Overseas travel involves keeping track of a lot of things: passports and visas, credit cards and checks, luggage and cameras.
On a recent trip to Switzerland, Salt Lakers Anne and Peter Peterson added diapers, formula, a baby backpack, baby bottles, pj's and toys to the list.
Taking a 9-month-old to Europe is an undertaking most people wouldn't try. But the Petersons aren't most people. Anne was in charge of a group of 15 travelers, in addition to baby Ella, who flew to Basel, Switzerland, on Halloween for a week of taking in the area's art, design and architecture through a University of Utah program called Educational Outreach.
It wasn't the first time the Petersons had traveled with Ella. She has flown to San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the family drove to Los Angeles when she was only months old. The tiny traveler adapts well to changes in her surroundings and schedules.
Her sunny disposition accounts for some of the ease, but her parents' preparation and their adventurous attitude have a lot to do with the success of the trips.
Even eight-hour flights with an infant can be managed with the right equipment and a team effort. In fact, Anne Peterson feels a younger child probably is a better traveler than an older one.
"I think the turning point will be when she wants to get out of her seat and run around," she said.
The key, say the Petersons, is to be "as minimalist as possible." When Peter travels by himself, he takes only what will fit into a small backpack, and the "less is more" attitude carries over into packing for Ella. For this weeklong trip, her luggage included bottles and pacifiers, two small blankets, comfortable clothing (mostly sleepwear with feet), hats and gloves (enough to plan on losing a couple), disposable diapers and several soft toys.
Anne and Peter did research — both online and by word-of-mouth — to find the most versatile and efficient clothing and equipment. A "pacifier tether" attached this necessary and easily misplaced accessory to her clothing so it wouldn't be lost. Ella's mom found a couple of handy clothing items online, including mittens with a string to attach them to her coat and a one-piece breathable nylon rain suit with a hood and covering for hands and feet.
Food for the initial part of the trip consisted of eight pre-measured amounts of powered formula in Ziploc bags, Cheerios in bags, two jars of baby food, a small plastic bowl and small containers of travel wipes. Since Swiss stores carry everything Ella would need after their arrival, there was no need for more. As it turned out, the differences in European baby food were positive — larger containers of baby food, powdered formula in smaller foil pouches instead of large cans.
On shorter trips, the Petersons take an umbrella stroller to transport Ella around town. But for Europe they opted for a backpack carrier that was usually hoisted by Peter, who also handled most child-care duties during the day, leaving Anne free to oversee museum excursions and other activities for the trip participants.
The backpack carrier allowed Ella to see her dad and also to look at what was going on all around her. The collapsible model folded down to laptop size so it was easy to carry on the plane or check as luggage. Before taking it to Europe, the family used it to carry Ella on a couple of much shorter jaunts.
Keeping Ella healthy was a priority. Small plastic bottles of Purel hand sanitizer (bubble-gum scented so kids will use it) helped reduce the spread of germs from changing diapers en route. The Petersons took locking plastic bags for holding and disposing of used diapers. Anne consulted the family pediatrician and got a "just in case" prescription for antibiotics.
Ella impressed her co-travelers with her nearly constant smile and lack of complaint, regardless of weather, crowds, late nights or early mornings. Having the things she needed so she didn't have to wait to be fed or changed and being well-dressed and prepared for the unexpected all contributed to her contented attitude. She adjusted to the time change more quickly than the adults on the trip and slept well in a hotel-provided crib at night.
On the plane, the Petersons reserved a seat for Ella, but it turned out the plane was only partially full and she was able to take three seats together to stretch out for sleeping. Boosted on pillows, she could play at the tray table and make the airline headphones and telephone her personal playthings.
Ella's parents consider baby care while traveling — and at home — a team effort. Peter usually carries Ella in her backpack carrier because he has "a better back." He always has been an involved father and shares responsibility for raising Ella along with his career as a molecular biologist doing microarray research at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
He says his fellow dads talk a lot about their experiences as fathers and share suggestions. Though Ella was breast-fed as a newborn, her dad started giving her a supplementary bottle at birth so he could be a partner in all phases of her care.
Anne is academic program manager for Academic Outreach and Continuing Education at the U., a job that gives her some flexibility to be at home when Peter is not. Joe Donohoe, Anne's son and Peter's stepson, who is 8, helps feed his sister and entertains Ella, which he says isn't difficult. "All I do is smile and she laughs," he said.
Joe also has some advice for parents of older children:
Let them play a Game Boy on vacation, but not at home.
E-MAIL: karras@desnews.com