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Monday, November 11, 2013

Flying With a 4 Month Old - What Worked



This past weekend I took my 4 month old with me to a work conference in Boston which meant a total of 4 flights, subways, cold weather and staying in a hotel room. This was quite different from our trip to Portland where we stayed with friends and had access to a washer and dryer!  I tried to take what worked from our last trip and replicate that this time and it seemed to work well! Here's what went well and what I'd change for our next trip (which happens to be in just two weeks).

What worked:
- I made a packing list right after we got home from Portland and I stuck to it. I took more clothes for both me and baby since we didn't have access to a washer/dryer. I also made sure to take clothes that I knew would fit me! Last time I was a bit rushed in packing and threw in clothes that ended up not working which left me feeling frumpy and needing to do laundry more often!
- Our flights were at better times, we took off at 9:50 am which was the best, we had a 90 minute layover and then got into Boston at 4:30. I have learned that midday works better than messing with babies nighttime sleep.
- Took the cradle. I'm almost glad that the crib transition didn't work because it's so nice to have her in her little cradle and kno that she got to sleep in her own bed.
- I brought a slightly smaller backpack as diaper bag which fit better under the airplane seat.
- I put the diapers, wipes, and dirty diaper bags in a ziplock so that I could easily pull it out for onboard diaper changes.
- I checked the stroller and stuck with the Ergo and backpack. It was great to have my hands free and she seemed to like being in the Ergo more Than the stroller. In fact, I probably could have skipped the stroller altogether. Lately she seems to only like being in the car seat attached to the stroller and doesn't love just laying in the stroller. Since I didn't take a car seat the stroller was only marginally useful.
- I traveled with colleagues so I never had to sit by a stranger which worked out really well! Thankfully the rest of our planned travel is as a family so it should be even smoother.
- Staying in one place and not moving from friend to friends house made things less stressful and we were able to really spread out.

What didn't work so well:
- It was cold and I forgot a hat for baby and gloves for myself!
- I should have packed more snacks for myself. Thankfully I had friends to bring me dinner fate baby was asleep but it would have been easier to bring some snacks or make sure and grab some takeout on the way back to the room.
- Try to arrive back home before bed time. Our last flight took off right at bedtime which made for a super cranky baby, no good!
- Don't forget to give baby her medicine regularly! I forgot a few doses which led to extra reflux. Poor kid!

Overall, this trip was much smoother than the first trip. I was much more relaxed having done it before and with Caroline being just a bit older she is not quite as fussy. I also learned that the cheapest flight is not always the best flight when you are traveling with a baby! So,stiles convenience and schedule are worth the extra cost. I'm so glad that I'm able to take my baby with me when I work and that she adapts well. After the holidays our travel schedule slows down a bit but we are sticking to our plan that baby won't stop us from traveling!

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