Traveling with an Infant

Elijah in Le Top's Fall 2011 "Ready for Takeoff" Footed Coverall

We are getting ready for our first flight with our four and half month old baby. Can I just say, I am more nervous about this flight, than possibly the labor of having the baby! Nothing is worse than being on a plane with a screaming baby, I can attest to that. I am terrified that we are going to be those people! So what can you do to make the flight go smoothly? Well, I asked that same question to google and here are some great tips that were pinged back (ok and some that our friends have shared with us too!)

1. Nurse that baby on the way up and the way down to help his ears pop, as babies do not have the ability to “naturally” clear their ears. Using a bottle or a pacifier is supposed to help as well.
2. Speak with a flight attendant when you first get on the plane to point you in the direction of the best changing area for your infant. Not all planes have changing tables.
3. We use expressed milk, so heating a bottle mid-air can be tricky. It’s best to nurse your baby in the air, or come prepared with a room temperature bottle. Unrefrigerated milk is good for 4-8 hours. (If you are on an overseas flight, you may want to plan ahead and check in prior to departure what options the crew can give you for warming a bottle.)
4. Bring a compact play mat, we have a small thin one, that you can put at your feet, so baby has some where to lay when he gets restless in your arms. Small toys that don’t make too much noise are also good distractions and won’t bother other passengers.
5. If all else fails, apologize to those around you and assure them you are doing the best that you can to calm the baby. Most people have been in your situation and should be at least sympathetic.

I will let you know how goes, and what worked best! If you have suggestions, please feel free to leave them in comments section below….it will be very appreciated!!!

Source: pregnancy.about.com

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Celeb Baby Stella…all decked out!

Please tell me everyone has “guilty pleasures,” right?  A few weeks ago I was lying in bed watching Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood.  Yup, I admit it; I do watch Tori & Dean!  The celebrity parents were headed up to Vancouver, BC because Tori was guest starring in an episode of Smallville (filmed in gorgeous British Columbia.) On their much documented plane ride with their children (Stella’s first!) she was dressed in our very comfy and appropriate for traveling rabbitmoon orchid tracksuit!  I jumped out of bed and started screaming “THAT’S OUR TRACKSUIT, THAT’S OUR TRACKSUIT!”  My husband thought I had gone berserk as he ran in the room and asked what on earth I was screaming about!  I, with some exasperation regarding his lack of knowledge regarding all things “celebrity” told him why I was so excited.  He started jumping up and down with me…just kidding, he didn’t really do that, but he was excited for us!  I contemplated calling Chris, but then thought better of it as it was 10:30 ++ at night!  Here is a great clip from Tori and Dean’s plane ride…just fast forward to 2:59 minutes to see the outfit… CLICK HERE

I have never been one to stop at one of anything… so I then searched the Oxygen network website and found Stella wearing one of our darling swimsuits from the le•top Tropical Paradise collection!  Check out this cutie.

Photo from Oxygen.com. Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. Click on photo to link to the site.

 LOVE THE STAR ATTITUDE…WOO HOO!

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Big Sis Knows What To Do

Last weekend we drove down to Los Angeles (from the Bay Area) for my cousin’s baby shower. The drive there was a piece of cake. It took us about 8 hours with only 2 stops. Amazing, considering we had a newborn. Meanwhile, my 4-year old was her usual self asking us what number to count to before we get to LA, and repeatedly asking, “Are we there yet?” (Click here to read about our memorable trip to San Diego.)

The drive home was a completely different story. It took us almost 12 hours with so many stops that I vowed never to drive a long trip like that ever again! For some reason, my 3-week old was hungry EVERY HOUR. “Didn’t I just feed you?” And other times he would howl and cry, and we couldn’t figure out why. He wasn’t hungry. He wasn’t wet. He wasn’t hurt or sick. He just wanted to be on Daddy’s lap or in Mommy’s embrace. I guess I’d rather have that, too. But after so many stops for no reason other than to take him out of his car seat, we’d had enough. Our so-called “solution” was to let him scream in agony — while we listened in agony! Then, miraculously, Big Sis saved the day. Miranda sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and Paulo stopped crying! The first time it happened, we thought it was just luck. But it happened a couple more times, and it worked every time. One time she even sang a different song (some song from “High School Musical”), but it didn’t work. So we asked her to stick to his usual request because that’s what Paulo liked. She gladly complied.

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Why I loved the babywearing stage

…submitted by guest contributor: Dawn

No need for carting around a highchair...

When I was pregnant, I was gifted an “Over the Shoulder Baby Holder” (a baby sling) and “The Baby Book” by Dr. William Sears and Martha Sears, R.N.. These two gifts became great aids in my first years of parenting.

I had heard of the concept of babywearing which refers to using a sling or other kind of carrier to hold the baby on the parent’s body while they go about their daily activities like walking, doing chores, attending social gatherings.

The benefits to the infant from babywearing are that the baby feels close and secure to the parent (or caregiver), often the baby is happier and more content, and shows the baby (or growing toddler) how the world is an interesting place to explore from the viewpoint next to their parent.

We began to explore the various ways of carrying our daughter in the baby sling in our first big travels to Alaska when she was 10 weeks old. We spent a week of traveling, hiking (there was one incident of her nursing in the sling, while I was hiking on a trail following my husband trying to avoid the moose below us in the woods! – and my daughter was still happy!), and waiting in lines at restaurants. All the time my daughter was content, whether I was wearing her, or her Dad or a close friend was.

We had the car seat for driving and the airplane ride but it frequently stayed in the car as we explored.

As my daughter grew, we changed how she rode in the sling from a laying down position, to sitting up and seeing the world, to riding on one hip of mine as she became a toddler. This phase was especially nice to keep her near me in the sling and allow me to have a free hand. It also kept her out of trouble at times when we were in stores that didn’t have shopping carts.

I have since noted the growing industry (and therefore, choices!) of baby carriers – front packs, Maya wraps, etc. I’m glad the options are so varied now, making it easier to search for the style that fits best into lifestyles and fashion styles. My daughter even has her own child-sized baby sling so she can keep her baby doll close by while playing!

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