New York, New York!

I hope everyone had an amazing Memorial Day weekend! We just got back from our trip to New York with my husband's family! It was a great trip, but I am tired and need a few days to recover haha!

Several people have asked me how it was traveling with a baby - especially in a place like NYC, and it was great! Luckily Kanaan is such a great baby and is super happy and chill. I followed a lot of tips that I found on pinterest and on Amber Fillerup's blog (barefootblonde.com) She has done several posts about traveling with babies and toddlers and what toys she likes to bring on the plane.

For our flight we chose a direct flight that left right at the start of nap time. I chose to hold him instead of pay for a seat since the flight was only 3 1/2 hours. This was perfect for us because Kanaan would be tired from having to wake up a little earlier to get to the airport and through security. I carried him in the ergo through security, which was perfect. Once we got to our gate we sat by the windows to look at planes and let him get out all the energy he wanted! On the plane, I nursed him on the way up, and he took a nap right away! We also nursed on the way down, and before the flight I put Frankincense behind his ears to protect them from any pressure. During the flight we had gotten window sticky letters (like these only way cheaper) from the dollar section at target and played a game sticking them onto the airplane window. He loved it and it passed a solid 20 minutes at least. Until he started to try to eat them! 🙈😂 We also had solid entertainment from these little trains I got super cheap. We brought three, pulling only one out at a time. Each time we pulled another out it was like a whole new toy. These were great also because they were so light and didn't take up much room in our bag! We all snacked basically the entire flight and that kept Kanaan busy as well. On the way back we followed the same routine. We also took advantage of the pamphlets in the seat back and Kanaan took each one out and handed it to Aaron over and over and over. Just like emptying a cabinet haha! He literally did that for like 40 minutes! We also brought a few books, and when all else failed we had some shows downloaded from Netflix onto my phone.

 

When we landed in NYC we decided to Uber to our hotel (there was no free shuttle). You can request a car seat in an Uber, but we had too many people and bags so I decided to just hold him (Still in the ergo). In taxi's you are allowed to hold your babies, so I think it is completely about your comfort level, distance, etc. We did not bring a car seat because we were not renting a car (although you can rent car seats from the car rental company's too if you were doing that). We planned on taking the subway everywhere which actually worked out really good for us. One thing that I had bought prior to the trip was a nicer umbrella stroller. I wanted one with a basket and sun shade, but didn't want to spend an arm and leg. We ended up with this one, and I do love it. However, a stroller in NYC was just not practical hardly at all. We only used it to go through the High Line and Central Park but even then it was more of a hassle. The subways are usually only stair accessible and packed with people, so we realized the first day there that opening and closing the stroller taking Kanaan out and in was just not going to work. Luckily we had the carrier! Aaron and I just traded off and on carrying him in different positions, and he took amazing naps still on his nap schedule in the carrier! Overall the ergo 360 carrier was the way to go. Whenever we found a park we would let him down to play and get his energy out or sometimes even the benches in the fitting rooms of stores. That was the hardest part was giving him a safe place to move and squirm! We did go back to the room twice so he could nap in the pack-n-play. That reminds me that we also brought our own pack-n-play even though many hotels have cribs for babies to sleep in. I like to put Kanaan in the bathroom to sleep so that once bedtime hits, it makes everything easier for Aaron and I to just relax and have time together.

This was Aaron and I's third time to visit and while it was fun and doable with a baby you definitely have to make adjustments. I was so happy with the way Kanaan adapted and surprisingly still kept his schedule while we were there. I am excited to take Kanaan more places in the future! 😁