Six week old Nathan and I just got back from our whirlwind trip to the BlogHer Business conference in New York.  The trip was last minute and every so slightly unexpected.  I decided to take the train because I knew that Nathan is not quite a fan of the car just yet and driving for hours and hours with a crying baby did not sound like fun.  These were some of the tricks we used to survive the travel with just the two of us.

• Use a baby carrier that is hands-free. Carrying a big ol' baby seat will make your arm want to fall off.  I used a sling that my friend Renee made for me based on a pattern from www.mayawrap.com.  With my hands free, I could maneuver my luggage and myself with relatively little difficulty.  It also was far more comfy for Nathan who enjoyed being curled up in the sling. 
  
• Keep it simple.  Baby clothes don't take up much room in your luggage but resist the urge to pack for 2 weeks for a weekend trip.  Make sure you have more than enough diapers if you are going someplace where it may be difficult to find them though.  It's much easier to leave your child wearing a slightly stained outfit than to keep your child in a dirty diaper. 
  
• Pick your travel time wisely.  With a newborn, you most likely will have a baby that sleeps all the time.  If that is true, you don't have to worry about travelling during naps to make travel easier.  However, travelling during rush hour will mean that there will be less room on the train and a lot more noise.  On the upside of that, you will also have plenty of offers to help get your luggage up or down from the rack above your head. 
• Don't stay away too long.  Newborns are very flexible, but they like a little routine as much as the rest of us.  Later hours and varying sleep times will eventually wear on your newborn and the crankiness may start.  Nathan did really well on our trip but he was done by the time we got on the train to come home.  He just wanted to be back at home with his dad and his brother. 
  

Just a few ideas to make your life a little easier if you have to travel with a newborn.  What things have you done to make travel with a new baby just a little bit easier?