Zach and I decided to take Emileo to Florida for his first vacation back in March. A month prior, a very tragic event happened that made me pull the trigger on flights. It reminded me that life is a gift. I'm not guaranteed anything full or long or meaningful. I'm not even guaranteed tomorrow. Before life slips into a monotonous routine, we must break it up with actually living. Art cant imitate life if you're not living. So, I came home and told everyone to pack their bags. But first, I took a quick look at Leo and realized I had no idea how the hell to travel with a baby. So after some research and some tried and true experience... here is our list of travel tips:
Bring a birth certificate for I.D. if you don't have a passport yet.
Baby supplies (i.e. carseat, bassinet, stroller, diaper bag) all travel free and don't count against your baggage allowance!
Wear your baby! This was so helpful when we were walking around the airport and the city of Tampa when we didn't want to bring a stroller.
Stacking Cups. I was very skeptical of buying these at first because I didn't realize babies could have so much fun... buy let me tell you ... these are the best! They keep Leo's attention for a LONG time.
Binky Straps for the pacifier. We did not have these on the way down, and I think I spent the entire flight searching for his aforementioned binky in the crevices of the airplane. I wanted to jump out of the plane by the end of the flight. Thank GOD my mom bought a strap for us on the way back, because it was a true lifesaver. I definitely recommend binky's to help the baby relive their ear pressure on take off / landing.
I used my tablet to download his favorite Cocomelon shows off of Netflix ahead of time and this is honestly what kept him entertained the longest. It was a total must have for traveling with a baby.
While he had a tablet to watch the shows, he also needed Headphones to actually listen to the shows. I swear everything to do a baby goes exactly like the plot If You Give a Moose a Pancake.
Etch-a-sketch was awesome because I don't like messes, and Leo is a walking tornado as it is.
We obviously tried to distract Leo with food, and I found a snack container for all of his little puffs and melts and whatever other chemical-rich foods I let slide to keep from being the parents frantically shushing a fussy baby because they knew they were ruining the flight for everyone.
Gate Check! With all of this extra crap to bring plus your living 20 lb accessory, you're going to want to gate check your stroller. It helps so much with lugging around all of your carry on's and the baby. Its so worth it. Plus they unfold it and have it waiting for you as you walk off the plane, its like valet service. Truly, nothing felt more like royalty to Leo than when he saw his ride bring hoisted up from the ground to the boarding bridge.
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