The Ordinary Doula Podcast

E83: Tiny Travelers: Tips for Traveling with Baby and Gear

• Angie Rosier • Episode 83

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Traveling with babies doesn't have to be overwhelming if you know what to bring and what to leave behind, with baby gear rental services offering a game-changing alternative to hauling equipment.

• Pare back to essentials rather than bringing everything your baby uses at home
• Consider what equipment can serve multiple purposes during your trip
• Baby gear rental services like Baby Quip deliver cribs, car seats, strollers, and more to your destination
• Your diaper bag doesn't count as a carry-on, but only pack what you'll need during the flight
• Bring minimal diapers and wipes for the journey – you can buy more upon arrival
• Try to book flights around your baby's nap schedule when possible
• Wearing your baby through the airport frees up your hands for luggage
• Breast milk, formula and baby food are exempt from liquid restrictions but may need additional screening
• Label all your baby equipment that will be going through security or checked
• Maintain flexible expectations and a sense of humor throughout the journey

Make a human connection today – reach out to someone in person, online, or through text. I know you will be better for it, and so will they.


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Show Credits

Host: Angie Rosier
Music: Michael Hicks
Photographer: Toni Walker
Episode Artwork: Nick Greenwood
Producer: Gillian Rosier Frampton
Voiceover: Ryan Parker

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Ordinary Doula Podcast with Angie Rozier, hosted by Birth Learning, where we help prepare folks for labor and birth with expertise coming from 20 years of experience in a busy doula practice Helping thousands of people prepare for labor, providing essential knowledge and tools for positive and empowering birth experiences.

Speaker 2:

Hello and welcome to the Ordinary Doula Podcast. This is your host, angie Rozier, and today I want to talk about kind of a unique topic that I have seen Well, maybe it's not that unique, but I've seen several people run into this and have to deal with this and that is traveling with a baby. So some people are regular travels, some people travel for work or for pleasure, some people travel occasionally, some are traveling shortly after having a baby and as I've worked with clients over the years, I've kind of seen a lot of different scenarios and situations. And one particular client I had a few years ago kind of turned me on to some pretty cool stuff which you may or may not know about, but I want to kind of do some travel tips with this episode. So she had a little boy, I think he was about two, and then she had twin boys, so she had now three kids under two and they traveled quite a bit. They, you know, for family. They had family in a different country, they had property in a different state, family in a different state. They one time when I was working with them, they traveled for a funeral. They traveled for fun, they traveled for work. So she now had three little tiny people to consider and to take things for and that, as you can imagine, changed how they traveled to going from one baby to three babies basically. So I want to kind of chat about some options and some cool things that may help those who are traveling, when they're traveling with especially we're talking kind of about air travel with their tiny travelers.

Speaker 2:

A lot of fears about this are the stuff you need, right, like, babies seem to need a lot of equipment If you think about what they sleep in, what they sleep in during the day, during the night, what they sit in, if you're not holding them, how they travel, whether that's pedestrian travel, walking, that could be strollers, carriers, how they travel in a car. Babies kind of need a lot of stuff, and that doesn't make travel light. It doesn't make it super easy. One of the things people are worried about is under packing or over packing. Am I going to have everything I need? Am I going to forget? And then also the time for travel. We can have like nap disasters or diaper disasters. That can happen at very inconvenient times as you think about getting through security at an airport with extra little people who aren't always compliant, or extra equipment, you know, for getting something that you absolutely need. And then there's also the component of breastfeeding, right when to feed the baby, how to store and carry milk and stuff like that. So kind of talk about all of that. So it's not easy to travel with little ones, but it is definitely possible, it's definitely manageable and kind of one of the a key is to remember that you don't need to bring everything Kind of pare back to the essentials, like what pieces of equipment can double for things you know.

Speaker 2:

So we might not have a pack and plate and a bassinet and a swing or a bouncer seat Like what can we kind of, you know, consolidate into one thing? It might be just a bouncer seat or a baby carrier of some kind or a stroller that can double as a couple of things. So, and also a sense of humor, right, just go into this with a sense of humor and hopefully your fellow travelers will have one as well, as they observe and support you in whatever you're doing. I love it when I see travelers helping each other. I think that's pretty awesome. That's not always the case. When you walk in with a baby, people kind of like oh boy, right, hopefully you don't sit by me or keep that kiddo quiet, whatever it might be, but there's also a lot of great people out there that can help with that. All right, so what to pack and what to leave behind You're oftentimes your carry-on like a diaper bag does not count as a carry-on, so that's kind of nice to know.

Speaker 2:

That can be an extra bag that you can be taking. So essentials to have on a plane. You don't need everything in your diaper bag, right, but it's like, what might I need in the next few hours, what could happen in the next few hours? So some basics, obviously diapers, wipes, change of clothes for the baby, snack if the baby's old enough for snacks bottles, toys, pacifier, little comfort items, but basic. Keep the needs pretty basic right here. Um, and as far as checked luggage, there's laundry in most places, so don't overpack.

Speaker 2:

A lot of times you know we take all kinds of things for for babies and we take six blankets and um extra hats and stuff and kind of consider space and and simplicity and how that can be helpful. What also to skip sometimes? So obviously maybe you don't take your baby bath, right. There's some things that we can definitely skip to that. Are might be luxury items in our home, but we can do without for a few days. And I want to bring up kind of a magical and maybe you know a lot of you are familiar with this, but I think it's such a great idea.

Speaker 2:

But there are baby gear rental places so you can rent almost anything you would need for a baby and there's companies out there that meet you at your destination so you don't have to haul all the extra stuff right. Meet you at your destination, so you don't have to haul all the extra stuff right. So a lot of times this ordering is done online and then the gear, whatever it is you need and select, can be delivered to your airport. Say, you need a car seat right away, um, they can deliver things to your hotel. Say you need a bassinet or a pack and play or a swing or something, um, but the it can. It's the pickup and return is pretty easy, which is awesome.

Speaker 2:

Some popular things people rent is cribs, bassinets, strollers, high chairs, car seats, even baby toys. Like you can rent baby toys, baby monitors. You can even do sound machines. You know white noise machines. You can do beach gear, depending on where it is that you're going. You can do like baby backpacks. You know if you're backpacking or something. So keep that in mind that you can still travel and have a lot of your amenities you could, but you rent them.

Speaker 2:

So some awesome companies to check out are Baby Quip. They do some awesome rental easy pickup, drop off, whatever it is that you need. Another company is Traveling Baby Company. They work airports, hotels. They know this system and it's out there. Another one is Rent Baby Equipment and then in a lot of especially popular tourist areas there's local mom-owned rental services in popular tourist cities. So kind of, keep that in mind. It's a good little hack to use while you're traveling.

Speaker 2:

So some cool things about using these rental companies is there's less stuff for you to haul around, right? There's high quality gear option. You can rent a SNU if you want to. Maybe you love a SNU, work with a SNU, maybe you don't, but you could rent a SNU. You can rent some some high gear, high quality options for baby gear and equipment. You'll have more space available in headspace and also travel space for things that you really do need. That includes things for yourself or a partner or whoever's traveling with you, and then also, when you rent from people, you get some kind of cool local insights on what you really need for your location, whether it's um, you know if they have jogger strollers because there's a beach or something, or or you know they have beach gear. Maybe you're in the mountains. Wherever you're going, they will be familiar with where you're going and we'll be able to make recommendations for what babies will work well with babies in your area.

Speaker 2:

So some some drawbacks to this is it's a cost. Right, like this comes at a cost. If you're using this service, of course, you do need to plan ahead. So some forward thinking like all right, what are we going to need? Um doing some online ordering and things. Um, you may have variable availability depending on the area that you're going to. Some low tourist areas might not have as much gear. Um, as far as variety or quantity available, um, and some people have a hard time just using stuff that other people have used. Right, that could be a drawback, like is this clean? Who else has other babies puked on this, or whatever. But reputable companies are going to give good service that way.

Speaker 2:

So, yeah, check out some baby gear rental places. That can save you a lot of headaches as you're traveling. So you can kind of travel with what you're used to, but just get it when you get there. Also, like diapers, wipes, like take, take what you need for the flight and then most places there's gonna be stores. Don't take, you know, 80 diapers, just take six until you get there and then you know you can purchase things once you arrive, those bulky things that are easily found in stores. Also something just quick tips for the airport right, like booking flights, if you have the flexibility and the capability to book them around. Baby's nap schedules right, you know your baby's nap schedule. Maybe it's best for you to travel late at night, early in the morning. Kind of consider your baby, their demeanor and stuff Wearing your baby, if you are a baby wearer, if you have a sling or a baby carrier of some kind, that frees up hand space at the airport, right, so that free hands is often reduces stress quite a bit.

Speaker 2:

Request early boarding you know a lot of airports will board those with children first and be able to, you know, just ask for help. Airport personnel is there to help. You Know that kids adjust first to anything new and different. It's kind of hard, you know, but kids will adjust to the travel schedules and things and then just keep expectations flexible, you know, maybe low and flexible. As you travel with kiddos Also a couple you can use the car, depending on the size of your child. You can use a car seat on the plane if you have a seat for them, right, if you purchase a seat for that kiddo.

Speaker 2:

Um, the strollers. Strollers are also allowed through security and usually checked at the gate for free. Um, you do oftentimes need to send it through the scanner and things like that. These things, items will be, usually will be examined, you know, either through the scanner or by hand. If you have a stroller bag or a car seat bag, you know, just a bag that encompasses the whole thing can kind of protect it. If you have that, baby carriers whether it's a soft one or a wrap or a baby carrier sometimes you can wear your baby through security. Sometimes TSA workers, depending on the airport and the situation, might want to screen the baby separately. Little further screening that varies by the airport. And diaper bags also, you know, can go through security. Like we said, they don't count against your carry on limit.

Speaker 2:

And I want to chat about breast milk. Baby food and formula are all exempt. A lot of people may you know this. I've heard a lot of questions about this over the years, I guess. But that are these things are. Baby food is exempt, so that would be liquid or not from the three ounce rule.

Speaker 2:

You may need to declare the items at a security checkpoint and they may undergo additional screening, but you don't have to like open them. Like, if you have some sealed containers of breast milk, whether it's in bags or bottles, um, you should not really be forced to open those containers Um. So so understand that if, like I, have a lot of clients that might travel for work and they pump while they're gone, um, some of them choose not to go through the hassle of bringing that milk home, freezing it, you know, keeping track of it, labeling it, um, keeping it cold or frozen as they travel. But you can. I want you to know that it's absolutely something you can do. Other people, you know, want to just pump and dump, but sometimes you have some extra that's hard one breast milk you don't want to throw away. Other quick tips are to label your stuff right Label your car seat, label that stroller, anything going through. Go early gate, check early, ask for help and kind of be your own advocate, right, like as we do in birth work, sometimes we need to be our advocate with our families forever and travel included. So hopefully those are some quick tips that will help you as you're traveling.

Speaker 2:

I know we have a family trip come up in a little while, and why don't? We don't have little tiny kids anymore. It is you know, as you, the more people you travel with, the more components there are to consider. So hopefully knowing about gear and baby equipment rentals will be a game changer for you If you're traveling. I love that service.

Speaker 2:

And then, keeping it simple right, just keep it simple. It's going to be good because you can still live a really awesome full life and continue your lifestyle even after babies and kids, of course, just like my mom with three kids under two became quite the expert traveler that way, and she's expecting a fourth at this point too, so she'll continue to live her awesome life. Hopefully you have a great one. Thanks for being with us here today. Go have, go have some fun travel with your baby and your kiddos and, as always, make sure you make a human connection today. Reach out to someone in person, online, um, through text, however that might be, reach out, make a human connection. Today, I know you will be better for it, and so will they have a great day and we will see you next time.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Ordinary Doula podcast with Angie Rozier, hosted by Birth Learning. Episode credits will be in the show notes Tune in next time as we continue to explore the many aspects of giving birth.