Traveling with a Baby:
The First 3 Months
In this post I’d like to share a bit of what we, idiot novice parents, have learned during the past few months, and given that we tend to live a more minimalist lifestyle, what gear (baby stuff) we have found is worth bringing along for the adventure.
It would be an obvious understatement to say that traveling with a baby has been an adventure. We have battled with sleep deprivation, seemingly endless ear piercing melt downs, and countless diapers filled with pungent concoctions that apparently I can barely stomach the smell of (fortunately Ellen is immune). What has been surprising to us is that our grand theory of child rearing (explained about half way through this post) on the road has yet to back fire on us.
For those of you new to our story we welcomed Kinley into the world exactly 12 weeks ago as I write this (Here is her intro) . In those 12 weeks we have continued to make a point of adventuring as closely to as we would have if she had never joined us. We have hiked up to 12,000ft in the snow to eat lunch besides a turquoise alpine lake, we moved 1,400 miles across the country, in separate cars, to begin a new contract, and we have even spent a chilly night camping out with old friends in Daniel Boon National Forest. Sure, maybe the pace has slowed some and our fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants style is a bit cramped, but all in all we have been shocked by how much exploring we have still been able to do with this little 11 pound poop filled narcissist in tow.
The last 3 months have been elucidating in a number of ways. Briefly, Id like to share a few of the highlights with you.
What we have learned:
Babies Grow Fast!
Besides the standard “Oh, they just grow up so fast!” BS, they really do grow super fast. Dont waste your money on new clothes when perfectly good used clothes are available from friends or thrift stores. Kinley only fit her initial newborn onesies for 3 weeks, and has since outgrew many of her 3-6mo. ones as well (we have also learned that sizing in baby clothes is a crap shoot). We totally understand the urge to buy tons of cute outfits for your little one, but they grow up so fast you’ll end up wearing everything just once before its too snug for your “little snuggle bear.”
Yes, you actually need that many baby wipes.
We bought these from Amazon for $10.82 total. That is 480 wipes for under 11 bucks. It lasted us slightly longer than a month. You can never have too many wipes…
Babies are Malleable
The most liberating piece of information we have received during this early parenthood process was found in the pages of one of the dozen or so “Parenting 101” type books we have been gifted and I have attempted to read – to date, Ellen has not read one parenting book. I honestly cannot remember which book it was, but the advice helped us better understand our little bear. To paraphrase it said, Babies are wired for survival. Any new or novel stimuli may be interpreted as scary or dangerous, until sufficiently proven otherwise.
The statement deeply resonated with me. Being the sort of non-conformist that I am, I naturally resist doing something based on “conventional wisdom” or following the status-quo (case in point, our entire lifestyle). For me, idiot new dad, the idea of swaddling our baby tightly with blankets in the late August Colorado heat was insane. So I resisted doing it, and Kinley would cry until tightly wrapped and overly warm again. All she wanted was to be in an environment that most closely resembled the mothers womb. It was all she knew at that time.
Extrapolating upon this thought we have been able to better condition Kinley for a wide variety of circumstances. If we are going into a loud banquet hall in the center of the Las Vegas strip we make sure she is fed, warm, and physically tightly secured to one of us. Going on a hike that might take 3-4 hours – we are sure to come prepared for every eventuality that could take place in that time frame. Nursing blanket, change of diaper, change of onesie, change of another onesie, change of mom or dads shirt… you get the idea.
The amazing thing about the last 12 weeks has been how in controlling the variables that we can, as best we can, she has adapted to more and more “new and novel stimuli.” A light rainfall on a baby’s face when its cold and windy is a sure fire way to start a melt down, but a light rainfall on a baby that is shielded from the wind and kept warm all over has actually turned into some of the most wonderful astonished baby faces a parent will get to see. (if you are not familiar with the “astonished baby face” once you do see it even the coldest heart will melt.)
For the most part, we have learened babies can be cared for anywhere and at any time. It is just up to the parents to have the foresight to anticipate how many new and unusual things the little one can be exposed to in rapid succession.
*One caveat – feeding times are largely non-negotiable, unless you want a very hangry baby, and should stay that way. Feed them when they are hungry, don’t feed them if they are not. Try to get some rest in between.
When baby sleeps, so should you
This brings us to the final great baby realization. When baby sleeps, so should you! Being a working father with an unbelievable stay at home mom on baby duty this largely does not apply to me. However, I’ll put words in Ellen’s mouth by further emphasizing this point.
Kinley feeds 2-3 times every night after being put down around 8 o’clock. Feedings are often around 1 AM, 3 AM and occasionally 5AM. Now, if we were intelligent parents we too would go to bed at 8 o’clock. Going to bed when she does would ensure at least one extended bout of sleep (5hrs) before the feeding frenzy begins. But alas, we are not so sharp, and habitually stay up until 10:30 or 11:00 at night. For Ellen this means her nights sleep consists of multiple one-two hour “sleeps” stretched throughout the night. Fortunately, Kinley snoozes for a few extra hours after the second or third feeding so Ellen can soak up a few more precious hours during the mid-morning, otherwise this pattern would be wholly unsustainable.
Only recently, at Ellen’s desperate request, have we begun to pack it in a little earlier at night. El has also been trying to set aside her endless to-do list and nap during the day when Kinley does. Overall Ellen’s sleep situation is improving. Kinley is a solid sleeper and only fusses when she truly needs something – to feed, or have snot suctioned out of her nose (another new parent realization), etc. I also do my best to give her a slight respite on the weekends by taking baby girl out of the bedroom and tending to her various needs so El can slumber a bit deeper and for much longer.
How to travel with a baby minimalist style
“How are you going to travel with all that baby stuff?” The answer is simple, we have less baby stuff.
Traveling with a baby does not have to be so stuff intensive. Nowadays travel gear for babies is so well made that it can easily be used for daily use. We have found little need for a special changing table, a couch cushion or old dining table with a changing pad over top work perfectly.
Below are a few of our go to items that have made traveling with baby Kinley an easier endeavor than initially thought.
Car breast pump charger
Having a breast pump (often provided free by your insurance) is pretty much a must for anyone traveling considerable distances with a baby. If you want to be more efficient in your travels, having the ability to pump while on the move in the car is even better (obviously mom is not driving during the pumping). We opted for the Madela brand and bought the Madela car charger on Amazon to make road trips all together a less arduous affair.
El pumps in the front seat, fills a bottle, jumps in the back, straps in, and feeds baby girl right in the car seat. Doing this easily saves 45min a pop when compared to pulling over every time little girl needs milk.
Travel changing pad
Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play
Fisher-Price Take A Long Swing
Again, having something that can fold up is unbelievably handy for traveling. 
Helinox Rocking Chair
Ok, so this is most definitely not for everyone, 
Ellen had a feeling that our little girl would have an innate desire to be constantly in motion. Making the decision to splurge and get a rocking chair that we can literally take anywhere has surprisingly been super convenient.
So there you have it! 3 months distilled into under 2,000 words. Over the next few months we will be sharing more realizations and life lessons that we have had as we fumble our way through parenthood on the road. Stay tuned!
Written by: Stephen Stockhausen
