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How To Pack For Your Baby
How To Pack For Your Baby
So you've been at home for a couple of months now, and you're ready to take a trip. What kind of special considerations need to be made in order to make sure that you are prepared for parenthood on the road? Essentially, you want to make sure that you have everything you would need at home, but in a more compact form.
You want to make sure you have everything you need for feeding the baby, and you have to remember that you may not always have the convenience of a kitchen on hand. If you're breast-feeding, you don't need to worry about feeding supplies too much, since you keep them with you at all time. However, f you're bottle-feeding, make sure you have everything you need already prepared, just in case. Pack sterilized bottles and nipples in zipper-close plastic bags to keep them clean.
Overestimate on everything. Bring at least as many diapers and wipes as you go through on a daily basis for each day you will be on your trip. Then bring an extra two days in case the baby gets diarrhea, or you unexpectedly take a little bit longer than planned. You also want to make sure that you have changing pads or something similar to keep the area that you use to change your baby, and your baby clean.
If you're not sure about weather, bring a large variety of clothing. Bring a couple of extra outfits (hey, at least they're small), preferably things you can layer or mix and match. Try to pack at least one spare outfit for each day of your trip, especially if you will not have laundry facilities. Remember, babies make messes. Be prepared for the worst.
It is vitally important to pack a small first aid kit, containing pain reliever/fever reducer, Band-Aids, teething medicine, and any other supplies your baby may need. Toys like teething rings should be taken into consideration, as well as baby cold medicine, and basic baby toiletries. Again, bear in mind that you should be preparing for the worst, just in case. You want to be prepared if you're not in a place where medical supplies are on hand.
Make sure you bring a way to comfortably carry the baby, like a baby sling or a front-pack carrier, especially if you're going to be outdoors. Also, a portable playpen with some toys will make the trip much more enjoyable for you and the baby. Packing some small activities for travel, as well as some other things that can be packed away and then brought out once you arrive at your destination is probably the best way to go.
If you are traveling on a plane or bus and plan to check your bags, make sure that any necessary baby supplies are in your carry-on. Not only do you want to make sure that you have everything you need while in transit, but there is always the worst case scenario that bags will be lost. You can go without an extra change of underwear, but baby may not be able to.
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