Traveling With Your Newborn

Traveling with your newborn can present you with new challenges, but it is possible! Luckily, newborns require very little: comfort, dry pants, and a full tummy. There is a way to enjoy life outside of the nursery by simply being prepared for these simple needs.

Be sure to pack weather-appropriate clothing. Check the weather report ahead of time and prepare accordingly. You will not need to pack as many clothes if you will be staying somewhere with laundry capabilities; simply pack a small container of detergent or buy some at your destination. With newborns basic onesies will suffice for warm weather. For cooler weather you can exchange the onesies with footie outfits and beanies. Don’t forget a warm blanket.

Think about where your baby will sleep. If you prefer not to have your baby in bed with you there are easier ways than lugging around the massive portable cribs. I found a wonderful Nap ‘N Pack (travel bed) at Wal-Mart for $50. It is a bed, changing pad, and play mat the rolls up into an easy-to-carry duffle bag, with pockets to boot. I have used mine when hiking to the lake for a lake day, camping, and when visiting the grandparents. It is very easy to pack and carry.

Don’t forget the diapers or the wipes. If you are traveling to an area with stores, don’t worry about filling your trunk with diapers and wipes galore; you can always buy more if you run out. However, if you are camping or traveling somewhere rural, you can never have too many diapers. They don’t take up that much space and are a great thing to keep on hand. I keep an extra diaper bag in the trunk of my car with a couple burp rags, a blanket, a pacifier and extra diapers.

Be sure to feed, burp and change your baby just before heading out the door. If you feed your baby formula plan ahead and pack the amount you know you’ll need. Keep a bottle ready to go for your baby. If you are breast feeding you can simply pull the car over when your baby is hungry. If you have a breast pump I would advise bringing the pump with two bottles (and nipples) and extra batteries. I found it much easier to pump once in the car and have a warm bottle ready to go when my baby asked for it (rather than having a cold bottle and have to tow along the ice packs and other gear).

One item that truly made travel easy was my baby sling. It was a great alternative to hauling a stroller. Some slings also double as a nursing cover which is a great thing to have when away from the privacy of home.

Things intended to ease your life as a parent can actually end up hindering you. It is nearly impossible to travel with cribs, playpens, toys, strollers, and all the other items parents tend to rely on at home (refer to the Top Ten Baby Items for the First Time Mom). By planning ahead of time and keeping calm when issues arise, you can successfully enjoy time away from home with your new family.

Top Ten Items for the First Time Mom

It is so easy to get caught up in buying every single piece of baby gear you see advertised. You are bombarded with “advice,” they like to call it, as soon as word spreads that you are expecting. It then becomes necessary to have everything man ever made for your baby simply because you will be a bad parent if you don’t buy the fade-resistant, bug-repellant, one-size-fits-most, reflective, warming wipie dehumidifier. Don’t you even care about the little miracle you’re carrying? Guilt then takes you over and you stock the nursery wall-to-wall with items you’ll never use.

When I was expecting my first child, I was excited about all the baby gear I would get. Every baby website I visited provided some sort of shopping list with all the items “necessary” to welcome baby. I quickly became overwhelmed with the amount of work I had to do in order to be a prepared mother.

Surprisingly, there have only been a handful of things I’ve actually found necessary (or at least enough to make day-to-day activities do-able).

1. You must have an infant car seat, and you must buy it new. I purchased the travel system (stroller and car seat combo) but have yet to get much use out of the stroller, as I carried my baby in a sling most of the time. If you are planning on having other children, it might be wise to purchase a stroller that holds more than one child, but wait on this until you are expecting the next child.
2. A baby sling. I refused to be tied down with a bulky stroller and found it much more comforting to carry my baby in a sling the first few months. The sling provides a wonderful way for you to be close with your baby and still have full use of your arms. I was able to do much of my housework with baby in tow, and it is very easy to travel with. I love the Over-the-Shoulder-Baby-Holder, but they are no longer manufactured (I found mine on e-bay). A friend recommended the ERGObaby Carrier and I've heard great things about Baby Bjorn.
3. An infant positioner. There are definitely times when you will not be able to hold your baby, such as while cooking or showering, but still want to keep an eye on the little one. I was given a used bouncer from a friend and it worked wonderfully. You can buy one new at Buy Buy Baby or Babies ‘R’ Us.
4. A place for your baby to sleep. I was given a pack ‘n play that has worked out great for night time sleeping. It has a bassinet insert to keep baby at an easy reach. I found it more useful than a classic crib as it provides several functions (crib, bassinet, changing table, play yard, etc).
5. A comfy chair. Not only can nursing take a toll on your back if you are not positioned comfortably, it can also make nursing more difficult for you and your baby and even lead to cracked nipples. I was given a rocking chair, but any chair you find comfortable will do just fine. It is also nice to have a pillow to help support your baby while you nurse.
6. Nursing Pads. I went through several boxes of nursing pads for the first few months after my baby was born. I preferred the disposables. I found that the most concealable were the Lansinoh individually wrapped pads, but preferred to wear the Johnson’s around the house as they are much cheaper. Do not use the Nuk pads as they leak.
7. Sports Bras. Specialty nursing bras are completely overpriced, super uncomfortable and not necessary. I found sports bras at Target in packs of 2 for $10. I liked them so much, I bought 10 of them. I was comfortable in them day and night. Just remember to wear something with give as your breasts will vary in size dramatically when nursing.
8. Burp Cloths. If your baby is blessed with the gag reflex mine had you will need many burp cloths. My sister-in-law made me some out of cloth diapers which worked great. You can make your own, use hand towels or receiving blankets...just be sure to have something on hand when burping your baby.
9. Diapers/Wipes. Whether you are using cloth or disposable diapers, be sure to have some stocked at home. I have used several different brands of disposables and all of them have worked fine. The blow-outs we did experience simply told us it was time to move up to the next size. You will most likely need to use newborn size for the first couple of weeks.
10. Clothes. Be sure to have some newborn size clothes even if you are expecting a larger baby. Gerber has great onesie packs that are fairly cheap. Make sure the clothes you do buy do not have buttons on the back side as they will not be comfortable for your baby to lay on.

These items are the items I found most helpful for new mommy-dom. I'm sure women out there can get by with even fewer things, but I felt having the mentioned items was a good balance between comfort and necessity.