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Recently I’ve had some friends reach out to me to see if I had any tips on traveling with a baby. Since Steve and I are back and forth between Michigan, Canada, and Tennessee quite often (and we just recently took a long road trip down to Florida), I thought it was time that I shared all of my baby travel tips with the world.

I’m hoping that these tips save you a few headaches while preparing for your first big trip with a baby. I learned a few of these things the hard way, but the more road trips we take with my daughter, the easier each trip gets!

Note: This blog post shares tips for traveling with a baby by car, not by plane. Some of these tips may be helpful for flying, but they are intended for those who are road tripping. 

For Diaper Changes:

1. Purchase PUPPY TRAINING PADS! No, I’m not even kidding. During our first trip up to Canada, London had a total of 3 blowouts in one day. That means her washable changing pad was ruined early in the day when we still had a lot of miles to go. There was a pharmacy selling “Disposable Changing Pads for Babies” that were paper thin with no absorbency and cost around $14 for a 5-pack. I said “screw that” and headed straight for the pet aisle and picked up a 20 pack of puppy training pads which are super absorbant for half the price. Now when we’re on the go, we change London on top of a puppy pad and if we get any poop or pee on it, we can just roll it up and throw it away!

2. Skip out on changing baby in a public restroom that is likely loaded with germs. (How often do employees actually wipe down those baby changing stations, anyway?) Instead, clear some space in the backseat or passenger seat and change baby on top of a changing pad while you stand outside of the car. Just make sure baby has plenty of space and that he/she doesn’t roll over or out of the car.

3. Stock up on hand sanitizer. Just do it. You never know how many messes you’ll encounter while traveling with a baby. You’re better safe than sorry if you have a way to fight off germs and bacteria.

For Feeding:

4. If your baby takes a bottle, bring some frozen breast milk with you in a cooler. As long as it stays cold during your trip, you’ll be safe to give it to the baby during feedings. This will save you from the hassle of needing to stop and breastfeed every time baby is hungry. If you’re traveling with a partner, you can feed the baby while they are in their carseat while your partner drives. This saves a TON of time. Just make sure to burp the baby at your next step.

traveling with baby

5. If you use a breast pump, get a car adapter! I was able to pump for every missed breastfeeding session while on the road. I use this one for the Medela Pump-in-Style and it works great. It allowed me to fill up a bottle to feed London on the go. It was amazing to sit in the backseat and empty my breasts while still putting miles behind us. This was a HUGE travel hack.

For Packing:

6. If you’re traveling to a place where family won’t be around, bring along a Boppy, Rock N Play, Bumbo Seat, or other chair/swing that baby loves to spend time in. It’s hard enough being in an unfamiliar place with an infant, so giving them the familiar furniture they love at home will be easier on both of you. This isn’t as necessary if you’re traveling to your parents’ house where people will volunteer to hold the baby while you’re busy.

traveling with baby

7. Pack at least 1-2 outfit changes in the diaper bag for baby and yourself while you’re on the road. If there happens to be a blowout, spit-up issue, milk spill, or other… you’ll be happy that you have spare baby clothes handy so that you don’t have to dig through your suitcase in the trunk to find clean clothes.

8. If you’re bottle feeding at all, bring extra bottles with you for the trip. When you arrive at your destination you can sanitize and re-use as often as you need to, but remember you’ll only have dirty bottles as you feed while in the car. You can never have too many just in case there is a feeding emergency.

9. The Pack n Play is a Godsend. You won’t need a bassinet or crib if you have a Pack n Play. Just make sure you have a Pack n Play sized sheet! (I use this super cheap one and it works wonders.)

traveling with baby

10. If you have enough room in the car, pack your baby’s bathtub. I use the AngelCare Baby Bath support and it’s pretty easy to bring along whenever we travel. I am of the opinion that if it makes your life easier and gives you peace of mind, BRING it! I’m still not totally comfortable bathing London in the bathtub without some form of support, so I always bring mine.

11. Don’t forget the white noise! If baby falls asleep using a white noise machine, you don’t want to travel without some form of white noise machine. You can get a small travel-sized one, or, if you’re in a pinch like I’ve been in the past, you can use apps on your phone. I love the Calm app!

12. If you can’t fit the stroller in the car, bring a baby carrier, wrap, or sling to wear on your chest. That way you can easily move about and go out in public with baby without having to carry around a heavy carseat carrier.

General Tips:

13. Take care of yourself. Traveling can cause a lot of unnecessary headaches, so be sure to eat healthy, drink lots of water, and keep yourself sane so that baby doesn’t recognize your stress and have a meltdown with you. It’s important to stay calm and try to relax.

14. ENJOY IT. Remember that travel is a luxury and a privilege. To be able to bring your baby on adventures like this is an incredible experience, so it should be enjoyed to the fullest. You are making some of the best memories, so soak it all in.

Traveling with Baby

Traveling with a baby can be a bit stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! Preparedness is the key. Make sure you have everything you need to make your road trip with your baby fun and memorable instead of chaotic and scary.

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It’s September, so that means it’s time for pumpkin spice everything! Call me basic but I love a good beverage with pumpkin flavor in it. It’s the official taste of autumn for me.

Today I’m sharing a fall recipe using pumpkin pie syrup from Torani. This flavored syrup is such a fun and easy way to level up any beverages, hot or cold. I can’t wait to use it for all kinds of recipes this season. It’ll even be great to just spice up a regular old cup of coffee with a quick pump of syrup.

pecan pumpkin pie smoothie

pecan pumpkin pie smoothie

This pecan pumpkin pie smoothie is unexpectedly delicious and refreshing.

Pecan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients: 

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1 oz. Torani pumpkin pie syrup
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup ground pecans
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions: 

  • Place all ingredients in a blender and blend well.
  • Optional: add crushed pecans to the top of smoothie for garnish
  • Enjoy!

pecan pumpkin pie smoothie

Want to make your own pecan pumpkin pie smoothie at home? Grab your own bottle of Torani syrup here. They make all kinds of deliciousflavors that are perfect for adding to coffee drinks. Find a store near you. And if you aren’t into smoothes or pumpkin flavor, pick up a different flavor and create your own beverage recipe!

pecan pumpkin pie smoothie

pecan pumpkin pie smoothie

I’ll be enjoying these pecan pumpkin pie smoothies while it’s still hot out as I anticipate autumn and its cooler temperatures. Who else is ready for fall?!

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* This post is sponsored by Torani. All opinions are my own. #Toranipumpkintime

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Hey there, moms-to-be! This post is for you. I’m breaking down 18 baby items that you actually need as a new mom.

When I first got pregnant, I remember receiving all sorts of unsolicited advice about the things I’d need as a new mom-to-be. I was bombarded and overwhelmed with the information people were spewing at me from all angles– things I “needed to register for” and “couldn’t live without.” One person would tell me one thing, and then another person would tell me the exact opposite. It was a confusing time and I wanted to make sure I was as prepared as I could be before bringing my little one into the world.

So, after some trial and error and learning about the things that make my life easier, I decided to share what items a new mom actually needs. These things have been an absolute life saver in my journey through first-time parenthood. If you’re struggling to figure out what things to get before the arrival of your baby (or if you’re already a mom), these are the necessities worth getting.

18 Baby Items You Actually Need as a New Mom

Continue reading 18 Baby Items You Actually Need as a New Mom

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I’m finally sharing London’s birth story after settling in as a new family of 3 and getting used to our “new normal” at home. I still get emotional thinking about that very special day. Here it goes…

Let’s go back to Thursday, June 20th. I had an ultrasound scheduled since Baby D was due on June 10th, making me officially 10 days overdue (41.5 weeks pregnant). My OB wanted to check in and make sure the baby was still healthy and doing okay. I was scheduled for an induction later that evening.

I was told to check in at St. Thomas hospital at midnight Friday morning and that my induction would begin at 1am. While leaving my ultrasound appointment, I received a call from the hospital telling me to call before midnight to ask the charge nurse if they’d be too busy for me to get in on time and if they’d have a short delay in inductions. I also had to completely stop eating anything by 5pm.

So the plan was to go home with Steve, get the house in order, double-check our hospital bags to make sure we had all of the essentials packed, and possibly take a cat nap before our really big night at the hospital. I did everything I could to stay busy so that I wouldn’t be staring at the clock. A nap definitely didn’t happen after I realized there was no way I was going to be able to fall asleep knowing I’d be having a baby the next day.

I called the hospital at approximately 11pm to check with the charge nurse to see if I should still come in at my scheduled time. They pushed my check-in time back to 1am instead of midnight, meaning my induction would start shortly after.

Around 12:15am, Steve and I headed out of the house one final time as a family of two. It was so surreal knowing that the next time we’d walk through those doors, we’d have a baby with us.

When we arrived at the hospital, we checked in, filled out paperwork, and were told to sit in the waiting room until a nurse would come to bring us to our delivery room. We figured it wouldn’t be more than 30 minutes, but boy, were we in for a shock.

We sat in that hospital waiting room with our bags until 7:30am. 7 hours of waiting on a hospital room. 7 hours pondering what the next 24 hours would look like. Wondering how I’d make it through a long labor and how I’d be able to push a baby out with zero energy and no food in my system. It was so crazy to be left alone with our thoughts wondering if we’d ever get called back. At times it actually felt like we were never going to meet our baby.

When we finally got placed into a hospital room, my nurse, Courtney, came in and hooked me up to my IV. It was inserted into my left wrist. I knew it was going to be uncomfortable, but it seemed a little odd that I felt constant pain in my wrist and arm even after it was completely inserted. (More on this to come..) Shortly after this, my OB showed up and inserted cytotec to ripen my cervix to help kick-start labor. I had several short contractions after that, all which were happening in my back.

Side note– after confirming all of the “back spasms” that I thought I was having the entire week before were actually CONTRACTIONS, I felt so validated. I remember constantly asking myself if what I was experiencing at home were actual contractions and if I was having back labor. Well, when I was hooked up to the monitor in the hospital, sure enough, those were actually labor contractions. So yeah.. not all contractions feel like they’re happening in your uterus/front of your body. I had no idea.

birth story

Continue reading London’s Birth Story

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It’s been a wild ride these past several months and I can’t believe I’m already in my 32nd week of pregnancy. That means our little peanut will be here under 2 months. Holy moly. Time has been absolutely flying by ever since I hit the 3rd trimester.

Two weeks ago I had my very first baby shower hosted by my friends here in Nashville and this PinkBlush maternity dress was the perfect thing for me to wear for the occasion.

pinkblush maternity

The outpouring of love and support I felt from my close-knit community here in Tennessee had me feeling so grateful. I’m going to remember that day forever. My amazing friend Trisha did such a wonderful job of creating the most special day for me… right down to the games, flowers, snacks, and mint lemonade (lemonade has been a major pregnancy craving for me). My mom and sister even made a special weekend trip down so that they could be there for it. My heart was just beaming.

Continue reading Pregnancy Update with PinkBlush Maternity

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