Hey guys, I know it’s been a while, but I will try my best to keep posting regularly. With the new baby, work, business, writing, and trying to sleep, it can be challenging. Anyways, I hope all of you are well. I want to take the time to discuss traveling with a baby. For those out there who are wanderlusts, like my wife and me, you may be worried about not being able to travel any longer. I am here to say that is not the case. Even with a new baby, you can still travel and enjoy life. We have taken our baby to numerous restaurants, stores, and attractions. Recently, we went on a road trip from Colorado to California and back. We have been on numerous road trips and this one was different, but we still got it done.

I encourage all of you to continue to do the same activities in life that you were doing before having a baby. Provided they are healthy activities. Your life does not end when you have a baby, but it certainly changes. However, don’t be afraid to keep many things the same. Just know that another little human will be joining you and they will rely on you for everything. That means a lot of extra supplies, like diaper bags, toys, medications, and various forms of entertainment will be coming along. And don’t forget about the extra time you need at every moment. Spontaneity and just being able to get up and go is out the window.

That being said, having your little kiddo join you on adventures is a blast. Even though our son is only 5 months old as of this writing, it was great to take him to many of the locations we have visited numerous times, like Manhattan Beach, Hollywood, and various restaurants. So, how did the road trip go? Overall, pretty well, but there were more challenges and changes we had to make from previous trips. First of all, there was more space taken up in the car due to an extra luggage filled with clothes, burp cloths, bibs, etc. Yes, even though your kiddo is small, they will need a lot of clothes, especially with how many times you will have to change them. In addition, we had to account for things like strollers, car seats, toys, and other necessities, like a bottle warmer and sleeper. We had to improvise in some ways during travel. For instance, we have a sterilizer at home, but couldn’t really bring it with us. So, my wife bought some sterilizing bags that she could stick in the microwave with bottles in it. Also, since our kid is around the age of teething, we brought the proper equipment needed for that, like drops for pain and teething rings.

As I mentioned before, managing time will be important. Before, my wife and I could just get up, shower, and get ready to leave with no real issues. Now, we must also make sure our kiddo is taken care of with feedings, changings, comfort, and any necessities needed while out and about. If you can change and feed your baby right before going out, that’s best. Then you will likely have a couple of hours before they will need these things again. Of course, babies are unpredictable. Also, be aware of things like the need for changing tables for when they soil their diapers, which again, can happen at any moment. Believe it or not, many restrooms still do not have changing tables. We’ve run into this a couple of times. We had to improvise by changing the baby in the car, or while in their stroller. Make sure to have bottles and formula on hand with easy access. If you’re using formula for feedings, of course.

During our road trip, we always made sure to have plenty of formula, clean bottles, clothes, blankets, pacifiers, and any other thing our baby needed readily available. Also, DO NOT forget about forms of entertainment. When your baby is a newborn, they will sleep more often, however, once they reach like three or four months old, they will become more aware and need to be entertained in some way. For our son, he slept often, but would also wake up and become fussy at times. We were always right there to feed him, comfort him, talk to him, and provide him with nursery rhymes to watch. It definitely got us through some tough moments. Also, be aware of your surroundings for safety. One thing we took into account were areas of the country where no services were available. For instance, in parts of Utah, there are long stretches of highway where nothing is available for hours. Make sure you know where these places are and take care of your baby’s needs before entering these stretches.

Realize also that your baby will have limits. If you are someone who can be out all day and night, this may become more challenging with a baby, who will need to be taken care of frequently. I generally made the drive from Aurora, CO to Los Angeles, CA in one day. However, the baby only had a limit of about 10-12 hours in the car. Therefore, we had to stop outside of Vegas somewhere and then drive the rest of the way on the second day.

I cannot prepare you for every scenario, but I can say that taking trips with a baby definitely changes things. Just realize that alterations will need to be made, so be flexible. Start small if you can. Take a short road trip to a nearby town or even a short flight. Test how things go and move up from there. Bottomline: you can still travel and enjoy life with your baby, just make the proper adjustments, don’t be worried about being overprepared, and go with the flow. Have a great time everyone!