As I was preparing for maternity leave, I got the advice to travel early, as it is much easier to travel when a baby is not yet crawling or walking. That planted a seed and I began to scheme a month-long trip to BCS Baja, Mexico during our combined maternity and paternity leave.
It was definitely a leap of faith - I booked the accommodations when I was only 4 months pregnant. I was assuming she would be about 3 months at that time, when we would have a 1-month window between pediatrician appointments.
Then, once baby June was born, we had to immediately procure her physical birth certificate and apply for a passport as early as possible (the passport photo of a 1-month old is pretty hilarious).
While it required a lot of preparation and uncertainty right up until we were on our flight, in the air, it turned out to be such a special time for our little family unit. We were able to bond and really focus on each other without the distractions of day-to-day life at home (it also reassuring the remember that if we ever felt too uncomfortable or ill at ease, we could simply return early from our trip).
Here are a few things we learned:
Ditch the stroller.
Think about your destination and what you will be doing day-to-day. Do you really need a stroller? Our destination did not have sidewalks or even many paved roads, so we opted to leave the stroller at home. It was so liberating! We carried June in her baby carrier, or we were driving and had her in a car seat. I used a back brace with the baby carrier since my core wasn’t fully healed yet and that improved my endurance immensely. Side note - it’s not recommended that your baby to be in the car seat for more than 2 hours / day, so plan accordingly.
Airport stuff: Arrive early and check all bags
Arrive extra early to the airport: we arrived 3 hours early for our international flight. Between baby, dog and feeding ourselves, it was just enough time. And check all your bags. Gone are the days of walking out of the airport with just your carry-on.
For accommodations, stay put.
It was much easier to settle in and find a routine when staying in 1 place rather than hop around to different hotels or rentals. We stayed in 1 rental for the entire month.
Breastfeed in public.
If you can breastfeed/feed on-the-go, your life is going to be way easier. Practice using a cover up at home before your trip. Tip — crop tops make feeding access that much easier. Paired with a high waisted flowy skirt, I was super comfortable. We also rented a car during our stay, so that became a home away from home and a good distraction-free place to feed, when necessary.
Shade is your friend.
Know your shade options before you go. We knew we would be at the beach and wanted to be self-sufficient with our own shade and not rely on finding shade where we went. Babies under 6 months shouldn’t get direct sun, so they just need to be in the shade 😎 Baby sun hats easily fall off and kind of block the baby’s view. So having overhead shade was key. For walking around, it felt most efficient for June to wear a classic cotton baby cap and then we would use our own wide-brimmed hats to shade her face.
Lower expectations of what you do in a given day.
This is the not carefree spontaneous travel you may have grown accustomed to in the past. Your days revolve around the needs of your babe, and the healing mother, and that might mean you stay inside for an entire day, and that’s ok. We got into a rhythm of one day out and about, and the next day staying close to home, to rest, limit sun and wind exposure, and not feel like a constant hustle.
Pack a few luxuries
This is important so that you can be content hanging close to home, when it’s what the family needs. That meant bringing a good book, a yoga mat, yoga block, swim fins and a wet suit for Will.