BEDTIME STORIES

HAVE BABY, WILL TRAVEL—IF YOU FOLLOW SLEEP COACH KATHY SINCLAIR’S TIPS BELOW

TRAVEL AND SLEEP

To most parents, travel and babies do not mix. Yes, the
mere thought of hitting the road with baby is enough to
make even the steadiest moms and dads shake.

The good news? A vacation with your little one is not only
possible, but it's much easier than you think.

Here's how.

Planning Your Trip

Direct flights are the way to go. A word to the wise: If you are stuck with a connecting flight, be sure to leave enough time to get to it. Rushing with a baby is not fun.

If your child falls asleep easily and stays asleep, schedule travel for during your child’s nap or sleep times. If you have a finicky sleeper, on the other hand, avoid traveling during usual sleep times, as your baby may just stay awake and be fussy.

If you have an infant, ask for the bulkhead (front row) and request a bassinet.

Contrary to popular advice, I think it’s best to avoid the bulkhead with older babies and toddlers because these seats offer neither under-seat space nor a seat pocket, so you'll have to store all your toys and supplies in the overhead compartment. Also, in the bulkhead, the food tray pops up from the armrest, effectively trapping you in your seat when your table is laden with food.

Don’t put your child in the aisle seat—the food cart and passengers carrying luggage could injure your child.

If you can afford it, I highly recommend that you buy a seat for your child because it is much safer for your child being in a protective seat on the airplane.

Packing Your Carry-On

The right carry-on bag can be a lifesaver. Make sure that your bag is easy to lift or roll, and that it falls within the airline's size limitations. Pack an organized bag with the following items:

• Lots of diapers (enough to carry you through an unexpected layover or delay)

• A baby blanket, which is good for multiple uses

• A diaper-changing pad in case you end up changing your baby on the floor or on a dirty changing table

• Plenty of snacks. Often, the only snacks on airplanes are peanuts, which are a major choking hazard for babies. Also, snacks are a great distraction for a bored or antsy child. Even if you’ve ordered a child’s meal, it might show up when your child is asleep or isn’t hungry, or your child may not like the menu. A few ideas for easy-to-tote snacks include:

	Baby food
	Dry cereal
	Pretzels
	Crackers
	Bagels
	Bread or rolls
	Dried fruit

• Drinks (remember to bring along a few sippy cups)

• Lots of new toys—or old favorites that have been hidden for a few weeks. Avoid noisy toys that will annoy fellow passengers. Great travel toys include:

	Crayons and a small pad or sticky notes
	Stickers and sticker books. (Sticker books have the advantage here: Their stickers are reusable if stuck on their specially surfaced pages, whereas a sticker placed on paper is there for good—which is fine, too, but a sticker book prolongs the activity.)
	Paperback books
	Puppets
	Tiny plastic animals, cars or dolls

• Extra pacifiers, or your baby’s lovey, special blanket or toy

• A book, magazine or activity for you when baby is sleeping or playing, should you be lucky enough for that to occur!

• Wet wipes for diaper changes and cleaning baby’s hands and face

• Empty plastic bags for soiled diapers

• If your baby uses a bottle, bring several. It’s usually easier to take along premeasured powdered formula and small bottles of water for mixing.

• A complete change of clothes for baby and an extra shirt for you (spit-up and spills happen)

At the Destination

Determine in advance where your baby will sleep, and find out if you can rent or borrow a crib, if you need one.

Other equipment, such as a car seat, a stroller, a high chair and safety gates, can often be rented or borrowed.

Find out if your brands of diapers and formula are available at your destination. If not, send a box ahead of time.

Pack a child-safe night-light to make those middle-of-the-night potty runs and diaper changes safe.

Make sure that the vehicle you’ll be picked up in or that you are renting has enough seat belts for everyone, plus room for luggage and your stroller.

Remember to keep your carry-on bag organized, including snacks, for your return flight home.

Keep your baby on his regular schedule and don’t make any time adjustments.

Remember that most babies need to be sleep trained again once returning from vacation; it usually only lasts for two to three nights at most.

Well, those are the ABCs of vacationing with baby. Follow my tips and you just might even catch some much-needed zzz’s, too.

Kathy Sinclair, CNCS, CPD, CLE, CHBE, graduated from Australia’s prestigious Charlton Brown Nanny College and began her professional career as a nanny in 1993. Kathy developed her specialty with infant sleep while working as a newborn care specialist in Los Angeles. Currently the founder of Baby Sleep Solutions, Kathy provides one-on-one individualized sleep consultations, leads Mommy & Infant groups for new moms, and lectures on sleep in and around Los Angeles. She lives in Ventura, Calif., with her husband and three dogs. She may be contacted through her website at www.babysleepsolutionsla.com.