We had a great weekend surprising friends, visiting family, and taking Brax to the Texas State Fair for the first time!
It went amazing well! Even with little to no naps, we had no meltdowns and he STILL slept through the night both nights!
Big thanks to our amazing hosts, Uncle Randy and Aunt Jackie, for letting us at their place. Their house was one of the nicest houses I’ve ever seen, and their kids were the sweetest little babysitters for watching our little man while we would get ready. They made sure that even with stairs, he was always completely safe. We were able to see family, stay close to friends, and have an easy drive to the fair. It was perfect!
We surprised my best friend Ashlyn for her 30th birthday. It’s crazy to me to think that we met when we were only 18 years old. It’s been over 10 years, and our group of 4 is still as close as ever. It was a very special day for us to get to all spend together. Brax was so good all day at the fair. It was also a great test run for us to see how he’d do spending all day out somewhere, and for us to see what we would need to take to Disney. Although he didn’t nap in the stroller, he did very well on the “leash”, and didn’t cry or get upset all day! We even got to go to dinner afterwards and watch the Aggie game.
(Sadly it’s rare now that all 4 of us get to be in the same place at the same time. But when it does happen, it’s like no time has passed at all.)
So here’s what I learned from taking him to the fair:
- Taking the Bob Stroller over a more compact stroller is worth it! It’s much more comfortable for him, has lots of storage space underneath, and has the options of more attachments then an umbrella stroller.
- Take extra batteries! We had a small fan for him, and it was a lifesaver since it was so hot. But it ran out of batteries before we left the fair.
- The leash backpack is worth the embarrassment. Parks and Fairs are so crowded. A “leash” might seem like you are treating your kid like a dog, but I’d rather be embarrassed then lose my child in a crowd. It only takes a second for them to get away or be taken.
- Take everything you need with you for an all day travel, but don’t overpack. You will need the storage room for things you pick up along the way. It’s a delicate balance, haha.
- In my Diaper Bag:
- Extra clothes. (An outfit for cold weather, and an outfit for hot weather.)
- Diapers. I brought along 5 diapers since we usually change him every 2-3 hours and when needed for poop. We were gone for 10 hours so I just calculated out how many we might need.
- Wipes.
- Sippy Cup.
- Changing Pad. I don’t trust the that bathrooms clean the changing area. So we bring our own pad. I also have disposable pads I might bring with us next time. We just changed him wherever was convenient. A grassy area, a picnic table… almost never in an actual bathroom.
- Table Topper. To use when eating at a restaurant.
- Snacks
- Sunscreen
- Purell Wipes
What I brought that I didn’t use:
- Noise Cancelling Headphones: We didn’t use them but we probably should have. A marching band randomly passed by us and Braxton got really scared. He was holding his ears afterwards. So I probably will still bring them with us next time.
- Toys. There’s so much to see, he didn’t need toys to distract him. Plus you usually want to win or buy toys for them at a fair or park anyways. The ones I brought just ended up taking up space.
Must haves that made the car ride and sleeping in a new place easy:
- Tablet Holder & IPad: It was about a 5 hour drive, and he only slept for about an hour of it. Watching movies made for a quiet car ride with no crying!
- Noggle: Since he is still backwards facing in his carseat, he gets no air conditioning. In Texas, this means he’s sweating and miserable. The noggle gets air directly on him and keeps him happy!
- Pack’n’Play & Dockatot: The dockatot fits perfectly inside the pack’n’play, and it made for a familiar sleeping situation since he sleeps in his dockatot every night.
- Dohm Sound Machine: He sleeps with this every night. It drowns out all other noise in the room so he can sleep even if we are watching a movie in the next room.
We had a wonderful time. I can’t imagine a better outcome for the weekend. I only wish we could have stayed longer, spent more time with my friends, and seen more of our family. There were so many cousins, aunts & uncles that we didn’t get a chance to even see because we were so jam packed with activities. I guess that just means we have to go visit again soon! I can’t wait. And it made us feel that much more comfortable for our next vacation!
*67 Days Til Disney!
**Stay tuned! Next post will include all things Fall, Pumpkin, and Halloween related!!
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