newborn photography Kansas City | Meredith Maag Photography

AHHH-- TRAVELING!

How we've missed you! We had big plans to travel with Hattie then, ya know, Covid. So, we finally took our first trip to see family in Ohio and Indiana over Memorial Day weekend.


Since we had so many stops to make, we opted to drive. Hattie has never been a huge fan of being stuck in her car seat, so we decided to drive through the night so she could sleep. To each their own, but this works great for us!


Hattie turned 20 months old while we were home, and she's always had an extremely solid and flexible routine, and, for the most part, we were able to stick to it while we were home. The best piece of advice I received when I was pregnant was: FLEXIBLE ROUTINE NOT A RIGID SCHEDULE. There were at least 5 people that relayed this to me, so I figured it probably held some weight! I found this was TCB's motto, too, and it certainly works for us!


Per my time as a nanny, I think a lot of kids get all out of sorts when they travel because their little worlds get completely turned upside down, so it was important to me to try and create some normalcy for Hattie while we were on the road. Our trip certainly wasn't perfect, but for the most part, Hattie was our sweet, happy girl!


FULL DISCLAIMER: Hattie is a Taking Cara Babies baby. We started implementing Cara's strategies on the day Hattie was born (for real), and while some thought I was a little cray-cray, everyone now comments on how great of a sleeper Hattie is. I can promise you, while, yes, I do think some kids just sleep better than others, for us, Hattie's routine also came with a lot of hard work and consistency on our end. You can read my full blog post about TCB here!


Because we had always planned to travel with Hattie, we created her nap and nightly routine with that in mind: dark room, diaper, jammies, sleep sack, 3 books, sound machine, snuggles & prayer, bed. EZPZ. Every. Single. Time. We started this routine when she was ~5 months old, so she knows what to expect and it cues her brain that it is time to sleep no matter where we are or what time zone we are in.


Here's Hattie's typical day at home:

  • Wake ~7a
  • Breakfast
  • Snack ~10a
  • Lunch ~11a
  • Nap ~12-3p
  • Snack
  • Dinner ~5:30p (early birds! haha)
  • Bed ~7p

When she isn't sleeping or eating she's running around and playing as crazy toddlers do!


Here's what we brought to recreate Hattie's routine while on the road:


This folds into a backpack and is great for travel! We love it, and Hattie sleeps so well in it.


We use the Hushh in the car and our Hatch once we get to our destination.

*Side note- we travel with few things in the actual car with us; the majority of our stuff is in the trunk. Safe in the Seat is a phenomenal resource for car and car seat safety! Her content brought a lot of stuff to my attention that I otherwise wouldn't have thought of!


Sounds crazy, but I'm telling you this suction cup curtain is a game-changer. If your destination has a completely dark room like an interior bathroom or closet, you can use those spaces, too. Everyone will think you're off your rocker until your kid naps for 3 or 4 hours! ;)


Cheap and worked like a charm. You can pick one up at Target, too.


This is the one we are currently using


  • Books

Hattie loves to read. It is a big part of her day. So, we let her pick 6 books to take with us so she could choose the 3 she wanted each night.


Yes, seriously. That's it. Pre-Hattie I was a chronic over-packer, and I've really scaled back. I had all of this stuff along with her clothes for the week packed in her little Matilda Jane suitcase. I had enough diapers and wipes for the week in her diaper bag. We also always keep the following in her diaper bag: travel plate, utensils, bib, water bottle, sunscreen, and bandaids.

*Side note- her suitcase is seriously thee cutest and so well made! Hattie's was a gift, but you can find them second-hand on Poshmark.

Meredith Maag Photography is a Kansas City newborn photographer who specializes in luxury maternity, newborn, baby, motherhood, and family sessions in the Kansas City area, including Mission, Westwood, Brookside, Waldo, Country Club Plaza, Crossroads, Westport, Overland Park, Lee’s Summit, Prairie Village, Leawood, Independence, Lenexa, Olathe, and The Northland.

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I am so happy you are here and would love to tell you more about a newborn or family photography session. My full-service photography studio is located in Brookside which sits just 5 miles south of downtown Kansas City and includes a full studio wardrobe for moms, babies, and children. From wardrobe to delivery and installation of your fine art products, I’ve thought through every detail making the entire experience enjoyable so you don’t have to worry about a thing. If you would like more information, please click here to see the experience.


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