Hi! My travels have slowed down and changed a bit. I had a beautiful baby boy in June 2019 and have taken him on four weekends away so far. All weekends away were to scenic places in Wisconsin and went very well. They went so well, I wanted to share my tips and tools to help vacationing with a baby under 12 months old fun!

• Don’t assume they are going to sleep a majority of the time even if you leave during their nap or bedtime. They will likely nap a good chunk at the beginning and give you false hope for the journey ahead.
• If you have a very young baby (under 6 months), bring all the things to help the baby sleep where you are sleeping or so they can sleep while you are doing your activities.
  • One trip we mostly stayed at a friends cabin and played out on the lake so we legit brought the baby’s swing, Podster and the Pack N Play for day and nighttime sleeping.
  • Another trip, we were only in the AirBNB when we were sleeping so we made sure that we used the stroller with the infant car seat and a baby carrier so he could get his naps in during the day. 😊

• Bring an actual changing pad, not just a travel type mat. We crafted a pretty sweet changing station in the back of our truck. 🙂

• Use some kind of carrier like this to keep diapers, creams, wipes, etc. easily grabbable and organized.
• Bring every type of pajama you can think (sleeper, short sleeved onesie, long sleeved onesie, etc.) because wherever you are staying will likely not be the same temperature as your house.
• Pack planned outfits so you don’t end up with below exhibit A, poor little guy!

• Use all of the same sleep helpers you use at home, even if it seems like a ridiculous amount of things!
  • Ex: sound machine, stuffed animal, blackout curtains, monitor (for your sanity).
• Be willing to adapt to any situation as this is unfamiliar territory and he will likely need help getting comfortable, especially comfortable enough to nap and sleep.
  • On our last trip, our baby was 13 months and he absolutely REFUSED to nap in his pack and play even though he would sleep fine in it all night. On a whim, we tried having him nap in our bed and it worked like a charm. We made it as safe as possible with oodles of pillows and watched him like a hawk on the monitor but he was out in seconds of his head hitting the mattress.

The bottom line is go into the trip with the goal of ‘going with the flow’ to avoid frustration as much as possible and be prepared to bring 20 times more things than you ever thought you could need.

Good luck mama, traveling is worth it!!