I know it has been a few weeks since my last post. Life has been a little crazy for us lately. James' workload is finally starting to pick up again, Benjamin is all over the place keeping me on my toes, and like the title of this post says... we went on a weeklong trip to Hawaii recently!
Now, I know what you're thinking - why in the world would we travel across the country with a baby?! Long story short, I'd paid for a trip to Hawaii a few years ago and told myself I'd finally take it once I'd paid it off. Well, I did that - and then COVID-19 happened. And I found out I was pregnant. And the world shut down, lol. Around July of last year I learned that I only had three years to use my trip - otherwise I'd have lost it - and three years would've been up at the end of this month. So... we planned our trip to Hawaii!
As you can imagine, I spent months stressing out about this trip. Our flights were booked in November of last year and I immediately started mentally preparing. We could only afford two seats for the flight, so I knew it would already be challenging enough having to keep our extremely-active seven month old on our laps for a 3 hour & 7 hour flight. Then add in trying to figure out what to pack without going over the weight limits or having to check multiple bags in. Determining what we absolutely need to have with us and what we could go without.
It was overwhelming for someone who already has been dealing with extreme anxiety.
Before I scare you away from traveling let me tell you this - the trip went amazingly. It honestly could not have gone any smoother. Benjamin traveled like a champion, we had an amazing time with family members who tagged along, and we made memories to last a lifetime. But with that being said, there is a lot you need to do/prepare for and there is not enough helpful information/experiences online to go off of. So I thought I would share my suggestions with you all. It will be more than the typical "what-to-do" lists because there are so many variables and so much to think about. I promise you'd rather explanations over a simple list if you're planning a trip like the one we went on!
The Week Before You Leave
Adjusting Baby's Sleep Schedule
I read a lot about how to prepare your little ones for traveling across timezones and while they all sounded great and helpful, reality is your little one is going to adjust or not adjust and there's nothing you can really do about it lol. Some people suggest making bedtime later each day the week before your trip, but if your little one is already a bad napper/sleeper like mine is - you won't be able to do this effectively. So if you try this and it doesn't work, don't stress out. You will still be okay.
Pack, Unpack, Pack Again
You may laugh at this but in all honesty - you will end up doing it at least once (if you're me, three times). Triple checking your packing list, racking your brain about anything you may have forgotten, trying to figure out how to make it all fit in your suitcases, following the weather at your destination and having to adjust your clothing choices. It will happen. So what I suggest doing is setting aside a location in your house for everything you plan to pack, that way it is all easily accessible when you need to make those changes. For us, it was our guest bedroom. It was a mess in there for a good two weeks. Worth it, though.
Clean The House Before You Go
Another suggestion that sounds silly but was so helpful for me to have done. We came back from our trip exhausted, jet lagged (with a jet lagged baby on his own schedule), and as soon as we even opened our suitcases - everything was everywhere. Having an already-cleaned house meant I only had to clean up from our trip. The dishes were done, all of our normal laundry was folded in their respective drawers (also helpful if you're not one to immediately start unpacking from trips), and the baby's play area was clean and ready for him the moment we got home and needed to put him somewhere while unloading the van.
Get A Little Extra Sleep If You Can
Whether or not your little one travels well, there's a good chance that you will not be getting as much sleep as you may be used to while you're away. Between the long flights, the timezone changes & both you and your baby's jet lag (which could put you both on completely different schedules just an FYI), and the general exhaustion of destination vacations - you could definitely benefit from the extra sleep beforehand. If anything, just because you deserve it.
Packing Suggestions
Bring An Extra Day's Worth Of Food
While we did have a Walmart in Hawaii, I am so glad that I packed all the food we needed because the Walmart there did not have everything I would have needed. For example, we couldn't find any baby oatmeal or distilled water. Ended up finding some towards the end of our trip, and it was much more expensive than back home.
Also, we fed Benjamin on every take off and landing to avoid having any ear issues with pressure changes. This meant extra feedings than his normal 4x/day. You can use a pacifier for this same purpose but we figured getting him extra full was probably going to work in our favor for sleeping on the plane(s).
I'm not going to lie, traveling across timezones confused me on when I fed him last. My tracking app was all over the place so I couldn't really trust it. We probably fed him more than we should have but again... not a bad thing for baby to get a little extra food in him. But had we not had the extra food on hand, we may have run out.
Carry Ons
For a lap child, you can bring a small personal item in addition to your normal allowance of one carry on & one personal item. Typically parents use their diaper bag as the baby's personal item. We decided to forgo bringing what we typically would bring for ourselves (laptops, magazines/books, etc) knowing we would have our hands full. James' personal item was a book bag full of toys, extra clothes, blankets, etc for Benjamin. And mine was Benjamin's diaper bag, which also had formula and baby food in it. I could have brought another personal item for myself but we didn't want to have another bag in addition to the two carry on duffel bags we were already carrying (see my airport suggestions for this).
We also brought two pillows and used them to close the gap between the seats in front of us and our knees, which is a good idea if you have a crawler like we do. Once the flight took off, we sat up the two book bags and placed the pillows on top. It gave us a tiny bit more area for him to "crawl". While he spent most of the flights sleeping (thank God), this was extremely helpful with keeping him entertained.
Food for baby: You are allowed to bring as much baby food as your child needs for the duration of all of your departing flights. So for us, we needed over 12 hours worth of food. The airport can't tell you how much your baby eats so I suggest bringing as much as possible (within reason). For baby food, we brought the packets because they were easier to pack and also would be easier to dispose of when finished. For formula, you are allowed to bring up to 12 oz. of powder (I believe, confirm with your airline) and can have water pre-measured in the bottles. You can also have hot water if you need it. TSA will just have to test the water. The other alternative would be for you to buy a large water bottle & ask a coffee place for hot water once you get past security check point. It's entirely up to you. We did both because of how long our travel time was, and no one gave us any issues. Also disposable bibs for the win. Do it, just trust me.
Gate check stroller & car seat: If your little one can still fit in their infant car seat that attaches to the stroller, I highly suggest using it for your trip. You technically only get to gate check one item - car seat or stroller - but if the car seat clicks into the stroller, you can get around this and gate check both (if you are baby wearing). It works out well because you can still use it in the airport to carry luggage (or your baby) and you have it with you the moment you arrive at your destination. I can't imagine my stroller getting lost on it's way and having to be without it for an extended period of time. Yikes. But if you have an older child, I believe you can still use the car seat on your child's plane seat (if they have their own seat). But again, check with your airline to confirm. Worst case scenario, you can check it in. But it helped us tremendously to have our stroller with us - and it was nice to not have to pay to check in our car seat as well.
Airport Suggestions
Check In As Much As Possible
We only checked in one bag and carried in two duffel bags for ourselves to carry on. While it did work and is possible, I wouldn't suggest it. We had our stroller up until arriving at the gate (more details on that in a minute) but even just carrying the bags onto the plane was stressful. Imagine trying to put your luggage in the storage bins with a baby, lol. It's doable but not worth the extra hassle if you can afford the extra $30.00 to check in another bag. If I could've done it again, I would have checked in at least one more of our bags (and used a bigger suitcase so the one duffel bag carried on would have less).
Baby Wear
Regardless of how much you are carrying on, having the stroller as a luggage holder is extremely convenient. And wearing your little one on your person leaves you hands free and not having to fight a wiggle worm while maneuvering TSA and finding your gate.
WARNING: When you baby wear, TSA has you go through a separate metal detector and they rub your hands to test you for some kind of explosive chemical. I suggest you do not put on any kind of lotion that day. I wasn't wearing lotion and they still flagged my hands as "suspicious", having to get every bag I brought in thoroughly checked, handing off the baby to my fiancé, and getting a full pat down. Of course it's not the end of the world to have to do this but I can't imagine having to do it without my fiancé there to pass the baby to. You can avoid this by bringing your little one through in the stroller rather than on your person, but I still think baby wearing was the easier option all around. But just wanted to share my experience for those of you traveling alone with your baby.
Plan For A Longer Layover
I know this makes the trip longer, but it really helps if you have either a little one who refuses to sleep on the plane or a very active child. We scheduled a three hour layover and it worked perfectly. I didn't have to worry about whether or not there were any delays, we didn't have to rush off the plane or run across the airport with all of our stuff, Benjamin took at least an hour nap on me, and he also had plenty of time to crawl around and play (see my next point). Highly recommended
Bring A Travel Play Mat
I used to be more worried about what people thought about me before having a baby, but now I am all about making sure I do what I need to do for survival. So when I tell you my family posted up in front of an extremely crowded McDonalds at the DFW airport for two hours with a play mat and noisy toys... believe me when I tell you it was the RIGHT decision. It gave Benjamin time to crawl around, get some energy out, people watch, take a bottle, and wind down before getting back on a plane. We have a plastic foldable travel mat that we used, easy to wipe down and pick up and go. And I realized something after the fact: we didn't get any judgmental faces and even had people passing by wave at or say hello to my son. You know why? Because they had either done something similar or wished they had when they traveled with their own children once upon a time. Guaranteed. Do what you need to do to set yourself up for success. You'll thank yourself and have a much more enjoyable time. Trust me.
First Day At Destination
Plan For The Worst - Hope For The Best (sleep schedule)
If you're lucky, your little one will have rested during all the flights and will be ready to start your vacation! But if not, that's okay too. Depending on when you arrive, your best bet is to just accept that the day of travel will be shot and bedtime will be rough - probably for both you and your baby. Try to do your normal routine (for us it's bath, bottle, bed) but if your little one crashes in the car on the way to the hotel - just get them down as quick as possible when you arrive and remember that tomorrow is a new day.
You want to immediately adjust to the new timezone the next morning. If your little one religiously wakes up at 6am every day back home, I suggest you set your alarm for 6am wherever you are and start your day like you would at home. It will be rough. But the goal is to get your kiddo to adjust to the new normal as quick as possible. Take naps when you usually would, using the typical wake windows, and just remember this - a few days of messy sleep will not hurt you or your baby. Don't force yourself to be in your hotel room for every nap, limiting yourself from truly enjoying your vacation. What we did that seemed to work was plan for the first nap to be in the usual environment - to ensure that at least one nap is successful. And the rest? Just go with the flow. If you are spending a decent amount of time in a car during your trip, your baby will take some car cat naps and THAT IS FINE. Let them catch up on sleep when they can.
NOTE: You will probably be up much earlier than usual if you're dealing with more than a three hour timezone difference. Just plan to start your days earlier and go with the flow. I promise it'll all work out :)
The rules really do go out the window when it comes to vacation. Keep feeding schedules as close to normal as possible, stay attentive to your little one in case they need some extra help with on-the-go naps, and just BREATHE. You will fix everything when you get back home (which can take up to a week to do). You will be surprised at how well your little one adjusts after a day or two. Have faith in them!
I hope this helps some. If you are planning a trip soon and would like more questions answered, please feel free to message me! I know I spent a good month asking anyone and everyone tips and tricks for traveling with a little one... I'd love to help you have the same kind of support! Here's a few fun pictures to prove that we all survived traveling with a seven-month-old (who transitioned from 3 to 2 naps and started Leap 6 in the midst of the trip) and had a great time!
Mahalo!
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