Lightly? Are you kidding? No, if you have kids, there’s no such thing as traveling lightly. It’s more like “Have Children, Will Travel Like a Freakin’ Pack Mule.” Consider my checklist for my airplane carryon in light of our upcoming trip:
THE BARE NECESSITIES:
–Diapers, lots of them
–Plastic bags, lots of them for dirty diapers or spit-up-saturated clothing
–Burpcloths, lots of them (yes, my 9-month-old still frequently hurls and now that she’s eating solids, her spit-up comes in a rainbow of colors)
–Snacks, lots of them, including Puffs, Cheerios, crackers, raisins, Power Bars (for Mommy and Daddy; we may need the extra power), etc.
–A few jars of baby food and a couple of baby spoons
–Bibs
—My Modest Mum nursing cover
–17 pacis or thereabouts
–Sippy cups
–Distractions for an antsy baby and/or preschooler, including a small stuffed animal, Color Wonder coloring books, a board book or two, a few plastic figurines, teethers, etc.
–The baby’s elephant lovey
–Gum for popping ears
–Tylenol (both adult and kids)
–Several $5 bills in case we need to buy drinks for everyone around us to make up for a crying baby and/or a whiny preschooler*
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY:
–Two changes of clothing for baby and preschooler
–Change of shirt for Mommy
–Manual breast pump
–One receptacle for storing pumped breastmilk
–A few spare pacifiers
IN CASE OF A MIRACLE:
–A novel and magazine for me to read during the flight
*I cannot claim this idea as my own. I credit a friend of mine who recently braved flying alone with her 9-week-old and upon the suggestion of her husband, tucked a few extra $5 bills into her purse just in case her baby had a marathon crying jag and she needed to make nice with her fellow passengers. I spoke with her today and she fortunately returned home with her cash.
Both of my kids kept “spitting” (as the doctors around me called it) until well after their first birthdays. You’re getting close! :-)
Good luck with your travels!
I hear that! We traveled quite a bit with Isabel and oh the stuff! We haven’t traveled as much with Alexis, but the looks we got with our double stroller and bags with the carseats! I’m afraid of how many people we hit with our stuff. We’ll have to keep the $5 idea in mind for our next trip!
I hope you have a good time!
Lol!!How stinkin’ true!!!! We traveled with my son when he was ten months – it is quite crazy and I can’t imagine when having two. I had to change him in the airplane… AHH! What’s up with no room for changing???? It was quite the adventure. Good luck and hope you have fun. I like the modest nursing covers!!!