Mom Blog and Baby Blog | Baby Bunching

Best Holiday Gifts for the Baby Bunching Mom

This gift guide, courtesy of super-awesome guest poster Rachel, is a little late coming (our fault, she sent it months ago) but if you're anything like us you haven't even STARTED your shopping yet, so we hope you find it useful!  Super suggestions on what to add to your wishlist (or get the other Baby Bunching moms in your life).  Happy shopping!

1)      Pretty and comfortable nursing bra. If you are breastfeeding, and Baby Bunching, chances are you will not be back in your old lingerie for a while. So a well-fitted nursing bra is a must, and it might as well make you feel beautiful as well. I’m a no-frills type of gal, so a Playtex Womens Nursing Wirefree Bra is my favorite. Nothing fancy, but can be worn with anything, and it makes the girls look really good. However, others might enjoy more sexy, or colorful, and options abound!

2)      Babywearing equipment. This could be a sling, a backpack, a soft carrier, etc. In my opinion, this a must-have when Little Baby is still a tiny, floppy infant, and Big Baby is still a needy, clingy toddler. My personal favorite is the Beco Baby Carrier since it is all-day comfortable for mom and safe and secure for baby, though I usually recommend a simple one-piece sling like Hostlings to new moms.

3)      Baggies galore. I’m talking about cosmetic bags, waterproof ziplock bag alternatives, and any baggie with a zipper. These kind of baggies can turn any purse into a diaper bag, and can be easily transferred from one tote to another. Use a pretty one for all your personal items, and have it double as a clutch for quick trips sans offspring. Use a clear one as a diaper wallet, and never fumble over which size of diaper to pull out.  Or use a zipper bag to store snacks, or a spare set of clothes for the baby, or toys to keep everyone entertained, or the rocks your toddler insists on bringing home.

4)      Smartphone – iPhone, Android, it really doesn’t matter. As long as one of the items you never leave home without doubles as an entertainment system for Big Baby in a pinch; a smartphone has quickly become a must-have for many Baby Bunching mommies.

5)      Nice scarf. What else can serve as a fashion statement/nursing cover/burp cloth/breast leak hider? In a pinch, I’ve even used mine as a mat for changing diapers. Ask for something comfortable (not scratchy wool) and everyday (not silk or velvet) in an oblong shape for maximum usability.  I’ve found a print that incorporates lots of colors is the best, as it works with many different outfits and can hide your toddler’s marker stains as well.

6)      Trendy shades. Sunglasses care for your eyes, can make any outfit look better, and can be worn year-round. If you’re like me, and are constantly losing your shades, or breaking them and blaming your baby for it, then a $10 drugstore pair is as good as any. Just make sure to ask for BIG glasses, Baby Bunching mommy, as those are the kind that hide your dark-circled no-makeup eyes when you make that early morning diaper run.

7) Gift cards for comforting splurges, such as coffee shops, mani/pedi, spa treatments, movie tickets, etc.  Of course, you'd need a sitter to use these, which brings us to....

8) An evening (morning/afternoon/night) off. Let’s face it. For many of us, the best gift we can imagine is a break. This can also be the least expensive option for your younger college-aged sibling, or the favorite option for grandparents. In a life with two babies, “me” time can be harder to find than a good night’s rest, so several hours spent doing an enjoyable  activity qualifies as a good gift for any Baby Bunching mom.

C'mon and help us round out a solid list of ten ideas - what else is on your list?  Happy holidays to everyone, and may you enjoy the best little gifts in your life, your Bunch!

Rachel is a Baby Bunching mom of two beautiful daughters (3.5 years and 2 months) and a handsome son in between (2.5 years). She loves giving and receiving gifts, but is guilt-ridden about spending money.

baby bunching and redshirting

By Rachel Ostlie

One of the benefits of bunching your kids is the bunching that occurs in other areas as well. Both your kids enjoy the same toys and are entertained by the same activities. And when it comes to structured programming, like story time at the library, or toddler swim lessons, they can both be in the same class. It’s a beautiful way to uncomplicate your complex baby-filled life.

I’ve taken full advantage of this since the birth of Little Baby; however, a few months ago this benefit of bunching began to seem like a liability. With a Big Baby daughter born in December, and a Little Baby son born in May, my bunch (similar to most) will follow each other like ducks when starting school. Just like many parents of twins, I worry that my twiblings will be harmed by such close association. Will teachers have set expectations of Little Baby, based off having the previous year with his big sister? Will Big Baby always feel in the shadow of his sister, forced to measure up, or to follow whatever pathway she forges? To make it all more difficult, my daughter has a personality and fine motor skills tailor-made for school, while my son is a stereotypical boy: active, strong gross motor skills, with a sprinkling of challenging authorities.

This is why I’ve begun to consider “redshirting.” This idea was named after a practice from college sports, where a delay in an athlete’s participation resulted in a longer period of eligibility (i.e. an athlete would take classes and practice with a team their first year, but not actually play in any games, resulting in a subsequent four-year playing period where they are older and stronger than their peers in the sport).  In academics, redshirting involves postponing entrance into kindergarten to allow extra time for socioemotional, intellectual, or physical growth.

If I go the redshirting route, and hold my son back a year, I believe he will be able to lead a different life than his twibling sister. He will be on par or even more advanced than the other children in his class, which might even create an unconscious bias towards him. His teacher may give him more opportunities to excel, as he will often be better behaved and more productive than his younger classmates. He himself may have a better self-image, as success begets success. This is all speculation, of course, but it finds its basis in a number of research studies on redshirting correlating with achievement in academics, sports, and other fields.

What are your thoughts, Baby Bunchers? Is redshirting a good or bad idea? What have you done (or plan to do) to solve the school dilemma with your bunch? Or, is this really a non-issue, and I’m creating a mountain out of a molehill?

Rachel is a Baby Bunching mom of three (ages 3.5, 2.5, and 2 months). All her plans for potential redshirting are coming into question since moving to a new country with a different school calendar.
 

baby in babyland

By Rachel Oslie

If you’re like me, Baby #1 and Baby #2 came one after the other. Baby #3 took (a little bit) longer. This seems to be a trend among Baby Bunchers, maybe because after two babies we realize that our contraceptive choices were ineffective, or because with two under two we were too busy to do much baby making.

Whereas your second pregnancy may have passed in a blur of sleep-training, solids-starting, and milestones that Big Baby hit while attending your prenatal visits, the pregnancy of “Caboose” allows a little more time to reflect. Such reflection inevitably leads you to the realization: “Oh crap. I’m going to go back to Babyland!”

Babyland. That lovely place where your life was filled with diapers, nursing, bottles, infant toys, diapers, naps, pediatrician visits, and diapers. You traveled through Babyland with your Bunch together, many times doubling up on everything. You never took the stairs to your attic, since that swing that Big Baby just grew out of will be perfect for Little Baby in a few weeks. As your Bunch grew older, you didn’t even have to store and sort clothes. You just shifted them over from one drawer to another. That’s one of the biggest perks of Baby Bunching, right? Both children go through the same things at the same time. No cordoning off Big Brother’s LEGOs from tiny mouths. No whining from your elementary school child when the museum trip is cut short due to little one’s naptime. It works out great, except, now you are returning to Babyland. 

Is there a road map for this? What is the smoothest way to return to the sweet place that is Babyland? Here’s a short list of what has worked for me:

1)  Prepare your Bigs for the new baby. When you tried to help your Big Baby get ready for a new one in the family it was a noble endeavor, but for most of us our efforts were useless. Big Baby just saw this as one more thing to add to this crazy world she was trying to figure out. However, you now have two children who can speak, understand, and have definite opinions about the world. Time should definitely be spent talking up the changes ahead, reading good books, watching videos, and drawing pictures (our current favorites in this area are Baby on the Way by Sears, Sears and Kelly, Our Baby by Maier, I’m a Big Brother by Cole, Love the Baby by Layne, and the DVD Three Bears and a Baby by Sesame Street)

2)   Get up-to-date on current events in Babyland. This includes dragging all that baby gear out of the attic and making sure nothing has been recalled. Additionally, take some minutes to chat up a new mom-to-be; she’s probably spent a good chunk of her pregnancy reading magazines and internet articles and may have news of something that didn’t even exist on your last trek in Babyland.

3)  Enjoy yourself. First pregnancies are full of unknowns, overachieving, and worrying if you’re doing everything right. With the second pregnancy of your bunch, you were probably lucky if you had clothes ready and a name picked out before 40 weeks rolled around. This is your chance to truly take advantage of pregnancy. You know what is normal, and can take each month as it comes. You no longer feel that you have anything to prove, so feel free to let everybody help the poor, helpless pregnant lady. Spend time learning more about gestation and delivery, and tweak the decisions you made for the past two babies. Buy some new itty-bitty clothes, treat Caboose to things all his own. Take the time that you now have, with two children acclimated to a bedtime routine, to dream a little and rest a lot. Because, I suspect, you’re going to need quite a bit of both when you arrive in Babyland.
 
Rachel is a happy mother of a daughter (3) and son (2), who both like dancing in tutus and playing with trains. Baby #3 is a girl who is due in three weeks. 

remember to give yourself a break

By Palak

I went back to work after having my son, but decided to stay at home after having my daughter. I lost quite a bit of precious sleep over the decision to quit; but eventually I decided to give staying at home a go.

When I was a working mom of one, I had quite a few delusions of how perfect my life would be if I wasn’t working—and how I’d be the absolute perfect mom. When I came home from the hospital I was completely overwhelmed! Caring for two kiddos so young required a brand new set of skills. Now that my youngest is 5 months old, I finally feel like I can take a breath! Here are a few things that helped me along the way:

Maintain consistency for Big Baby. Babies who are welcoming a younger sibling are going through a huge transition that they can barely comprehend. If you are also planning on moving from work to staying at home at the same time (or even just maternity leave) consider trying to keep his schedule as consistent as possible. We were lucky enough that our sitter stayed on for a few weeks after my daughter was born. My son still has the same naptime/eating routine during the day as he did before I quit my job. It’s made everything much easier.

Get help. Especially at the beginning. Bringing home a newborn is hard. Bringing home a newborn when you have a baby at home is even tougher. Even if you are no longer working, line up support from your spouse, neighbors, your mom—heck even your mother in law! (desperate times….) One great thing about having two kids so close in age is that your older baby is still a grandma-magnet. Milk it for all it’s worth. The extra hands will help ease those bumpy first few weeks.

Plan some time away every day. I was told over and over how much I’d crave social interaction when I was a SAHM; but I find myself wanting the absolute opposite. I crave the quiet. I now refuse to shower with either of my children. I take the 15 minutes (or more, if I can stretch it!) and just relax and listen to the sound of nobody whining. If you can swing it, try building a little time to yourself into every day.

I thought long and hard about what advice to give another mom going through this transition. As you can tell it all really boils down to "give yourself a break." I had hopes of going to every library story time,  getting all my laundry folded, and never forgetting a single thing at the grocery store. Many of those dreams have been deferred-- just for a bit. Whether I'm working outside the home or not; I've come to realize it's just not my season for perfection. I'm learning to respect and enjoy the time of life that I'm in right now.

Palak is a brand new, stay at home, Baby Bunching mom to two beautiful babies aged 5 months and 21 months. If you want to read more about her adventures, hop on over to www.strawbazies.blogspot.com.

an asset, an investment or a gift?

By Rachel Ostlie

I once read an article that talked about the radical changes in parenting and child-rearing expectations over the past century, and the author used the financial terms of asset and investment to make her point. She said that since the beginning of history children have been viewed as assets, resources of immediate value and benefit. However, in this current society, the thinking has shifted to where children are now investments, something that we sink time and money into in hopes that it might be profitable in the future. In the past the mentality was “you’re living under my roof and eating my food so you will work on my farm and then take care of me when I’m old.” Now we invest into the best schools and tutors, extracurricular activities and sports teams, piano lessons and college funds, to develop a well-rounded individual who may one day repay us by being an adjusted, successful, and happy adult.

Perhaps this is where much of the stress of Baby Bunching comes from. If your children are assets, as your grandmother or great-grandmother believed, then the more you have the richer you are.  But if your children are investments, then others (and even you yourself) begin to question how you will keep up with two under two or three under three. How can you possibly afford the time and money required to build up all these investments? How will you juggle three munchkins' soccer games in one day? How will you save up for rapidly escalating college costs?

Maybe both paradigms are slightly off, and maybe we’d all be happier Baby Bunchers if we viewed our children under a different financial term altogether: a gift. Something that we don’t deserve, something to enjoy. This idea was highlighted to me recently through two stories, one of my own, and one of a friend of a friend. The second is that of Eliot Mooney, a baby born with a genetic disorder who lived only 99 days. His story, seen on Oprah and other media outlets, gets its touching beauty from the attitudes of his parents, who viewed each day with him as a precious gift. My own story is that of my grandmother, who passed away last weekend. As I was looking through old, faded pictures of her and her children, I chuckled, thinking of how she would get the “you sure have your hands full” comment over and over if she had been a mother today. She was a Baby Buncher, then had twins, bumping it up to four under three. Three more children followed after, in fairly rapid succession. What was the key to her happy smiles, her joy with her brood? I know it was because she viewed each child not as an asset or an investment, but as a gift. There’s always room for one more, if we’re talking about gifts. And you don’t have to worry about devoting sufficient money and time into a gift, you just enjoy each day in perspective of the past and future.

Are concerns over your bunch’s future weighing heavy on you today? Do you wonder how they will ever measure up? Take the time to enjoy your little gifts, and know that the investment of making them feel significant, secure, and loved, is the best one you can make.

Rachel is a Baby Bunching mom of two little gifts, with one on the way. Pictured is her grandmother (center) with five of her seven children.

how i became a baby buncher

By Erin Brazofsky

When Matt and I decided we were ready to have children, I honestly didn’t give much thought to the “How many? How soon?” questions. I always figured I would have three children (I am one of three girls—my mom was a Baby Buncher back in the day), but I never really thought about how closely I would have them.

Then, Levi came along and my world was rocked. I didn’t fully comprehend, until that chubby little newborn staring at me with big eyes was born, just HOW MUCH I would love him. My new role presented 'oh so many challenges,' but it was also the most rewarding and gratifying job I have ever had. And I knew without a shadow of a doubt that there would be more babies.

When Levi was around six months old, part of me felt “ready” to have another baby and part of me was saying, “NO WAY.” So, when I found out I was pregnant when Levi was 8 months old, I wasn’t shocked, but was overjoyed with a teeny bit of, “Oh, boy, here we go.” thrown in. And when Seth was born, I felt as if it were the most natural thing in the world that he was here. Looking back, life seemed incomplete without his little face in it.

And the last 8 months that Seth has been with us have been challenging to a degree (What is it that everyone tells you about going from one to two kids? That it’s easy? Hee.), I have loved, loved, loved every minute of watching my two small sons interact with each other and I can’t wait till they are older and can be best of friends (Don’t burst my dream bubble, okay?).

Having enjoyed having our “2 under 2” so far, Matt and I were thinking about trying for a third this summer. Well, it seems number 3 decided to surprise us a bit early and we are happily expecting he/she in January! This is opening a WHOLE new page in the Baby Bunching world for us and in the coming months, I will so need a lot of help and advice. For instance, minivans. Just the thought gives me a migraine. And, how do you wrangle three small people when there are only two adults? What’s the best way to transition my 2 year-old to a big boy bed AND get my 8-month old to share a room with him so the baby has somewhere to sleep? You can be sure I will be passing along tips and rants as they happen.

But, for now, I am beaming over the new life we get to meet and the brood we will be. Three under two. Baby Buncher. Wow. And this is how I got here.

How about you? How did you arrive at the title of Baby Buncher?

**Erin will be accepting all donations of a free minivan and extra car seats.**

entertaining without losing your sanity

By Erin Brazofsky

In the past three weeks, we have celebrated Seth’s dedication, an early birthday celebration for Levi, Easter and Levi’s actual birthday. This has amounted to a large amount of planning, preparation and executing for successful events that have involved family and friends. Not to mention keeping my husband and two little rock star babies fed, clothed and happy. Let’s just say I learned much.

Keeping my sanity throughout was also a huge goal and one that wasn’t easy to achieve, unfortunately. I don’t like to give up control of things, and asking for help isn’t my best quality. That being said, here are the biggest lessons I have learned in our whirly-gig of “fun” events.

Simplicity is key. Planning lunch for both your and your husband’s families after a baby dedication? Depending on the weather, BBQ it up! Despite chilly temps and a drizzle falling, my wonderful husband grilled burgers and hot dogs in the garage (well ventilated) with my father and his brother. Everything left for me to do was easy-peasy. Chips, potato salad I made the day before and toppings took about 5 minutes to lay out. Dishes? Paper plates and plastic cups made clean up a breeze. Dessert for 15+ people? Again, keep it simple: cupcakes I made were lovingly frosted by my mom and sister while I was doing other things. Get some ice cream and self-serve. Providing dinner for out-of-town guests the night before? Order pizza and slice up some veggies and call it a day. Voila! Baby dedication/family birthday celebration complete.

Have your guests contribute to the meal. Every Easter, we host our friends who, like us, don’t have family nearby, and it is a wonderful time. To keep things stress-free for me, I ask my girlfriends to contribute side dishes, desserts or drinks to our Easter meal. Then I’m not slaving in the kitchen all day, and I get to enjoy someone else’s cooking. It’s definitely a win-win.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. So maybe you haven’t given your house a complete and thorough scrub down for a week or two (or a month, let’s be honest). You’re a busy lady…kids, husband, life… Instead of running around your house with a broom and dust pan behind every one, give yourself a break. No one will notice the dirt you see, and if you are a little more relaxed, it will go a long way for your family and friends. I was able to enjoy our crazy few weeks so much more because I allowed myself to be content with spot cleaning as needed.

Tell your husband when you need a break. You do not have to be Superwoman. He is there to help, and if he’s like my husband, he wants to help so that you don’t lose your mind. And, let’s face it; he is the co-host of these events, right? Let him help you.

So, relax, take a deep breath and remember to soak in these fun moments and times with those you love. I promise you, (and I speak from experience) it is worth it.

Erin has two sons Levi (age 2) and Seth (7 months).

traveling with your bunch: the epic journey, part 2

By Rachel Ostlie

[Editor's note: If you missed Part 1 of this amazing journey, go back and check it out as we think it's worth the read.]

In my last post, I described the epic journey my family (husband, daughter age 3, son age 21 months) took through four cities and three countries of South America.

Here are some more lessons and tips I learned through the four weeks we gallivanted around the globe. Don't miss the first 6 from tips.

7) Come prepared – The Boy Scouts had it right, it pays to be prepared. While of course you will want to be prepared with shirts, pants, underwear, socks, bathing suits, toiletries and perhaps voltage adapters, there are other things you may want to consider when traveling abroad. The first I would suggest is a first-aid kit. I don't know about your family, but my kids are disaster magnets when we are in some unknown city with no clear directions to the closest hospital. The kit should contain basics like disinfectant, triple antibiotic cream/spray, bandaids, and baby tylenol, as well as a dose of any medications your family uses regularly. Other items (that we did not bring or ran out of on the trip) that were almost impossible to find included Baby Orajel teething gel, flouride-free training toothpaste, and swim diapers. Bring these along- it will pay off!

8) Go small – While it is important to come prepared for all eventualities, it is also important to go small. Less stuff you bring means less stuff you drag around. Though our destinations had varied climates, we managed with two small suitcases, two umbrella strollers, two cloth Beco baby carriers, two toddler backpacks stuffed with toys and books, one laptop bag, and one large backpack stuffed with books, a spare change of clothes, food, and the first aid kit. Many items you can plan on buying at your destination; disposable diapers are at the top of that list. Souvenirs do not have to be bulky either. Take lots of pictures and videos, and buy things that are memorable and useful.

9) Bring bribes – If you are a no screen time and no junk food type of mom, an epic journey might be just the time to bend some rules. When sitting in one space for hours on end in the airplane, a movie or an electronic game can make a kid's day. Fruit snacks, lollypops, or gum for older kids could mean the difference between happiness and insanity for all parents involved. Other ideas include stickers (they take up no space at all!), coloring books, chenille sticks, and little toys to distract antsy hands and minds.

10) Take risks – Putting your family in danger is not a good game plan. Doing something that might usually make you uncomfortable, or trying a new food, or attempting to speak a language when you sound ridiculous are all excellent risks to take. Let the kids climb a little on those tall rocks. Laugh with people when they laugh at your pronunciation. Drink (or is it eat?) the mote con huesillo beverage that appears to be taken from a biology lab jar. Above all, try something new! If you wanted to stick to safe and secure, then it is better to not step outside your front door.

11) Pay for your water – The United States is fairly unique in the world for its ability to provide water at nearly ever faucet you encounter. If you are visiting another country, especially for a short time frame, make sure to buy all the water you drink to prevent lots of not-fun diseases. Don't be shy about buying water either... A week into our trip and my husband and I realized how desperately we missed water. We were accustomed to drinking it at every meal, and ordering it as our only beverage at restaurants to save a few bucks. It seemed silly to pay for water when we could pay just as much for a fruit juice or carbonated beverage, but we learned we enjoyed water more. Our bunch also learned to be a little more patient with the lack of water at their every beck and call, so we all gained in the process.

12) Pay in dollars – When traveling outside the USA, it is difficult to know how much currency to exchange, and when to pay with a credit card. Though every charge on your card will result in foreign transaction fees, you might be able to protect yourself against an exchange rate that hurts you by paying in dollars. Before you pay, just ask if the restaurant, hotel, or store will put the transaction through using dollars instead of the local currency. Sometimes they will even give significant discounts for having a strong dollar come straight into their coffers.

13) Stay in sometimes – After you spent a ton of money on airfare, and researched all the best options for fun, it is tempting to drag your bunch around non-stop. This is, after all, the epic journey of a lifetime. However, it is advisable to just stay in sometimes (especially if your bunch is still on the younger side!). Let the kids play with their toys quietly, or watch a movie, or play a game together as a family. Sometimes the best memories are made from times like these, when you are truly separated from the world. And everyone will be fresher and happier for it.

14) Believe – Believe in your capacity to be the supermom that you are, weathering every unforeseeable difficulty. Believe in your kids' flexibility as they meet new people and places. Believe in your husband's choices when he lets your little one careen down a hill or pet a dog or climb on a fence. And believe in your family, that not only will you survive this epic journey, you will conquer it and enjoy it!

Rachel's bunch (daughter age 3 and son age 22 months) have visited seven countries in their short lives. They will be moving to a new country in the fall, bringing the count up to eight.

tips to getting the chores done

By Erin Brazofsky

Do you ever wonder how you’re going to get anything (housekeeping, bills, cooking, personal projects, even a shower, right?) done during the day when you have two (or more) super inquisitive and growing little people running, crawling or singing around your knees? Me too.

In my limited experience, I’ve come to some solutions to help me get things done and not rely on PBS Kids to interact with my kids. Hopefully some of what I’ll share will give you some encouragement that you can get “things” done.

#1. Get your wee ones involved in what you’re doing. It might mean taking a little more time to accomplish something, but where appropriate, let them actively participate in what you’re doing. Whether it be switching the laundry (let them throw the clothes in the dryer for you; I guarantee if you have a boy, he will get a HUGE thrill out of it), dusting (give them a clean rag and let them go to town), or making cookies, they will love being Momma’s special helper.

#2. Structured playtime on their own can be your best friend. Between my 6-month old and my 23-month old, taking a shower can be an Olympic speed sport these days. If I don’t get up and shower before they rise, I will take advantage of Seth’s morning nap and let Levi play in his room with a few select toys.

#3. A “SHOW!” (as Levi calls it) is not always a bad thing. Despite what I said about PBS Kids above, I think letting your kidlets watch a 30-minute program so you can get something done that you can’t let them help with can be a saving grace.

What do the rest of my fellow Bunchers do to get things done? Please share your thoughts; I would love to have some other tips!

traveling with your bunch: the epic journey

By Rachel Ostlie

My family recently returned from what we deemed our “Tour de Latinoamerica,” a marathon vacation to four cities in three countries, involving a total of ten flights. Both my husband and I grew up in South America, and our parents still live there (though in different places than where spent our childhood) so we wanted to visit all the places and people dear to us. Plus, this was our first chance to show off our adorable blonde bunch!

Long car trips or flights are nothing new to us, but international travel with children was a whole new animal. One unforeseen hassle ended up being our 22-month-old lap “infant,” whom we have never paid a cent for in North America, was charged anywhere from 10-25% of the full fare on most international carriers. What really made it an issue (apart from forking out more money) was the fact that we purchased our tickets online, and when we found out about various airline's policies, it was impossible to purchase an infant “ticket” without purchasing an adult fare simultaneously. This meant my husband had to figure out the status of our youngest at each check-in, while I desperately threw fruit strips, stickers, and lollipops at the kids to keep them happy during the wait.

You can view the above as Baby Bunching Epic Travel Tip #1) Know the airline's rules about infant travel.Here is some more knowledge gleaned from our month of travel, and I'd love to hear any more that those with multi-stamped passports have to add!

2) Be flexible – Of course this tip is a given, but it is SO TRUE. Flexibility when you are not in your own home, let alone your own country, is a must. Prior to this trip, I was concerned what all our “schedule-is-out-the-window” and “take-life-as-it-comes” would do to our toddlers, but I was pleasantly surprised. They were willing to take it all in stride, and our type-A firstborn had only one meltdown related to lack of schedule the entire trip.

3) Bring stability along – Temper the need to be flexible with the opportunities your family has for stability while traveling. Make sure to bring the kids' favorite toys and books, or even a picture of a beloved playmate. Try to establish some routines, even if you can't keep your normal ones. We started a daily habit every night before they went to bed: reading a Bible story to the kids, letting them color a related coloring page, giving them a sticker and a gummy vitamin, and singing the same songs, then brushing their teeth. Maybe for your bunch having the same thing for breakfast every morning would be nice, or keeping a strict naptime. No matter what, small points of stability can be found anywhere you go.

4) Be educational – Though the kids might not be going to their mommy-and-me classes, or may be skipping school days altogether, there is no reason not be educational on the trip. Take advantage of the new places and things you'll see. Our kids learned about sea lions and seaweed, farm animals and produce, and most of all, about airplanes. I printed out a few coloring sheets for each country we visited with the map, flag, and national flower or bird; older children might enjoy fact lists or worksheets. Of course everyone enjoys a good book to help them connect what they are learning to what they already know. Growing up in a big city where about thirteen stars are visible each night (per the Chicago Planetarium), an evening of stargazing in a remote desert was a huge deal for our three-year-old. It helped that we had read How Big Is A Million? by Anna Milbourne the weeks before, so she was excited to see a million stars.

5) Mooch off friends and family – The independent American in us is usually quite averse to anything that resembles charity, but if you have friends or family available on your trip, feel free to mooch off of them. Staying in a home is infinitely cheaper than staying in a hotel, and you might even gain some cultural experience for yourself and the kids. Having a family member show you the local spots could teach you a lot more than the Lonely Planet guidebook. Of course, relationships can bring hassle, and it's up to you to decide what living circumstance would be best for your family. But we found that for our family, the benefits outweighed the trouble.

6) Do your homework – If you are a do-it-yourselfer, or a travel nerd, then you might want to disregard the suggestion in number five. The last big trip my husband and I took was our “babymoon” to Morocco and Spain. We had friends in Morocco, but in Spain we were on our own. We brought along Lonely Planet guidebooks for both countries, asked a lot of advice from those who had traveled there before, and meticulously planned our trip. At the end of our four weeks in South America, I realized that I had missed a little bit of that independence, and a lot of the learning experience and socio-historical background. Next trip I'll remember to do my homework ahead of time.

Stay tuned for the next post, where we'll cover packing, bribes, and risks...
 
Rachel is a happily baby bunching mom of two, with another baby on the way. She has been either pregnant or breastfeeding for the entire past four years (minus one month).