15 Tips for Traveling with a Baby

me// top, jeans, booties
simon//bonnet, mocs, similar onesie, linen jumper (made by me)

As you may have noticed, if you're a regular reader of the blog/IG, for the past few years Marcus and I have been on the search for our dream location to settle down for good (or at least for the next several years). We want somewhere with mild seasons (i.e. NOT Rexburg's eternally windy cold winters and NOT Phoenix's blistering summers), somewhere we can have quite a bit of land, a friendly community, somewhere with lots of sunny days for me and lots of cloudy days for Marcus (are we demanding so much?! haha). OH! And it would be lovely if it was somewhere not terribly far from family. Finding all these things in one place have been, well...extremely challenging and stressful! But this year we've made it our goal to explore some of the "maybe's" on our list, so that we can be one step closer to making a decision!

We've had so many people mention Tennessee when we listed off our requirements, and since Phoenix leaves much do be desired in the Fall colors department, we decided October was a perfect time to take a road-trip across the beautiful Volunteer State! While we were over there, we figured we'd through in a drive through The Great Smoky Mountain National Forest and take a snooze in North Carolina. So glad we did, you aren't going to believe the beauty when you see the pictures!

It was our first flight with Simon and I was so nervous. I did so much research on tips and tricks for traveling with a baby and so I'll share some that worked for us. He actually did really great on the way over there, but after a week in the car, his trip home was less than stellar. Even with those hard 4 hours, traveling with him was worth it! I don't think we would have enjoyed our trip without him there!

1. Strollers & Carseat + Base can be checked at the gate and don't count against your baggage number or as carry-on items. We brought our whole orbitbaby travel system (carseat, base and stroller because it's our favorite baby item and we didn't want to even go a week without it and since the carseat clicks right into the stroller, it works great!)

2. Any liquids needed for the baby are fine to go through security regardless of the ounces.

Playing around before take-off

3. If the plane has an empty (window) seat, you can bring on your carseat for free, just ask at the gate! It's, of course, safer for the baby to be buckled in their seat on the flight, but even if you have to take them out, it's nice to have the whole row to yourself, especially when you're breast-feeding.

4. If your baby is happier being worn, wear him in your ergobaby carrier and use the stroller to hold the carry-on bags!

5. These clips from fawn design bags are awesome for holding your diaper bag on the stroller! Because when you're traveling, all the extra help with storage you can get is appreciated!

6. You need to check in once you get to the gate and get your stroller tagged (we didn't realize this at first and it delayed us just a minute or two from boarding early, it was fine, but I still wish we'd have known before).

7. At least on Southwest 'Family Boarding' is right after A Passengers, so if you forget to check in online, fear not--you will most likely be able to find a seat with your husband.

8. Wait to breast-feed until take-off--the sucking will help with the pressure in their ears, plus if you're lucky all the white-noise from the engine will put them right to sleep at least for part of the flight!

9. Using pacifier clips, like these from Madeline's Box, for toys are awesome, because heaven knows trying to retrieve dropped toys in such cramped and germy quarters is no fun.

10. Bring a few tried and true toys as well as one or two new exciting toys (don't under-estimate the excitement of the noisy pages of the plane magazine or barf bag or the crinkling of an empty water bottle--all of these things ended up being Simon's favorite things on the plane!) And snacks that take some times to eat are great too!

11. This might be the time to allow an app--we're pretty strict on no phones for baby, but i downloaded a baby animal flash card app and a bubble popping app and when times got tough on the plane, we pulled those out--he was only interested for a few minutes (which i was glad about) but it distracted him long enough to calm him down and we were glad we had them.

12. A passport or birth-certificate is needed to qualify for a free lap-child under the age of 2. They may not ask to see it if your baby is obviously young, but bring it just in case!

13. Be strategic when picking flight times! On our way home, we knew there was a long drive to the airport (3+ hours) and then a long flight home (4 hours), so we made sure to get to the airport with a few hours to spare so that we could let him crawl around and be somewhat unrestrained for a bit. Some airports even have play areas for kids!

14. Most people are nice and understanding and even helpful--so don't stress too much if you have a cranky baby. It will all be over and just a few hours and you'll be somewhere wonderful and exciting! Don't let babies stop you from traveling if it's something you love!

Bonus Tip! Bring your carseat mirror to install in the rental car! We are obsessed with this happy turtle one we have. It makes checking on your baby and interacting with them so much easier in the car, plus--they LOVE to look at themselves!

Gift Guide {For Pregnant/New Mamas}

• Bump Nest Pregnancy Pillow, I've talked about my love for this thing before. Like, I'm excited to get pregnant again someday just so I can use this again!
• Hospital Gown, wish I would have had one of these pretties!
• Nursing Bra, I haven't tried this one yet, but I've heard amazing things about this brand!
• Natural Curve Nursing Pillow, save her poor back for her!
• The Moon is Going to Addy's House, prettiest illustration ever!
• Flowers--always a good idea (especially when accompanied by a massage gift certificate!)
• Maison du Soir chambray sleep shirt makes for easy breast feeding and makes her feel pretty when all the visitors come knockin'
• Cute socks from Woven Pear for the hospital bag
• Happy Turtle backseat baby mirror--we love this mirror! We had one from target before and it was so lame compared to this one.
• Ergobaby 360 carrier--the 360 design is a game changer, simon loves it!
• 4mom Breeze play yard--just watch the video on their site, then you will know why it is so amazing
• Ergobaby Swaddlers--lifesavers for the first few months! Calms baby right down.
• Shopping Cart Hammock--this thing is so amazing for the first few months--no heavy carseat taking up all the cart space!
• Nursing friendly dresses (striped here, oxblood here) because who wants to give up wearing dresses just because they're breast feeding, especially those first few weeks when pants sound really scary!
• The cutest diaper bag ever by Fawn Design
• High-waisted leggings, great for during and after pregnancy and not see-through!
• Non-Cheesy baby book, I have this and it really is so cute!
• The Attachment Parenting Book for good measure :)

Fall Inspiration Board

Made a dream style board for Fall...feel free to send me any all pieces :)))
What are you looking forward to most about Fall Fashion?

@ashleyanielson Fall Style Board by ergobaby featuring aviator glasses

Year Five: Wood

This weekend we celebrated our five year anniversary by taking a trip up north. We love a good themed anniversary and year five is "wood"--wood based gifts and a trip to the woods! 

It was our second road trip this month and we've been so lucky with how well Simon has been doing with them--maybe he knows that along with a long drive comes cooler weather and lots of time outdoors, his very favorite place to be! People are meant to spend time outdoors, having a baby has helped me realize this more and more. Being in Mesa during the summer makes me sort of depressed because it's dangerously hot outside (hence the reason we're heading on our third road trip this month tomorrow)! I love seeing this beautiful world through Simon's eyes. 

One of his favorite things, (besides nursing ;)) has always been watching the leaves rustle in the in wind. An aspen forest is pretty much ideal for such things! He also couldn't stop giggling at Poppy as she dug her heart out. It was such a beautiful escape and we can't wait to go back up to Flagstaff in the Fall to see the leaves change.

Marcus made me this pretty little video of our afternoon. I'll treasure it always.
song//Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes

We absolutely love our ergobaby performance carrier, it certainly helps us get outside and go on more adventures! It's made out of a sportier mesh fabric that keeps you cooler and dryer for outdoor activities. And when you have a 22 pound 7 month old, you need all the help you can get carrying him around! I let my sister borrow our carrier this week to see if she liked it. She has a bitzy little baby girl and so she used the infant insert. She's sold and can't wait to order one for herself. This little miracle has easily made it's way to our favorite things list! I wish I were Oprah and could give you each one! Haha 

I loved my friend, Dani's tip on how to stay even cooler while baby wearing this summer--an ice-pack in the zipper pocket! Genius! Here are some more tips on staying cool while baby wearing in the summer.

on me: striped top//swell (similar here, here and here), initial necklace//barberry&lace (here), buffalo check flannel//jcrew (similar here), grey skinnies//forever21 (here and similar here), mocs//minnetonka (here)
on marcus: linen button up//old navy (here), jeans//american eagle, boots//cole haan (here), watch//skagen (here)
on simon: striped onesie//american apparel (here), paci clip//madeline's box (here), natural rubber paci//natursutten (here), performance carrier//c.o. ergobaby (here), mat//c.o. let's playground, red union suit//c.o. goatmilknyc (here)

Grabbed dinner to go in Flagstaff and picnicked in the park on our way out of town!

We stayed the night in Pine and had breakfast at the historic Randall House before heading back to Mesa. I couldn't even deal with how cute Simon was in his red long-johns!

What's been your favorite adventure this summer? 

Any traveling with baby tips?

This post was sponsored by Ergobaby, but all opinions are my own. I truly appreciate the support from my sponsors since it allows me to continue creating fun, original content for you to read. Be sure and check them out!

Goodnight Moon! {Our 0-4 Month Bedtime Routine}

Bedtimes around here are second only to mornings on my list of favorite times with my Simon boy. Simon is always so excited to have Marcus home from work, and Marcus is always ready to play with Simon and get all his giggles out, essentially wearing him out and getting him ready to hit the hay!

It's amazing how satisfying it is to look over and see your handsome husband pull out all the silly stops in order to get your sweet baby to squeal and squawk and giggle his little heart out. Nobody can make Simon laugh like his dad can. Seeing Marcus look like the biggest fool, which somehow also makes him look like the most attractive man in the world is fatherhood in a nutshell, I guess :)

(and just as a little bit of encouragement for new moms, those first few months are so sweet, but also so so hard, but when your baby starts to laugh, oh-my-gosh--it's like fairies are bursting out of their mouths and your heart is popcorn producing rainbows and the rainbows start pouring out rain and turn you into a puddle on the floor, and the puddle seeps out into the lawn and the lawn springs forth daffodils--at least that's the general idea and feeling...)

Anyways, as a new mom, I signed up for several email newsletters updating me on milestones, and tips and tricks on eating, sleeping, playing, etc. Over and over again they all talked about starting a bedtime routine as soon as possible. I had a hard time believing that my tiny newborn could really start to notice patterns like the newsletters claimed, but I figured we'd give it a shot. It was a change as Marcus and I have never been really routine people. We're both pretty laid back, so we just kind of did whatever we felt like, when we felt like it, but instating this routine has been fun for me.

Everything doesn't happen every night and if we skip or rush one thing or another, Simon usually doesn't seem to mind, but there are a few things that make a HUGE difference on how our night goes--believe me, I've learned the long, hard, restless way...

So here's our general bedtime routine that we've been using pretty much since the beginning, I'd love to hear what works for you and your littles!

1. Bathtime
Those weeks after delivery are rough. Your body has gone through a LOT and you can feel it. In the beginning we were just doing sponge baths on Simon, but I still took a bath myself every night. It was much needed relief to my healing body, but also 15-20 minutes of alone time and I needed that. Now that I'm feeling a lot better and I'm also emotionally a lot more used to motherhood, I LOVE co-bathing with Simon. It's easier and more fun than using a sink tub in my opinion. To ease him into this routine, I would nurse him when we first got in, but now he knows what's going on and loves it. It's so fun to see him kick and splash and smile back at me. I like to think he remembers swimming around in the womb and feels at home in the water.

If you're on the look out for a baby wash, I can not say enough about Tubby Todd--it's seriously the best smelling stuff in the world and free from all those nasty chemicals found in Johnson's and even in Aveeno! Our whole family uses the lotion as well. LOVE Tubby Todd and love supporting a mom run business.

2. Diaper Change by Dad

Marcus and I were raised by parents from a different generation (both our parents are in their 70s). I don't know about Boss Nielson, but I'm pretty sure my dad didn't change a single one of his 8 children's diapers. I was going to make sure Marcus could never come anywhere close to that claim. So right from the beginning I expected that when Marcus was home, he changed the diapers. There has never been any real discussion or argument about this, I would just hand him Simon and tell him he needs a new diaper and Marcus would take care of it. Now I don't have to say anything most of the time, I'm proud of the kind of Dad Marcus has become. Simon is lucky to have him as an example.

3. Parents Get Ready for Bed

While Marcus takes care of lotioning and diapering the babe, I quickly wash my face and brush my teeth, then while I read Simon a story, Marcus has his turn.

4. Bedtime Story

Probably my favorite part of bedtime is story time. I've always been a huge fan of children's books and now I finally have an excuse to buy A LOT of books :) I tend to switch off between my faves and Simon's faves. Iggy Peck, Architect falls in the my favorite column--it's beautiful and clever and I can't wait to buy the sister book, Rosie Revere, Engineer. Simon's favorites are Good Night Moon and The Little Blue Truck (Lucky me, I love that one too :))

5. Playtime & Ergobaby Swaddle with Dad

Marcus usually joins us half way through story time and once we're done, we play with Simon and get him all worn out. He's always full of giggles and we love this time of day with him! Dad's in charge of swaddling because he can get him wrapped up tight :) We love our Ergobaby Swaddler because Simon can't break free like he can when we use blankets. It's also designed so you can do a diaper change without unwrapping the whole thing. There were nights in the beginning that we were too tired and skipped the swaddle and without fail, it always ended up being a terrible night with countless wake-ups. We quickly put two and two together and now we NEVER skip this step. It's actually really funny, whenever someone asks us what our favorite baby item is, Marcus quickly answers, the Ergobaby Swaddler! As you can see, Simon likes it too :)

6. White Noise

This is another part of the magic sleep equation. When we don't have this on, there are definitely more wake-ups. I had a noise-maker in my amazon cart, but then Marcus found that there were tons of options on Spotify! Relaxing Rain is my personal favorite.

7. Nursing to Sleep

Having Simon swaddled up while I nurse him, keeps him so calm. When babies are this young, they don't have much control over their little arms and legs, so being wrapped up make them feel secure. I love nursing Simon; we rarely use bottles because there's pretty much nothing I find cuter than looking down and seeing my shiny little man doze off in satisfaction snuggled up next to me :) I've been really lucky with breastfeeding, I know it's not as dreamy for everyone, but I hope all you mamas out there get to have some fond memories of it at least for a little bit.

And that's it! This is what works for our family. Our nights are not perfect, and some are definitely better than others, but overall, we love our bedtime routine and we love having Simon in bed with us. I know there are differing opinions on that topic, but there is research on both sides and I'm a strong believer in a mother's intuition, so do your research and make the choice that you feel best about. 

You can read more about bed-sharing here  and here if you're interested. Also recently read these and I'm obsessed: one & two

This post was sponsored by Ergobaby, but all opinions are my own. I truly appreciate the support from my sponsors since it allows me to continue creating fun, original content for you to read. Be sure and check them out!