First trip with baby Sid to Big Sur, CA feels like it all happened in my dreams, for obvious reasons, I was nothing but tired and sleepy all along. Nevertheless, I wanted to get out of the house and get some fresh air and break the routine.
My little guy was 10-weeks old and we chose to drive to Big Sur, CA due to the closer proximity and warmer weather.
Given that it’s the first road trip with the baby, it felt like I was packing the entire house into the car trunk. Anyhow, here are my lessons learned from the first and several other trips with the baby.
Pick the best place to travel with infant:
Here are the things I took into consideration before deciding on the destination.
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How long of a travel can I handle, as a new mother ?
- My health condition matters. I had a normal delivery and recovered very quickly. I started working out at gym 6-weeks after giving birth. But, I was royally sleep deprived. As much as I wanted to get out of the house, I couldn’t fancy anything beyond a couple of hours of journey.
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New Dad’s situation – can he stay up and drive ?
- What has daddy’s sleep level been ? What does he think of the destination?
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Baby’s feeding schedule ?
- He eats ever 2 hours. Some babies can do every 3 hours. Mine is a light eater. So, the feeding frequency is crazy.
- And I have a reflex baby. This topic deserves a blog post of its own. From travel perspective, reflex baby means, packing more clothes than usual.
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What does he drink ?
- Breast milk or formula ?
- If its breast milk, is it expressed or he drinks directly ?
- Do you need to carry the pumping kit ? Does it work in the car ?
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What do you want to get out of this trip ?
- Beach / Sun ?
- A hike ?
- Or a retreat at a resort ?
Answering these questions narrowed down my options to a road trip with baby to somewhere closer. However, I know people who have a longer trip and have flown with a newborn from US to Australia. Are you one of them ? Kudos to you!
I actually haven’t explored Big Sur besides running Big sur 21-miler, twice. Both the times I had made a mental note to come back for a more relaxing trip to hike through some of the stunning California coastline trails. It finally happened.
Side note: Big Sur 21 miler is a most scenic part of the marathon course. Check it out.
Basic necessities packing list
Planning Tips:
- Don’t make a hectic plan. In other words, its easy to plan the trip at the same level of activities as you had before the baby. It takes time to sink-in that you are a parent now.
- Stop every 2-3 hours for feeding and let the baby stretch in your car trunk or on flatter surface.
- Give baby tummy time during these breaks so the baby doesn’t feel sore by sitting in one position all day long.
Are you ready to do your first trip with your infant ? Save this post for future reference on Pinterest!
