This dress was mine when I was a baby. So thankful my mom kept some of my baby clothes for Collins to wear!
Collins is five months old today! I feel like now is the time that I am noticing new changes with her every day. She can sit on my hip – which I LOVE and have been waiting for this to come since she was born. It’s so fun just carrying her around on my hip and she can see what’s going on around her! She has a big, beautiful smile and I love seeing her little face light up when Chris walks into the room.
A Few Updates:
She started daycare! She is going three days a week and so far we love it! She is still getting used to her new schedule as far as napping goes (no more naps in a dark room) but has been doing great. Babies are very adaptive so I’m confident she will be settled in the next few weeks. We get updates throughout the day with photos and videos sharing what they are up to. I’ve already noticed her being more alert and playing more intently since her first week.
We are still following Moms on Call and are currently on the 4-6 month schedule. My favorite part of the schedule is the nighttime routine. If we have a crazy day, we always go back to follow that routine which is bath time, bottle (or breast) then bed. No matter if we have been traveling all day and her timing is all whack, we still do bath, bottle, bed for her to have a good night’s sleep. It’s basically their time to reset and get ready to start fresh the next day.
Collins is starting to roll! She has also found her feet so watching her grab her feet and roll around has become one of our favorite things to do. She is almost sitting up on her own and has been reaching for her paci or toys and can grab them and bring them to her mouth on her own. I’m going to link some of her favorite toys/items we are using with her a lot right now. I’ll also include a few items that we will be using with her soon like the highchair and jogging stroller we have.
I have been getting a lot of questions about tips on traveling with a baby. We have only taken two long road trips (long as in 5-7 hours) and a handful of flights with Collins so far. So I don’t have a ton of tips but I’ll share what I know. I read a few blogs before we traveled with Collins that you might find helpful too. Check out Lauren Kay Sims’ Travel PostandAshlee Nichols’ Travel Post for more insight!
Driving Tips:
We found it best to leave first thing in the morning before she would normally wake up. She normally gets up at 7AM so we left at 5AM. I changed her diaper, put her in her carseat with the portable sound machine on and she fell back asleep. We were able to get 2 hours down the road before stopping for her first feeding.
If you are bottle feeding, you don’t really have to stop at that first feed if you want to push on for a little longer. We were making a 5 hour drive and knew we would need to stop at least once. One of her bottles (she eats every four hours) would be an in-the-car bottle feeding so we can keep driving.
We did this trip twice while I was still pumping. I fed Collins a bottle in the back while I was hooked up to the pump. Our car has an outlet but you could also use an adapted to pump in the car, depending on your pump style (some are battery operated as well).
I would highly suggest having a “water sounds” playlist downloaded that you can play in times of need. We like this one on Spotify. I also LOVE the Infant + app that shows shapes and plays soft piano music. When she is loosing her mind, this app has been a godsend. It also works great in restaurants when they get really fussy those last few minutes while you are waiting on the check. It’s a good distraction for 5-10 mins!
Make sure to bring a few changes of clothes that you can easily access if there is a blowout. I also keep a few extra pacis handy in case she throws one and you can’t get to it without stopping.
We have and love the Dockatot. We kept the plastic case it comes in (has a zipper) and we pack that up and bring that with us. It’s nice to have a place to set her that she knows and is used to when we are in a hotel or rented house. When she was smaller and still swaddled, she would sleep in this when we weren’t home and that worked great too. We have also packed it in our suitcase and taken it on all of our flying trips and will continue to until she grows out of it.
The biggest thing I took away from advice that was given to me was to nurse or feed a bottle when the plane is taking off and when it’s landing. This helps their ears to pop. However, there were times when she was sleeping and I wasn’t about to wake her, just put a paci in her mouth!
Bring a nursing cover or swaddle blanket if you plan to nurse. I personally preferred to be covered when nursing in public. This Copper Pearl cover is great!
Make sure to have a change of clothes or two and a top for mom in case of blowout
I recently took my Logan and Lenora bag with me to Canada and LOVED how spacious it was. We could fit literally everything from her diaper bag (organized by my ToteSavy organizer). So take a bag that will fit a lot!
Wipe down your area of the plane with a clorox wipe when you sit down.
Change diaper right before you board the plane. We flew Delta and there was a changing table in the bathroom but it’s still a tight space. I also had to change her in my lap on one flight and we made that work as well.
We bought the Doona travel system specifically to use to fly with and have loved it. It folds up and you can either check it at the gate or if you have an empty seat near you, you can place the seat there. We have checked ours every flight and hold her the whole time. The Doona is also great for using in ubers or rental cars because you don’t need a base with it.
Give yourself grace. You really have no control over how your baby will act on a plane. Every time I board I hope for the best but also know she’s a baby so if things don’t go as planned, it’s still going to be okay. People around you have heard babies cry before so it’s not the end of the world. You got this!!
Travel Must Haves:
Here is a list of must have items we love for traveling! If you have any that I don’t have mentioned, let me know!! We are always looking for new hacks, especially as we get into the six months to a year time frame!
Great tips for traveling with a baby! I’ve been following you on IG since we were both pregnant. I’ve done a few short trips (flight and car) with my daughter (she’s 4 months old). Just one quick comment about feeding in the car. I read that you shouldn’t bottle feed in the car seat due to the fact that if she accidentally choked, it would be dangerous to try and take her out of her car seat while in a moving vehicle and it may take too long to stop the vehicle to attend to her. I’ve been tempted to with my daughter too, but it’s safer to just take a stop. It also gives her a break to stretch her legs from the car seat.
Hi! Fellow MOC user here. Was it hard to keep her awake for the full 2 hr windows on the 4-6 month schedule? I’m dying to switch but by 95 min mark she is so fussy.
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Great tips for traveling with a baby! I’ve been following you on IG since we were both pregnant. I’ve done a few short trips (flight and car) with my daughter (she’s 4 months old). Just one quick comment about feeding in the car. I read that you shouldn’t bottle feed in the car seat due to the fact that if she accidentally choked, it would be dangerous to try and take her out of her car seat while in a moving vehicle and it may take too long to stop the vehicle to attend to her. I’ve been tempted to with my daughter too, but it’s safer to just take a stop. It also gives her a break to stretch her legs from the car seat.
Collins is beautiful!
Hi! Fellow MOC user here. Was it hard to keep her awake for the full 2 hr windows on the 4-6 month schedule? I’m dying to switch but by 95 min mark she is so fussy.
Bottle feeding in the car.. do you do this while she is still in the car seat?