Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

The definition of a long trip can of course vary – but I am including anything where you will be away overnight, whether involving such delights as a foreign holiday or just a trip to your parents in the next town.

What happens and what you take will depend upon your transport – if you are going in your own vehicle there is probably room for everything, but will you need a cot at the other end or is baby small enough to remain in a carry cot or even to fit into a dresser draw? Can you beg, borrow or hire a travel cot? If going a long distance you may of course be going by plane. Do book a sky cot well in advance and then check nearer the time that the company really realise that you have a tiny baby with you.

Ok, so flying with a baby can seem like it would be a nightmare. And sometimes, honestly, no matter what you do, there will be awful moments that no amount of planning could avoid. But, with a little preparation and good organization, you and your baby can be flying like pros and even enjoying your trips together through the air.

First of all, do not bring any more stuff with you onto the plane than you have to. Pretty much all you should have with you is your baby, a bag, and perhaps a car seat for the baby if you have purchased or lucked into an empty seat (mind you, after 20+ flights with babies, I've only been seated next to a free open seat twice).

Every fall, my husband and I join his family for a week long vacation at the beach. For ten years we rented the same house in Sandbridge, VA. After new owners took over and renamed the house Dojo, we still continued to call it Quarters One, as it always would be for us. Eventually, as the neighborhood began to change, we moved our vacation further south, to the beaches of the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

When we started this yearly tradition, there were no kids in the family, but we all looked forward to our first week at the beach once we had them. My husband and I were the first. We actually missed that first year at the beach because our son was due the week of vacation. The next year, we experienced the beach through the eyes of our one-year-old son. It was a magical year for all of the family. After several years of reigning supreme as a singleton, he finally became a big brother.

As harrowing as it can be to travel to the airport, schlep all your stuff (and baby!) through the security checkpoint and then all the way across the terminal to the gate that is absolutely the farthest one from where you entered the airport (and trust me, it will always be that gate), and then cool your heels for two hours at the gate because you did such an awesome job of getting to the airport ahead of time…as harrowing as all that can be, the scariest part of any travel experience is actually flying on the plane with your baby.

Will your baby have seven dirty diapers in a row? Spit-up on the person sitting in front of you while you are standing and digging frantically through the overhead compartment for the bag with the burp cloths? Scream so loudly and persistently that the flight attendants make you exit the plane mid-air?