So everyone asks, “how do you deal with jet lag and a baby…”  I have no idea!  I just go with it.

Some people have a theory that you should tire your child out before a flight so they’ll sleep on the flight.  Others try “medicating” their child.

I follow the rule of just pretending it’s “business as usual”.  No late nights before, (nor for myself) and not medicine.  I’m an all natural girl after all.  Keep it “simple.”

I find that if Stella is well rested and on her normal routine before and during travel everyone is happier.  Note here that I don’t say “schedule.”  We are a big fan of the routine.  Schedule means we can’t break the rules and what fun is that?

Well rested and prepared parents are a big help as well.  The days of running around at the last minute to get ready for a big trip or flight are over.

The reason I say this is that if you are well rested and organized you will respond to your baby well and be in tune with their needs and in turn will make the trip smoother for everyone…which will help with jet lag on everyone’s part…

But how do deal with jet lag once you get to your destination?

Here’s what I’ve always done.  Once we arrive (and up until now it has only been a 3 hour time difference going to the East) I try to just adjust to the time of where we are.  That means, naps on the plane as your baby would normally have and meals as they would.  That doesn’t mean if your child eats breakfast at 8 AM, Lunch at noon and dinner at 5pm that you must stick to that routine.  It means make sure he/she has the same meals and snacks as usual but with an hour or two difference from normal to make up for the change in time.

For instance, going East in N. America I usually leave at breakfast time and arrive at dinner time.  So Stella has breakfast before we leave, a snack on the way to the airport or once on the plane.  Lunch on the plane and a snack right before we get off the plane (if there is a layover that’s a great opportunity to let the baby play and have lunch).  Then, once we arrive, it’s dinner, bath and bed.  Usually the journey is exhausting enough to get her right on schedule on day 1.  (Me too actually as traveling with a baby makes you so tired you just fall asleep when you can get to bed, no matter what time!).

I find that on Day 2/3 is where the jet lag may kick in.  If Stella seems like she’s wide awake I let her stay up.  This may mean the baby is up until 9 or 10 pm and sometimes 11pm but the upside is you actually get to sleep in the next morning. Babies and toddlers generally need a good 10-12 hours of sleep straight at night.  They are going to get it whether they go to sleep at 7 or 10pm…unless ofcourse you have a regimented child…you may have problems. But every child is different so I am only giving you general guidelines here.

So how did Stella do with first a 3 hour time change and now an additional 5 hours?  (She started in PST, spent 6 days in EST and is now in BST).  So in one week she’s off by 8 hours.  That’s basically a baby’s waking hours.

Pretty well considering.  The time change in Atlanta did not affect her too much.  Day 3 she was quite tired and cranky but went to bed early (thanks to my Dad) and adjusted well after that.

The past 2 days in England have gone fairly well considering.  She fell asleep yesterday twice (like clockwork, 2 naps) and then went to bed at 8pm.  Woke up at 10 pm and went straight back to sleep.  Woke again at midnight and came into the bed with us…was up until 1:30 AM when her father woke her up going to the bathroom…

Today and yesterday she was quite clingy and fussy (but still the smiling happy child most of the time).  I think she’ll be past the “jet lag” tomorrow.

Change of scenery and new places also add to a child’s adjustment.  Stella is wide-eyed and exploring and seems to be enjoying all the new sounds, smells and sites.

Tomorrow we are off to try to find some baby gear as we traveled light…But since we are staying in Marlow for a few weeks and again for a month in October we figure we need to get a few things.

We are finally here.  Long day yesterday/today.  Finally arrived in Marlow at Justin’s Mum’s flat on the Thames at 1:30pm local time.  We left the Atlanta hotel at 12:00 PM local time Tues.

Stella was quite the little trooper and did surprisingly well.

Finally some time to decompress after a very long month of packing up, working, etc.

Marlow is a beautiful village right on the Thames.  Angela (Justin’s Mum) has a lovely flat with a very relaxing view of the river and the rowing club across the water. We are very lucky to have this place to come to.

We did a bit of shopping and unpacking and general settling in today.

Everyone is asleep except for me so I must head off to bed for some rest.

Oh Atlanta

It has been a real treat to spend the past 6 days in Atlanta.  For anyone in need of “hug therapy” I highly recommend you visit Atlanta.  I’ve gotten more hugs in the past 6 days than I can even count.  Nicest people I’ve met in a long time.

Which brings me to my great review of Sheraton Gateway Airport Hotel Atlanta

The people there couldn’t have been nicer.  From “Ernest the Engineer” who spent nearly a half hour fixing my Mountain Buggy tire, to Sally the very nice lady who brought us room service twice and loved Stella.  And ofcourse there were the very friendly waiters and breakfast server in the Club Level lounge.

As well as the shuttle driver from Peru who drove me to the grocery store, waited on me to get the few things I needed and then drove me back.  All around the nicest hotel staff I’ve encountered in a very long time.  For more details on the Sheraton Gateway Airport Hotel see my Hotel Reviews.

My Dad left yesterday in a “tearsy” goodbye.  It’s always hard to say goodbye.  We will miss him but we’ll see him soon in Greece!

Atlanta airport redeemed itself today.  The terminal we flew out of had a really nice little sunlit area and we had a quick bit at Atlanta Bread.  I recommend it as it is quite good.  It was also amazing to see how many military go thru that airport.  Having been out of the US for nearly 3 years now it was a reminder that the US is at war.  Those men and women deserve a lot of respect.  I overheard a few of them leaving our airport say”take a good look at the green grass as you won’t be seeing any for quite a long time.”  While we were standing in the airport a group came thru and there was a huge loud standing ovation for them.  Quite moving.

We flew into Philadelphia for a long lay over so we met up with Chad, Kathy and their sweet new baby Addy.  It was really nice to see them and we all got a fantastic pork sandwich from Tony Lukes.  Justin and I were looking forward to it for weeks (along with a Yeungling Lager) as we can’t get either in Vancouver.

We were lucky to have a very nice cab driver from Morocco who gave us some good ideas for a trip to Morrocco.

The Philly airport is quite nice.  I have to say though we did decide to splurge and fly first class this leg so we spent the rest of our long layover in the Star Alliance/Envoy lounge which is fantastic.  Stella is sound asleep right now in the work area.  She was quite a tired girl (as you can see in the picture above).

We are off to England shortly and it will be nice to be back in the UK for a bit.  I always enjoy my time there.

Some tips for flying:

1.  All in one wallet:  I finally broke down and bought one of the all in one travel wallets.  It has been great and for “family” travel and all the documents you have to carry it’s worth it.   I must admit though that I almost lost it today…I decided to get a black one which blends right into my stroller bottom…

2.  Muslin blanket:  I got the blanket for a trip to Florida last year but it has been invaluable for flying as it’s light weight and doesn’t get Stella too hot; I can use it to cover up while breast feeding and it’s also great to drape over her stroller to keep sound/noise out.  Tonight I’m using it for the first time to see if I can drape it over her bassinet that will be attached to the wall for the international flight.

3.  Toys:  I try not to bring too many but have found ones that have rings attached or can have rings attached to them are best as you can easily attach them to the stroller, your purse or bag (sorry folks, I’m ant-diaper bag but if you must, you can attach them to your diaper bag too), and the best part is you can hang them on the back of the seat pocket so they are at easy access.  Some people have recommended buying new toys for a flight but as a minimalist I think this is unnecessary.  If your child is like Stella, just hide a few toys for a few days and she’ll think they are new…but more importantly, she doesn’t usually even want to play with them…she’d rather play with an empty cup or bottle…and I’d guess so will your child!

4.  Small bags for dirty diapers (note:  take these to the bathroom to dispose of, the stewardess doesn’t want to have to throw them away for you)

5.  Snacks.  Depending on how old your baby is you can decide what’s best.  I also like bringing along some old plastic breast milk storage containers as they have screw tops and don’t come open like other tupperware.  I can store fruit in there without it getting squashed.  I find ziplock bags are fine but they often get holes in them and a mess in your bag.

6.  Changing pad, diapers, wipes (PLENTY OF THEM):  I personally don’t bother with a big changing pad but instead carry a cloth diaper.  However, my friend Kim swears by this all in one gadget http://www.patemm.com/ She’s used it on 12 trips alone with her little Mason who turns 1 soon!  I may look into it as it looks like a great find.

Enough for tonight.

Off to relax a bit before our flight.

As we finish up our last full day here in Atlanta thought I’d give a shout out to the South.

We’ve had quite a weekend of intensive working and networking…and eatin’ of some yummy southern food.  Now I realize why I was a bit “chubby” when I lived in the South…

The conference has been really educational and we’ve met some great people.

Matt’s wife Stephanie even put on a special luncheon for the women at the conference.  As in almost all other industries, Internet Marketing is full of men.  It was a nice networking opportunity for just the ladies.

Stella has been well looked after the last few days.  Her Paw-Paw has really enjoyed spending time with her and we have been fortunate to know she’s in good hands.  I even got back home last night from a networking dinner to find that he had put her down sound asleep and she’d finally eating a full meal.

My father “the male Mary Poppins!”

Many people have asked how to deal with jet-lag and a tired baby when you travel.  I think it’s time to share some of my Hotel Tips and techniques as they play a big part into dealing with the tired cranky baby.  (Note:  Stella was not affected by the 3 hour time change until Day 3.  She seems to have recovered and it only really lasted for one day).

So now onto why “y’all need to listen up!”

Hotel Tips:

First, you don’t need to bring “everything but the kitchen sink” to a hotel when you bring your baby.  (Contrary to some other’s recommendations you may find on the internet…thanks Kat for forwarding this on… http://mightyjunior.com/features/traveling-with-kids).

Things You DON’T Need to Bring

1.  Pack and Play (travel cot, etc.)
All hotels (at least the ones I’ve been to) provide a crib.  Now I know some of you worried parents are going to say, but is it safe?  In my opinion the cribs are fine.  These days with all the news about recalls, etc. can we really be sure anything is safe?  I usually check that the crib is secure, clean and no sharp edges.  And of course no broken slats or bolts.  But what hotel would even give you a crib that wasn’t safe?  There are way too many lawsuits these days for a hotel to give you a faulty product.

The cribs aren’t beautiful but they are standard issue hotel cribs.  The one you will get will look like this one

that we recently used at the Sheraton Gateway Airport Hotel in Atlanta.  Some hotels provide fitted sheets but most will have a crib cover and provide you with hotel sheets to cover the mattress yourself.

2.  High Chair

Every hotel has a restaurant and therefore has a high chair (even in the most boutique of hotels catering to singles ex.  W Hotel in Seattle…more on that in my Hotel Reviews).  If you need to feed baby while you are at the hotel these work just fine.

3.  Blankets, pillow, etc.  If your baby is small then you will want to bring along an appropriate blanket but once your baby is past the SIDs scare time then a hotel blanket will likley suffice.  Of course Stella has her blankies so they come along with us.

NOTE:  Be sure to ask and reserve a high chair and crib when you book your hotel.

What to Bring (that you may not have thought of):

1.  Dish detergent to wash out sippy cups, snack cups, bottles, breast pumps, etc.

2.  Ziplock bags for leftovers that you can feed baby the next day

3.  Swiss Army Knife:  for anything and everything but useful to cut up fruit, etc. for baby

TIPS:

1.  Ever wondered how to keep your baby asleep while you are in the hotel room?  I came up with this little trick when we were recently staying in a hotel with Stella.

When I check in to the hotel and reconfirm my crib and high chair I also ask for an extra flat sheet.

Once I get Stella down to sleep in her crib I drape the sheet over the crib to keep light, drafts and sound from waking her.  It seems to work quite well (especially if I can get her almost asleep before I put her down).  But as she’s getting older she’s learned how to pull it down when she’s awake…So we’ll see how long this works but it’s great for small babies.

2.  Once baby is asleep then what do you do?  You can’t really watch TV unless you have a deep sleeper.  If you have a lap top it’s a great distractor.  Also, you can download movies and watch them with headphones.

One of my favorites is a book owl that my Dad gave me.  We are able to read and not disturb Stella while she sleeps.

These are just a few of my tips for making life easier when staying in a hotel with a baby.  Stay tuned for more.

Tomorrow we are off to England.  We fly out of Atlanta at 2pm and have a long lay-over in Philadelphia so we are going for dinner with our friends Chad and Kathy and meet their new little girl Addy.  We are very excited to see them as we only get to see them a few times a year (if that) and of course meet their new baby.

As many mothers today can understand, it’s not always easy balancing motherhood and a career. Today we attended Matt Bacak’s Marketing Madness in Atlanta. As I mentioned yesterday, we consider Matt our “guru” when it comes to all things Internet Marketing.

Now that we have Stella the first thing we think about before even considering attending an event is child care for. As we planned this trip to Atlanta we asked everyone we knew for a referral. However, I know myself…the only people I will trust in a strange city are family…so we usually bring along someone to take care of Stella. I can’t get anything out of a conference or event if I’m worrying about Stella the entire time so it’s MORE THAN WORTH it to us to budget for bringing family along.

However, today Stella was watched by a colleague’s niece. Very nice young girl. And Stella enjoyed watching cartoons for the first time.  Along with some VH1…

Tomorrow my Dad arrives which we are looking very forward to.  It will be nice to spend some time with him and know that Stella is getting QT with her Paw-Paw.

Today was yet another really busy day.  Up at 7AM, met the babysitter at 8:30, conference all day until 6pm.  I checked in every hour or two on Stella and put her down for naps and gave her a bath.  It’s nice having her here with us when we travel for work.  It does require a lot more work but we feel like it’s part of the lifestyle and family life we have worked so hard for.

Tonight we met with some potential local represenatives for our www.SaveMeFromForeclosure.com website.  It was a nice evening of networking.

We were also lucky enough to get to see some old friends, Rogers “the Chef” Alexander and his new wife, Alex.  It was great to catch up.

Stella seems to have adjusted to the time change pretty well.  She went down for regular naps today and was actually great and stayed up to have a visit with friends until 11pm.

More tomorrow on tips for staying in a hotel with a baby and how to adjust to time changes.

Please feel free to send me your questions, request, concerns, etc.  I have already had quite a few and plan to respond over the next few months.

Another long day and late night so off to bed for me…now if I could just get the screaming children in the room next door to go to sleep everything would be great!