[mg1970]

We may be travelling by plane to adopt. We will have at least 2 connections and will be taking another small child with us. I am thinking that just the 2 carseats alone plus our luggage will be a lot -- I can't imagine all the baby equipment on top of that. Also, these days airlines have gotten really stingy about how much luggage you can take.

So my question is, what do you think is the minimum equipment I need to bring to comfortably survive the 1-2 weeks before we are cleared to return?

I'm thinking:
Diaper bag
bottles
bottle cleaner
dish soap
blankets
clothes
burp rags
bibs
formula
diapers
wipes
changing pad
freezer paks
padded lunch bag for bottles
baby soap
bath foam pad for bathing
baby bjorne carrier
laundry soap
crib sheets
piddle pads

I have a portable swing but I don't know about hauling that -- but I know a swing is invaluable for newborns. Especially if we are staying in close quarters where everyone will be able to hear the baby cry.

Also, do you think it is absolutely necessary to bring a pack-n-play? I haven't been impressed with the portable cribs I've seen at hotels. The baby could stay in the carseat, but I seem to recall lots of accidents in the early days so maybe that wouldn't be such a great solution?

How about a stroller? Can you even put a newborn in an unbrella stroller or do I need to really bring the big honking stroller that the carseat locks into? Maybe just use the baby bjorn carrier?

Also, for those of you that travelled -- how did you handle your return flight plans? Did you buy a round trip ticket and reschedule if needed? Did you leave it open-ended (and did that end up costing more?) We want to be able to leave as soon as possible.

Any tips would be appreciated.

M

[rd200]

HI, i've never been in your situation, but i think everything on your list sounds good. i would skip the swing and take the play pen. if you have to choose. i know some people swear by a swing, my son didnt have one and i cant say we ever needed it, but i would definetly be more concerned with the play pen having somewhere for the baby to sleep. i'm pretty sure you can put newborns in an umbrella stroller cuz they dont recline at all and newborns cant hold their head up so they cant really be in an upwards sitting position without help. but if you have a stroller that reclines, that would be helpful. i think the baby carrier is a good fit too. i loved mine, a front pack right? you will do fine, and if you forgot something and you need it, you can just go buy it if necessary. good luck Rach

[fisbaby]

Hi! As far as the carseat and stroller for the new baby I would just gate check that. I know you can do it with baby on board so I'm certain if you tell them the situation they will do it for you now. Actually I heard someone else say they did the same thing. You can push your stroller/car seat combo all the way to the door of the plane....they put underneat and then give back to you when you get there.

We bought a swing when we were in the state our son was born in and it helped but had I known we would have gone for the bouncy seat instead, he liked it a lot better.

Your list sounds good and we packed a lot of it b/c we were able to drive. However, I would say a lot of that you could buy when you get there rather than packing, such as the laundry soap, etc. I also wouldn't worry about the foam bath b/c no longer than you'll be there he/she won't be able to get submerged in water yet with the umbilical cord so you can just lay them on a towel on the hotel bed. We felt pretty cheesy giving our little one his first bath out of a ice container, but hey it worked!

We did bring a pack -n- play, but like I said, we drove. If I were to fly for the 2nd one, I will bring this little fold up bed that my sister gave us. It's completely flat when folded up, basically one of those little travel bed things for newborns. It works perfectly and very small.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll do great! One thing I did bring was a sterilizer since you never know about hotel water....or just buy bottled water there, which if you're mixing powder you'll want anyway!

[BeckyS]

For our second (also traveling with a todler), we packed much less and bought most items at our destination. We skipped the pac n play and and pulled a drawer out of the hotel dresser, lined it with blankets and he seemed fine. Also, we skipped the stroller and wore him in a sling instead. For bottles, we purchased the ready made bottles and sealed sterile nipples. Turns out, foster mom gave us all that the hospital gave her, so they lasted even after we got home.

[minibus]

How old is your older one? Is he/she used to being in a stroller, or old enough to walk? If he/she is used to a stroller, have you considered a double stroller? Ours has tons of storage space for kid stuff as well as holding both the kids at once.

Will you be buying airline seats for the baby and your older child? Or will you try to hold them on your lap?

We adopted a sibling set (20 months old and 3.5 months old at the time) and did ICPC and flew back to our home state. Luckily, it was only a short, direct flight for us.

We purchased seats for each child so we could a) not have to hold them if they didn't want to be held and b) have the extra luggage capacity.

I think that you should purchase whatever you can at your destination, especially the small stuff like dish soap/laundry soap/etc. That way, you don't have to take it with you on the way there and you don't have to haul it back - just throw it away or give it to someone there! It's the least of expenses compared to all the rest you have to go through!

Same thing with formula for the newborn - the hospital will have the baby on a certain formula and will give you a bunch to take with you, especially if you tell them that you'll be there for 1-2 weeks in a hotel.

We bought one pack and play at our destination (since we didn't already have one) and used the portable crib that the hotel provided for the other child. Be sure to take sheets!

We purchased our return tickets as soon as ICPC cleared. We didn't want to hang out any longer than we had to! Like I said, though, we had a short flight that was relatively inexpensive.

Why do you need freezer packs and a lunch bag for bottles? Is your older child used to heated milk? We do room temperature bottles for our son and he's never had a problem with it. Just do bottled water + powdered formula.

I wouldn't bother with the swing.

Best of luck!

[jules17]

This isn't a packing thing, but we are going to rent a house/condo in the city where our baby is born. It will make it much easier with a newborn and 2 toddlers for 1-2 weeks. We will also have a full kitchen to cook, etc.

Just a thought for you.

We use VRBO® is Vacation Rentals By Owner.

Good luck!

[aclee]

I'm going to comment in your thread in red....

Originally Posted by mg1970

We may be travelling by plane to adopt. We will have at least 2 connections and will be taking another small child with us. I am thinking that just the 2 carseats alone plus our luggage will be a lot -- I can't imagine all the baby equipment on top of that. Also, these days airlines have gotten really stingy about how much luggage you can take.

So my question is, what do you think is the minimum equipment I need to bring to comfortably survive the 1-2 weeks before we are cleared to return?

I'm thinking:
Diaper bagI wouldn't bother. The hospital will give you one. Use a backpack as a carry one, and use that as a diaper bag while you are there if they don't.
bottlesChances are the hospital will give you disposable bottles with rings and nipples. You can reuse these for the short time you are there. Hopefully they will give you enough that you won't have to reuse. We had to reuse some of the nipples and we just washed with REALLY hot soapy water and let them air dry.
bottle cleanerTarget/Wamart run
dish soap Target/Walmart run
blankets 2 warm blankets and 3-4 recieving blankets. Swaddle me blanket
clothes we brought 10 one piece outfits, 5 sleeper/gowns, 3 pairs of socks, 2 bibs, 2 hats
burp rags 2 brought two cloth diapers, you can also use your receiving blanets
bibs 2 and we bought a pack of three there. Not that we needed them, they were just cute!
formulaIF you need it, buy it there, you won't know what the baby is on till then anyway
diapersBuy them there. Hospital will give you some, and since you don't know the size of the baby, you won't know what size you need. I found it VERY important that the diapers fit right in those early days. Big difference between a diaper that fits a 6 pounds and a diaper that fits an 8 pounder.
wipesIf you need them, buy them there. We did buy some there. It was DH first "Dad" purchase. He bought a JUMBO box of them when we were leaving the next day and we had to cart it all back with us!
changing padI wouldn't bother. Maybe pack and extra receiving blanket to use. We changed him on the hotel towels
freezer paksWe didn't bring these, and have never used them. We use ready made when we travel, and mix on demand otherwise. Maybe bring one of the section containers to make mixing on demand with room temp water easier
padded lunch bag for bottlesWhen you mix on demand, you just toss a bottle with water in the diaper bag, and the formula seperate
baby soapTarget/Walmart run
bath foam pad for bathingI did bring a small container of Johnsons soothing naturals, in retrospect, I would have just bought it there. Same with lotion
baby bjorne carrierI brought both a sling and a Bjorn.
laundry soap Target/Walmart run. We just washed all our stuff in whatever soap we bought to wash Tyler's clothes in while we were there, and washed everything together. It's really important to be at a place with a laundry.
crib sheetsWe didn't do a crib while we were there. We stayed at a Marriot extended stay, and we pushed one of the club chairs against a wall and it boxed in a little bed for Tyler. We swaddled him and used a towel that was rolled on the edges and on each side of him as a sleep positioner. He was actually a pretty active newborn too, and could get his arms out of a swaddle, but he was always cozy and safe in his "chairbed" I have pictures if you can't picture it. If we hadn't felt it was safe, we would have gone and bought a pack and play, and then shipped it back.
piddle pads We didn't bother

I have a portable swing but I don't know about hauling that -- but I know a swing is invaluable for newborns. Especially if we are staying in close quarters where everyone will be able to hear the baby cry.I also had a travel swing and a bouncer, both of which I thought about bringing, and didn't. We were always holding Tyler, and I brought a Boppy, so we could use that to put him down too. He slept so much in the early days, he spent a lot of time in the chair bed, or sleeping in the bjorn while I held him.

Also, do you think it is absolutely necessary to bring a pack-n-play? I haven't been impressed with the portable cribs I've seen at hotels. The baby could stay in the carseat, but I seem to recall lots of accidents in the early days so maybe that wouldn't be such a great solution?

How about a stroller? Can you even put a newborn in an unbrella stroller or do I need to really bring the big honking stroller that the carseat locks into? Maybe just use the baby bjorn carrier?
We brought a snap and go (you can buy them used on craigslist or e-bay) and a used infant car seat. DO NOT bring your nice stuff. the airline broke out stroller on the return trip and once we were home and all our family was there, the last thing I wanted to do was file a claim. We have a different car seat that we use for travel with Ty, cause I don't want his everyday car seat getting tossed around all crazy when we check it.
Also, for those of you that travelled -- how did you handle your return flight plans? Did you buy a round trip ticket and reschedule if needed? Did you leave it open-ended (and did that end up costing more?) We want to be able to leave as soon as possible.
We did one way tickets both ways. When we knew that we had clearer MO, we booked our tickets for two days after that on the advice of our attny.
Any tips would be appreciated.

M

Hope that helps! Good Luck!

[sheababy]

Excellent advice from aclee.

We traveled by plane at the last minute. We had one suitcase packed with everything the baby needed for 2 weeks. This was our first and we didn't know where we would be going so we did not want to go to the store in a strange town. I don't think you will need a swing or a pack n play (we had one ready but it's just too much to carry). We tried a basket for the baby to sleep in but she had a really stuffy nose and slept most of the time in the car seat (doctor actually recommended it for her nose).

We bought one way tickets both ways. If you are lucky enough to fly somewhere Frontier or Southwest goes, it is not really any more expensive than purchasing a ticket you can change.

[jp4ga]

Have you thought about driving back. We flew out to the birthplace of the baby and were able to purchase needed items without fear of not being able to take them home since we rented a car and drove home. The car rental and hotel was less than flying home would have been, and I believe was less stress, since I really did not want to fly with a baby.