Eight tips for traveling with a baby

Hi, Sarah here. We recently returned from our first transatlantic voyage with Baby E, and Tye suggested I write a post reflecting on what we’ve learned along the way.  Here are eight tips for traveling with a baby:

1. Let it go.

Traveling disrupts your normal routine, and isn’t that part of why we travel? We want to see new things, challenge ourselves, and learn other ways of seeing the world. When you travel with a baby, all of that gets called into question. At home, Baby E has a pretty reliable sleep schedule. I was pretty nervous about how travel would disrupt our routine. After all, I had just read a book that explicitly stated how terrible it was for your baby to sleep in the car or on a person. Now we were going to cross several time zones and go sightseeing during her naptime??? What were we, crazy? Some people would say yes. But truthfully it was all fine. Really. We did try to maintain some semblance of a schedule. We timed walks and drives for naptimes. Sometimes her naps were too short. Sometimes she was cranky. But she was totally fine! 

2. Jet lag is a nonissue for babies (and for sleep-deprived mamas).

On a related note, jet lag did not affect Baby E AT ALL. It also didn’t really affect me… probably because I have not slept a full night in over seven months. So I’m used to feeling tired… ha. We also benefitted from the rather clinical looking bassinet that United hooked us up with on the flight to Brussels. The airplane bassinets look more like baby straightjackets than a sweet place to put your little angel, but they did the trick. After some fussing, Baby E conked out, and this mama got to enjoy a plastic cup of wine and a little snooze. 

3. Life is easier as a country mouse.

When you travel with a baby, you travel with more stuff. Even if you try to be a minimalist, it’s impossible to fit everything into a backpack. During this trip, we rented a car for the majority of our time and drove around the countryside of eastern Belgium and Luxembourg. Then we ditched the car to spend the last few days in Brussels. Our travels went much more smoothly when we had the car to fit all our stuff into! Cities, especially old cities built before the need for massive parking lots, are not designed for babies and all of their paraphernalia. In the future, we will be avoiding them altogether, I think!

4. Life is also easier in one place.

Our pre-baby itineraries were a whirlwind – one night here, one night there, always on the go. Post-baby, there is a lot more stuff (and a baby), so packing up and moving from place to place is not ideal. (Have you ever tried to pack up multiple bags and a travel crib while a baby is screaming? It’s not an experience I treasure.) Plus I am a bit of a nester. My favorite parts of the trip were when we had whole apartments to spread out in for at least two nights. Then I could set up a good baby zone complete with sleep space, blankets on the floor for playtime, a makeshift changing table, and everything else her little heart could desire (that we had with us.)

5. Have low expectations.

Tye has given me this advice for years, and it always ruffled my feathers. Why should I not hope to have the best experiences when we travel? After all, we will probably never be in x place again. It wasn’t until we traveled with Baby E that his advice really sank in and began to make sense. Anyone with a baby can tell you that plans + babies often do not go together! Traveling really brings that into focus. There were countless places I read about in our Lonely Planet guidebook that we didn’t have time to get to. At the start of every day, I had to train myself to think, “it would be nice to see that, but we probably won’t get to it.” And I was usually right. The other side of the coin is that traveling with a baby forces you to slow down and really appreciate where you are in that moment. No, I didn’t see every corner of the old walls of Luxembourg City. But I did sit in a beautiful corner of the old city while I nursed Baby E and took in the breathtaking scenery.  

6. The kindness of strangers is infinite.

Traveling with a baby earns you constant sympathy from strangers. Everyone from our fellow passengers on the plane, to our AirBnB hosts, to other diners at restaurants, to grocery store cashiers wanted to make silly faces at E and help us out. It’s a good reminder that people are generally good and having a cute baby doesn’t hurt. 

7. Be kind to the airline personnel.

The United gate agents changed our seats (coming and going from Europe) so that we could have more room for a bassinet. Normally you have to pay hundreds of dollars extra for these “premium coach” seats, but not us. When we arrived at the airport, we made a point of talking to the gate agent about our need for a bassinet. We were also nice, smiled, and probably looked somewhat frazzled. I saw other parents and babies in the way back of coach, so I can only assume that they didn’t make a point of talking to the gate agents like we did. It pays to make connections with people who can help you. Those gate agents have more discretion than you might think. 

8. Mama needs her alone time. 

During my normal Nashville life, I get windows of time away from Baby E. I go to work, I go to the dentist, and sometimes I even get to go get a massage! When we are traveling, I am constantly with Baby E, and it takes more of an effort to get a break. During our last trip to Europe, Tye watched our sweet baby girl twice – one time while I went out to dinner and another time when I went to an art museum. Both outings were lovely and a great opportunity for me to recharge and reset.

Reflecting on eight tips for traveling with a baby

Traveling with a baby is a constant learning process, made even more challenging since she is always changing, too! If you have any tips for me, please comment! I would love to hear them.