Traveling with Babies – You’re a Pack Animal
Why even pretend you can travel light when you’re hitting the road with a baby. On a two-month research trip through five European countries with a 2-year-old
Backbreaking baby backpack somewhere in France
and an eight-month-old I stripped it down to the bare essentials:
That would be the two car seats, a stroller, a backpack to carry the baby, a porta-crib and bedding for the toddler and a diaper bag that folded into a bed that the 8 month old outgrew immediately so we had to get another porta-crib. And then diapers, food, snacks, babyproofing supplies for the hotel (more on that later) toys and books. Oh, and their clothes. (And the endless search for Laundromats and evenings spent washing in the hotel sink.)
There really isn’t anything you can do about the amount of gear you’ll need with a baby. But there are a few things you can do before you leave that might help.
• Some vacation destinations have baby rental gear companies. Baby’s Away is one of them and they have listings in more than twenty states.
• Call your hotel to confirm that they have cribs available and ask them about other baby proofing gear they might provide – many now do.
• If you are renting a car, call in advance to see if they also rent car seats.
• Call your accommodations to see if they have laundry facilities onsite. Ask if they sell laundry detergent, too, and bring a little bag of it to get you started if they don’t.
• Ship some of your gear to your destination so you won’t have so much to juggle at the airport.