For those of us with small children, expecting a baby or just fascinated by the abilities of some families to make it all happen, I have been especially excited to present my interview of Lindsey Knight Sodikoff. This super impressive mama and her husband Ryan live in Harrisonburg, VA, and they toted their then 3 month old daughter Sophia (she turned 4 months while they were there) throughout Europe on a family vacation. What's more, Lindsey makes it sound possible for all of us!
Oz: Where did your travels take you?
Lindsey: We traveled from Washington DC to Munich, Germany. While in Europe we stayed in Innsbruck, Austria; Venice, Italy; Santa Margarita, Italy and Lucerne, Switzerland. While traveling we travelled on planes, trains, private buses and boats.
Oz: Had the trip been planned prior to your daughter's arrival?
Lindsey: The trip was planned right after Sophia was born. We were supposed to go in December but she was too young so we rescheduled for March.
Oz: How old was she when you made the trip?
Lindsey: She turned 4 months old on our trip. We were there for 2 weeks.
Oz: Were you apprehensive at all about taking the trip with her?
Lindsey: I was only worried about the unknown. I am a new mother so I didn't know what to expect--if I was going to forget anything and of course I could only think of the negatives!
Oz: What special preparations did you make for your little one's first European tour?
Lindsey: There were a lot of different types of preparation. We arranged for me to be in a Bassinet seat in Business Class on the plane. That was the BEST thing ever! We also had to make sure that every hotel we were staying at had a crib available in our room. When we were in Austria we had a private driver set up to take us to a bunch of different places in Austria and Germany so we had to make sure they had car seats available for her. We also had to have her passport ready to go. Infant passports are only good for 5 years.
Oz: What was the most difficult part about traveling with her? How did you overcome the difficulty?
Lindsey: The most difficult part of travel was timing. With her being so young, we had a routine started and it got a little screwed up with the time change. While we were in Switzerland, Europe had their Daylight Savings so we lost another hour--that was the WORST day, but she slept for 14 hours that night and the next day we were back to normal. Flying over to Europe was perfect--we left at night and I just followed our normal routine so she slept for 6 hours of our 8 hour flight. However, on the way back we left at 1 p.m. in the afternoon so she only slept for 4 hours on the plane. Another difficult time was in Venice. Venice is a city of bridges and canals. So when you walk around the city pushing a stroller you are always having to pick up the stroller and carry it over the bridge (stair step bridges). So I really used my baby Bjorn a lot.
Oz: Other than the staple items (diapers, etc.) what was the one thing you packed for your daughter that you couldn't have lived without?
Lindsey: I would say that the Baby Bjorn was the one thing I am so glad I brought. I brought everything you could think of but I did not go overboard. I figured out that she uses about 10 diapers a day so I brought 140 diapers and came home with 5 diapers! I was nursing and I was using formulae for night time feeding and inconvenient times and came home with enough formula for ONE bottle! I also brought a back pack as her diaper bag. This made it VERY convenient to front carry her with my back pack on my back. Having formula with me really helped when it as not comfortable or convenient to nurse. I don't love to nurse in public. I did not bring a pump. I also brought crib sheets and blankets and this really helped, as sometimes the hotels had old sheets or no sheets on the crib. Also the other thing I am so happy I brought was her Sleep Sheep sound box. I did not take the actual sheep, I just took the noise box out of it and brought that with us. It made it easier for her to go to sleep. She stayed with us in our hotel room and at home she has her own room so we needed it to be somewhat similar to home and help drown out some of the noise in the room. It also helped me and my husband to go to sleep (very relaxing!)
Oz: What is one item that you didn't take that you wished you had?
Lindsey: I only brought one nasal ball syringe with me. I actually lost it on the plane and of course as soon as we go to Austria (our first stop) she got the worst runny nose. It was so hard to try to describe a ball syringe to a lady that only speaks German. In Europe their pharmacies are walk up counters and all the supplies and products are in the back room. She finally understood all my charades and we got the ball syringe. I also wish I would have brought different clothes for her--we thought that the weather was going to be cooler and it was actually way too warm. I used everything I brought for her but I actually had to go shopping to get her some summer clothes to wear for the super hot days. I did not do enough research on the weather and trusted other people's advice. Also, I did not bring any sunscreen and I really wish I had. Had to buy some.
Oz: Any future foreign travel plans that include your daughter?
Lindsey: As of right now she does not have any foreign travels planned but will be heading to Kansas City again and to Florida very soon. We take 2 major vacations a year so I'm sure there is foreign travel in her future!
Oz: What tips do you have for other parents hoping to travel overseas with their baby or small child?
Lindsey's own tips:
a.) Don't stress out!
b.) Take it one day at a time.
c.) Don't bring so much stuff that you can't handle all of it. Don't forget you have your suitcase and their
suitcase.
d.) Get a bassinet seat on the plane if you can--very good for small babies, not so great for bigger
babies, around 8 months.
e.) I don't believe that you need a carseat. Most places have them and you don't need them for the trains
or planes. Most rental car companies have them available too.
f.) Bring an umbrella stroller--very convenient!
g.) Just remember that they have babies in Europe too, so anything you forget you can usually get over
there--it will just be a little different than what you are used to.
h.) The NUMBER ONE TIP is that you need to nurse or bottle feed your baby as the plane is ascending
and descending. This helps their little ears pop and will prevent them from SCREAMING on the
plane. Sophia did not cry once on either flight. I actually had people walk up to me on the plane and
say that she is the best baby, and to keep up whatever I am doing! She was the only baby on the way
over and one of five babies on the way back. I was not going to be "that parent with the
uncontrollable baby"!
I want to thank Lindsey for taking the time out to answer my questions and to provide The Oz Search with so many excellent tools and tactics to keep in mind when traveling overseas with little ones! The Sodikoff family obviously knows how to travel! Thanks, Lindsey!
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