Help me plan for my trip!

[PAruby525]

I have a 1-week conference early October. We are making it into a family vacay to New Orleans.

Diapers: i dont want to do laundry so thinking of taking sposies. I can buy there but I would rather take the "backup stash" that I was given... How many do I need?

Milk: Any experience taking frozen milk on a plane? Im taking my pump, but I need enough milk to get me through the first day of my conference which is the Third day of our trip... If it thaws it wont be good more than 24h right?

I know you can take dry ice, but has anyone done this? I will have a freezer in the hotel room. It is about 8 hours travel time from my door to the hotel between flights, taxi, etc.

Car seat: we are taking her as a lap baby. Any experience gate checking car seat & stroller?

[aaemommy]

Diapers: When packing for trips, I usually plan on 10 diapers per day. Plus I grab a handful extra because I'm always paranoid about running out. There is always plenty!

Milk: I've never taken it on a plane but I have traveled with it. Put it in the best insulated bag you have with a bunch of ice packs. If that bag is in a bigger bag, wrap it in clothes to help insulate further. As long as there are still ice crystals in it, you can stick it in the freezer when you get there. If it does thaw completely on your trip, you could feed that and pump the first day so he can have milk the first day of your conference. Definitely not ideal but it would work in a pinch.
No experience with dry ice but I know a lot of people do use it for travel. It would certainly stay frozen that way.

Car seat: no experience there either. We've not flown since before A was born.

Good luck!

[Deleted]

I've not gate checked a stroller, but I've gate checked my walker, so I assume it's the same process. You'll get it tagged with your name and a tag that says gate check, then when you go to board the plane you leave it at the end of the terminal with all the walkers/wheelchairs and staff will load it from there. Super simple.

[k3am]

I would not take frozen milk. Too many opportunities for it to thaw and be useless. And I wouldn't trust the freezer in a mini fridge (I'm making assumptions that that's what will be available). Take fresh milk and don't worry about freezing. (Knowing my supply, I'd bring nothing and be pretty confident that I could pump enough to cover the 1st conference day).

Diapers, assume 1 diaper for every two hours. And then double. Which is why I would just buy a pack there.

[fishbulb]

If you can, put the car seat and the stroller in bags to keep them clean. Don't take an expensive stroller though - airlines have a way of wrecking them, gate checked or not. I'm hesitant about gate checking a car seat for that reason but sometimes you don't have a choice.

[PAruby525]

Duh! Take fresh milk! Lol that lasts like 5 days right? I dont even know the rules...

We are staying at a hotel with a full size fridge/freezer in the room, thankfully.

I have heard of southwest allowing you to use a car seat if the flight isnt full. I might get an inexpensive car seat for travel since we will only use it from the sirport to the hotel and back, and possibly one taxi ride mid week. Otherwise Im told there are busses and trolleys for everything