Tips for Staying in a Hotel with a 3-Day Old Baby

We stayed in a hotel when my daughter was 2 weeks old. I would take a play pen w/ a bassinet, blankets, diapers, formula....etc..

Also I would bring a can of Lysol just to disinfect the room before the baby goes in there if thats a possibility, just spraying the entire room if you can then letting it "air out" before you bring your little bundle in there.

Good luck and I am sure you will do everything just fine!

Many hotels offer a crib, Or you could bring a pack and play.
Congratulations!!!
Also remember to bring towels washed in Dreft for the baby as well as baby body wash. Bring EXTRA clothes for the baby because you change their clothes a lot at first due to spit-up and diapering mishaps. For the formula, you may want to consider using the premixed kind. It's a little more expensive, and you can switch to the powdered version when you get home, It just may be easier than having to worry about what water to use etc, plus it will be less stuff you have to worry about having on hand. Enfamil Lipil has small 8 oz cans and jars in 8 packs which are typically better because you once opened you have to use it up within 24 hours as long as you keep it refridgerated. If you use the disposible liners,you can warm up the formula by sticking the prepared bottle in a glass of hot/warm water. They can't be boiled or heated in a microwave because they burst. I like them better because you don't have to worry about having as many bottles on hand and the cleanup is really easy. Also there is less to steralize.
Staying in a hotel with one that little really isn't that tough. You'll be fine, and in truth you are just going to be holding the baby the whole time so I wouldn't really worry about much. That young they really don't need much. Youre probably not misisng anything that you can't pick up while there.

The only other thing I'd suggest which is extra work is maybe bring your own sheets/blanket for the bed. It grosses me out thinking what's on there, and how infrequently the comforter gets washed. You could just make the bed yourself, and put all of their linens in a pile on the side.

someone mentioned swaddling blankets -- I have tried a few different kinds, and by far had the best luck with the Miracle Blanket.

Bring also extra clothes for yourself, as you may be surprised how much little guys spit up. Or plenty of quarters for a few loads of laundry.

Congratulations! God bless your new family!
T.

Congratulations B.! That's wonderful. You must be beyond excited! I don't think you need to do anything other then get a bassinet with clean sheets to take with you and maybe keep the baby off any furniture that's in the room. Being so little you don't want to take the chance of any germs or skin irritation from cleanig products etc. It will be fine and once you hold your new baby in your arms you won't care where your at! Good luck!

Congrats on your upcoming adoption! How exciting! The only thing I thought about when I had my son was really that he'd only been out in the world for a couple days, and that I should "cut him some slack" on the sleeping front. For me, this meant that I frequently pulled him into bed with me and/or had him actually sleeping on my chest for part of the night (because he would get fussy in the bassinet). I think new babies really find this very comforting. The kitchen should help quite a lot with formula/bottle feeding - I don't really have any experience with that but I'm sure you'll do great. Most importantly, have confidence in yourself and your ability to be a parent. You won't break the baby - I promise.

If you can get a room that has a separate bedroom (a suite) that will be great so that you and hubby can have some time where the baby's sleeping and you can be yourself and not worry about waking him - IF you can tear yourself away from staring at him in the bassinet. :)

Diapers - get some Newborn sizes but also some size 1's. Both of my boys were too big to fit in the Newborn Size.

I agree on the nursery water. And if the hotel has a microwave, bring a steamer/sterilizer to sterilize the bottles and pacifier (if you use one). Avent makes one that we used when we lived in a house with well water.

Bring your own bassinet as I wouldn't want a newborn on anything from the hotel. That being said, bring a lot of blankets to put over the comforter/bed spreads on the hotel beds.

I can't think of much else as this point. But, most importantly - congratulations.

Congratulations B.!
That's so exciting.I can't imagine how happy you must be(because I have my new baby boy too). Iam very happy about your new baby. You don't have to worry for anything,I know you are very good mother,and I am sure you will do everything just fine.
Good luck!

Ira.

That's so exciting. I can't imagine how happy you must be. I wouldn't worry too much about the room. You'll need a microwave or stove to heat bottles and sterilizer bags (ingenious product) or a pot to sterilize the bottles and a place for the baby to sleep. Swaddling blankets for my babies were a must. Kiddopotamus makes one that's great. Babies are born in hospitals, the germiest place on earth, so I'm thinking that they are already exposed to so many germs from the start that even a hotel room can't be that bad. Not that I would lay him on a carpet in a hotel room at any age......I'm sure that you already have a carseat for him too but you'll need that to leave the hospital. Maybe a pacifier if you choose to use them. Just give him tons of hugs and kisses and you'll do great. Congratulations!!!

I found my babies were at their 'best' for the few days after birth... maybe this is natures way of giving mom a little time to heal and recover. My last baby I would have to wake up to eat because she was sleeping 6 hour stretches. She was a month early and weight loss was an issue (though not any more).

So my advice would be, bring nursery water - a couple gallons just to be safe, to ensure water is good quality.

Bring some household cleaners to make sure your space is 'up to par' in the cleanliness department. (dish soap, lysol, an antibacterial kitchen cleaner, scrubbing bubbles for the bathroom, toilet bowl cleaner)

bring lots of diapers and wipes, lots of blankets (to keep from having to lay baby on any surface without a 'barrier'), lots of patience and all the love i'm sure you already have for your new baby boy. Congratulations on your adoption! How wonderful you'll be able to bring your baby home so young.

And one last thing... relax... whatever you forget, you can run out and get. whenever I am packing for a trip I always have to remind myself that they have stores where I'm going :)

Congratulations B., that's really wonderful and I'm so happy for you. I think the advice you've gotten is great so far and I agree with most everything. Especially bringing the premixed formula and a can of Lysol. But because sleeping is such a big part of their rutiene I would definitely bring your own sheets and blankets. That was a very good suggestion.

And of course the diapers, outfits like the sleeping gowns are great at that point, a pacifier will be a must and everything you will need to feed the baby. Also, I would think you probably won't want the baby out of your sight like any new mother so I would suggest a co-sleeper. It's a little bed that goes between the 2 of so he can be in bed with you but securely. I loved ours. And if you read through the areas about sleep on this site you'll see that many mothers talk about how their child wouldn't sleep in anything but the car seat or bouncy seat for the first few months. So if you don't bring a car seat, have something with you like that. Newborns are most comfortable sleeping and spending their days in cozy places and not in the open. Also for this reason, bring a baby sling or body carrier so he can be on/with you all other times. This is very good for bonding too. You can walk around and get things done but he's with you and they actually sleep great in those things.

Most importantly, don't drive yourself crazy trying to think of everything. It's impossible to get everything perfect. And whatever you didn't think of, I'm sure there will be a Target or WalMart close to you so you can get what you need. I thought I was totally prepared until he was born and they told me I couldn't use babywipes on him until he was a month old, not even the hypoallergenic type. Instead I was supposed to use paper towels or wash cloths with warm water. That threw me for a loop. I was released from the hospital and there I was in the grocery store buying more supplies. It happens.

But best of luck with that new baby. You will enjoy motherhood so much. Just take it one day at a time. There's really no right or wrong. And a newborn is very forgiving and nonjudgemental. All they really want is your love anyway. I wish your new family many blessings.

B.,
Congrats! I was adopted and brought home at 3 days old! My parents went overboard and had EVERYTHING there for me! It is comical to look back on now!
I think you will do fine! You have had time to prepare...so now you are probably just second guessing yourself! Just remember it is always better to over pack then under pack!
May God bless you and your family!

As you may not want to use the tap water to make formula I'd bring a couple of gallons of spring water....I used our tap water at home but in a hotel, especially with a newborn I'd use bottled water. You may also want to bring a drying rack that is designed to hold bottles and bottle brush if you haven't already bought these...I always brought my drying rack wherever I went, it folded up. Start saving up those plastic grocery sacks or bring a roll of small trash bags for diapers...I found those helpful on trips. I wouldn't worry too much about a baby bath...if you have one and have room I'd bring it....if not you can make do/they don't get that dirty and sponge baths/quick rinses are really all they need at first.

Also, if this is your first child, I'd have your carseat installed and practice doing the straps up with a teddy bear or doll.

Congratulations! A friend of mine went through the same thing...she did say the did get a lot of funny looks on the trip to meet baby...they brought the infant seat with them but no baby in it...and on the trip home she said people remarked how wonderful she looked for having a newborn to which she simply replied "thank you" not wanting to get into a full story...she said meeting their son was was the most wonderful experience but the stress that went along with the first week was almost unbearable. Also I'd have the pediatrician's phone number at home handy and make sure you have the number of a local ped just in case you have any questions.

B.

All I can add to the mix is -- bring some Desitin and a pediatrician's phone number just in case you have questions once he's in your arms. We adopted our second child and got her when she was 3 days old as well. One the most exciting days of our lives! (My older daughter was 10 at the time -- it was quite a memorable event). Being in the hospital for 3 days, my daughter didn't get the one-on-one attention she would have gotten at home, and she already had a pretty bad little diaper rash going. We really needed the Desitin. My older daughter is my bio-child and my younger is adopted, and when they put my younger one in my arms the first time, it was no different than when I gave birth the first time. Overwhelming! Sometimes I forget which one was adopted! Enjoy your new baby. I'm excited for you!