A Few Tips From Me To You For Traveling With A Baby

In Emma’s little life, she has been a whole lot of places. She’s been to three national parks, accompanied us on at least 20 hiking and/or fishing trips that I can think of, and visited seven different states. She’s hiked to  5 different waterfalls, driven through at least 6 canyons, and seen several different state parks. She’s stayed in three hotels, two cabins, and at grandma’s house countless times. She’s been on three major road trips and on many day trips and long drives up the canyon. She has been on a week-long trip to a theme park and been shopping in big cities like Vegas and Salt Lake City.  Shortly after Emma was born, Sam got a job that requires him to stay in St. George quite often throughout the month. In order to be together, Emma and I have traveled with him most of the time. Emma has been back and forth from Cedar to St. George on overnight and weekend trips for much of her life so far. Her first day trip to St. George was at just 9 days old.  

All of this traveling has been a blast. It’s been one of the most memorable times of my life and I’ve been so grateful for every opportunity we’ve had to travel and have adventures together as a young family. Emma has loved it too! She loves to be around water (which many of our trips revolve around) and is at an age where she is excited to touch, see, hear, and experience new things. These trips with Emma have been such an exciting adventure. However, traveling with such a young baby comes with many challenges. It takes a lot of careful preparation and is not without worry or mistakes. Regardless of this, it can be done! Traveling with a baby is not impossible and can actually be a lot of fun.

I feel like before Emma was born, I had it drilled into my head that once I had children, I wouldn’t be able to take trips. I once had a conversation with an acquaintance of mine who has two young children. She and her family had recently returned from a vacation to the beach and I asked her how she had enjoyed her time away. “Well, the kids were with us so it really wasn’t a vacation, you know?” I was surprised. Was it really not possible to have a relaxing, fun vacation as a parent if the kids were there too? I thought back to the vacations I’d taken with my family as a child. They were a blast! Of course, I was the child so everything was provided for me and they were nothing but fun all day long. I tried to think about my parents and how they’re experiences had been.  It was hard to remember because I could only remember my experience through a child’s eyes.

When Emma was born, I was determined to not only give Emma the kind of experiences that would give her lasting memories like I had growing up, but also to create those joyous, exciting memories for myself. Sam and I are adventurers. We like to get outside, get away, see new places, and try new things. I didn’t want to lose that about myself or about us and I didn’t want to stop loving it. Rather, I wanted to share that important part of my life with my own children as a parent. I want them to learn to love that joy that comes from exploring and seeing the beautiful things that our world has to offer like I do. 

As very new parents, we started taking these trips with Emma. We have learned along the way and every part of every trip has not always been seamless.  It takes a lot more work than before she was born to prepare, it takes longer to arrive at our destination, and there are often bumps along the way but, we have had so much fun with Emma, learned so much, and made memories with her that will last a life time. It has been more than worth the effort.

Here are just a few little tips that I’ve learned so far. (maybe a few fellow travelers with young children can benefit):

#1. Make a list. Even with a carefully prepared list, it’s likely that you’ll forget something. So, the list is really a must especially for long trips. After all, you’re packing for yourself plus one now. And trust me, the “plus one” requires A LOT. For such a tiny being, you’d be surprised how much trunk space they need. Everything from the stroller, bath equipment, clothes, EXTRA clothes, portable crib, food or breastfeeding equipment, to blankets, wipes, diapers,EXTRA diapers, teething toys and books, and pacifiers. The list goes on and on. Add it on to your clothes and hygiene items, camera, bedding, and snacks and it’s a whole lot to remember. Not to mention that if your husband is anything like mine, you might have to make sure HE has everything too!  It’ll be much easier to remember everything when it’s written down for you to look over, check off, and add to.

#2. Pack extra. There have been many times where I was SURE I was prepared. I’d packed my diaper bag with an extra outfit thinking, “If the one she’s wearing gets dirty, she’ll have this one as a back up.” I leave the house or hotel and the day goes on. We’re walking through a mall, and Emma has a monstrous dirty diaper that completely destroys her clothes. Thank goodness I have that extra outfit. I change her into it, patting myself on the back for my preparedness. 20 minutes later, I pause on a bench to feed Emma her peas. She snatches the bowl out of my hand when I’m least expecting and the peas cover the front of her onesie. If only I’d brought two. You get the idea…

#3. Realize, you can never pack enough. To completely contradict tip #2, don’t go TOO crazy with over packing. There is absolutely no way that you can predict everything that will happen along your journey. There have been trips to St. George where I thought I’d packed enough diapers, but hadn’t. I just had to run to the store and buy more. No big deal. I’ve also forgotten certain clothing items or gone through more than I thought I would. I just hand wash clothes in the sink or use a washer and dryer if it’s available to me. Not a problem. See what I’m getting at? You will ALWAYS forget something or be underprepared with something. Just improvise. Things happen and you just have to roll with it. No use stressing yourself out about every possible scenario because it’s just not possible to predict everything that might happen. Besides, eventually you will run out of room in your bags.

 #4. Give yourself PLENTY of time to prepare. Before our weeklong road trip to the family cabin and our road trip to Island Park, I made sure I had the entire day before cleared. This gave me plenty of time to bathe Emma, check off my list as I pack, Prepare food, load the car, and do a little housework all without feeling rushed. With this extra time to prepare, I’m not stressed, I’m less likely to forget things, and I can come home to a nice clean house. (Isn’t that the best feeling after a long roadtrip??)

#5. Find joy in the journey. With a baby in the car, you’re gonna have to make stops. Whether it be to change a diaper, breastfeed, or just spend some time outside of the car. This is especially true if your baby doesn’t do well in the car. Emma has usually been pretty easygoing about car rides but occasionally she decides to hate the car and will cry much of the way. When this happens, I pull over, give her some time outside of the car, feed her and put her to sleep before continuing on. Give yourself plenty of time to get where you’re going and plan a few stops along the way. You may even find some interesting places along your route to take advantage of.  There’s no rush if you’re having fun as you go.

#6. Take turns. Sam and I look out for each other when we’re traveling. When we were staying at a cabin in Island Park, Sam would take Emma for a walk or to play downstairs while I would take a hot bubble bath or a nap. Then, I would watch Emma while Sam would go fishing. This way, we both enjoy some quiet, relaxation and are more energetic and positive while taking care of Emma. Even a few minutes can make all the difference. When we were walking through Jackson Hole, Sam noticed that I looked a little tired and he took Emma from me to carry her for a while. That gave me a few minutes to shop around hands free. It’s important to watch out for each other’s needs and take turns when you’re traveling (Just as it is at home.) And accept help when it’s offered!  I was so grateful to my nephews who helped carry my bag or took turns carrying Emma on one trip, and my mother in law who snatched Emma from me one day on our family vacation when she could see I was nodding off so that I could take a nap.

#7. Plan ahead for nap times and feeding times.  Emma is a happy traveler as long as she is well fed and well rested. To really enjoy your vacations, you need to provide time for your baby to eat and take good naps. If you have a full day planned, make sure to think about the best times for baby to nap (Maybe during a meal or on a car ride.) and try to stay on schedule with eating. Try to keep to your routine if you can. This will keep baby happy which makes your traveling much easier.

#8. Be flexible. Obviously, things aren’t going to go exactly as planned all of the time. You might be on a trip in the city and planning to go out to dinner or go shopping one night and your baby just isn’t feeling up to it. Change your plans! Put baby down for a nap and take a bubble bath instead. Or go for a walk through the park and then drive through somewhere or order a pizza for dinner. Maybe there is a particular site you’ve been excited to see that you’ll have to postpone till tomorrow or later in the day. You just have to go with it and be grateful that you’re spending time off with your husband or family rather than folding laundry and doing dishes at home.

#9. Don’t take things too seriously. On the way home from one vacation, we stopped to feed Emma. We drove through somewhere and ate, fed Emma, and changed her diaper before hitting the road again Literally right as we were getting onto the freeway, Emma had a major blowout which dirtied her car seat and her entire outfit. We had to pull over onto the shoulder of the road and clean her off the best we could. Sam was gagging from the smell and I was laughing hysterically. It was just so funny that I had to laugh. Things will happen-unexpected things-and you just have to laugh at them. Parenting is a dirty job and it doesn’t stop just because you’re on a vacation.

#10. Improvise! On our family vacation to Idaho/Montana last year, Sam and I decided to go on a little fishing trip at a stream that was about an hour away from where we were staying. I checked and double checked that everything was in the bag. Up until that point, I had been strictly breastfeeding Emma but, while on vacation I had to go to the hospital because of a kidney stone (another story for another time). Because of the kidney stone, I was on narcotics and couldn't breastfeed Emma. I wasn't used to giving her formula so I was careful to pack a bottle and the right amount of formula. Well, we made the drive and I got Emma out of the car to feed her before hitting the stream. Unfortunately, I had forgotten the nipple of the bottle!! Ugh! I thought we were gonna have to turn around right then when I spotted my nephew's water bottle with a squirt top that he had left in the car! I cleaned the bottle and mixed her formula inside of it. It wasn't ideal but, Emma was a trooper and made it work! We were able to fish for a few hours and we ALL had a blast. Sometimes you forget things or mess things up and you have to improvise to make things work. 

Oh and....#11. Take pictures. Seriously, this one is so important. You’re making memories. Don’t get too caught up with the craziness of it all that you can’t stop to take a couple of pictures and just enjoy the moments. After all, these are memories that they will only know through your stories and the pictures you take.

So there you have it. Eleven tips for traveling with a baby. Of course, you know your baby and what your baby needs better than anyone, so you might travel differently than I do but, this might give you a few ideas if it’s your first time. The most important thing is to just not get too caught up in the stressful aspects. It’s a vacation! Enjoy the time with your family.

Good luck and happy traveling! 

P.S. Please feel free to share any helpful tips that you've discovered! I am still so new to this and just learning myself!