Friday, September 14, 2012

The Difficulties of Traveling with a Baby…

IMG_1002are way overstated.

I can’t speak for what it will be like when Ryder is walking, or driving for that matter.

But as a three month old, Ryder is ridiculously easy to travel with…most of the time.

On the 12 hour flight to Fiji, he just slept like always. Babies, I’m told, love white noise and bumpiness. Planes, therefore, are ideal for Ryder.

Hotel rooms? We use the same bed wherever we go, so it’s not a big deal for him.

Crying in public? Just as not fun abroad as at home, but it’s just as likely to happen anywhere.

There’s no need to worry about carrying food around. He flies for free. He doesn’t even play with toys yet. He’s easy. He’s portable. He doesn’t need nearly as much stuff as you’d think. I’ll do a post soon on what we do carry for him.

Venice Beach, Los Angeles

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Waiting for his connecting flight in Fiji.

There are two exceptions to this so far:

When we checked out of our YMCA the other day, he had a massive blowout. I was talking on the phone with Air Pacific and didn’t notice at first. Poop on his back, on his blanket, on my pants, on his carrier…it was epic.

And we no longer had a bathtub to use because we were in between homes. I spent 45 minutes cleaning him and me off with paper towels in the YMCA basement restroom. I had to dig around for new clothes for us both out of our suitcases. That is the extent of difficulty of traveling with a baby that I have experienced. It wasn’t fun at the time, but it was amusing to recount afterwards

One more thing. Ryder was sleeping up to 10 hours a night in a row. Now, with the time change in New Zealand, his rhythms are off and he’s back down to only five and we’re back to square one. Dang it.

Other than that, I am here to tell you what I never heard before—traveling with a baby adds to the experience of the voyage. It doesn’t detract from it. Jacob and I can’t wait to see him growing and experiencing the world around him. We’re sure he’ll provide insights we’ll have never thought of. Right now, he seems happy enough just going where we go.

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3 comments:

oh said...

That last Ryder picture is wonderful! I need a poster-sized version of it on my wall. We miss you guys.

Georgina said...

Hello, I have been a silent reader for a while!! I am just about to get married and have been toying with the idea of my partner quitting his job and going full time into the fitness world ( his passion) online and full time travel!! We have started the business whilst he is still working but its now choosing between take a promotion or quit and do this!!!

In my mind I was stuck over the baby part it is something I know we both wnat once we get married and reading this just gave me that sense of ' we can do this'!!!

I love reading your blog it inspores me every time I read it !! As we make decisions I am so comforted knowing that there ae people out there making it happen and work for them o matter what convention, culture or social 'rules' may say !!!

Thanks for sharing your journey through motherhood on the road and I hope to be doing the same soon xx

Jacob and Kalli Hiller said...

Georgina it's great to hear from you, and if I can get that one message out--that children don't prevent dreams from happening but instead make them more fulfilling--I will be a happy blogger! Please consider checking out my new website http://www.portableprofessionals.com where I'll be exploring motherhood and travel more.

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