All About Routine

I will be the first to admit that I am not really one of those Momma's that is super strict with routine. With Livi, she was my first baby so I was probably a bit overbearing and not very calm in certain situations, to say the least. I remember one middle of the night waking up in an absolute panic because Livi had white goopy stuff coming out of her eye. I started screaming to Will "we have to go to the hospital! Something is so wrong with her eye! hurry hurry GET UP!" Will kept his cool and remembered we had purchased a book called "Baby 411" which pretty much answers ANY questions you can think of regarding babies... so he grabbed the book and literally looked up in the Table of Contents, "goopy eye". The book stated that goopy eyes in babies during the first few months of life, usually means a blocked tear duct and will go away in a couple of days... and it did. When this happened to Ben, there was no fret at all :)

Other examples of first time Mom worries or at babies beck and call in my experience include: If she cried, I would run to pick her up right away. She co-slept with us for the first year of life, whereas Ben has been sleeping in his crib since he was 4 months old. Livi would feed on demand and sleep on demand during that first year of life so I hadn't set up a strict routine for her naps, feeds etc. However, that might be in part that I went back to work when she was 10 weeks old. Luckily, I was teaching at a nursery, so Livi came to work with me and was only a couple of classrooms away. It truly was so nice for me to work in the morning and have the afternoons and evenings with her. So, a routine just fell into place for us without me stringently creating one. The same has been with Ben. I didn't set out times for naps or feeds or playtime... they sort of fell into place themselves. And now we have a really nice routine in place.

While I may not be hugely routine oriented at home, I am for traveling.

I want the kids to know what is about to happen, where they are going, be interactive in the packing process, talk about what the rules are before, during and after we are on the plane. Talk about what excites them, what to look for out the window etc.

I will break up our routine for traveling into 4 different parts.

1. Preparation.

About a week or two before a flight, I like to start talking to the kids about it (well Livi really since Ben is still so small). I start saying, "in a few sleeps, we will be visiting Mimi in Idaho" and "we get to go on a big plane"... anytime I mention the word plane, Livi's eyes light up with excitement. It has become something she really looks forward to. In terms of including the kids, Livi has her own suitcase and we get it out and we talk about what she wants to take with her and what we should bring for Ben as well. We go through clothes and she helps place them in her suitcase. She also gets to pick a couple of toys and books to bring with her. She is the one who puts everything in her bag (while I of course observe haha). This really helps her be apart of the preparation and also allows her excitement to build up as well.

My preparation includes making a list. Especially with 2 kids now, I NEED to make a list to make sure I don't forget anything. I talked a bit about what I bring in my carry on bag in the last post. I will go more in depth now. My list usually has the following on it

- passports, wallet, exchanged money, charged phone, charged iPad (for livi), 1 packet of wet wipes (BIG chubs packet), about 7 nappies for Ben, 3 pull ups for Livi (she is potty trained now but if we are going on a night flight, she needs the pull ups),nappy bags, 2 pairs of spare clothes for each child, 1 spare shirt for myself, if its an ultra long haul flight, I prepare 4 bottles of water (filled to 180ml) for Ben and 4 tubs of the milk dispensers (already measured out), I also take extra formula so not to run out. I pack a water bottle for Livi and a sippy cup of milk. Some snacks for kids and a couple of tiny toys for Livi :)I also bring some baby panadol incase kids ears hurt (never have had to use it) and advil for myself for those headaches I get into the 8th hour of flying haha. This sounds like a lot but my backpack/diaper bag is incredible and fits all of this in with no problem and it doesn't feel heavy on my back either. I make sure to bring a carrier for Ben as well.

2. At the airport before departure.

We arrive 2 hours before every flight we take. I always do online check in so its quick and easy when we check our bags. Will and I always say that this is the hardest part of the whole trip for us because the kids are so antsy going through security. I make sure to bring my stroller for Livi and bring it all the way to the gate so she feels relaxed and not rushed on her little but fast feet. Ben goes in the carrier and my diaper bag on my back. As soon as we get to the gate, I can take a deep breath because for me the hard part is over.

3. During the flight.

Once on the plane, I just like to tell myself that for the next 14 hours or 7 hours (however long the flight is), this is our home. I make sure everyone is as comfortable as can be. I don't like to book the bulk head seats because although you have space for your legs, the armrests don't go up so I prefer to book a row of 3 next to the window so Livi can look outside and if she is tired, I can put the arm rest up and she can sleep on my lap. Ben has been super small the few times we have traveled with him, so I just hold him and he is happy. Livi has her iPad and the window and nice flight attendants that pay her attention (sometimes haha) so she loves it... she gets to watch all the uninterrupted TV shows she wants. When we first get on the plane, I like to ask a flight attendant for a big bottle of water so I have that with me and don't have to keep getting up throughout the flight to get more. About an hour before landing, I get both kids ready- nappy changed, clothes changed, hair brushed and bottles ready for landing. And that last hour usually feels like a lifetime, but boy do I get so excited knowing that a loved one is at the airport waiting for us and it makes those long trips so worth it

4. After the flight.

Again, just like before the flight, this is pretty hard. The kids are tired, I'm tired and sometimes it takes a long time to go through passport control. This is when I need the most patience with my kiddos. One of the hardest things, is not having my stroller after the flight, so sweet Livi needs to walk (I am going to buy one of those little travel strollers that I can just put in the overhead compartment the next time I travel so I don't need to check the big stroller once at the gate) because poor girl on the last flight we did to Idaho, she had to walk once we landed. Ben was in his carrier and Livi girl just wanted to be held. I luckily had the most amazing man help me all the way until I got to my Mom (I will talk about him more in another post because he truly was incredible). So yes, I just stay patient, calm, happy knowing I'll see a loved one very soon and EVERYTHING is good. once at baggage claim, Livi helps to look for her bag and her Momma's bag and then she holds my hand to find her grandma or whichever wonderful family member is there waiting for us. And our vacation begins.

These are our routines. They work for us and love sharing these adventures with the kids! I would love to hear what routines you other traveling mommas have! would be awesome for you to share.

                                        

Our Little Captain