Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!
I took an almost month-long break from blogging to enjoy the first month of the new year. I didn’t work as much, I had some legal stuff to take care of and we headed to exciting adventures as a family. Now that the Chinese New Year has just ended, we’re back home concretizing our new plans and new adventures for 2017. It’s gonna be exciting!
New year, new set of goals and travel plans. Yey! Like I said, we just started traveling again, hence, the super busy schedule we now have — juggling parenthood, business plans, work and leisure. But before I share with you about our current adventures, I want to do a recap first of the travels we did last year through this blog post of knowing how to travel peacefully and enjoyably with a baby. Plus, I still want to share with you one by one those places we visited before that I still haven’t published yet (to be done on some future blog posts). But first things, first…
BACKGROUND
Mahal (my partner) and I have been traveling since we first became friends in 2012. Me, I’ve been traveling since I was 6 years old. My grandfather has this 7-acre farm in Northern Mindanao, we have a 26-hectare ancestral land in Southern Mindanao (2,000 square meters of it are mine, weee!) and my grandfather used to travel a lot for work (he was a lawyer with Ph.D. and was a School Superintendent of Region 10) and he would sometimes bring me to places south of our archipelago during vacation. When I became a self-supporting adult, I would frequent various beaches with my friends. When I retired from government service at the age of 30 and got a fat retirement paycheck, I invested a lot of it and spent some of it on budget travels all over the Philippines and some parts of Asia. Last year, when I was pregnant, we were touring Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon for a month and we even climbed the three levels of Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig Surigao del Sur on my 7th month of pregnancy. Suffice it to say that we love to travel. I believe it’s our only luxury since I’ve already partly given up shopping for new clothes, shoes and accessories ( I used to be a shopaholic in my 20’s and early 30’s and now my clothes are mostly a decade old, lol! Don’t worry, I already did some minor shopping because of a friend’s wedding I recently attended and I plan to shop for some more new stuff before going to our other vacay destinations this year, unless I can find new-looking stuff in my old trunk, hehehe). I haven’t bought anything new using cash in a long time. My handy Citibank Visa takes care of other expenses, hence, the late nights we spend doing work so we can pay all our bills on time. We’re frugal and resourceful that way. After all the monthly bills are paid and there’s extra money left, we spend it on travel. So even when baby Tuz came into our lives, it wasn’t that hard for us to travel. In fact, our lives seem to be much simpler and easier every time we’re on the road heading some place new.
So for those of you who are about to have a baby or already have one and would like to travel peacefully and enjoyably despite the fact that your baby is less than a year old, the tips that I’m about to share with you could be helpful. These tips are not exhaustive though. They’re just based on how we were able to travel with our baby safely, soundly and enjoyably for the first twelve months of his life.
So how do you travel with an infant or baby in tow?
1. Make sure that you have the go signal of your baby’s pediatrician. Pediatricians know when there’s a certain epidemic going on at a certain place. So ask her permission first if it’s safe to travel where you want to go even if it’s just at a nearby mall.
Before Tuz turned a month old, we were already heading out to the mall first just to see what it’s like to have him in a sling while we do our weekly groceries. We were of course concerned that he might catch some disease or something from the people around him. Malls, after all, are always jam-packed with all kinds of people. But since his pediatrician said that there’s no epidemic in the area, then it’s fine. He already received his initial injections, I was breastfeeding him (which is best for babies’ health) and we have no one else to help us run errands for us. So we were really, in a way, forced to bring our baby with us wherever we go. And every month when our baby would get his vaccine, we would always ask the permission of his pediatrician first if it’s okay to go to so and so places. If the doctor says that there’s an epidemic in that area, then we’d change the location of our travel to somewhere safer for our baby.
2. Bring all the essentials with you particularly your baby’s papers, vitamins, medicines and other medical supplements.
Here are the essentials (the number of pieces / amount would depend how many nights you’re traveling and vacationing):
- car seat (always, always, secure your baby in a car seat when road tripping)
- walker (if your baby is about a few months or so and has begun using a walker and you’re staying at a place longer than usual)
- stroller
- baby sling for infants
- baby carrier for bigger babies
- crib, the foldable and portable kind if road tripping and staying at a hotel (we got ours from GoodBaby via Lazada and it folds quite neatly and doesn’t take so much space at all)
- day clothes, spare clothes in case he soils his clothes, and sleepwear
- diapers
- milk
- extra milk bottle/s
- boiled drinking water (we used to bring a water heater with us like the ones in hotel rooms since we usually stay in budget hotels or tents with no water heater available; and a separate bottle of purified drinking water)
- mittens
- bonnets
- socks
- shoes
- bib
- sweater or jacket
- bath towels
- mini towels
- wet tissue
- alcohol
- his favorite toys
- pacifier (more than one would be better)
- your baby’s baby book in case something happens and you need to have all your baby’s medical information with you
- toiletries (baby oil, citronella spray or oil, Cetaphil for cleaning him up or at least to keep his face and limbs clean, baby soap and baby shampoo for bathing him, baby toothpaste and baby toothbrush)
- breast pump if you need it
- nipple patches if you have too much milk on your breasts
- lanolin-free nipple butter to ease the pain and wounds on your nipple because of breastfeeding
- SPF lotion for kids in case you’re heading to the beach or spending time under the sun
- Prunes, the ones in a sealed foil packaging (when our baby turned about 6 months old, we started giving him mashed or cut prunes so that he won’t get constipated while we’re on the road)
Here are the medical essentials we find helpful to have with us when we’re traveling:
- Glycerin suppository (We used this when we were traveling to Ilocos. Our baby was constipated and it was painful to watch him try to make a poop. So we had to stop at a nearby pharmacy and bought him a bottle of Glycerin suppositories. In no time, he was pooping softly which stopped his crying).
- Manzanilla or Chamomile oil (When Tuz was a few months old, he became gassy. To relieve the gas in his tummy, we would put manzanilla oil on his tummy. We’d do this also after he’s bathed and whenever he’d get fussy. It would usually pacify him.)
- Calmoseptin (We always have a few sachets of Calmoseptin with us which we put on that part of his body with rashes or insect bites)
- Vitamins (Tuz takes Tiki-tiki and Ceelin)
- Pedialyte (This is for when your baby suddenly has diarrhea. It’s good for adults too.)
- Zinc Sulfate (This should be prescribed by the pediatrician. We had this with us when Tuz was having diarrhea and we needed his poop to not be watery).
- Cetirizine Allerkid (This is when your baby has colds due to allergy.) Give this to your baby before bedtime. Dosage according to age at the side of the package.
- Ibuprofen Dolan FP in case the baby gets feverish.
- Emergency medical kit filled with gauze, Povidone, cotton balls
3. Feed your baby on time so he or she won’t get fussy.
4. Change your baby’s diapers as needed to make sure he’s comfortable and won’t contract UTI or rashes.
5. Infants / babies up to six months old would usually just sleep their days off. So let them sleep even while you’re exploring places and taking lots of pictures. Of course this happens while you’re carrying him on a baby sling or carrier. Enjoy this moment. Because once your baby gets to the pre-toddler phase, he/she will be more handful and challenging whether you’re traveling or not.
6. If you’re bringing a pre-toddler with you, meaning he’s already in the crawling-and-starting-to-walk-stage, and he has this so much energy, then let him crawl or walk. Just make sure someone is assisting and watching your baby at all times.
Basically, these tips will make your baby safe, happy and comfy. And when your baby is safe, happy and comfy, then everything else comes easy. You get to explore places you wanna explore. You get to take a lot of pictures like you used to when you were still single or with no baby yet. You get to travel again. Period. But of course rappelling, spelunking, canyoneering and bunjee jumping are out of the question. Reserve that for when your baby is not with you or when he’s much, much older so you can all do it together as a family which we plan to do.
I hope these tips will prove to be helpful for you as well.
A YEAR OF TRAVEL with our very first baby
And now the cute part… here are some photos I’ve collated during our first year of traveling with our baby from November 2015 to December 2016…
November 2015

This is his first vaccine trip to the hospital.
December 2015

Went to my parent’s house up north to celebrate my dad’s birthday after Christmas.
January 2016

Headed to QC to try The Buffet, an option we had for baby Tuz’s upcoming Christening Party.
February 2016

First time we visited Sky Ranch in Tagaytay as a family to celebrate Mahal’s birthday.

Witnessed the Balloon Fest in Subic

Checked-in Best Western Hotel in Subic

A walk along the beach in Subic.

Dropped by Ocean Adventure after our 2 nights in Subic.

Witnessed the Flower Festival In Baguio

Food Tripping in Baguio – Cafe by the Ruins

Explored other parts of Baguio. This one was taken at Mines View Park.
March 2016

Boarded a little yacht in Manila Bay for some afternoon cruising.

We had so much fun cruising that afternoon!

A whole day of swimming fun with my family at Club Manila East.
April 2016

Friends from Surigao arrived and we treated them to dinner at Black Olive in Capitol Commons, Pasig.

Our baby’s first time to attend a fashion show! His godmother is a budding fashion designer, Anne Maniego.
May 2016

My best friend from Cagayan de Oro was in town so we treated them to dinner at Gerry’s Grill in Market! Market!

Camping at Caliraya Surf Camp with my brother and nephews.

Explored the nearby Japanese Garden in Caliraya before setting up Camp.
June 2016

Celebrated Father’s Day at Noah’s Park in Montalban, Rizal

Celebrated my mom’s birthday at Vitalis Resort in Ilocos.

Swimming time at Vitalis Resort…

Visited other parts of Ilocos like the Juan Luna Museum…

Fun at the Bantay Church Bell Tower.

Dropped by Paoay Church and had early dinner at Cafe Herencia.
July 2016

Food trip! July was all about food! Celebrating love and friendship with Anne at TGIF.

Celebrating our monthsary at Italliani’s.

Celebrating good health at KhuaThai.

Celebrating successful baby checkup at Gilligan’s.
August 2016

Celebrating another monthsary at Sonya’s Garden.

Checking out the villas at Sonya’s Garden and hoping that someday we get to have the budget to check-in here with our whole family.

It’s really fun and relaxing here at Sonya’s Garden.

Dropping by People’s Park in the Sky in Tagaytay before heading back home.
September 2016

Celebrating our 25th monthsary in Baler…

We checked in at Costa Pacifica in Baler… so nice!

Baby Tuz was provided with his own crib just like the one we have at home. 🙂

We went to Picnic Grove with our family in Tagaytay…

We had fun viewing the scenic spots in Picnic Grove…

We dropped by Sky Ranch for dinner before heading back home…
October 2016

Celebrating our 26th monthsary at City of Dreams, Manila.

Checked out Solaire…
November 2016

Celebrating our 27th monthsary at Villa Escudero…

Villa Escudero has a nice set of swimming pools inside…

Celebrating Tuz’s first birthday at Acuaverde Resort in Batangas…

Choosing Acuaverde for Tuz’s first birthday celebration was a great idea.

This was the first time we allowed Tuz to frolic in seawater. So fun!

We transfered to La Luz the next day coz we didn’t wanna go home yet…

We’re into hiking so we hiked the nearest cliff hahaha.
DECEMBER 2016

Having a magical day with my family at Enchanted Kingdom.

Riding the Rapids was the most fun ride of all!
Wasn’t that fun? I hope you had fun too and got inspired with the fact that traveling with a baby can be a breeze as long as you’re ready for it. Your carefree life need not change drastically just because you had a baby. Having a new member to your family can be stress-free, or at least not as stressful and problematic as you might think as long as you know your priorities (the baby’s needs always come first) and things are planned well.
To all newbie parents, happy traveling with your baby!
If you liked this post, you might also like How to Travel with a Toddler? (A 2017 Travel Recap)
Yummy food!!!
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Hahaha! True!!!
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I have seen my friends struggle with their little ones while on short trips! I can’t imagine them traveling as extensively as you. Great post. I will be sure to share it with them 🙂
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Really? For me I struggle more when we’re at home coz I have a lot of things to do and the baby is getting in the way. Lol! Unlike when we’re traveling, my attention is on our baby most of the time and we try to both enjoy our baby’s company. 🙂
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Traveling with babies is like bringing a house since they have a lot of stuff. I’m glad you found a way to make it work and you really do travel a lot even when you were pregnant.
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Hahaha! You’re the second one to say it’s like bringing a house with you. For me no naman… more like bringing a bahay kubo hahaha. 😀 But yeah, so many things to bring indeed. 🙂
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My friend also traveled with her baby. I think it is manageable especially when you plan ahead. There will be a lot of things to bring but I think it is way better than worrying over a baby your left behind. Hello from Mindanao, btw.
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Hello Kat! Where in Mindanao are you from? Small world. 🙂 I remember before… we left our baby’s stroller at a parking lot. At least si baby ang hindi naiwan. Lol!
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It looks like you had fun adventure, your photos are really fun! Wrap can help a lot to you and your baby, it’s better.
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Is wrap the same as a swaddle? We used to do that when our baby was still 1-3 months old. After that, he doesn’t like it anymore. Even when it’s cold, he’d rather be wearing diapers only. Our baby is weird. Lol!
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I also love traveling since I was a kid. I am particularly fond of going to places I’ve never been before, to see new landscapes and for a change of scenery. For me, it is a learning experience as I discover different cultures and knowledge through the places and cultures I visit.
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Do you have tips for taking care of babies during flights? I’ve seen how helpless moms can be when their kids don’t stop crying during a flight
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Ooohhh what an awesome question Phylicia. We recently took a trip to Cebu from Manila. Tuz’s body clock is like mine — in US Time Zone so during our noon flight, he was just asleep. We disturbed his sleep in the morning to prepare for our flight so by the time we were on air, he was already fast asleep. I know, lucky us, right? However, on the way back to Manila, our flight was around 11pm-12 midnight — his most wakeful hours! We were really anxious he would run around the plane since he just started to learn how to walk! What we did was, in the airport, we let him walk, play, as in we ran after him in the waiting area hoping it’ll get him tired. He’s a pretty hyperactive pre-toddler! When we were on the plane already, he met a toddler girl and they were playing the first part of the flight. Then he got hungry so we gave him milk and then luckily he took a nap. But just in case he would be awake the whole flight, we had wth us some of his favorite toys and of course there’s always milk in a bottle which he loves and pacifies him. I think for younger babies (ours is 14 months old at the time of flight), a pacifier and some toys would be enough to keep the infants quiet and pacified. Coz when we were road tripping with Tuz before he turned one, all those months he would just sleep during the ride and while on a stroller. It helps if you know what pacifies your baby or what keeps him/her occupied so just make sure that factor is present when you travel. I hope these tips help. 🙂
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Wow! This is awesome! Good to know you managed to travel quite a bit with your baby!! My friend took her baby on a road trip when she was 3 months old and I so so astonished!!!
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What happened during the road trip? Was it peaceful and fun for them?
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We have been travelling with our three kids ever since they were little. It is always big production number especially when it is going abroad. I remember when we went to Puerto Galera, we brought the car with us by RORO since we had to bring everything. Haha! We still travel a lot together now that they are teenagers. Now they actually help in preparing the itinerary for our trips.
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Wow! I can’t wait for our time to come when our baby helps us prepare for our travels as well. But for now, we’re enjoying all the little adventures, inconveniences and sacrifices along the way. 😉
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Wow, I don’t know many pregnant women who are traveling constantly. Traveling with a baby seems like a hassle so asking advise from the pediatrician and being equipped with all the necessary equipment and baby stuff are really important.
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Yep, that’s right. It eases our minds that we’re prepared for any mishap that might happen along the way. 🙂
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OMG what a long list but so well written and composed. I just realize what a full time duty a baby is!
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Thank you! Yes, being a hands-on mom to your baby is really a full time job, but very much worth it. 🙂
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Seeing your photos it seems that traveling with children is a lot of fun, I still do not have children, but when I have them, I will take them on a trip since they are babies.
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It really is a lot of fun (to my surprise!) You will have a grand time with yours when the time comes. 🙂
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Wow, I’m impressed how you travel to so many places with your baby and you don’t find it tiring! Think your baby must be a happy baby who doesn’t cry much! Otherwise, it would be crazy to be going around like that~
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Actually, now that you said it, yeah… Tuz likes to laugh and chuckle most of the time. He just cries when he’s hungry and tired. The rest of the time, he’s a joy to be with. 🙂 I think it helped that when I was still pregnant with him, I tried my very best to stay happy and just laugh all the time too. My partner is a pretty funny guy, at least for me, so that helped. 😀
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