1. Hand sanitizer. That is all I need to say.
2. Chill out. Your baby will not stay on his schedule. There will be times when people will want to see you during his normal nap time. You will inevitably have to nurse out in public. Once I let go of my worry over every little thing, I found that Jonathan was much more adaptable than I would have thought. He actually enjoyed all the commotion sometimes, I think. He loved meeting all the new people and getting lots of attention, and they enjoyed getting the time with him.
3. Don't worry if you can't chill out. There is a lot going on. Sometimes you just need to have a freak out. And sometimes your baby needs you to step in and enforce nap time/WD40 on door hinges/everyone scrubbing their hands/etc.
4. Bring Tylenol and your thermometer (and an otoscope if you are a paranoid PA). I was basically convinced most of our trip that Jonathan had a fever, but no one had a good thermometer that I TRUSTED. I cannot even tell you how many times the thought ran through my head "Why didn't I just pack that stupid thermometer?" (I would have loved to have my otoscope handy so I could have glanced in his ears to check for infection, but I realize that may have been overkill...)
5. Nurse in a quiet place. This would not have been on the list about a month ago. Developmentally, Jonathan is now at the stage where he is noticing everything going on around him. Add that to a room full of things going on around him, and nursing becomes a challenge. Nursing him in a quiet place was the best way for him to actually get a full feeding, and provided some good mommy time to reconnect in the middle of a hectic day.
6. Pack a laundry bag. I am embarrassed to put this on here, because I am certain that everyone else in the country has always been doing this. I always intend to bring a laundry bag while traveling, but ALWAYS forget, until this trip. We brought the wet bag that we use for our cloth diapers (it was clean, of course), and it worked great for throwing things in and keeping the dirty away from the clean. I've never had to do much laundry while traveling BUT of course that has now changed with the little one.
7. Don't forget your cell phone. Or, do forget it if you want the freedom for a couple weeks.
8. Don't travel anywhere without grandparents around. Seriously, we could not have done this trip without some MAJOR help from our parents! My mom and dad took care of Jonathan so much during the wedding weekend. I don't know what we would have done without them. Also, grandparents love your kids the most and it is super fun to watch them together.
9. Diaper disposal bags. They make these handy little plastic bags that are scented and are great for putting stinky diapers into. Your hosts appreciate these.
10. Remember you are mommy. You know your baby best. You know what he needs. A lot of other people will try (in a good way) to tell you what he needs, but if it goes against your gut, tune into that gut! I really noticed on this trip just how well I know my baby. And just how much he needs me.
3. Don't worry if you can't chill out. There is a lot going on. Sometimes you just need to have a freak out. And sometimes your baby needs you to step in and enforce nap time/WD40 on door hinges/everyone scrubbing their hands/etc.
4. Bring Tylenol and your thermometer (and an otoscope if you are a paranoid PA). I was basically convinced most of our trip that Jonathan had a fever, but no one had a good thermometer that I TRUSTED. I cannot even tell you how many times the thought ran through my head "Why didn't I just pack that stupid thermometer?" (I would have loved to have my otoscope handy so I could have glanced in his ears to check for infection, but I realize that may have been overkill...)
5. Nurse in a quiet place. This would not have been on the list about a month ago. Developmentally, Jonathan is now at the stage where he is noticing everything going on around him. Add that to a room full of things going on around him, and nursing becomes a challenge. Nursing him in a quiet place was the best way for him to actually get a full feeding, and provided some good mommy time to reconnect in the middle of a hectic day.
6. Pack a laundry bag. I am embarrassed to put this on here, because I am certain that everyone else in the country has always been doing this. I always intend to bring a laundry bag while traveling, but ALWAYS forget, until this trip. We brought the wet bag that we use for our cloth diapers (it was clean, of course), and it worked great for throwing things in and keeping the dirty away from the clean. I've never had to do much laundry while traveling BUT of course that has now changed with the little one.
7. Don't forget your cell phone. Or, do forget it if you want the freedom for a couple weeks.
8. Don't travel anywhere without grandparents around. Seriously, we could not have done this trip without some MAJOR help from our parents! My mom and dad took care of Jonathan so much during the wedding weekend. I don't know what we would have done without them. Also, grandparents love your kids the most and it is super fun to watch them together.
9. Diaper disposal bags. They make these handy little plastic bags that are scented and are great for putting stinky diapers into. Your hosts appreciate these.
10. Remember you are mommy. You know your baby best. You know what he needs. A lot of other people will try (in a good way) to tell you what he needs, but if it goes against your gut, tune into that gut! I really noticed on this trip just how well I know my baby. And just how much he needs me.
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