Jet Set – Travel to Jamaica with our Little One

K getting comfy for his second trip. Photo: @thisiseyecandytoronto

We are off again, this time to Jamaica for a wedding. Last time we travelled, he was 2.5 months. Now he will be 7 months. Here is our list of top tips from our travels the first time, followed by an itemized (to the last detail) list of what is in his (and our) suitcase.

Our first trip was to Mexico with a 2.5 month old. I was and still am breast feeding, with some bottles to supplement and he is sleeping in a travel crib. In Nuevo Vallarta, we had a dishwasher while there, but also boiled bottles on the stove to sterilize. We brought a carryon with his formula and diapers and packed his clothes with our stuff. Since he wasn’t mobile we had his infant car seat and stroller for the car rides and for getting around the condo, amenities and city.

For our Jamaica trip with a seven month old, skip to the next section.

FOR MEXICO

For a 14 day trip, here’s what worked for us:

-our regular infant carseat strapped into back seat of taxis and shuttle, rear facing, using seat belt
-some people hold their babies on transit (don’t know if you’re comfortable with this; I wasn’t)
-beware the cobblestone streets, it made wheeling a napping baby around a bit touch and go
-used coconut oil as sun protection (but kept him totally out of sun/shaded/screened)
-took a baby carrier, but it was quite hot to wear an infant! This was a good option for shorter trips
-people were so lovely with baby and very friendly.
-breast fed everywhere I went – literally everywhere.
-I was nervous for the flight, but fed him while I was going up and down
-take a change for baby (several) and for you (poop explosion on landing made me VERY happy I had a change of top (couldn’t change him due to turbulence)
-took a travel bassinet which was great cause we could drape it (no bugs and shaded) for when he slept indoors and out. It’s a small folding kind that fits easily in a suitcase and under the stroller.
-I took a small rolling suitcase of formula and extra diapers so we’d have what he is used to – ready to serve Good Start (so we didn’t have to mix at all).
-I had a drink while feeding or right after, which meant I didn’t need to dump. Fed him formula if I’d had more than one drink.
-Try not to be nervous. It was a great vacation, but the pace is TOTALLY different than before I had a baby (which I expected).

And I also have a few things to add to the list, now that baby will be older:

travelling with a baby I have considered bringing along my nursing pillow for the flight and a large outdoor blanket to use in the airport (one that folds up really nicely – that way when waiting at the airport and at the resort we can let him do floor time)
Having a roll of dog poop bags would be handy for diapers
Bring a plastic bag big enough to wrap around your baby in case of gate-side blowouts or deplaning incidents
quiet activities for the plane
hard bottomed shoes for when he wants to ‘walk’ around on public surfaces

FOR JAMAICA

We checked out a great photo popup museum called This Is Eye Candy for these fun family shots

GEAR

Graco Infant Carseat
Diaper Bag
Stroller gate-check bag
Collapsible umbrella stroller
Blanket/quilt
Jolly Jumper for playtime at the hotel and my in-laws’ house
clip on Inglesina travel high chair (also figure we can leave him in this at the table to play)
Inflatable pool floatie/chair with sunshade
Milk Snob stroller cover for shade in his carseat
UV/solar blocking bug net for stroller
Stroller pad with heat-reducing cushion
Carabiners for attaching diaper bag to the collapsible umbrella stroller
Mattress cover for hotel crib mattress (washable)
Beco baby carrier
one soft toy, a rattle and a few chew toys
baby stroller clip-on battery powered fan ** a mom friend recommended this!

Health and Care Products

Nosefrida and saline drops
Camelia and Coryzalia natural remedies for tummy upset and congestion
Infant Tylenol
Bottles (2)
Formula (premixed)
squeezie packs of food, baby Mum Mums, dissolving star crackers, baby oat cereal
diapers and swim diapers (plus reusable swim covers)
wipes
thermometer
sleep owl nightlight and sound machine
body wash and shampoo, lotion and diaper cream
2 baby spoons, 1 bowl, 1 360 sippy cup
noise cancelling headphones
sunglasses
bibs
Change of clothes in the diaper bag (2 for baby, one for mommy)
Vitamin D drops
Baby sunscreen
Anti-mosquito stickers for baby’s clothes
Baby cot mosquito net
Medication and vitamins for mommy (in my case, daily vitamin and Domperidone)
video monitor

Clothes

swim diapers (2)
rashguard suits (3)
towel (if there aren’t ones at the hotel) and washcloth
socks
3 pairs shoes
bibs (4 for drool, 3 for feeding)
3 footed sleepers
5 pairs of shorts
3 pairs of pants
2 hoodies
one long sleeve linen shirt
6 short sleeved bodysuit
13 shorties onesies (rompers). We figure he’ll go through two a day of these.
2 burp cloths, 3 large muslins (1 each for the plane)
change pad
wet-dry bag
2 swim hats, one cap
1 short romper for wedding. 1 longsleeve wedding ‘gentleman’s suit’

Off we go! Wish us luck and let us know if there is anything I forgot on this list!

Weekend Getaway

Mom and Babe

I love a quick jaunt out of town. Getting out of the house with baby is a must for this stir crazy new mom.

I headed to Niagara on the Lake, picturesquely snow-dusted and quaint, for four days – while my wife went to Montreal on location for a work shoot.

Travelling with little man is much easier with a solid place to land and since my parents retired in Niagara, it makes for an easy retreat … replete with breweries, trivia nights, great restaurants and all the charm of a turn of the century village – (plus nana and papa’s house has lots of great toys).

Falling asleep early with the moon over the snowy orchards is also pretty sweet. As is having a few extra sets of hands to make showering and brushing your hair possible.

Niagara on the lake, NOTL to the locals, makes for a nice relaxing staycation (with family). And just like that, our little babe is 15 weeks old. We played cards, ate half priced filet mignon burgers and beer tastings. It gave us both a chance to get dressed up to go out.

At Oast House Brewery a gentleman came up to tell us that my son was the best dressed person in the bar. In buffalo plaid, he matched the barkeep and was channeling Gaston (in style only) for an Uber-ironic nod to lumberjacks and small-batch-brewing hipster style.

Side note: If you ever wondered who goes to breweries and keeps them open on a weekday?…it’s a popular meetup spot for nursing Moms. No lie. Seriously… we were at Henderson’s Brewery in Toronto last week, in a snowstorm, on a Tuesday and it was FULL of mommies with babes in arms.

Cheers to another beautiful week with this little guy!

Where is your favourite go-to quick getaway?

Travel with Baby

style

Planning our trip to Mexico with a two month old, was a great challenge for these new moms. It was a grand success. Check out the photos at the end. Drumroll…here is what we packed:

Infantino Carrier
Travel bassinet
wipes
diapers and swim diapers
formula (pre-mixed or concentrate)
birth certificate, parent letter and passport
breast pads/washable inserts
pump (we skipped this since I’m now producing enough milk on my own, with some formula top-ups)
bottles and tops, enough to have spares
lactation aide (we also skipped this)
baby shampoo, creams (diaper cream, lotion, etc.), bug repellent (safe for babes)
rashguard, swim diaper, sunhat and sun glasses
baby headphones
pacifier/soother
clothes
carseat, base (or learn to safely install without the base), stroller attachment
changes of clothes for you
I’m investigating, in advance of travel, to see if our destination stocks the formula, diapers and other things we like for baby. If we can avoid taking a week’s supply, that will really save on space
Also, look up whether breast feeding in public is safe/legal/recommended in your destination
Sleep Sheep or white noise machine
medications (like Domperidone, for me)
vitamins for you and vitamin D for baby
coconut oil for sun protection for the babe
a UV protecting cover for the stroller. Jolly Jumper makes a great one and Milk Snob has a great cover that doubles as a nursing screen
Diaper cream and corn starch
Baby paper and some simple toys (we ended up getting some beautiful, colourful pompom garlands in a market, which he couldn’t take his eyes off. These now hang over his change table! But careful that he isn’t unsupervised, as with anything that involves string)
Nosefrida (for air travel and stuffiness)
Infant Tylenol
Gripe Water if you have a gassy baby

We upgraded our tickets and baby’s first trip was in Business Class.

First Class Flyer – extra leg room, wider seats and a bulkhead gave us ample room for him. No tears at all on either flight to and from Mexico! Bravo little traveller!

This was the main entrance to the condos we called home for two weeks.

Watching the sunrise. Three generations.

For Clothes, we knew we’d have access to in-suite laundry, so we packed:

Bibs

Layettes

Shorts and pants

Short-onesies/rompers (this was the majority of the outfits)

Pajamas – for the plane and at night with the A/C

Burp cloths and muslin wraps

Socks

A knit jacket/sweater for air conditioned spaces and the plane

Swimsuits/rashguard

Sunglasses

Hats

Copy of his birth certificate, immunization record, passport, health card

Swimming with baby was an amazing first.

We loved all the time with each other, with him and with our family. For the rest of the trip photos, scroll down, past the last of the items from our travel must-haves.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Fanny pack, a carry on for us, carry on Diaper bag, small purse, big suitcase x 2 (one for us and one for all the baby stuff), a small suitcase of diapers and formula.

We made a call to set up/confirm our travel insurance/health insurance, etc.

We arranged a cat and house sitter, and also opted to use the Park ‘N Fly valet service (plus detailing) so we came home to a happy cat, safe home and a clean car.

Adios, Mexico and Gracias for a great first vacay with our blossoming family.

Hot Mama, with our Milk Snob Stroller cover

Hard to believe our little one is 11 weeks old!

What are your travel must-haves? Share your faves in the comments!

Country Showers Bring Sweet … Horses!

Indulge

Ever since I was little girl, I’ve had an obsession with horses and ponies. When a friend of mine, who just happens to live on an equestrian farm, offered to host a baby shower for us it didn’t actually occurred to me what that meant: horses would be part of our fall shower!

Thank you, Shan, for the most warm and loving day of celebration. I’m grateful – always.

Turns out that my shower dress matches our nursery! It was a short drive out to the country – for cake, food, great friends and an autumn walk around the farm.

StyleSaVie

Life lived beautifully.

two mommies