Tag Archives: travel

Vacation on hold

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I’m really itching for a vacation right about now. Our Mexico and DC trips were both canceled due to the Coronavirus. I’m not mad they were canceled. By no means do I want to be traveling right now with what’s going on. Even though our Mexico trip was at the start of the Corona spread, I still was uneasy about going. 😭

Although, it definitely stinks to get ready and packed for a vacation, then be told it’s not happening. I don’t love unpacking from a trip. But let me tell you, it way worse to unpack from a trip you never went on!

I’m not complaining though. I wasn’t ready to leave my boys just yet. Camden was only 7 months at the time we were supposed to go to Mexico. I know plenty of people travel without their children when they are at young ages. But I honestly just wasn’t ready for it. So the trip being canceled, while under terrible circumstances, worked in my favor. 💙

While I say I’m itching for a vacation, at this point I’d consider going anywhere outside of the house a vacation! 😂 I haven’t seen anything but my neighborhood (thanks to walks) and my house for the last few weeks. I could use a change of scenery. 😳

Camden’s second flight

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Camden’s second flight!

He did so great on the plane. We booked ourselves on the earliest flight so he slept the entire time and only woke up just a few minutes before landing.

We looked a bit ridiculous when we got our bags from baggage claim. We literally had 7 bags. 😂 But in our defense, one bag was the stroller, one was the car seat, and one was the golf clubs. So technically only 4 of them had clothing and other items. I of course needed his diaper bag, my husband brought his one bag, then I had to bring two bags. I packed Camden’s doc-a-tot in my large bag and it literally took up over half the bag. So a second small roller bag was necessary to fit our clothes. However, it was a bit comical to see two people and a baby with 7 bags. Thank god we flew with two friends because they were able to help us out.

This whole flying with an infant thing is becoming a breeze! As long as you schedule flights around sleep times, it makes it so much easier and less stressful!

Traveling with an infant

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Traveling with baby can be super easy, or incredibly stressful. I wanted to make it as easy as possible so I was the psycho crazy lady planning everything down to the minute. ⏰

We took the 7am flight out so Camden would sleep a good amount. He typically sleeps in till 7:30/8am as it is. Then naps about an hour after waking up. So I knew if we were on the plane at 7 he would sleep for at least an hour, wake to feed then go back to sleep. We got to the airport an hour and a half early, found the nursing room and cozied up. He fed and got a diaper change in a quiet room away from everyone. I made sure to feed him again right before take off to ensure the pressure didn’t bother his ears too much. If they’re swallowing it helps reduce some of that pressure they would feel.

I brought his boppy feeding pillow along. It’s kinda big and was just one more thing to carry, but he loves it. He loves to just lay on it when feeding or napping. I knew it would be a homey feel for him so I had to bring it. It actually made it easier and more comfortable for me to hold him on the plane. I put it in my lap and laid him on it. That left my hands free to reach for anything he or I needed.

He slept the first half of the flight. He woke up midway so I changed his diaper. SO glad they have put changing tables in airplane bathrooms! I was actually fearing changing his diaper till I saw the changing table. I literally was plotting how to position him laying on the toilet seat cover. 🤦🏼‍♀️

He fed one more time then fell asleep again and slept till just before we landed. When the plane started to descend to land, that’s when he woke up. He didn’t seem phased that he was in a new place. Just looked around at the people and next to us.

Strollers and car seats can be checked free. I checked mine before security instead of taking them all the way to the gate. Instead I brought my Bjourn front carrier and put Camden in that to go through security. It was easier than having to deal with the stroller. I would definitely recommend using a front carrier with an infant instead of a stroller if traveling alone.

I know everyone is different in their likes and needs, so to each their own! This is just what worked for me! I had zero stress, and I’m a high anxiety person typically. Planning out the trip around sleep times really is a must. And making sure you can travel without dealing with lots of unnecessary items is a huge help.

Traveling On Hold

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Well, my traveling days are over…..for a few months. I’m far enough along that it’s recommended I not travel anywhere far unless I’m prepared to possibly deliver somewhere unplanned! ❌

I’m a planner and I like comfort so I fully expect to deliver at my hospital of choice. I haven’t gone more than 30 minutes from my house just to be safe! Im probably being a little dramatic but better safe than sorry! 😂

We have a weekend vacation planned in October that I’m looking forward to. And yes, we will be taking little Camden with us! Ryder however will stay home with Gramma. There’s not enough things for a toddler to do there so he’d have more fun with his Gramma! Plus I literally fear taking a 2+ hour plane ride with a 3 month old and a 2 year old at the same time! Props to those moms that have done it! I have zero faith in myself and my kids to make it through the plane ride without multiple breakdowns and everyone on the plane hating us!🤷🏼‍♀️

First vacation away from the little guy

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We are off to Cabo tomorrow! I’m excited but also a little uneasy. Not because I don’t like traveling or anything. It’s because I hate leaving Ryder. I love spending every minute of every day with him so it’s really hard when I have to actually go DAYS without seeing him.

I know it’s healthy to have time as “adults” and take a break for yourself. But it’s just so hard! I feel like something is missing when I’m not with him. Plus everyone is always saying “enjoy it while it lasts.” I know there’s going to come a time where he doesn’t want to be around me all the time and will want to be off with his friends or on his own. So I feel like I need to take advantage of it now and soak up every minute with him while I can.

Lucky for him when we leave, he has 4 full days of fun planned with his grandmother. I literally think she has every minute of the day planned out with little adventures for them like the aquarium, Playstreet, etc. I know he will have a blast and be well taken care of.

I’m trying to remind myself that this time away could be good for him too. He gets to spend time alone with Gramma, which I never got to do much as a kid since one of my grandmothers passed very early and the other lived far away.

Letting go is hard. Even if it is just for a few days. Thank god for FaceTime!

Travel Season

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Travel season is here! For me at least. I’m right in the thick of cheerleading season. Im judging roughly one competition every other weekend. I’m traveling a little less this year than last year because of the new baby and Ryder. It is incredibly hard to sit at a competition for hours on end while pregnant. My back starts to hurt and my legs and feet swell from non movement. Not to mention sitting makes you tired and you’re already so tired from being pregnant as it is!

It’s also getting harder to leave Ryder. He’s becoming so aware of things. He knows when I leave for short periods and long periods. It’s one thing to leave him with a grandparent for an hour and come back to him. It’s a totally different feel knowing I’m leaving him for a weekend. It’s so hard to see his sad little face when I go.

How working parents and parents who travel for work say goodbye to their child every day is beyond me. You guys have some thick skin! Y’all deserve a medal. I’m such a weenie. There’s no way I could do this regularly. I’d be crying and just all out of sorts daily.

Car rides with toddlers

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When I told people we were taking Ryder to Lubbock, I swear every one of them got a look of horror on their face. Yeah yeah yeah I know, a 5 hour drive with a 1 year old isn’t ideal. But we wanted to go to the game and knew he’d have a great time

We planned accordingly. I downloaded lots of learning games on my iPad, packed tons of snacks and left an hour before nap time. Ryder is perfectly fine in the car for an hour. So we figured if he took an hour and a half nap, we already killed 2 1/2 hours right there! That left about 2 1/2 hours left to entertain him. If you aren’t familiar with Texas cities, Lubbock is roughly a 5 hour drive West of Dallas (4 1/2 if you go over 70 and don’t stop to go to the bathroom).

Everything worked out perfectly. He actually ended up sleeping a little longer than an hour and a half. When he woke up I crawled in the back seat with him and we played games, read books, ate some snacks and hung out. He didn’t get fussy till about 30 minutes outside of Lubbock. But let’s be honest, we were all getting a bit squirrelly at that point!

Car rides with small kids don’t have to be miserable if you can plan accordingly. I know you can’t always plan your trips to fit your child’s schedule but if you can I promise it’s worth it.

Here is my list of must haves for long car rides with a young toddler:

🔹Snacks

🔹Water

🔹Diapers/wipes

🔹Plastic bag/trash bag to throw trash in

🔹Backup outfit (you never know)

🔹Books, games, toys

🔹IPad loaded with movies and games

🔹Blanket in case they get cold but you are hot and need the air on

🔹Backup bibs if your kid is a drooler like mine

🔹Socks. Ryder’s feet always get cold in the car

If you’re one of those parents who doesn’t want their kid just sitting and watching movies, then download educational games! I found animal games that teach sounds, colors, etc for Ryder that he absolutely loves.

Like I said, car rides don’t have to be miserable. You can make them tolerable if you plan accordingly and bring enough things to entertain!

Traveling with an infant

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Traveling with an infant is definitely one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. I get really bad anxiety in situations I can’t control. So before our flight to Kansas City I was a complete wreck worried about Ryder being comfortable on the flight and at the hotel. Had I known how amazing he was going to be I probably could have spared myself the internal freakout.

My husband booked our flights around Ryder’s feeding and nap time which worked out perfectly. Before the plane took off I gave him a bottle. This helped with the pressure and it didn’t seem to bother his ears. After his bottle he fell asleep. I brought his favorite blanket and wrapped him in it because the plane was a little cold. He napped until about 15 minutes before we landed. He did wake up confused and cried a little because he didn’t know where he was. But we opened the sun shade of the window so he could see out and that did the trick! He looked out the window till we landed.

I may have OD-ed it on the packing. I had my backpack (diaper bag), small roller bag and large roller bag. I packed every toy known to man that would fit in my small roller bag. Yes I may have over done it with toys but I wanted to make sure he had everything he needed. In that same bag I packed diapers and wipes. In hind site it would have been smarter for me to just buy diapers and wipes at a store close to our hotel rather than stuffing them into a bag and taking up more space. But I wasn’t sure if a store would be in walking distance in case my husband took the rental car to the golf course. So I just jammed four days worth of diapers in my bag to be safe.

One thing I wasn’t prepared for was the hotel not having a bathtub. If you travel with an infant I recommend calling the hotel before to find out. Lesson learned. If you have ever showered with an infant then I’m sure you’re laughing right now. It is NOT an easy task. I kept our swimsuits on because we had just come from the pool and honestly I felt weird showering naked with my child. The swimsuits were the only thing that saved us. I can’t tell you how many times I almost dropped him because he was so slippery! Ever had a bar of soap in your hand that slipped out and you can’t seem to catch it with your hands and luckily do before it hits the ground? Ok this was nothing like that but it totally felt like it! The swimsuits at least gave us some sort of traction. But he definitely slipped a few times. Next time I will bring our blow up tub for him!

I worried about Ryder being comfortable in the hotel room since it was a new place. We let him stay up a little past his bed time to play in hopes that it would help his comfort level. It worked! He had a blast throwing toys across the room and chasing after them. I’m sure the people below us were wondering what the heck was going on, but hey whatever makes him happy!

As for sleeping, we didn’t want to check another bag so we left his travel bed at home and just let him sleep with us. Each night he curled up next to me and went right to sleep. I’m a back sleeper so I never worry about rolling over on him. I’m sure some people are shaking their heads at me for letting my 9 1/2 month old sleep in the bed and not in his own baby bed but I don’t care. He was safe and slept better with me than he would have in that bed. Plus, we did not need to be those people checking one more bag (we already had like 6).

Overall the trip turned out pretty great. I learned a few lessons for our next trip if we go anywhere again soon. And I’m glad to know Ryder is a good little travel companion!

Changing a diaper on a plane

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I deserve a medal. Actually any parent who has changed a baby diaper ON the airplane deserves a medal! Yesterday flying home from Kansas City, ten minutes into our flight, Ryder needed a diaper change. I asked a friend before we left what to do if this happens. She said she was lucky enough to get someone who was ok with her changing her little ones diaper right there in the seat. I however was not going to do that to the guy next to me. Not to mention, ryder doesn’t have the best smelling diapers, so the scent was sure to fill the plane. I decided to take a chance and go to the bathroom with him to change it there. It’s obviously been a long time since I used an airplane bathroom because I don’t remember them being that small! I laid ryder down on the toilet lid and placed a new, unwrapped roll of toilet paper under his head so it wouldn’t bang around with the turbulence. Only his upper body and half of his hind end fit on the toilet. The bottom half of him was just hanging off. I expected him to cry or be upset but he didn’t make a noise. I swear he had this look on his face that said “you got this Mom.” Because of the turbulence I had to keep one hand on him to keep him from rolling. I then used my knee to prop his hind end up from falling off the toilet. I had to use my elbow to hold the diaper in place while attaching the velcro piece with my hand. It felt like a game of twister. Somehow I managed to successfully clean him without getting anything on me, him or anywhere on the bathroom! It’s not the easiest thing to change a diaper one handed while on a plane with turbulence. However I sure felt like I won a big game walking out of that bathroom! At least now I know how to successfully do it! Do I want to do it again? Absolutely not!!