When thinking about traveling with a 5 month old I almost had a panic attack. How will I diaper him (since we cloth diaper)? How will I pump and store breast milk? What if I forget something he will need? How will he be in the car for that long? ::home alone face:: AHHHHHHH! I'm typing this on the drive home from a fantastic first vacation with tips and tricks to help (also, forgive my grammar since I'm typing this on my phone). This is my info based on a 5 day driving trip to central Cali.
What do I pack?
We packed enough clothes for each day plus a few extra. Bibs. Burp cloths (altho since we can't wash them and they take up space we only packed 3 and used wipes for most things). I can admit that I over packed his toys and really only needed 3, 2 of which were attached to his car seat. Since we were with relatives he needed less toys and barely used any of them. We brought our swing but only used it once so we could have done without that. Stroller for sure. His Bumbo with a tray was awesome to use as a traveling high chair during rice cereal time. My pump with my car adapter (I'll go more in to detail in another section). Diapers and wipes (which i will also address below). Baby wash, brush, towel and washrag. First 2 nights he hung out with me in the tub and the other 2 I filled the tub up with only an inch or two of
Water and layed him flat to bathe him. I also brought those mats that go in highchairs or shopping carts which I used as a play mat as well. First aid kit including baby Tylenol and Benadryl just in case.
Breast feeding on the go:
I do have a great double pump with a car adapter that I used. I recommend bringing it just in case if u have one. I did not bring enough bottles but I think that was best anyway. I brought 4 bottles that hold about 6 oz. they were all full on the first night. Luckily we had a fridge in our room. But I didn't bottle feed him at all during the day. He gets 3oz bottle at night as apart of his sleep routine and I needed 1 oz for his cereal. Other than that, the milk just sat in the fridge until I poured it out for our drive home. I did not want I travel back with milk in the car for several hours. The first day I would only feed jaxon in a private room away from everyone. The next day he was hungry and someone was in the spare room so I just used my cover and fed him right in front of everyone. When traveling and breast feeding be flexible! We stopped every few hours so that I could change him and feed him. We did not wait until he got cranky but instead planned to stop every 2-3 hours. I sat in the back seat and nursed in parking lots with my cover on. Easy peasy. As for his cereal, I mentioned that I pumped milk while driving to mix and fed him in his Bumbo. One last tip is to wear layered clothing for feeding. I must have had 3 shirts and a nursing tank/bra on in order to stay covered and still have easy access. Plan ahead! (I keep coming back to this point to add things). If u need to hear the baby bottle in the car, use the heater and put the bottle in front of the vent.
Diapering:
I originally picked a hotel that had a laundry facility and planned on washing my cloth diapers. However, as we got closer to the trip i realized that I would really like to spend all my moments enjoying my family and not doing laundry. I decided to get disposable hybrid inserts. I bought Flip and Grovia. The Flip brand are longer, more absorbent and feel nicer to the touch than the Grovia. They do not stop blow outs (either brand) so I am glad that I brought 7 covers to rinse off and dry. The covers generally stopped the blow outs from getting on his clothes (except once) so that was ok. Also, we had to buy regular wipes (why use cloth wipes with posie diaps?) Jaxon didnt have any adverse reaction to the diapers and requested (screamed) to be changed just as often as cloth diapers. I'm satisfied with the Flip brand. Also, when we were close to running out, I was able to google where to buy them in CA and found a neat shop called EcoBambino in San Luis Obispo. Don't be afraid to improvise a changing area in the car or even on the car. We changed him in the back seat and on the hood.
What to do about him in the car?
I was so lucky that my son was an angel! He slept the entire time. As I said, we planned to pull over every 2-3 hours to feed and change him BEFORE he got cranky. He would be awake for a few minutes playing and then fall back asleep. We attached his binkie to his shirt with a clip so he could grab it as needed and he was a happy boy. There was one time that he was hungry mid way between stops so I gave him some of the milk I had pumped and heated it with the heater vent.
I think the most important thing to remember is that you are on vacation so enjoy yourself. If you aren't going to a secluded place then pack best you can but realize that you can purchase forgotten items or learn to live without them. It's scary to leave the comfort and routine of everyday life with a new baby but it's good for them to get out and experience the world and good for you to get out of your routine to learn new things!
