Tips/Suggestions on Traveling with Little Ones - *We're leaving 9 days from tomorrow*

ashtonsmama wrote: HELP! What do you take for a 6 month old when flying and traveling internationally?!?

I could pack the whole house, but I doubt it would fit in my suitcases...
I'm just stressing out wondering whether or not I'll be prepared, I know I just need to buckle down and do it, but I haven't even BEGUN packing for either Ashton or Ryan & I.
I think I'm going to make Ryan do most of his own packing, I'm so frazzled just thinking about A's and my stuff...

Any advice from anyone who's BTDT or just has some bright ideas? I'll take anything. I'm desperate.


Like for instance should I be taking maybe 10 outfits and then trying to wash them and re-use them while we're there? What about back-up clothes? How many diapers? And what about for on the plane? I'm bringing his carseat, even though he'll probably not stay in it and be either nursing or sleeping on Dad or I the whole time...I'm guessing. But it's about 4 + hours from here to Chicago, and then I think 16 + from there to Rome, no stops in between. We leave Chicago at 3:30 something in the afternoon, and get to Rome (FCO) at 7:50 AM the next morning...

ACK.

Helllllp!

Thank you.

Anything would be appreciated.

Nina J replied: Take more than enough diapers. Don't estimate how many you think you'll need, just take more than you'll need.

Take an outfit for every day your there, and some spare outfits. And make sure you take a change of clothes or 2 on the plane for yourself and Ashton, it's nice to get changed into fresh clothes when your flying.

People have told me to keep your baby up for as long as possible before a flight, so they sleep on the plane. Like, don't let them sleep for long. But, if Ashton's not a fussy baby I don't see why you would have to.

I usually just take casual clothes with me when I'm travelling, jeans and nice shirts. I find it's easier to pack, and dresses if you wear them. Then if I feel like I want to impress people, I take lots of earrings and other accesorys. I find it easier. But thats just me.

I think Ashton will be fine

CantWait replied:
This did not work for me. I flew with Anthony when he was a year old almost, we were on the midnight flight, and he was still breastfeeding at that, I kept him up all day, and all night, and guess what???? That little buggar didn't sleep more then 10 minutes on the plane during a 3 and a half hour flight. They did not let me breastfeed either during take off, so a bottle is a must.

You're lucky that he's not mobile yet. That makes a huge difference. Anthony just wanted to get up and walk, and play peek a boo with the people behind, annoying, more annoying one of them kept returning his peek with a boo. Can you say jump on mommy some more?

Keep your big stroller right until you get on the plane. I didn't know there was check in for stuff like that when you got on the plane, so I only took his umbrella stroller, not the greatest choice, and it didn't do as well on the trip.

As for laundry and packing. My advice is to pack more. During our road trip here, we packed less, and finding laundra mats was a hassle, not to mention after driving 8 hours a day, laundry was the last thing on our "want" to do list.

I'd say ditch the carseat, unless you paid for a seat for him. I don't see him in it at all.

In all, good luck. I hated traveling with baby, it's certainly much harder. However going to Rome will make it much more enjoyable in the end.

ZandersMama replied: im sorry i have no advice, just good luck and just keep telling yourself you are going to ITALY! (it is italy, right?)

mamasbigbaby replied: Sorry, I have no clue. Just 's for a safe and smooth flight.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Definitely have the car seat checked as luggage. Between you, Ryan and the Nanny your MIL is paying for, that's more than enough laps for A to bounce on... (or did i miss a post about you not taking the services?)

Diapers... just pack some for the flight and a few extra... you can buy some there. Thatès what Ièd do.

For clothes - take stuff you can mix and match... that way you can wear extra ''outfits'' with the same clothes...

good luck!

7thHeaven replied: Amanda,

We haven't flown with Sam yet, but we've been on a 12-hour (one-way) car trip with her. She did extremely well, to my surprise!

Start off by making a list of what all you need to take, if your like me, you'll forget super important things, like toothbrush...small, but important!

I would pack more diapers than I would ever need and clothes for everyday plus extras for the baby. Pack your fav outfits (your going to Italy girl!!) and any of your hubby's fav's (if he's got any).

Take your big stroller-it'll be more convenient for sight-seeing and etc., If you'll need your car seat while in Italy, I would take it with me. You guys should be able to store them in the storage area in the very front of the plane. I would call the airline and ask, just in case.

I would take smaller toys that Ashton likes to play with (we took Elmo, a small piano, & her little learning dog that sings and talks). But...you might want quieter toys then we had...

Oh, And one more thing...RELAX sweetie!!! It's all going to work out and you and your family will have tons of fun!!

ashtonsmama replied:
Thank you all for the advice and tips!

I've started a list today...so I'm feeling a little more together...


And Rocky, we're still taking the nanny, Ashton does seem to like her ok, but she won't be as much of a nanny as just a helper, because we told her we just want to have her come with us just in case we ever want to go out once at night or something and leave her and A at the hotel, etc. I feel really pompous saying "we have a nanny"...

Brias3 replied: I've flown internationally back and forth with all three of mine in the infant stage at one point or another and I have to admit, it wasn't half as bad as I anticipated so for starters, DON'T PANIC!

Secondly, I don't know if you're doing a bunch of cities in Italy or keeping to one general area but packing light is essential for Europe if you're doing the first. I know its hard but try and mix and match as much as you can- believe me, once you get there and are trying to get around, you will be happy to have less of a load (unless you're renting a car, then maybe it wouldn't matter so much). I always feel like customs and all that is such a pain as it is so the less I have to lug through the airports with baby, the better. I'd say its fairly easy to handwash things you need again once you're there if you'll be traveling the country alot. I'd recommend one piece outfits for Ashton- they fold up well and you can throw in a couple of pairs of pants for him if it gets chillier to go over it. Keep a couple with you on the plane too. If you have large suitcases, I'd try to fit your and Ryan's stuff in one and Ashton's in the other, including a couple of packs of diapers. That way, Ryan can handle toting both through the airport while you have baby I'm not sure how long you're going for but I usually just started stuffing diapers in all the extra areas in my bags, just so I'd have more than enough. As far as general packing goes, if you roll your clothes, they won't wrinkle as much PLUS you can fit more in one space with rows of rolls (that sounded funny ).

For the plane trip, I wouldn't bog yourself down with alot of toys, unless of course he's REALLY into toys at home. I made that mistake the first time and my kids ended up being entertained for about 10 minutes with the toys at his age. A couple of small items will do you just fine. DON'T FORGET PACIFIERS if he uses one- it'll help with air pressure at take off and landing in addition to breastfeeding, since they'll likely have you put him in his seat (if you're taking it on board) for take-off and landing. Take a thin blanket on the plane so he's not too chilly. If you happen to have a portable DVD player, I know Mason was really mesmerized by Baby Einstein DVD's so that ended up being a lifesaver. I wouldn't try and keep him up beforehand- that always backfired on me and I wound up with an overly, won't sleep, cranky baby on board. Stick to your schedule. Snacks of course too if he's on any starter finger foods, like Veggie puffs or teething biscuits. Make sure you have tons of wipes or wet-ones on board too- believe me, you can use them for anything.

Also wanted to add in a few don't forgets for Europe for you:

-Look up the number and location of the U.S. Embassy closest to where you'll be....if anything happens, you get stuck, this is the place you want to go and it has come in handy more than once for us.

-Make copies of your passports, drivers licenses, and credit cards for both you and Ryan to carry.

-Adapter plugs if you don't have built in converters on your appliances

-Bring credit cards and cash to have converted. Traveler's checks and debit cards will mainly be a waste of time and money because they'll charge you for using it, plus for converting it into euros.

FINALLY, I know you mentioned you might be going to Switzerland for a day. Just a heads up- they haven't converted to the euro as their currency yet like most of Europe (including Italy). They're still on the Swiss franc so you'll need to convert to that when there also

I'm sorry that was an essay, I just have had experiences both bad and good in one way or another doing international travel with kids so just wanted to highlight some good advice!

ashtonsmama replied:
Thank you so much Bria! I read every bit of it! Lots of good tips and such...I should print these all out...

CantWait replied: Plastic bags, a couple. Just in case A throws up on, or poops through his clothes.

redplaydoh replied: Having flown internationally many times with my little ones, I agree with what Bria said as well. Pack just enough diapers for the plane with a few to spare, you can get diapers once you arrive.
One thing we did on our trips, if you baby is under 1 yr old you can order a baby bassinet that locks into the bulkhead of the plane... this was a lifesaver for us. You need to call to reserve it and change your seat assignment to get the seats at the bulkhead. I can't tell you how glad we were for this, the kids just snoozed most of the flight. You can't use them for take-off or landing, but in-flight it has a zipper flap so you can zip the baby in, in case of turbulence.
Pack light for the plane ride, you don't want to lug a bunch of stuff around... and I agree with taking one-piece outfits... so much easier to deal with.

Bria is right that Switzerland has not converted to the Euro, but stores/restaurants etc. accept the Euro as well... you just may get change is CHF instead of Euro. I haven't found a place yet that doesn't take both, so don't stress about this.