Here are my top tips for travelling with a  baby 4 months and under:

1.)  If you don’t already, order a stroller/ carseat cover. We borrowed a stroller cover from a friend but didn’t for our carseat and the airline ripped ours… soo annoying. They are expensive but I wish we would have just got one to protect our seat! We took the basinnette part of the stroller (doubles as a bed for travel) and the carseat which also goes on top of the stroller.  We used both and I’m happy we took both. The basinnette was not only good for him to sleep in, it was also good on longer adventure days. I don’t like having Dane in the carseat for too long. Having the basinnette allowed him to stretch out and even have some naps while we were out and about adventuring!

Having the carseat was necessary because we rented a car. It was also nice that it clipped into our stroller so when he fell asleep on the drive we could just transfer the carseat onto the stroller and not have to wake him.

Basinnette- great for naps on the go!!

2.) Gate check your stroller and be sure they ACTUALLY do it! We did this on the way there and home. On the way down it was perfect. They give you a tag to put on the outside of your stroller bag. You take your stroller through security (you have to completely empty it) use it all you want, drive it right down to where you get on the plane and then once you’re about to board the plane, fold it up and put it in the bag and hand it to the baggage people. They put it right under the plane and have it waiting and ready for you when you get off the plane. It is SO slick. On the way home however, something happened and we gate checked it but instead of having it ready for us they sent it through to our final destination.. that was a bummer.  My advice, triple check they know you are GATE CHECKING IT, if you have a layover say you want it at the layover, NOT the final destination.

3.) Wear your baby carrying wrap. As per usual, I wore leggings, a tee and a sweater for travel but this time I wore my Beluga Baby wrap under my sweater. This way I didn’t have to worry about putting it on when I needed to put him in it.  I would highly suggest this. This wrap was hands down the most used item we took on our trip. He stayed in it basically the entire flight. I took him out during take off and landing to breast feed (I got mixed messages on this- some people said you were allowed, some said you weren’t. We flew AC the entire trip and they encouraged me to BF on take off and landing)  and then he went right back into the wrap the entire flight. He LOVES it. Didn’t make a peep! Definitely pack your wrap carrier!

As you can see, Dane was in the wrap the majority of the time. The basinnette was still great for holding stuff!

4.) Take your own baby first aid kit and keep it in your carry on. We were fortunate and didn’t have to use it (besides the Gripe Water and Oval) but it is good to bring just in case. (Thermometer, Tylenol, Coryzalia, etc.)

5.) Don’t overpack… I know it sounds cliche but it is so true. You really don’t need that much stuff. I will share our packing list for you to reference to, but trust me when I say even I think it is too long!

Baby Packing List  (4 months and under for one week)

• 2 sleep sacks
• 5 pairs of pajamas
• 10 outfits (try your best to pack items that you can mix and match- that way if they don’t get puked or poo’d on they can be reworn)
• 5 pairs of socks
• 7 bibs- we ended up having to wash Dane drools SO much!
• 7 burp cloths – we also had to wash these… Dane is a big puker too!
• 2 beanies (black and white)
• 1 pair of shoes
• 2 swaddles
• 1 heavier blanket (fleece)
• soap + lotion
• sound machine
• lovey (stuffed animal)
• owelet sock + charger
• 1 package of diapers -you can always buy more when you’re there!
• 1 package of wipes
• bum cream
• stroller with basinnette attachment
• rain cover for stroller
• carseat (with cover)
• Fabric wrap of your choice – I have the Baby Beluga and I love it!
• breast pump + pumping bra
• 1 bottle
• Tylenol
• Gripe Water
• Oval
• Thermometer
• Vitamin D
• Iron
• soothers
• Haaka
• Patience- travelling with a child is different. It’s hard, it’s exhausting, but it is SO FUN!

Obviously this would be different for each baby but it is gives you a place to start!

I will leave you with some other great tips I got from ya’ll when I asked on IG:

-“check out the app Mamava – some airports have free pods for breastfeeding/ pumping.” (We did this- Vancouver had one, it was awesome!)
-“pack Dane’s stuff in Ikea organizers- they’re a game changer” – we also did this, worked great!
-“depending on the length of the trip, buy diapers when you get there”
-“TSA will allow liquids and gels for baby”
-“bring change of clothes for YOU and baby on the plane, nothing worse than travelling covered in baby puke”
-“book an aisle and window seat in hopes that no one ill book the middle… the extra space for all the baby stuff is wonderful!”

Check out the rest of the advice and tips in the comment section on this photo!

Safe travels!

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I have organized them according to category so it’s easy for you to navigate! Oh, I also added a maternity section for the mama’s to be!

*I just placed an order from a few of these places so stay tuned for a try on session!

Bathing Suits:

Cover Ups:

Dresses: lots of these are on sale!!

Maternity:

Shorts & Tops:

Accessories:

If you’re lucky enough to be escaping winter this year, have the best time!!

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Where to stay?

We stayed at the Art Hotels and I would highly recommend staying here! I was first attracted to it because of the location.  It’s located in the downtown arts and entertainment neighbourhood so it is close to great shopping on 17th Avenue, The Core, Inglewood and a five minute drive from Chinook Centre...hello Nordstrom!!  It’s within walking distance to some great food spots as well including National, Craft, and Native Tongues!   Aside from the location the restaurant located right in the hotel is freaking amazing!! We had brunch at the Yellow Door Bistro on Saturday morning and it was honestly one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had! The room was spacious, bright and clean, and the bed was very comfortable… overall a great experience!

Where to eat?

My favourite part of any getaway is the eating part, but like I said before, we had a very limited time in the city (we only stayed 2 nights) not to worry though,  we packed in as much as we could!   Upon our arrival to YYC we met up with some friends at National on 10th for some food and bevies then moved on to Craft (newly renovated) for some more drinks! Both places had good vibes and cocktails! On Saturday we met up with friends for happy hour at Bar Patricia, a cozy little spot just a few blocks from our hotel and then went to dinner at Native Tongues which was SO good! This was one of the highly recommended places and it did not disappoint! The tacos are tiny so don’t be shy when you’re ordering! The next morning we went to  OEB as per every single persons recommendation… the menu was limiting for me as per usual, but I still really enjoyed it!

A few other spots that were recommended to us but we just didn’t have time to hit up were:

-Lulu Bar (Cocktails)
-Ten Foot Henry (Restaurant)
– Mercato (Italian)
-Little Henry (Restaurant)
-Made by Marcus (ice cream shop)
-Calcutta Cricket Club (Italian)
– Blue Star Diner (Breakfast)

Where to shop?

I had my heart set on going to Nordstrom because, well… Nordstrom, so we had to go to Chinook Centre and as per usual  it didn’t disappoint.  If you are on a limited time schedule like I was, I would suggest hitting up Chinook Centre, it literally has every single store imaginable and more! We also visited Cross Iron Mills for one reason only… Joe Fresh, to my disappointment, it is no longer there! I am SO sad about this! If you’re into thrifting, I  would highly suggest visiting Peacock Boutique, I got a pair of Agolde jeans for $78…  WEEKEND MADE!  I would have loved to hit up the shops on 17th and some other boutiques but we just ran out of time!

Overall, it was a great trip. If you’re needing a little vacay I suggest hitting the highway!
Thanks for stopping in, Beauties!

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