The thing about the park is that it truly is out in the middle of freaking nowhere AND most time of the year it would be too warm there to actually enjoy it, especially when I was pregnant. So, very last minute we decided to go. This is the most busy time of year for the park and so we were only able to get a room for 2 nights (23-25 dec) but hey traveling with these little munchkins was a bit of a daunting task anyway.
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| Chilling at home while Mommy & Daddy are packing up the entire house to bring. |
1) You can never pack too much. Take a look around your house. What are the things you have where you think "boy, am I glad we bought/got/have this?" These are the things you want to bring. For us that was bouncer, Rock'N'Play, drying rack for bottles, 2 Bobby pillows, lots of pee pads, blankets, humidifier and 2 strollers. You may feel like it is overkill but you won't regret having too much of the stuff you really need.
2) Find out if there are cribs available before getting there. Bring your own unwashed sheets for the cribs. Some babies are very sensitive to smells - hence unwashed.
3) Humidifier!! Bring a humidifier, just do it. The air where we were was so dry and we would not have survived without it.
4) Be realistic about sleep schedule and feeding schedules. Your baby/babies will tell you what they need - even if it is not their regular schedule. We had to pull of the side of the road many times because babies wanted to eat NOW. Because they were in their car seats they were not really giving us the usual cues that we normally would pick up on. So, just be ready - at all times.
5) Fanny packs/ waist packs may not be stylish but when hiking with a baby carrier it is awesome.
6) Disinfecting wipes are your friend. Now I am not one for using these wipes in general but I used these for wiping down cribs and other surfaces that my babies would touch.
7) Be creative - I did not want to change my babies in public restrooms so pretty much every surface in the car was at some point or another used for diaper changes. I am very fortunate because my babies only poop once a day, so most were just quick changes.
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| Diaper change on front seat - it was really cold outside. |
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| Stretching out on the front seat. |
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| Feeding stop in the middle of nowhere. |
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| Yes, my baby is spitting up in this picture and yes, she does look a bit like "Fat Bastard" from the Austin Powers movie. |
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| Fort Stockton, TX. We just had to stop there for our annual picture with the Christmas Roadrunner. |
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| We were surprised to see snow and even more surprised when the road to the lodge was temporarily closed. Last time I had checked weather conditions it was in the 50s. Needless to say I was happy to have packed extra clothes. |
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| First day of hiking. |
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| Beautiful Santa Elena Canyon. |
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| Finally got them to wear the Christmas hats. |
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| Their Christmas outfits matched our beer of choice. |
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| Car seats worked wonderfully as rockers in restaurant. Babies were quiet for both dinners and breakfasts. |
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| Boquillas Canyon - temps were in the 70s. Almost overheated Joshua during hike. |
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| Chilling by the Rio Grande. |
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| Done hiking and hanging out on the tailgate for feedings and diaper changes. |
Really exhausted babies. We had planned to make it home, but decided to stop 2 hours away from home and stay in a hotel. Everyone just needed the rest.
We had a great time and I know we will do something again soon. Travelling with babies, while daunting to think about, doesn't need to stop you from doing the things you love. They will adapt and so will you.
Relax and have fun!!
