Whether you’re on your first child or your fifth, traveling with a little one is never easy, especially when everyone is overtired and grouchy. The following guest post from Denise Stern of Let Mommy sleep offers practical solutions so mom and baby can all enjoy some much-needed rest.

Last Thanksgiving, 48.7 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more from home. We can expect more of the same during this busy travel week. For those traveling with a newborn, infant or toddler, travel can be even more overwhelming.

Here are a few foolproof tips to prepare your baby for travel during the holidays:

1. Practice at home

Many times babies are not used to sleeping anywhere beyond their own crib. Put baby in a travel bed or pack-n-play for naptime at least a few times leading up to the trip.

2. Maintain your routine

Try to maintain your normal bedtime routine as much as possible to help baby feel safe and secure. If weather permits, dress baby in the pajamas, sleepsack, or swaddle blanket that he/she is accustomed to. If renting a full-sized travel crib from a hotel, bring bedsheets from home to recreate a familiar sleep environment. Sing the same bedtime songs you sing at home and read favorite books.

3. Try to stay on baby’s time

If possible, try to keep naptimes and bedtimes as close to the same schedule as at home. When traveling across time zones, gradually adjust baby’s bedtime. Some parents like to travel at night so baby can sleep and wake up at the destination refreshed. This can lead to an exhausting first day of the trip. If you can swap with your husband by alternating napping and caring for baby during the first day, then traveling at night could be a possibility.

4. Car seats are not beds

Once at the destination, do not rely on car seats for safe sleep. While it is tempting to let a sleeping baby spend the night in a car seat or stroller, car seats can sometimes cause breathing problems in babies. Follow the recommendations of the American Association of Pediatrics and the “Back to Sleep” campaign by creating a safe sleep environment and putting baby on back for sleeping in a secure setting.

5. Slow it down

Don’t expect to have a jam-packed trip full of activity. All the new sights, sounds, and experiences are very stimulating and exciting for baby and can lead to fussiness. Keeping baby awake longer than his/her body needs may work for one night or one nap, but fighting against baby’s natural rhythms leads to meltdown. Go at a reasonable pace for the whole family.

About the Author:

Denise Stern is the founder of Let Mommy Sleep, a Baby Nurse and Postpartum Care service based in Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Northern New Jersey. It provides licensed nurses and caregivers with brand new parents to provide nurturing overnight assistance and education to families. This postpartum care is crucial to parents’ health and well-being, especially in these days where families are spread out and there is little to no social support. For more information or to schedule service, check out the website.

This post contains affiliate links and I received compensation for this post

I’m someone that’s obsessed with taking pictures. Not all are treasured, but ones that I truly love are meant to be kept, which is why I enjoy creating photo books. Blurb has taken it to the next level with the launch of Layflat. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to convert a wide-angle into a keepsake and it never seemed to work just right. By using Layflat, you can go corner to corner and edge to edge across an entire two-page spread without losing any part of the image to the center! Perfect for travel shots, weddings, and portfolios, and it can also be customized with text.

Turn any photo book into a Layflat showcase with a gorgeous collection of seamless spreads and make your memories last forever.

The following guest post was contributed by Amanda Kuzak. After more than a decade as a professional organizer, she has some great tips to help us enjoy our guests instead of dealing with a madhouse.

Hosting guests for the holidays is supposed to be fun, but for many, it can actually be very stressful and time consuming. With proper preparation, it doesn’t have to be. By anticipating common needs and providing overlooked items, hosting can truly be a breeze. These 10 things are a must:

1. Organized Closet

Keep the spare closet clutter free with a supply of extra hangers, shelves, and a small laundry basket.

2. Bathroom Essentials

Keep a display tray or small basket stocked with travel-sized necessities like toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner. For an extra touch, include a mud mask, loofah or new body lotion for them to try.

3. Hanging Space

Add extra hooks behind the door and in the bathroom for coats, bags and towels; I love and recommend Command Hooks.

4. Tech Corner

This will probably be the most used space in the guest room. Supply a corner with extra phone chargers (include both Android and iPhone to be safe). Also, add a note with the Wi-Fi network and password, so no one is without access to their Netflix or Hulu accounts.

5. Extra Bedding

This is essential to make your guests the warmest and comfiest they can be. Try having two extra firm and two extra soft pillows on the bed so guests can choose which they’d prefer, and extra blankets in the closet or in a decorative basket in the room so they can layer if needed.

6. Add a Fan

Include a floor fan by the bed so they can be in control of adding a little extra air flow in their room or if they want it on for some white noise.

7. Bathroom Tools

In the bathroom, place a hair dryer and other hair tools for your guests to use. This will help them save space in their suitcase.

8. Wastebasket

Place a small wastebasket in the bathroom and guest room to avoid a clutter pile up on the counters and dresser.

9. Alarm Clock

While most people use the alarm on their phone nowadays, many older folks prefer to go device free. Put a small alarm clock on the nightstand for grandparents and those who like to stay on a schedule.

10. Let Them Know

Your guests will appreciate a phone call or note letting them know what you have on hand, allowing them to streamline and only pack the essentials. 

About the Author:

Amanda Kuzak is passionate about helping people lead efficient lives. Through her work as a popular blogger and professional organizer, she specializes in top-to-bottom home organizing, relocation, liquidation and estate sales. Originally from Michigan, she and her family now reside in Northern California. Connect with Amanda on Kuzak’s Closet.

Changing one’s gender is pretty controversial, but compared to someone claiming to be “Trans-Species” it seems almost uneventful…

Never heard of this particular brand of lunacy? In a nutshell, the individual in question is named Luis Padron. A native of Argentina, he developed an all-consuming obsession with fantasy characters. After spending over $25,000 British Pounds on plastic surgery to become a real-life elf—whatever that means— he’s undergone a frightening change that includes:

• Skin bleaching
• Liposuction
• Full body hair removal
• Pointed ear modification
• Eye color swap
• Nose reconstruction

Still not satisfied, he’s now saving up for a limb lengthening surgery and claims to spend $4,000 a month on personal grooming…

What would compel someone to behave in this way is certainly debatable, but most rational minds would agree that it’s not sane nor safe. This man is in need of a psychiatrist, not a surgeon. I am shocked that any doctor would aid someone in such a destructive and unhealthy way and seriously wonder why they still have a license to practice medicine.

Plastic surgery, under the best of circumstances, is still a risk—just look at all the celebs who have been botched beyond belief or tragically died. I’m not against it totally, but everyone needs to be careful about their decision and well informed. That’s why doctors are legally bound to weed out unsafe patients. Clearly, if someone doesn’t even accept that they’re human, they’re definitely not able to provide informed consent.

Cases like this may be rare, however, it should be a warning that something is seriously wrong in society that anyone, anywhere has a mind so confused and distorted that they’d embrace such a dangerous lifestyle. Surgically changing eye color can lead to blindness; attempting to lengthen limbs can cause permanent disability—definitely not a joke to play around with!

Some may dismiss it as a freak show, but I’m worried for the younger generation. They’re exposed to many odd things that are potentially warping their minds. We must be hyper-vigilant as adults to make sure that kids are being warned about such creepy stuff (on an age-appropriate level, of course).