Traveling with Baby? What to pack, ship, rent, carry on and Costs?

Hello Everyone,
My hubby and I just got back from our trip to Seattle with our 6 month old daughter. We are both experienced travelers, but I feel that traveling with an infant, we went straight back to square one.

There were so many things to think about before traveling...what to pack, ship, carry on, and rent, and then of course...how much is this all going to cost me?

Getting through the airport can be fun.....if you have a partner to help you it sure makes it easier. but if you don't....try to take a stroller that is really easy to open and close (one handed would be good) I have reviewed one on my blog that i used. My daughter is 6mos so she couldn't walk through security ...I had to carry her. It is a little more challenging but do able. Try to wear slide on shoes and limit your carry on things. trying to carry a baby and get all your stuff through security is hard...so the more condensed you are the easier it will be. Backpacks make a great diaper bag, I put my camera and video camera in it and still had room for the baby things. then I just carried my purse.

What to pack? Pack the essentials first! then pack everything that will fit. you can go upto 50#'s on most airlines. bottles that you are not going to carry on, larger toys, blankets etc.

What to ship? Since there is so much stuff to take with baby you can't pack it all unless you want an oversized bag and over sized charges. So....what I did was purchased things online that I can ship to my final destination. diapers, wipes, formula, and cereal and or fruits and veggies the little one is eating. This was so helpful, less stuff to lug through the airport. I only carried what I needed in my diaper bag for the flight.

Carry-on? I carried a little larger bag and put all the diapers I needed for the trip, and the wipes and formula, and a couple of rattles. I found out that our little girl didn't really play with the rattles...she was too interested in all the new things and people. As for the formula. I would recommend the pre made stuff. They come in individual 2oz or 8oz bottles, they are a little more but well worth it. it is hard to try and mix formula on the plane. They are allowed through security, you just have to declare them (even if they are over 3oz). And they should not have to open them. (will have a post about what happened to me in this regard and what i am doing about it.)

Baby Rentals? http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/baby-equipment-rentals.htm This site is great for renting any thing baby. Carseats, cribs, toys, high chairs, strollers, just about anything you can think of and are willing to pay for. It has state by state and even some over sees companies. I found one site that will even go grocery shopping for you. You can rent just about anything you want but it will cost you. You will have to figure out whats most important to you. All these places are regulated by there state DOT laws.

How much is this going to cost you? Well... I did find out that the airlines don't charge you for checking your car seats or strollers as long as you are with your child. You will have to check your airline, because the rules change all the time. So if you only check one bag, and it is 50# or less than you will only have to pay for the baggage fee of that airline.

If there is anything missing or there is something that you are looking for an answer to, please either email me or post and I will try and find an answer for you.

I hope this information was useful to you.

Jennifer R.