s you read this, sylvie and i are up in the air, on our way to pennsylvania! i'm so excited to spend the next week surrounded by so many people i love. i will do my very best to keep posting regular during my trip. as you may or may not have noticed, i am continuing to tweak small elements of the blog. i'm still settling in and getting used to my new home on the internet. thank you so much for bearing with me and for continuing to read!
did you notice the sweet hand drawn letter beginning this post? i've drawn, scanned and colored each letter of the alphabet. my plan is to start each post here with one of these letters. this is the project i referred to in yesterday's post. i hope you like it. i think it looks pretty nifty. if any other bloggers out there are interested in something similar for your posts, please let me know! i'd be happy to draw up some custom letters for you to use! email me at [email protected] (there is an email button in my sidebar) to work out the details.
i thought i would take this opportunity to write about traveling with a baby. i'm not an expert by any means, but this flight is sylvie's 5th time on an airplane. my wee traveller! i definitely have a small list of essentials i bring with me on the plane.
1. an oversized lightweight scarf. you can use it as a blanket for your baby and a pillow for under your head or elbow. also, if your kid is a nap-fighter like mine, you can use it to cover their face and block out stimuli as you attempt to wrangle them to sleep.
2. an empty thermos. obviously, you can't take a full one through security. once i'm through the checkpoint, however, i hightail it to a coffee shop and fill it with hot water. that way the water for her bottles stays warm for the duration of the flight.
3. pre-portioned formula. i have these small containers that came with my breast pump (kind of ironic that i use them for formula now) that perfectly hold 6-8 scoops of her powdered formula. it makes juggling a baby while making a bottle much easier.
4. a wrap or carrier of some kind. i always wear sylvie on the plane. when she was younger she used to sleep in the wrap as soon as she got snuggled in. those were the days! now i use it to keep my hands free so i can wheel my carry on around easily. she generally stays content in the wrap. i used to use the baby bjorn or maya for this, but she isn't that comfortable in those anymore. now i use an ergo (worn on the front of course) and it works great! i love that i can sit down with it on easily.
5. small toys and a lightweight blanket. i always pack a few of sylvie's smaller favorites in the carry on along with a thin (so it folds up to a small size) blanket. this way i can let her spread out on the floor and let her get some of her energy out before the flight.
6. a laptop with a cartoon dvd inside. if all else fails, sylvie will usually sit still and be quiet for the animaniacs. it's a total parenting fail, but it works!
7. plenty of pacifiers. sylvie is a total paci baby. i rely on them to get her through the pressure changes that occur during take-off and landing.
there you have it! is there is anything i've missed that you swear by? let me know!
I'm glad to hear Sylvie behaved on the plane! I love and miss you both already. Enjoy your time in PA.
Posted by: Travis | 02/04/2011 at 07:38 PM
why is #6 a parenting fail?
don't be so hard on yourself...it's not like you park her in front of cartoons all day long.
Posted by: kim | 02/05/2011 at 01:13 PM
Thanks for sharing these great tips. We're going to be travelling at the end of the month and it will be Kale's first time on a plane, so I'll take all the advice I can get!
Posted by: randalin | 02/06/2011 at 07:34 AM
great post! so helpful!
Posted by: Emily C. | 02/12/2011 at 10:15 AM
Love the title! I remember the first time we took Eli on a plane, I believe he was around the same age as sylvie... We were in the air for 3 excruciating hours, I'm surprised they didn't hand us parachutes and wish us luck :)
Posted by: Bmdouthit | 02/15/2011 at 11:37 PM