Traveling with Ava was something I had been anxious about for months. My biggest concern was that she wouldn’t be able to put herself to sleep on the flight. That’s something that has been a bit of a challenge for us when we are out running around day to day. The total flight was only 2.5 hours, but being that it was our first trip with a baby, I really had no idea what to expect.
Ava was SO excited to be on the plane. She was smiling at EVERYONE! I will admit I was a crazy woman with the santizing wipes. I wiped down every inch of the row we were sitting in. My husband told the guy next to us to be careful I was going to wipe him down as well lol! I was actually very surprised with how nice people were to us. I thought for sure I would get that “oh SH!T I have the seat right next to the baby” look from passengers but they were actually pretty understanding.
We started with a short 45 minute flight which was a breeze. I nursed her upon take off and she slept pretty much until we landed, thank goodness!!! As we were boarding our next flight Ava started to fuss a lot and had a blow out (which we haven’t had in months) right as we were getting ready to take off!! I frantically sent the hubby to change her and of course the flight attendants told him he would have to wait till we got up in the air. One outfit down! About an hour into the flight I passed Ava over to my husband for a bit and she vomitted all over him. Im talking vomit everywhere! This was no little spit up and there’s nothing like smelling like breast milk on a flight! All we could do was laugh at this point. We joked about how perfect the timing was that I had just dodged the vomit by handing her off to him. Right as we started to descend I nursed Ava again to help with the pressure… 5 mins later Ava ended up vomitting on me!! I didn’t feed her anything differently so I can only assume it was nerves or the change in pressure for her?! So we arrived in Mexico being vomitted on twice and 3 outfit changes for Ava. She ended up coming off the plane in nothing but a diaper! I would highly recommend bringing SEVERAL changes of clothes for your little one and maybe even one for yourself!!
On the return flight she didnt really have any major issues. There were no blow outs or vomit but it just felt like a LONG 2.5 hours. At this age (especially now that she is crawling everywhere) it was a lot of work to keep her entertained. She was pretty fussy so I had her on the boob for comfort a lot and that itself was REALLY draining (physically and mentally). She is also at the stage where she just wants her mama. It is pretty darn sweet but also can takes a toll on me.
As you saw from yesterdays post the resort was absolutely amazing and the staff were extremely accommodating for babies. Even with all of that I still had a mini mommy melt down the first night we arrived. I told my husband the resort was so amazing but it still just didn’t feel like a vacation. When you’re spending good money on traveling you really want to just enjoy every moment of it. He reminded me that I was going on 4 hours of sleep and traveling with a baby is going to be an adjustment, I should just get some rest and tomorrow would be better. Thankfully he was right and the next couple days were so amazing! We traveled with one of my dearest friends who also has a baby. Hanging out with them drinking on the beach with our babies in tow was so relaxing. We had such a blast! Not to mention its so nice traveling with another couple who is experiencing the same things you are with kids!
I did realize that traveling with a baby you really do need to add an extra day or two on your vacation. Normally a couple nights in Mexico would be more than enough time but with the babies kind of slowing up down I felt like I really did need more time there. Like everything else with mommy hood I think traveling with a baby is just another thing to adjust to. I hope in time it will become a little easier. Thanks for listening to my rambling and feel free to share any other traveling with kids tips you guys have!
Here are a few more random shots from our vacation…
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| Yeah for family vacays! |
share with us where you got baby ava's bikini!
i bought it on sale at 6pm.com but its sold out now ;( Its by Kate Mack …you may be able to find it on ebay though.
Oh my goodness Mama!! Your commute sounds exhausting!! Looks like you had a much more relaxing time during your stay. 🙂 Maybe with a few more trips you will get the hang of it. We are planning a 14 hr flight for a fam. vacay next Sept when our little baby will be about 5 mnths and I'm already paranoid that I am going to go nuts on the flight!
oh my well you just have know its going to be a long day. People do it all the time so just try not to stress out if you can! xoox
What an adorable baby!
Your vacay looks so fun! Looks like a great place to visit!
=)
brooke
No kids here- but I am a Nanny & this is super helpful!
Such fun pictures too- Ava & Jackson are doll babies 🙂
Eat Cake
Looks like an amazing vacation 🙂 I'm glad everything went well! We leave for Turks and Caicos Sunday and I've been soo nervous! I'm so afraid I'm going to forget something! Thanks for the tips! 🙂
oh how fun!!! Safe travels love xoxo
OK how stinkin cuuuute is her little red bikini?? I mean, that makes up for the vomit and the blowouts…right? She is adorable! And we've been looking for an umbrella stroller too…we travel down to OC next week!!
oh safe travels hun! The weather is nice and warm here for you guys! Hoping your travel goes a little smoother than our first trip! lol
I love her baby-kini!! sooo cute! That plane ride definitely sounded like an adventure. My favorite picture is of your hubby and Ava on the hammock. You always manage to capture such precious moments!
Aww I'm sorry your trip there was so exhausting! It sounds like something out of a movie with the vomit and the blow out…lol. I remember my brother saying the same thing as you after taking his baby boy on vacation- that it is a totally different type of vaca with a little one. But it looks like it was a beautiful trip regardless! And I am dying over Ava's bikini and hat, she's too much!
lol Yes definitely a different kind of a vacation but hoping it gets a little easier in time! Hope you're feeling well love! xo
Oh my Lord Ava' Bikini is just to die for I Absolutely LOVE it !!!!! Great pictures =)
thanks so much love xo
awww I loved looking at the pics Andee, Ava is so precious!! Love her big rimmed hat 😀 and you look as gorgeous as always. I must say i laughed out loud at your place experience but took some mental note as well for the future. We're traveling to the Caribbean early February when Sofia is about 6 months old and your tips are definitely helpful 🙂
thanks so much for the tips- traveling next week with our 4 month old so this came right in time. love the sun hats!
Your daughter looks adorable in that cute little bikini 🙂
I have a 4 month old and I'm so nervous thinking about taking any flights with him so thanks for sharing your travel experience and tips!
you're so welcome! Each baby is different so you may not have any of these issues but just prepare yourself mentally for a long day. Heres to hoping it gets a little easier for us 😉
Too funny! I agree with all of those tips! Looks like you guys had a blast!! How fun that you can still do all of that fun stuff with Ava tagging along! XOXO
thanks love! xo
Ava's little bikini is just too cute!
where is your white hat from? love it. your little family is too cute!
thank you its from a boutique here in OC called M. Federic
Girl, this had me laughing, bc a blow out always comes at the absolute worst times!!! And I hear ya, everytime we take a quote "vacation" with our kids, it's always more work than anything!! But the memories of it all (even the struggles) are so funny to look back on and make you realize what kind of mom skills you really have!! Love all your pics, and good for you for traveling with another couple with kids, you can at least hang and relax once the kiddos are fast asleep and enjoy a good cocktail…or two…or three:)
yes traveling with another mama with a baby definitely made it a little better…and of course the endless margaritas lol
Hi Andee,
Looks like a fab holiday. I want to go to Mexico now!!!! Also, could you please tell me where you got your red maxi dress? Its so pretty.
thanks hun its by Diane Von Furstenburg. You may be able to find it on sale now online or else try ebay xo
Ava is absolutely darling! How cute she is in her adorable little red bikini. Glad you were able to get away for a break and fun to have another couple with you with a baby as well. The photo of all of you is beautiful! Hope you have a great week.
thank you Allison! xo
Gorgeous family! I just love the little red bikini and hat!!
thank you 🙂
Aww look at those little fat rolls, TOO CUTE!!
So weird about the blowout! Happened with me and my son too on most flights, but otherwise never happen. Must be something about being on a plane?! Looks like you had a great time and don't worry, it gets better each time. Love your blog in every way.
-Stephanie
thanks so much Stephanie! So glad to hear it gets better and this happened to other mamas as well xo
Why is it that they time the blowouts at the worst possible moments?! Haha! Congrats on surviving your first flight with a baby! I am totally with you on sanitizing everything on the plane (and airport)! I brought along disposable changing pads just so our changing pad wouldn't touch the dirty changing tables in public haha.
And girl, are you serious with Ava's little red bikini?! Cuteness overload!
thanks so much love! That reminds me i have been wanting to get those disposable changing table pads!
I'm glad you were able to make the most out of your trip. My friends who have babies and even my parents have told me that traveling with a baby is not a vacation and it's actually more work than just staying home. Kinda freaks me out, looks like you managed ok though.
Xo
ummm yes i was definitely feeling a bit that way myself. Hopefully it will get a bit easier with time!
Hi Andee!! Thx u for your perspective and experience on travelling with a 6month old. Haven't had the nerve to do it yet and my daughter is 2!! Lol can u plz tell me what.nail polish u are wearing?? Have a great day!
Haha i dont blame you for waiting…we may not be traveling as much as we used to thats for sure. My polish is tropical temptation by Revlon.
I have to chuckle a bit, because it reminds me of the first time we traveled with our oldest daughter. It was Christmas Day, we had a ton of presents, all that comes with a 3 week old baby, a dog, and a leaking tire that needed airing up every 50 miles. She had a blow out that literally came out of the neck of her sleeper. NOTHING was open but gas stations, & we ran out of wipes. The dog was jumping back & forth over the seat, poop was everywhere….it was HORRIBLE. To top it off, I had postpartum depression, so I start sobbing hysterically. We finally opened presents & started using new baby clothes to clean up Poopville. Ay yi yi. My husband and I can laugh about it now.
The good news is, it gets easier to travel with kids, especially when you don't have diapers,bottles, etc.
Lovely pics!
oh my goodness girl! Glad we aren't the only ones going through this! I do look forward to traveling with kiddos in a few years 😉
Hi. I'm new to your blog, but I'm so glad for this post! We take our 3 month old on her first flight Sunday! Ahhh, so nervous. But it helps to hear stories from other moms and get tips. Your daughter is gorgeous, you have such a beautiful family. We went to Isla Mujeres as a couple last year and it was amazing. When we go back, I'm not sure if we'll bring Audrey or get the grandparents to babysit!
hey chk this out,
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http://babycradles.in/product.html
cheers!
kunj
kohllined.blogspot.in
Great post! I love that Kate Mack bikini! Had a hard time resisting stocking up on it when I saw it at Nordstrom's! Love these tips, especially about the number of changes you guys went thru. We plan to take our first trip (Int'1) when baby-in-the-oven is about 3 months. I will definitely pack extra changes of clothes for all of us (not just baby) in the carry on now! And it's so nice you had another couple friend with a baby about the same age as Ava!
xx Vivian @ http://diamondsandtulle.blogspot.com
All of these images are looking mind blowing thanks for the sharing.
Wonderful photos! Your baby is so cute!
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