Traveling

Noah is almost 5 months and has already flown 5 times. I estimated that by the time he is 6 months old, he would have spent over 45 hours on an airplane. We're thankful that he travels relatively well (he has slept in 5 different rooms in the past two weeks). After we were married, lots of people told us to make sure we "got our traveling in" before we decided to have kids. But since Richard and I both enjoy traveling (and our jobs demand it), we didn't want to be scared of traveling once we had Noah. While traveling is undoubtedly different (and more complicated!) with a baby, it's still something we want to (and have to) do. After all, Noah won't know the difference; he'll be just fine...it's whether we, as parents, survive! :)

While we were in Alaska, we decided to take a day trip glacier cruise. It was a 8.5 hour cruise that departed from a dock 2 hours away, so it made for a VERY long day. We were out of the house from 7am-10pm. During the first hour of the boat ride, I questioned my judgment to bring a 4 1/2 month old on such an excursion...but everything eventually calmed down, and Noah ended up doing just fine...and we loved the day trip!

Having said all that, here are some random thoughts from this past week:
1) Traveling with an infant is as much about training the baby to be flexible as it is about training the parents to be flexible.
2) Good travel baby gear that packs relatively small is incredibly helpful. Since we travel so much, I did a lot of research, and we got a lot of recommendations from friends. Among our favorites are our Beco Carrier, PeaPod, and inflatable bathtub. We're also looking forward to using our First Years travel booster seat once Noah can sit up on his own.
3) Don't be afraid to ask for something. When we flew from Houston to Alaska (7 hours) and Alaska to San Francisco (5 hours), I asked the gate agents at the airport if we could keep our carseat. They were happy to help us out, and Noah ended up with his own seat on both of these flights! The extra space was SO helpful in helping him sleep well and helping us manage him.
4) Be willing to laugh and shrug your shoulders. There's no doubt that trying to calm a screaming baby on a flight is embarrassing and stressful. But there's nothing you can do but to take it in stride. So do your best, shrug your shoulders, and be thankful for people who are gracious to you.
5) Being over prepared pays off. Even though I didn't need all of the 7 extra diapers I packed for the plane, I did need the extra burp cloths, bibs, and 2 backup outfits (once because it was too cold and once because of a poop accident).

So when it comes time for you to decide whether or not to travel, we say: Go for it! :)


Noah enjoyed playing and sleeping in his peapod. Gone are the days of traveling with a Pack n Play; we really appreciate this option (weighs under 5 pounds and folds up to smaller than a 15" square).