Travel Essentials

Here is the list of travel essentials, other than the standard stroller and car seat, from my experience with a six month old in Hawaii:

1. Jolly Jumper. This thing is worth its weight in gold and every ounce of the weight that it takes up in my suitcase. Kaitlyn spent time in her jumper every single day while I made dinner or just took a few minutes to relax and update Facebook and this blog. Everyone from the house that I stayed in would come down to watch her jump and the attention only made her jump higher. I think this also contributed to her sudden ability to sleep 12 hours straight each night.

2. My Little Seat. This travel contraption replaced the Bumbo in my suitcase at the last minute. Not only did it work great as a high chair and baby containment device, it packs up into an 8x6" bag. Super cute and so effective that the property manager I'm staying with is going to get one for each of his condos.Nfind out more about it here.

3. iPad. I loaded up my Lonely Planet guide on my Kindle app and had maps and advice at my fingertips wherever I went. More importantly, I was able to Skype with daddy and grandparents while we were away which helped me realize how important they are to Kaitlyn's life. As if I didn't know already! This also leads me to...

4. Local knowledge. The family I was staying with gave me shortcuts For travel and tips galore for enjoying the Big Island. Don't just rely on travel guides, look for websites developed by locals. They can be rough and old school but they put a lot of work into making sure that you get the good info. My host manages Kona 123. On that note, I recommend them for vacation home rentals as well.

5. Extra time. I know this isn't something you can pack but you should plan for it. I always planned for two days of activity followed by a day of down time and even then that was sometimes too much, especially on days like this.

6. Two travel change pads. I only brought one and it was a pain packing it up into the diaper bag again each day. A small thing but one that makes those "OMG I need to get you out of that now!" moments a little easier.

7. Muslin blanket. This blanket keeps her warm on the plane, shields her from the nastiness of airport lounge seats or floors when I want to put her down and is an extra sun shield in the stroller. I don't go anywhere without it. Mine is from Aden & Anais but you can get different kinds in almost any baby boutique.

That's it for now, I'm here for two more weeks so I'll add more if I think of it. Just remember what I always tell myself as I'm packing, "For everything else, there's Visa!"