how to travel for the holidays with your newborn (or not)

Having a baby makes everything an adventure, and every small success a huge victory.

That said, we managed to survive our trip home to see our families for the holidays.

Here are some tips from a new pro, just in case you want to learn what not to do:

1. Stop at least two to three times to feed your baby. Since the alternative is to do it in a packed restaurant, squeeze yourself into the backseat and wrestle the baby to a semi-comfortable position. Be sure to park where lots of cars are coming and going.

2. If you can time it right, have your car get a flat the week before, so you can enjoy the journey on a tire that keeps losing air all the way home (the new tire you just ordered to replace the flat). It’ll be anyone’s guess whether you make it home!

3. Find the dirtiest place you absolutely can to stop and change your baby, and do it all while trying not to touch anything. And wash your hands vigorously anyways. (In all seriousness, if you’re passing a nice mall, swing by Nordstrom’s – they have a lovely, clean room just for nursing moms. Also, Barnes and Noble is breastfeeding friendly!)

4. Spend far too long at one rest stop, so you have only about an hour to drive before you have to stop again.

5. Leave when it’s raining and cold.

6. Manual pumping in the car is fun!

7. Have your husband drive back home to work, take gifts back, and get some sleep, then drive all the way back to pick you and little one up. No, really. That actually turned out okay.

8. Take double the time to get home than it would usually take.

So there goes my adventurous Christmas and New Year’s! We actually really enjoyed being home, and the trips weren’t so bad (except the double-the-normal-time-it-takes part).

How were your holidays?