Overseas travel and baby gear -- ideas for streamlining?

I don't have kids of my own (thank goodness), but as for the sleeping arrangements, you might ask the villa people and see if they have any suggestions; they could very well have a crib or something they'd be willing to let you use (no guarantees, but it can't hurt to ask).

Actually, the villa is owned by my sister-in-law's husband's boss and they don't have a crib available for our use. So we are on our own in terms of figuring out the baby's sleeping situation. We were hoping they would have access, but no such luck!

OK, well, it was worth a try. Can't really help otherwise, so this is really just TTT!

See this exert and website link from Departures magazine- even if you don't use their services, they might be able to tell you where to rent baby gear in Tuscany...

Savvy Tip
Italy with la famiglia
Once you have a baby, your days of trekking through Tuscany are over, right? Wrong, says the founder of Ciao Bambino, a company specializing in family trips to Italy. Begun by Amie O'Shaughnessy last year, the firm solves parents' travel problems, big and small: finding child-friendly hotels and villas, planning itineraries that won't bore the kids, arranging for sitters, and renting cribs. Ciao Bambino also gives advice on where to eat and buy diapers and supplies, as well as how to navigate Italian medical facilities. It can arrange excursions just for grown-ups, too. Consultation, $200; 866-802-0300; www.ciaobambino.com.

Kellie, you've thought it through quite well, I think.

Ordinarily, I found that a lightweight, webbing-sided playpen/crib was indispensable when on the road with our baby, because he needed someplace safe to sleep.

But it sounds as though you are going to be based at a villa for most or all of the time. In my experience, Italian people as a culture adore babies and enthusiastically make lots of provisions and allowances for mamas and babes.

Almost every villa has a crib in storage or will happily borrow one for you. Just contact them ahead of time and ask!

Likewise, I'd be shocked if an Italian B&B or hotel would not provide a crib for you if you give them a little advance notice.

When you speak of an LL Bean backpack, is that to serve as the baby's daybag (travel bag) for diapers, wipes, toys, books, snacks, change of clothes, juice bottle, etc.? If so -- a good plan in my opinion.

As for a stroller, I wouldn't. The streets and sidewalks in Italy tend to be uneven, cobbled, and lacking handicapped ramps at curbs. Most moms in European cities have perambulators with large wheels to deal with such conditions. And when you're in the countryside, a stroller isn't useful anyway.

Again, if you want to have the use of a stroller, contact the villa and ask if there is a perambulator or stroller that you can borrow for the time you are there.

However, strollers are lovely for airports, so perhaps a small "umbrella" style stroller...?

As for the baby bjorn -- I recommend strongly against it! Carriers are generally great, but a front carrier will cause your back to hurt like crazy, given the hours you're likely to use it (because strollers are so inconvenient).

The best thing to use (you'll need one eventually anyway, so go ahead and invest) is a back carrier with a light aluminum frame, where the baby rides on your back looking behind you. Whoever isn't doing the carrying can walk along behind and converse with the little one.

If your baby is small and the carrier is a bit big for your son, you can put a receiving blanket in the bottom.
Someone gave us their used back-carrier and we used it constantly when traveling. Our son loved it, and we loved it. It was SO much more comfortable for everyone during long outings than a front cuddle carrier. I would never have thought to buy it, but it was brilliant.

Also, think layers. I took four or five thin cotton flannel "receiving" blankets that could be used for so many things: a changing surface, a drape to keep sun off baby, a floor cover for baby to crawl around on, a drape for nursing discreetly on the plane, folding up for a pillow, warmth at night, baby's bath towel, mopping up a spill, shoulder cover for "urps" moments, and more. I never took a large or thick blanket.

As for the monitor, I'd skip it. Too much hassle compared to the benefit, even if you get the right converters. Of course you'll need a car seat. (They can be rented along with your rental car if you book ahead; Air Canada may or may not permit you to use your car seat on the plane, so you may be using it only in the car. Airlines differ on that issue.)

Also: the most important thing to remember. If you get there and wish you'd brought one of the items you left behind, it's the easiest thing in the world to purchase an inexpensive one in Italy.

Having too much baggage, including baby gear you can't jettison, is pure torture. But having to pick up an item at the store because you left something behind and now feel you need it -- it's no big deal.

This is awesome! Thank you!

Sounds like a wonderful family vacation.

I assume that the reason you want the pack n play is that, at 10 mo, your son is fairly mobile and you don't want him wandering when he wakes up.

From what I could see on Babies R Us, the pack n play is around 30lbs. This might seem kind of weird, but what about little play tent with blankets to sleep on? These are around 2-4 lbs:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000IUXC/qid=1143134033/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-1648368-3161701?v=glance&s=baby

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00064MULC/qid=1143134087/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/102-1648368-3161701?v=glance&s=baby

I can't really tell how big their footprint is in comparison, but it seems like they make some pretty small ones.

As far as checking the pack n play, probably a quick call to the airlines would answer that - but don't forget that if you paid full fare for a seat for your son (instead of lap), then he's entitled to his checked bags too!

Good luck! I was so glad when my daughter got old enough to pull her own little suitcase!

AnneD. . . question for you. We have a backpack/carrier with a light aluminum frame. . . is this something you typically check with your baggage? Are there fees for this as an additional piece of luggage? I've not used ours yet, so moving from point a to point b with it is new to me.

Europhile. . . I emailed Ciao Bambino to ask about the pack n play rental. What a cool business! Thanks for the tip!

thanks-
Kellie

Soccerose. . . what a good idea! Hadn't really thought of going that route. Yes, dear Liam is quite the crawler. I'll look into that option.

I'm kicking myself for this, but we booked with him as a lap child. After my solo trip with him to FL, I realize that lap children really work best as newborns - 3/4 months. . . at 10 months, Liam thinks that he should be able to crawl anywhere he wants. I would go back and book him a seat now if I could, but our flight is full. Can't believe what an idiot move that was on my part. . . luckily husband with be with me on this trip and we have two bodies to manage him. Maybe we'll get lucky and have a seat open up on the flight. . .

The LL Bean backpack was a miracle in terms of having all of his stuff readily available -- and even my laptop. I worship that thing now.

I cannot WAIT for trips with Liam when he's an able bodied kid! But I'm learning how to do this travel with infant thing in the meantime. . .

-Kellie

You'll want to check your backpack or stroller as luggage and then gate check the other item. We use to routinely travel with 2 strollers (gate checked) and a back pack. We had a big bag (bought through one of the baby sites, maybe Graco) that fit the backpack and all sorts of other things although the airline will also put this in a bag. You'll probably want to bring the carseat on the plane if your son has a seat. I would not bring a front carrier too.

If it were me I would find some alternative to lugging a pack n play -- rent, see if you can find one to borrow through your contacts there. Besides the hassle of lugging it, it is always amazing how fast the car fills up with all the baby acoutrements.

Bring enough diapers to get you through two days in Italy (so you aren't in a panic when you land), lots of snacks for the airport, plane, and the first couple of days, and a change (or two) of clothes for him (and maybe a fresh shirt for you) for the plane. I've had all kinds of enjoyable things placed on my body during the flight.

Sounds like you are going to have a really fun trip -- Italy is so wonderful!

Kellie, You'll be fine with a lap baby, and yes you might have space (or a super nice attendant), pray for a whole row (lol). We always flew with lap babies and survived. Start telling him now that we are going to sleep on the plane, change him into his pjs and do your bedtime routine (story, teeth brushing), then cuddle up with him and enjoy! They grow up too fast.

We took our daughter to France and Italy for 3 weeks at 11 months - she took her first steps on that trip! We brought everything - the stroller, baby backpack, pack'n'play, strap-on booster seat for meals, diaper bag, monitor, blankets, the works.

What worked: everything but the stroller. After the airport, the sidewalks were too uneven, cobbled, or nonexistent (lots of dirt paths too), so we never used it after day one.

She had outgrown the baby bjorn so that wasn't an issue.

She LOVED the backback, and we had in-laws to share in the joy of wearing her. One thing we did quite a bit was morning walks or museums with her in the pack, and then lunch in a restaurant. Typically we'd arrive with her asleep, stand the pack upright on the floor with her in it, order some formaggi bianco at the start of the meal, and then she'd wake up 1/2 way through and we'd have something delicious for her. (The formaggi bianco differed wildly from restaurant to restaurant -sometimes it was like ricotta, other times like yogurt,but she always loved it.)

The booster seat (strap on seat and back with tray for meals) was a HASSLE to carry around, but was essential to making her a part of meals, which made her and therefore us happy as well. It was a hassle when we moved locations, as we had to box it up and carry a rapidly deteriorating cardboard box - we didn't bring it to restaurants.

The pack'n'play was essential, especially for naps. We took it on picnics several times and it was great. The monitor allowed us to put her down in a bedroom while we'd be in another part of the apartment.

Car seat: didn't bring one, and counted on the rental agencies to provide a good one. Make sure you get a good one, and that you contact the location in advance to let them know you'll be expecting one. Check it out before you leave the location. Trust me - my father-in-law and I picked up the car in Rome and came back to the hotel, and the seat ended up being completely useless, as my wife serenely pointed out to us...

This was before the stricter carry-on rules, and I'm sure you'd be checking in most of this, although if you wear her in the backpack onto the plane you might sneak that one on.

Get ready for a wonderful trip, and get ready for the Italians culture - don't be shocked when they ask to hold your boy, or when they come right up to you and pinch his cheeks!

Laughingd2. . . thanks! Liam has cheeks ripe for pinching.

I guess we need to get out the framed backpack and start experimenting with it. Sounds like it will get a lot of use on this trip! Your experience sounds like it was wonderful and gives me hope that, with the right attitude and planning, this trip can go smoothly for everyone involved.

I really can't see how we can give up the stroller. . . seems essential in the airport. But maybe the backpack is all we really need. I just can't imagine him sleeping in the backpack, as you describe. But we have two weeks to get him used to it and liking it.

I think we'll just bring our own car seat. I know how to install it and I trust it. I should probably find out what kind of lap belt our rental car has so I can master the appropriate installation. . .

I had no idea how much I had to learn to be a parent!!

-Kellie

For a cobble-stone friendly stroller, take a look at the Combi Ultra Savvy. It folds down to nothing, opens with one hand, goes in the overhead, fully reclines (maybe you could let the kiddo sleep there!) and most importantly, has big wheels and built-in shocks. Ours served us well in Rome, Tuscany and London. Amazing piece of goods!

Hi, Kellie,

I laughed when you said how much you have to learn! We had no idea what we were doing at the time, and it's very easy, 9 years later, to calmly dole out "sage" advice!

The main thing is you know your boy, and what works for him. Whatever that is, stick with it. For us, our girl was never that happy in a stroller, which made giving it up so easy.

Cheers!

From one Kellie to another...

Check this site:

http://www.onestepahead.com

Specifically this pack n' play (I want one for our new baby!):

http://tinyurl.com/eavnm

And this stroller that folds into thirds. I added a fanny pack type thing to the handles to add more storage and cupholders:

http://tinyurl.com/zhzd2

We've gotten a ton of cool stuff from that place and have loved it all.

We went to Florida for Christmas and checked the carseat as a piece of luggage. I bought a cover for it with a strap and then was able to smoosh all my daughter's clothes into a bag and set that on the carseat's seat and zip the carseat bag around the whole thing.

Good luck!

Have read this thread with great interest as I, too, am off to Italy (2 1/2 weeks, yea!) with a toddler in tow. I have a few thoughts, having already traveled with my little fellow quite a few times, is there any chance you would consider allowing your son to sleep with you? Don't want to open up the debate on the whole co-sleeping issue, but it is really, really nice to avoid lugging the pack n' play and it has worked very well for us. I have also seen little travel beds (inflatable and fold up, soft-sided) in the One Step Ahead catalog - can probably find them elsewhere, too. Don't know if one of those might work, but take a look if you haven't seen them. I have a friend who took her 15 month old to Spain last week and the inflatable bed was perfect for them.

As for the flight, I empathize with you on the lap issue. Have you seen the Baby B'Air flight vest? I'm testing mine tomorrow on a short trip to D.C. Will at least give you some measure of safety during the flight (although not approved for take-off and landing) and will keep your son close to you if he tries to get down. May also help keep him closer to you and away from the seat in front of you (Yes, there are parents who are conscious of these sorts of things, as I am sure kellbell is).

Finally, I'll throw in my stroller recommendation if you really want to take one, as I have spent the last month researching and test-driving many models for our trip, even though I already have five others, none of which will work for one reason or another. The previous comment regarding the Combi Ultra Savvy is right on about having larger wheels. I have a Combi, too. The drawback to the Ultra Savvy (as with all Combis) is that it does not have an extendable leg rest and the Ultra Savvy is about $200, so if it is damaged or lost by the airline, it could be somewhat irritating (I've learned from experience here). I just purchased a Britax Esprit for the trip because it 1) reclines, 2) has 6+ inch wheels (which is key - don't take a little umbrella stroller and expect to be able to use it - small wheels do not fare well on cobblestones, big wheels do); 3) sits up quite straight; and 4) has a leg rest. I took it for a test walk on Sunday and my son fell asleep and slept in it for 4 hours! However, it is not as smooth a ride as the little Chicco Caddy I have (little umbrella, doesn't recline). I use this stroller all the time in downtown Boston, which is full of rough bricks and cobblestones and it handles it all so much better than the Combi (which is a disaster on cobblestones, at least mine is). I would recommend a Chicco Tuscany (not just for the name -it's a discontinued model so you should be able to find it cheap on-line), C5, or Velocita (also an older model) as they all have a good recline position, leg rest, and nice big wheels - oh, and they're all well under $100. Those Italians definitely know how to make strollers!

Hope you have a great trip, and your little one, too!

kelliebellie and cantstayathome:

Thanks for the great ideas. I've often wandered through the OneStepAhead website (most recently for a UV protection suit). . . should have thought to check there for interesting gadgets for this trip. I'll look into the inflatable beds and other gizmos.

I think our Peg Perego stroller is a nice hybrid between an umbrella stroller and a more durable all-terrain stroller. Any thoughts on how it might compare to the Combi Ultra Savvy on rougher terrain? Cantstayathome -- you must have a Peg in your stable of strollers!! LOL!

I need to check out that flight vest. On our trip to FL, Liam was into everybody's business and personal space. Luckily they were all into playing peek-a-boo with him.

I'm thinking of inventing something that is almost like a lap bassinette for use on the plane. The one big problem we had was that Liam couldn't seem to find a comfortable position for sleeping in my arms on the plane. Maybe this will be different with two parents to sprawl across, but I'm thinking it would be useful to have something like the durable flat space of a "My Breastfriend Pillow" that he can sleep on while on my lap that somehow anchors him on the surface (like a changing table strap) and uses the existing waist strap to hook it to me. Probably not very safe, but it could be functional!!

Can't thank folks enough for the great input and words of encouragement!

Can't wait for Liam to get his first stamp in his passport!!!!

-Kellie

Kellie,

One more idea about sleeping on the plane. My Barcelona-travelling friend said that they had bulkhead seats (booked months and months in advance, though) and Lufthansa offered her a bassinet, which she (and I) thought was only for 6 mos. and under. They said no, it was fine for their 15 month old. You may want to see if that's an option. Otherwise, see if your son will start falling asleep on your lap at home so you can practice the next couple of weeks.

BTW, I actually don't have a Peg, but do have an Inglesina, which is pretty much the same thing! If you can take the hood off of your stroller and stash it in your luggage it is less likely to get broken (that's what was damaged on mine). Good luck!

CSAH . . .

I called Air Canada already to check on the availability of bulkhead seats. No luck, all booked. And there isn't a guarantee that the plane would have the bassinette according to the reservation person I spoke with. So. . . we'll start practicing our lap sleeping!!

Kellie,

We used a stroller for nine months while living in Florence and couldn't have done without it! It carried all of our stuff when it wasn't carrying the baby. It was not an umbrella stroller, but a large Graco stroller.

We bought our pack n play in Italy and then donated it when we left. It cost about $50 and was worth the $ not to have to drag it to and from Italy. We found ours at a baby store--look for a lettino da viaggio or lettino da campeggio. If you are driving from Rome, you may be able to stop along the way to get the crib. I'm sure posters on this board could help you with finding a place to go shopping. Here are some examples of cribs:
http://shopping.kelkoo.it/b/a/ss_lettino_da_campeggio.html

Good luck.

We just returned from abroad with our 10 month old. The Baby Bjorn was an absolute dream! The stroller wheels actually broke half-way into our trip-the streets of some of those Tuscan towns-Florence in particular seem to be original to the 1500's. If you are planning on museums, the elevators are few and far between for stroller access. Many places have wonderful baby beds that put our pack and plays to shame; you can see if they have one for rent. Don't worry about bringing too much baby food. It is great quality and my little one loved it. The IberKoop grocery store has anything you forget if there is one near you. The airlines didn't give us a hard time at all about the extra baby gear. We also went to Rome and found that the pharmacies were great...binkies and wipees galore!

Kellie,

We used to be light packers until we started traveling with our son, who is now 2. We have traveled extensively with him, and even to Germany at 18 mos.

Some of my recommendations would be:

1) Take a stroller. Our MacLauren Volo stroller did amazingly well, even on cobblestones and was essential as our son would nap and we would stroll around a museum while he napped. It is very lightweight, but sturdier than an real cheapo umbrella stroller.

2) I would take your Baby Bjorn for quick trips. It won't take my space and it can be very handy.

3) We also took a backpack with an internal frame from a German company called Deuter. You can see it on the REI or babystyle website. The great thing about this backpack was that it doubled as a regular backpack/carry on for my husband and then we could unzip it for a baby backpack.

4)I would take a portable booster seat, even if it is just for the villa. It is difficult to feed a 10 month old without some sort of holding device. There is a great one from First Years that is a blow up booster seat that used all over Europe and still use it today when restaurants don't have children's seats.

5) Regarding the baby monitor, I would probably not take it, but if it is the type of monitor that can be used with only batteries, I might take it as you can be relaxing outside the villa on the pergola while the baby sleeps inside.

6) Bring lots of extra diapers as sometimes you don't have time right when you arrive to get to the store.

We have enjoyed traveling with our son so much. I'm sure you will have a lovely time.

We took our son to Portugal when he was 11 months old.

For the flight, we put blankets on our two folded-down trays and he slept across both of them. (He was a small baby). It sounds crazy, but it worked great & even if he rolled off by accident, it would have been right onto our laps.

I highly recommend bringing the pack-n-play. You can check it in as one of your baggage allowances. It will be a "familiar" space for him to sleep while he is in a strange place. You can also bring it into the villa's yard to keep him from wandering away. (If there is a pool, it won't be gated!)

Bringing your own carseat is a MUST! I cannot stress this enough. I know there have been suggestions to leave it at home...

First of all, there is no guarantee that the car rental co. will have one waiting when you arrive, even though you re-confirm. If it's not there, you're screwed.

Second, there is no guarantee as to the quality of the carseat. Maybe it's even one that's been recalled. You must have a safe carseat when driving in Europe. It's a speeders delight over there.

Finally, who knows how clean this seat will be? I'm sure a lot of babies have slobbered & sucked on them. Yuk.

The baby stores even sell a bag to carry the car seat that can be worn on your back. We stuffed the empty areas with lightweight extras like diapers.

You'll check in the carseat, the playpen, and 2 suitcases, and you can take the stroller (if you're bringing one) to the door of the plane where they'll stash it until you get off. We brought our stroller but it wasn't worth it for us- the wheels were too small for the cobblestones. A baby carrier would have been much better.

Good luck with your travels!

I second the car seat advice. Definitely bring your own. You can request the bulkhead from your airline. Ours offered bassinets that hooked onto the bulkhead seats as well.