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Hey Mamas!

Here we go, round two with this new newsletter!

There are a few of you who are new to the list (because of wonderful referrals) so here’s the quick backstory. My little girl Libby is turning one this month(!). Over the past year I’ve created countless checklists, spreadsheets, job descriptions, product lists, you name it, as we’ve figured out this whole parenting thing. I’ve passed along a few and they seem to be helpful so I’d love to continue to share.

This month I’m pretty darn excited to dive into all the hacks I have around travel. We’re heading back home for Christmas which will mark roundtrip flight #6 for Libby. We started traveling with her when she was four months old and have navigated international travel, changing time zones, and finding nannies amongst other things. Every trip we’ve picked up a new tip or tool that has made the experience easier and better. Like I said last time, we’ve figured these things out the hard way so hopefully you don’t have to!

** As I started to write this I realized that I have A LOT to share on this topic. So as not to overwhelm, I’m going to break it into two newsletters.

• First up: changing time zones, sticking to sleep schedules, flying with baby, dressing baby, and diaper bag must have.
• Next newsletter: traveling with/shipping breast milk, travel nannies, renting gear on the go, baby passport, baby monitors, + anything you ask for!

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CHANGING TIME ZONES

We have found that the best way to manage a change in time zones is to make the switch by leveraging your normal nap schedule. For example, Libby takes a nap every 3 hours. When we travel we do everything possible to ensure she is able to stick to that schedule. We’re then able to easily adjust her bedtime to either be the same, 1 hour earlier, or 1 hour later. No matter which direction we move it, we stay in a good range for a fairly consistent bedtime / wake up time.

I have created this time zone converter to help make it easier to figure out what times to stick to as you cross time zones. You can make a copy and save for your own files and edit to fit your schedule!

​>> CLICK HERE FOR THE SPREADSHEET.

Other notes

• We don’t meddle with her sleep schedule ahead of time to “try and get her on the new time zone” we start the process once we get to the destination.
• It tends to take a couple of days for baby to adjust to the new time zone going / coming. If you’ve used a night nanny in the past, it can be helpful to schedule her to come for a few nights when you return home as baby might be up more than you’ve gotten used to.
• Baby’s nap schedule might also be off for a little bit. For the first week after we return from our trips Libby hasn’t napped well but then returns to normal.

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STICKING TO SLEEP SCHEDULES

Which brings me to the second point - how to stick to a consistent sleep schedule. This is where we’ve figured out a few tricks & tools that have been proven to be incredibly helpful.

• ​Baby Shusher: This portable sound machine has one job - to shush your baby. It’s lightweight, easy to throw in the diaper bag, and surprisingly effective. We attach it to the carseat/ stroller and let it do its job.
• ​Car seat black out cover: This slips over the carseat and turns it into a dark sleep space where baby can snooze on the go. Awesome for plane and car rides (see notes below).
• ​Stroller black out cover: Similar to the above but made to fit over a stroller seat. This is especially helpful if you hit a nap window while at the airport, on a layover, out touring around - anytime you cannot be home / leave the baby home for his/her nap. Keep it in the basket/pocket of your stroller so you always have it when needed.
• ​Pack ‘n play black out cover: It never seems like the rooms get dark enough for afternoon naps. This cover easily slips over most pack ‘n plays and instantly makes them much darker and better for napping. We squeeze ours into the pack ‘n play carrying case and keep it there so we don’t forget it / have to pack another thing. Also great if you need to share a hotel room with baby.
• ​Travel blackout curtains: If you aren’t planning to travel with a pack ‘n play but rather use a crib that’s provided, these curtains are great. They have suction cups on them and simply stick to the window to block out light. If you can remember how to fold them correctly, they aren’t too bulky to travel with either.

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FLYING WITH BABY

Besides the gear, there are some important things we’ve learned about how to stick to the sleep schedule when flying with the baby.

Airplane bassinets

If you are on a long-haul flight, check with your airline about getting a seat with a travel bassinet. The big carriers all have them in coach. United also offers them in business class. It’s a special seat attached to the wall made for baby to sleep in. They tend to be first come first serve so check with your airline when you book your flight and again when you check in.

We used this when we traveled to /from Spain and Libby was 7-8 months old. At that age she fit, but was just about outgrowing it. For context, she was about 15% for her size/age.

We also learned that the bedding they provided for the bassinet wasn’t that great so you should plan to bring an extra blanket to make it more comfortable or ask the airline for one.

Infant in arms vs. an extra seat

After trying it both ways, we have found that the optimal scenario has been to buy an extra seat for baby vs. doing infant in arms. If deciding between 2 first class seats or 3 coach seats, I recommend the latter. You will bring the carseat on board for baby to sit / sleep in. Slip the blackout curtain over it, hang the baby susher on it, and now you have a great place for baby to nap. Libby has napped for hours like this (vs. having an absolute meltdown in my arms when she was overtired and didn’t have her own seat).

Here’s one more tip - If the plane has 4 coach seats in a row, select two that are together, leave an empty middle seat, and then select the fourth on the aisle. There’s a good chance no one is going to book the empty middle seat so you’ll end up with a row and extra space for yourselves.
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DRESSING BABY

We have been on flights that are extra chilly and ones that have been extra warm. We learned to dress Libby in layers so we could adjust to either scenario. That tends to look like a onesie with sweatpants and a sweatshirt + socks. The other critical thing to keep in mind is that you will be doing diaper changes on the fly so you want an outfit that makes those as easy as possible. Opt for things with easy access buttons and zippers.
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DIAPER BAG MUST-HAVES

• A change of clothes
• Extra pacifiers (especially helpful for soothing through airplane takeoffs and landing)
• ​Cleaning wipes: great for cleaning pacifiers and toys that fall on the ground + airplane trays, changing tables, and other surfaces baby is going to touch
• Baby blanket: if it’s chilly / you need to breastfeed
• Hand sanitizer
• Baby’s favorite toys / teethers
• Baby shusher
• Carseat blackout curtain
• Enough diapers & wipes to sustain you until you get to your destination

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TRAVEL STROLLER

After taking 5 trips with our trusty Nuna stroller we finally hit a point where this wasn’t cutting it anymore. We always struggled to fit our stroller in to the Ubers along with our luggage. Then on our list trip to Hawaii we arrived only to find out the airline left our stroller seat behind in LA. Then, upon returning home to Austin we had to wait far too long for the stroller to come off the plane. Point being, we needed something more efficient to travel with.

Our top requirements were this:

• Must be able to attach the baby car seat to it (since we’ll be using it in flight)
• Must be small enough to fit in an overhead compartment (so as not to have to gate check it)
• Must be one piece (so as not to have to check the stroller seat)

After extensive research and a trial run, I have found the Babyzen Yoyo2 Stroller to be the absolute best option. It checks all of the boxes. It’s super lightweight, can literally be opened with the flick of the wrist, and with the car seat adapter you can snap your car seat on top of the regular seat.

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NEXT NEWSLETTER

Gosh, I could go on and on but I’m going to leave it at that for now. Next newsletter I want to share more around:

• Flying with / shipping breastmilk
• Travel nannies - how to hire one + my documents for onboarding
• Traveling with your own nanny - setting the terms/expectations
• What to bring / buy / rent + how to rent baby gear
• Baby passport - what to do / not to do
• Favorite travel baby monitor
• PLUS anything you ask about!

Missed last week’s newsletter? Find it here.​

Looking for all the resources in one place?

• ​Newsletter resources folder​
• ​Baby travel product list​
• ​My Amazon shop (has multiple baby product lists)

Have mamas you think would love this newsletter? Send me their email and I’ll add them to the list!

Got a tip / tool / document you want to share? Email me and I’ll loop it into a future newsletter.

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Thanks mamas - hope you all have an amazing holiday!

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Jen