MrsNoodleBoy is a M.O.M. (MyMaria On a Mission): April 2012

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Monday, April 9, 2012

My little viajero and his travel kit essentials

My little NoodleLito aka Little Mao just had a lot of FIRSTS this summer. He had his FIRST boat ride, FIRST plane ride, and FIRST road trip! We went on vacation up North which you can read in my other blog or in HERE. We also had our FIRST vacation as a family and without a nanny with us! Super mom and dad mode on!

It felt like a huge accomplishment for me and Noodle Boy. Six days, 24/7 with our 11-kg bundle of joy! Good thing we had the rest of the extended family and relatives with us to help carry Little Mao at random times of the day. Whew!

Since this is actually the first time we went on vacation with a baby along, there’s so many things I really didn’t expect and was not actually prepared for. I did pack thrice the number of everyday usual baby stuff for Little Mao but managed to keep it to a minimum without exceeding our baggage allowance.

So in addition to XX number of cloth diapers (lampin), onesies, pajamas, short-sleeved and sleeveless white shirts, jackets, shorts, socks, sandals and shoes… here’s a list of what I consider very essential things to be included in a baby’s traveling kit (suitcase, in our case!) charged to experience:

Baby stroller. Sure enough, we didn’t require one or so we thought at first. Two days along and 4 Alaxan capsules later, it’s no longer fun to carry a baby that’s 11-kg heavy. I did a quick research on baby strollers and we actually found some Chicco and Graco ones at a department store. They looked very heavy duty and just right for our little big Mao. However, there were rather pricey. Luckily, we found this Goodbaby stroller that was just the right size and the right price I should say. It had the same features as the more expensive baby strollers and it does its job wonderfully, taking off the weight off our shoulders… Literally. Thank you Grammy for buying the stroller during the trip!

Baby wipes. Lots of it. Kids are messy beings no doubt and keeping them clean with baby wipes is joy. I prefer Precious Moments especially during travel. The cheaper Nursy brand works for me at home but the PM wipes with Aloe Vera and Vitamin E is such a refreshing thing to have on the road. It smells great, too!

Pull-ups. We brought along more than enough diapers for this bouncing baby boy but soon enough we realized something. During one challenging diaper change that took place inside the van, my awesome sister-in-law, with two kids in tow, recommended we get pull-ups for Little Mao. It’s slightly more expensive than your regular reliable diaper but using it was way much easier! I can change Mikko’s diapers in 6 seconds, but with pull-ups, I can do it in a blink of an eye. Tee hee! Thanks Ninang Ish for the heads up!

Disposable feeding bottle system. I’m still breastfeeding Little Mao so it was a big bonus for the trip. I can nurse him anywhere, anytime. This also means we save space without having to bring along a sterilizer and feeding bottles. However, there is only so much breastmilk I can make and being on the road, I can’t drink so much liquids because then I’ll have to pee a lot. Enter Avent Tempo Nurser and Liners. When friends learned we were taking NoodleLito on vacation, they suggested to bring a disposable feeding bottle system. It’s really very convenient to have when you’re traveling with a kid and every family should own one. Even Mikko’s super cool pediatrician recommends it! Thanks Ninong Pajan & Ninang Xiang for the advice!

Baby hip carrier. We could no longer make use of Mikko’s baby carrier because his thighs are too big to fit in it anymore. But thanks to the Hippychick hipseat, carrying a 2’6", 11-kg, 7-month-old child all day doesn’t seem so brutal after all. With the really wonderful back support it provides, it does a lot of kindness and is very ideal to bring along during trips. Thanks to Tita Sarah!

I guess that about covers it. Oh, and I almost forgot… I had to bring with me Mikko’s birth certificate for identification purposes. You’ll need that when you have a baby with you on a plane ride and as per his pedia, during flight you should feed the baby so he doesn’t make a fuss with the air pressure. I’m happy to say that Little Mao really did enjoy traveling. He was all giddy and happily bouncing even during the zigzag in Kennon Road. He does have the makings of a viajero and I have a feeling this simply marks a series of many trips in the near future.

Do you have tips and tricks for travel with a baby? Please share!