Traveling Around the World With a Growing Family
My thoughts on traveling while pregnant and with an infant
TRAVELING WITH A BABY BABY
So the plan is to continue traveling as a family of 5 once we feel that baby #3 is ready to rock. To me, newborns are easy to travel with. They can sleep and eat just about anywhere. We have some really awesome countries planned for this year and make sure that each place we visit is safe for an infant.
TRAVEL BABY NECESSITIES
I wanted to share a few of my favorite baby items and some of what will be my go-to baby travel gear.
BABY CARRIER : One of the most important pieces is a great baby carrier. Boppy came out with a new carrier called the Boppy™ ComfyFit® Baby Carrier. For most of our time, baby will be strapped to mom or dad where he'll be comfy and cozy.
This carrier is great because it packs up super small (VERY important to us), is easy to put on, is soft and comfortable for me and baby, and has a supportive waist belt. It will be great for travel days! We really love this heathered gray fabric. It's cool, stretchy, and it ages really well. I'll share a pic as soon as baby boy arrives. :)
For more information on the Boppy™ ComfyFit® Baby Carrier , visit their website or visit Target , Babies“R”Us , buybuy BABY.
I love the new campaign by Bobby - #NeverNotAMom. It definitely strikes a chord with me! CHECK IT OUT:
STROLLER : We've used the same stroller for the last year and a half. The Babyzen YoYo+ is hands down the BEST travel stroller there is. It is lightweight and folds up small enough to fit in the overhead bin on the plane. Currently, both our kids can squish next to each other in it. We don't use it much besides on travel days, but I love it. Every time I fold it up, a bystander comments on how awesome of a stroller it is.
MICS. : For us, the most important thing for travel gear is that it is lightweight and small. I pack a few blankets/swaddles, extra pacifiers, a breast pump, and few bottles.
THINGS WE DON'T TRAVEL WITH : We don't travel with carseats - we rent them when need from rental car places. We don't bring a crib or or a pack n' play since most hotels have them. Often times if you ask an Airbnb or rental home host, they'll arrange one for you.
We buy almost all baby supplies as we go - diapers, wipes, baby lotion, formula, etc. We've travelled to some very remote islands and have been able to buy those things along the way.
TRAVELING WHILE PREGNANT
We've been on the road full-time for the last 2 ½ years. For the last 9 months of that, I've been pregnant with baby #3. During that time, we've travelled to 14 different countries and been on dozens of flights. It wasn't easy being pregnant on the road. Pregnancy isn't easy at home. There were so many concerns I had about traveling abroad while pregnant, but I made sure to do a ton of research and planning to make for a safe, healthy and happy pregnancy.
Some questions and concerns I had : Zika, doctors appointments on the road, insurance, where to have the baby, etc.
Zika : Our last stop in Zika Territory was in Ecuador. As soon as we arrived home we were both tested for Zika. Results were negative, so we began trying for baby. We avoided any Zika region after that.
Doctor appointments on the road : I made sure to get all critical tests and check-ups along my pregnancy. I had doctor visits when we were back in the United States. All doctors forwarded any test results and ultrasounds to my “home doctor” in Utah. I paid cash to any doctor I saw on the road.
Insurance : We do have travelers insurance that covers medical emergencies, heaven forbid something came up. Luckily, it didn't. We use Travel Guard for travelers insurance and have an upgraded medical/evacuation policy. We've used it twice for stitches (once in Thailand and once in Nepal) and it was wonderful!
Where to have the baby : I decided the easiest thing to do was deliver with the same doctor that I had for my first two. Having a baby in Utah in February isn’t ideal (bad inversion) but at the end of the day, I have a doctor I love and lots of family/friend support.