through the metal detector while wearing your baby instead of the full body scanner. Literally so easy to just walk straight through with baby still attached. It also kept her super close to me so I knew right when she had a major blow out and she wasn't sitting in it forever. 🤣 Although it was super close to getting on me, so in the future I may pack myself some extra clothes too!
2. Fully stock the diaper bag.
Make sure you have a full thing of wipes, diapers, and a change of clothes! Do not make the mistake of checking something your baby could need while on the flight or in the airport. We used our extra change of clothes within the first 30 minutes of getting to the airport, so maybe bring 2!!
3. Feed feed feed.
I am a schedule kind of person, but in this situation I planned to feed anytime Sawyer acted the least bit upset. She didn't really end up getting upset at all, but on the way there I still fed her when the plane took off and landed. On the way home I did neither. I fed her right in the middle of the flight because that's when she was scheduled to eat. I did make sure she was sucking on her paci during take off and landing though.
4. Get all the energy out before the flight.
Her normal schedule is eat, play, sleep so she was definitely not going to be nursed to sleep even if I wanted that to happen. Both flights happened during her awake times, but she was full and well rested so she was happy to play in our laps and take a short cat nap. She never sleeps in our arms so you may have better luck with naps if your baby is used to sleeping on you.
5. Check the stroller and the carseat.
It's so much easier to walk right onto the flight and not have to worry about checking these items at the gate. Dealing with a baby is enough work, don't over complicate things. We will definitely consider the stroller when she weighs more though!
It's so much easier to walk right onto the flight and not have to worry about checking these items at the gate. Dealing with a baby is enough work, don't over complicate things. We will definitely consider the stroller when she weighs more though!
While on vacation it’s so tempting to go go go which leads to too many missed naps and late bedtimes. I’ve got a few tips to still enjoy your vacay while also keeping that babe well rested and happy!
1. Prioritize naps
Sorry mama, but you will reap what you sow. All those days of crazy schedules and missed naps would make anyone cranky. This may mean that you can do as many things as you want, but it’ll be worth not having a screaming babe! At home sawyer takes almost every nap in her crib, in the dark, with a sound machine. That was pretty much impossible during our trip so we tried to relax a little. We planned to do outdoor fun activities during her awake time while we wore her, and then planned her naps for while we were in the car or while she could be in the stroller the whole time. Naps in our arms don’t work for her so we didn’t even attempt that. We also tried to get at least one good nap at the hotel so that they weren't all on the go.
2. Maintain routine
If your baby is on a feeding/nap schedule keep it! If you have a bedtime routine still do it. For us this meant a bath in the sink instead of her normal tub, but we made it happen. I also tried to keep her on a normal schedule even though there was an hour time difference.
3. Bring the Dockatot
It made things so easy in the hotel to not need a pack and play. We also didn't have to resort to having her sleep in the bed with us.
We won't be going on another trip until Disney in February. I'm sure that trip will be WAY different because she will be so much older. These vacations have given us so much confidence in traveling with a baby that I had to share how we made it work. Having a sweet and chill baby helps too!
