DPK on Fatherhood - Traveling with a Baby
Spoiler Alert: We weren’t ready for Austin.
“Austin ain’t ready for us.” I arrogantly posted on Instagram just ten minutes before a bird pooped on my daughter. There I stood on the corner of South Congress and East Riverside Dr. in Austin, TX cursing under my breath as I frantically wiped the bird poop off of Eloise before she could stick her dirty fingers in her mouth. Simply unbelievable. The day Courtney started her work conference was also the first chance Eloise and I had to explore Austin. We had only gotten four blocks down the road before we had to head back to the hotel to clean up. I was quickly learning: TRAVELING WITH A BABY IS HARD.
This trip to Texas was a lot of firsts for Eloise. Her first flight, first hotel stay, and first full week away from home. Since Austin, we’ve traveled by car to Jacksonville, FL for a dear friend’s wedding and then to North Carolina by plane for a cousin’s wedding. Needless to say, we are not experts at traveling with a baby, but we are gaining a few experience points. We have figured out a few things that have helped us survive these trips and I just wanted to share some of them for any other new parents out there getting ready for their own family adventure.
TIPS AND PRODUCTS FOR TRAVELING WITH A BABY:
1) Travel Crib - We love this travel crib by Guava Family because of how compactly it folds up and how easily it can be carried through the airport.
2) Blackout Cover for Travel Crib - This cover fits over the Guava Travel Crib and helps keep Eloise asleep when the hotel room doesn’t get quite as dark as we would like.
3) Adhesive Velcro Strips - We love these strips because they allow us to mount the baby monitor on almost any wall.
Eloise hanging out at the Line Hotel in Austin.
4) Portable Sound Maker - This helps Eloise fall asleep in the car seat be it in the plane, Uber, or restaurant. Sometimes….
5) Hand Sanitizer - Courtney and I should seriously just buy stock in EO hand sanitizer. We use it for our hands multiple times through out the day when we travel and to clean off the back of plane seats and table tops when we go out to eat.
6) Silicone Bottles for Shampoo and Soap - These are great for when you have a brand of baby soap and shampoo that you can’t just buy anywhere. These are TSA approved and hold enough soap and shampoo for us to use for a week.
7) Empty Cosmetic Bottle for Branch Basics - Branch Basics is a fantastic cleaning product that we use for everything at home. Courtney took an empty cosmetics bottle with a spray nozzle and we filled it with Branch Basics so that we can clean Eloise’s toys when she drops/throws them emphatically on the ground.
8) Car Seat Cover - Like the cover for the travel crib, this helps Eloise sleep when in her car seat.
9) Inflatable Bath Tub - This was one of those items that we bought before we went to Austin not knowing how it would work out and now we still use it 4-5 times a week at home. Eloise loves taking baths in it and I love the fact that when deflated it can be packed into a small space and that it cost less than $10.
10) Southwest Airlines - I’m not sure if this is much of a tip, and honestly we have only flown with Eloise on Southwest so far, but Southwest appears to be very family friendly. If you are familiar with how Southwest boards, you may find it nice to know that family boarding is between Group A and Group B which has allowed our family to sit together on all four of our flights so far.
Excited to be going home with Southwest.
Listen, traveling with a baby is hard. I’m no expert and I’m sure that I’ll learn something new every time we go on a family trip. I just compiled this list of things that I thought might be helpful for any other dads out there that are stressing about an upcoming trip. The last and most important tip is to not sweat the small stuff and have fun. Things won’t always go according to plan. Sometimes a bird will poop on our daughter. What’s important is to be flexible, be prepared, and be aware when you are standing under a power line full of birds.
- Daniel Kahn