Traveling With an Infant.

One dry-sack, two stuff sacks, one tank bag, a few nylon straps, and a couple of bungee cords¬– that’s all I needed to carry our camping gear, clothing, and personals for a two week motorcycling trip. Our packing motto was “If you didn’t bring it, you don’t need it.” Oh, how things have changed! I never could have imagined how much effort one needs to put into planning and executing a simple five-hour trip when there is a baby in the back seat.

I used to love to travel. Give me a destination, a tote bag to fill with some clothes, a full tank of gas, and a cup of coffee for the early morning start, and I could be on the road in half an hour; and I would be comfortable. It does not work that way anymore. Now I need to make a list to remember all those crucial items needed to survive a few days away from the abode with baby: Similac, Beech Nut jars, rubber covered spoons, paper towels, travel highchair, folding crib, infant Tylenol, diapers, more diapers, wet-wipes, toys, baby blankets, flower-patterned bodysuits, etc., etc., etc.

This weekend’s list was created 24 hours in advance, items checked when found, brought up or downstairs, and crossed off when stacked by the backdoor for the chilly early morning car-loading extravaganza under the 75 watts porch light. The time it took to prepare and load all of the supplies required for the two-day stay several hours away from home was daunting. I never imagined how much “stuff” one family needs away from home with a baby. I cannot help but think that it was not all that long ago I quietly mocked the flocks of caravans loaded with kids and half their house and garage as they traveled down the highway towards some weekend getaway.

Every care was taken to prepare for our trip: a checklist, a visual check, and a second set of eyes to make sure we had it all. Ironically, the one item we forgot to pack was the first item we needed– the baby bottle nipple. Fifteen minutes and a bout of crying later we purchased the wrong Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow nipple, twice. Another hour of calming a now hot (from crying), wet (the milk’s got to go somewhere), and fussy baby our little angel finally descended into an untroubled sleep outside of Hartford, CT. The remainder of the trip was spent in relative peace and quiet. Even after she woke up as we bounced across the George Washington Bridge in New York City, our little one remained playfully content all the way to our destination.

We are now in the market for a mini van. Yuck! But, the idea of being able to fit all our new “necessities” in the back of a vehicle and having the luxury of being able to move to the backseat to take care of the tot without stopping, posthaste, off the interstate is alluring.

What did we learn from this experience? First, the checklist worked. The nipple overlook was an anomaly. If anything, we over-packed. Second, the more room in the vehicle the easier it would have been to care for the baby. Stopping on the interstate or at rest areas every couple of hours to jump in the backseat caused more dangers to passing cars than the emissions a larger vehicle would cause to the ozone layer. And third, one must be flexible. As the old adage goes “Ya get there when ya get there.” I, more than my wife, nearly lost my cool on the drive down. It is frustrating having to lean over the front seat and into the backseat with a bottle or toy in tote to soothe a bored baby as one’s spine is compressed against the vehicle’s ceiling.

With all the setbacks, new experiences, and frustrations traveling a reasonable distance with an infant is more than possible– just be prepared for the inevitably unforeseen stumbling and bumbling along the way!