How to Travel With a Baby, According to a Mom
Tiffany Reid is a Who What Wear editor in residence, fashion executive, freelance stylist, and brand consultant who most recently served as the senior vice president of fashion for Bustle Digital Group. She recently launched a YouTube series, Tried + True, in which she walks viewers through the latest trends.
Randi, my 22-month-old son, is no stranger to travel. I started him very early, from L.A. cover shoots with me at 6 months to Paris Fashion Week with me at 9 months to a family vacation in South Africa (and a 14-hour flight) at just under 12 months. I have definitely faced my fear of traveling with a young baby in tow. Now, the reason for this mostly happened out of a promise I made to myself (“Do not let a baby slow you down”), but I cannot ignore that necessity was also a catalyst for getting him comfortable with traveling early. When my son was born, I had a very high-profile, highly demanding job in the fashion industry that required a lot of time away from home. Oftentimes, it required me to be on a plane across the country every other week for years. As a new mom, I was not willing to let the demands of my job control the time I had with my son, so Randi becoming my travel partner was my only solution.
The Why
Fast-forward to almost hitting the year mark of becoming an entrepreneur/freelancer and nearly entering year two of being a mom, my priorities have shifted. Although I love the creativity, fast-paced energy, and sometimes chaotic requirements it takes to make it in this industry, this season felt different for me. Taking a step away from a strenuous full-time role and having a very supportive partner who holds a mirror to me gave me the space to realize I was sacrificing too much of my personal life for my work life. I was so engrossed in the nitty-gritty of work life that I could not see that I secretly was in need of a break. This time, instead of working 24 hours around the clock for New York, London, Milan, and Paris fashion weeks, we planned a family vacation to Turks and Caicos in the middle of fashion month—my busiest season. I hightailed it out of the city right after NYFW was wrapped to go completely offline during London and Milan Fashion Week, something I never could have done in any of my previous full-time roles.
The Place
We booked our stay at Beaches Turks and Caicos during its Fall Fam Jam, which I have to admit was not initially my ideal vacation. I am used to bringing my son along to places I either need to be, like on set, or want to be, like a South African safari game drive. Quite honestly, they’re not the most kid-friendly places. This time around, that was not the case. Beaches is known to be more of a kid-friendly vacation resort, and the event programming on the resort during the month of September was curated to keep little ones entertained. Nevertheless, I was still excited to get to Turks and enjoy the crystal-clear water and beautiful beaches, sit in the sun, and not think twice about a street style photo or runway show.
The Highlights
It did not disappoint, and little did I know, September is the perfect time to head to Beaches. With the back-to-school season for the older kids bringing fewer crowds and the perfect weather with not a storm or hurricane in sight, the timing was kismet. The resort is all-inclusive, so I did not have to plan an itinerary or research where to eat. This also meant we did not have to do a ton of moving around, which is always tough when traveling with a kid and all their stuff. The restaurants on the premises were hypersensitive and cautious to food allergies. Randi has several severe allergies, so this is extremely high on our priority list when researching where to stay and eat. Our room was a spacious multi-bedroom suite right on the ocean complete with our own personal butler who could help with anything from bringing us an afternoon snack to finding swimming diapers for Randi. There was also entertainment for kids, which included activities every day such as yoga, painting, music class, etc. Things felt balanced for parents, too, with adult-only pools and restaurants so that you can get a break if needed. We opted to get a babysitter one night so we could have a parents’ night out at the resort.
The Learnings
One of my biggest takeaways from this trip is that not every vacation needs to be a sexy, vibey trip. Life changes, and travel looks different with a kid. The purpose of this trip was to make sure I intentionally was making time for what matters most in my current stage—life and family—and truly giving myself a break from the usual noise I am used to navigating during fashion month. I had to constantly remind myself on the trip to not feel guilty and that work will always be there and FOMO is not real. I also had to brace myself to lose some control. Since there were other kids on the trip, it felt a little chaotic at times. Randi by himself is one thing, but other kids’ energy mixed in was a lot to handle. It was great for him to get into and scary for me at times, leaving room for things to quickly go left.
The Advice
My best piece of advice when traveling with your young kids is to sometimes—key word: sometimes—pick a kid-friendly destination mostly because of the convenience it gives parents.
With that comes my second piece of advice, which is to opt for a babysitter if that is an option you are comfortable with. The resort had CPR-trained babysitters who had worked for 10-plus years on the resort watching young kids. I know it seems scary, but parents deserve alone time too. Another key to traveling with a kid is safety. If allergies are a concern, bring an EpiPen and snacks kids can have just in case and triple-check all medicine is secured before leaving the house. Another not-so-obvious piece of advice is to buy a lifeguard-certified life vest based on the child’s size if you plan to be around water or on a boat. Lastly, carry a stroller that travels well, is lightweight, has enough storage, and you can bump around without worrying about scuffs and damage.
O’Brien
Neoprene Life Vest
Ingenuity
Mini Convenience Stroller
MORE TRAVEL TIPS FROM COOL MOMS
“Traveling with babies or toddlers is like running a marathon in flip-flops—just embrace the chaos! Don’t try to re-create your home routine. Adapt to the moment. Pack familiar comforts (like snacks or a favorite blanket); plan extra time for everything, especially the airport; and remember [that] calm parents make calm kids. If you can swing it, bring a family member or friend to tag-team on babysitting and give you a little break to explore or just rest.” — Lindsey Granger, journalist and TV host
“Don’t get on that plane until the doors are about to close so they have the least amount of time confined to a small space. Pack daily outfits and pj’s in a plastic 24-shoe storage rack. When you get to the destination, you just unroll it and hang it on a closet door!” — Crystal Anderson, cofounder and head of creative at A Very Good Job
“Don’t do it… JK. But seriously, ride the waves of the meltdowns, and take lots of pics so they remember.” — Rebecca Goodman-Krantz, vice president of marketing and communications at Manolo Blahnik
“Lower your expectations, and don’t be afraid to ask for help from strangers, like lifting bags and stuff.” — Blair Trader Newell, vice president of marketing and communications at Burberry Americas
“Always book a window seat. It allows breastfeeding moms a bit of privacy but also contains the kids so they aren’t hanging in the aisle. If you’re traveling with a partner, have someone board first to help sanitize [and] get luggage situated, and then board with baby last so they are less fussy.” — Janell M. Hickman-Kirby, associate creative director of writing at Shark Beauty
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