My mother used to say, that traveling with a baby is simplest while he’s still nursing and before he begins to crawl.   You can take him along wherever you go, he won’t get away from you, you don’t have to pack bottles, formula and food, and worry about meal planning, cleaning and sterilizing.  Our first baby girl was bottle fed for her entire first month, and only at three months was she nursing fully (check out that incredible story here).  Which is when we decided to take her on a big trip – reap all of the benefits of our hard work, and enjoy some of what I’d always dreamed of, hearing my mother’s baby stories all my life.  We went to Canada for a cousin’s wedding (Mazal Tov!).  It didn’t hurt that my parents were also going…

The trip was to take place when our baby would be six months old, not yet crawling, but a bundle of joy and cute as a button in the fancy dress we got her for the wedding.  We dove into our planning – passport, plane tickets, baby travel tips, packing etc.  Two weeks before we were to leave, she surprised us all, and began to crawl!  What a different trip it became…

We had to quickly decide on several new (to us) parenting policies.  For instance – should we confine her crawling in the hotel room (after she’d been confined to her car seat and stroller all day?) or let her roam free on the (questionable) carpet?

We also came up with some strictly “travel” policies, such as the policy regarding snacks.  At six months, she was enjoying all the store-bought-goodness of beginner solid foods (as opposed to the homemade we’ve been strict with up until now…). We also got to be enjoy being a family unit 24/7 and experience the many of the joys of child rearing together – sleeping, waking, packing, entertaining, planning, carrying, bathing, pushing the stroller, unpacking and more (anyone come across a lost bunny near Niagara Falls?)

Our trip was wonderful, completely different (obviously) from any other trip we’ve ever taken with adults only, and produced many of the beautiful pictures you see on the website now!  We would be glad to celebrate many future family occasions abroad J, especially with these wonderful cousins!

What are your baby travel tips (or hard learned lessons?)?