For couples who love to travel, having a baby can seem like the end of an era–but it doesn’t have to be! Traveling with your new family member may look a bit different than before, but it can also be a true time of fun and relaxation as a family. Babies and young children often respond well to the time of two-on-one attention that they receive when traveling with you, and the ability to do whatever your family wants to do during the day makes it easy to meet baby’s needs too.
Traveling with a little one may take a bit more planning than before, but using these tips from Storage Units in Junction City KS will help make your first trip with baby a successful one!
Practice the sleeping arrangements before the trip
Whatever the sleeping arrangements will be during the trip, try to have some trial runs at home. They may not be very successful, but don’t let this discourage you! The point is to make sure that whatever bed the baby will be in, whether it’s yours or their own travel bed, will be familiar to them on the trip.
It will already be a bit of an adjustment for some babies to not be in their normal room for nap or bedtime, but throwing a brand new bed into the mix could put some little ones over the edge. Try to find play, nap, or bedtimes that your baby can spend in their travel bed to make sure it’s semi-familiar when travel day comes.
Another pro tip: invest in a small white noise machine. This may sound unnecessary, but I can guarantee that your whole family will receive the best night of sleep of your lives if you use a white noise machine during travel!
Invest in a great way to tote around baby
If you’re going to be doing a bit of traveling with your little one, it’s worth it to invest in a really comfortable way to carry around your baby. For some families, this means a great travel stroller. Move over, typical umbrella stroller–there are some amazing products on the market today for traveling. Some of these include bassinets that can double as a young baby’s bed during the trip, and many of them recline almost flat to allow for napping older babies and toddlers.
Another option besides a stroller is a baby carrier. These have also come a long way in the last decade. Baby carriers have the advantage of being a hands-free way for baby to be carried and not have to deal with a stroller taking up space or needing to be pushed. Babies often love the closeness with their parents, and many nap easily during sightseeing or travel.
Pack a carry-on with everything your family could need for a few days
Many have experienced the exhaustion of delayed or cancelled flights, and being stuck in an airport for a day or two. While these things could be weathered as an adult, they could be a nightmare with a baby if you’re not prepared.
Always pack a carry on that includes everything you could need for a few days if you are stuck in transit or if your luggage is lost on the way. This includes a change of clothes for everyone (and maybe a couple of extras for baby), lots of diapers and wipes, extra pacis or blankets, and whatever formula or food your baby may need.
Hold plans loosely!
This may be the biggest mindset change of all–but don’t hold on to your plans for the trip too tightly. While there are times you can’t avoid, like the departure of flights or check-in times at hotels, try to be more flexible with the rest of your plans. Instead of making baby fit into your ideas, try to make the ideas fit your current family. No, it won’t feel the same as it did before when traveling solo, but this is a new time that needs a new mindset.
Babies can sense stress, and parents that are stressed about keeping up with an idealistic travel plan will only result in frustration for everyone. So make plans–and then be flexible! It may be that baby is able to do all you had planned on, but if he or she is struggling, remember–that doesn’t make the trip a failure!
Becoming a parent is the beginning of a wild and crazy ride, and your first trip with a baby is an important chapter in this story. There aren’t many greater gifts you can give your little one than this experience together as a family, and the memories that will come from it!
At Self Assured Storage, we know that along with a baby comes a lot of stuff. Whenever you’re ready to reduce the clutter or store away the outgrown baby things, give us a call! Our staff is ready to assist in finding a safe, clean home-away-from-home for your belongings to give you more room for baby and more space for those suitcases and passports!
