Fourth Trimester Podcast Episode 120: Baby Travel Tips – Stay Calm And Mother Up
On this episode of the Fourth Trimester Podcast, we’re bringing you the ultimate travel guide for parents.
Baby Travel Tips
Our special guests, Kacie McDonnell Hosmer, former host of FOX Nation and Mansion Global, and Gianna DeMedio Simon, host of the podcast So Sorry for Your Loss, share their tried-and-true tips for traveling with little ones.
Between them, they’ve wrangled three children under four while navigating air and car travel, and their advice will help you make your next trip stress-free. Whether you’re planning a flight or a road trip, Kacie and Gianna will walk you through everything from packing essentials to managing those inevitable meltdowns.
Tune in for practical advice, personal stories, and the confidence to travel like a pro with your kids.
“Saying something very simple to yourself can help. For example, ‘This trip is an experience with my family’. The trip may not be the best memory that we’ve ever had together, but just to say that we got through it and everybody is okay will be a plus and a positive.”
— Gianna DeMedio Simon, Host and Producer of Mother Up
Full Show Notes
Anchoring Calm Emotion During Travel [00:00:00] – [00:02:44]
Pre & Post Kid Travel Differences [00:02:44] – [00:06:08]
Packing and Travel Logistics [00:06:08] – [00:12:16]
Managing Expectations During Travel [00:12:16] – [00:19:21]
Tips for Air Travel with Kids [00:19:21] – [00:25:10]
Handling Public Reactions (Stress Proofing!) [00:25:10] – [00:29:56]
Car Travel and Safety [00:29:56] – [00:37:00]
Travel Hacks and Rentals [00:37:00] – [00:44:44]
Emotional Insights and Fourth Trimester Reflections [00:44:44] – [00:52:21]
Selected links
Connect with Kacie McDonnell Hosmer & Gianna DeMedio Simon motheruppod.com | Instagram Kacie | Instagram Gianna
Learn more Simple Way To Adjust Baby To Time Change (Schedule Template) | Evidence Based Care for Improving Postpartum Recovery – Advice From Dr Rebecca Dekker | Preparing For Your Second Baby – The Second Child Transition
Travel Items Mentioned Recommended Travel Essentials | Mother Up Amazon Storefront
Connect with Fourth Trimester Facebook | Instagram | About & Contact
Episode Transcript
Sarah Trott: [00:00:00] Hi, this is Sarah Trott and welcome back to the Fourth Trimester Podcast. I’m here with two special guests today who I will introduce in a moment. Today we’re talking about how to travel like a pro with your baby and your family, and importantly, how to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for travel so that you’re prepared not only practically for that big car ride or that flight, but also as a centered, calm and confident person going into any travel situation. Because, as we all know, mom is often the emotional ship captain, helping set the tone for the entire family. And when we can manage a stressful situation with grace, our whole family is usually a lot happier too. Not always possible, but we’ll try to get you there and we’ll talk about it.
Sarah Trott: [00:00:45] My guests today are Kacie McDonnell Hosmer and Gianna DeMedio Simon. They are mothers, professionals, and they have plenty of experience traveling with their own babies.
Sarah Trott: [00:00:55] And a couple of quick reminders. You can find all the links, resources, and deal codes that we mention on our program on our website, which is fourthtrimesterpodcast.com. So you can please go to that website and subscribe to our newsletter to have all of that delivered directly to your inbox. Also, please hit subscribe and follow the show on Spotify or Apple or wherever you listen to your podcasts so you can be alerted every time we release a new episode. Also, please rate us on Pocket Casts. If you’re a podcast app user, there’s a link for that in the show notes. And all of this helps us support the work that we do here. So thank you very much and let’s dive in.
Sarah Trott: [00:01:36] So for those of you who don’t know my guest yet, Kacie McDonnell Hosmer is the former host of Fox Nation and Mansion Global, and she is married to a retired Major League Baseball player who played for a bunch of teams like the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs. She’s also the mother of a beautiful baby and has another on the way.
Sarah Trott: [00:01:58] And Gianna DeMedio Simon is the founder and the host of So Sorry For Your Loss. It’s a storytelling podcast about grief and loss and the ways people grow from that experience. And she is the mother of two. So between the two of them, they currently have three children, nearly four under the age of four.
Sarah Trott: [00:02:16] They have their own amazing program called Mother Up. So please look that one up and subscribe there as well. We’ll have links to that show in the show notes. And these two women have done a ton of travel over the years, both pre and post kids and as have I. And we thought it would be fun to talk about those experiences and just share all the tips and tricks that we have that will help you travel like a pro with your kiddos. So I’m so excited to have you both on the show! Welcome!
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:02:44] Thank you.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:02:45] Thank you so much for having us.
Sarah Trott: [00:02:47] Yes. Anything you’d like to add about yourselves as an introduction?
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:02:52] I miss flying solo and drinking mimosas the whole time. That was my M.O.. That’s how I got through all of my flights. I’d have mimosas or G&Ts. You can still have them. You just can’t have as many because you only have two arms. And between Gianna and I, you need more arms than that for children.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:03:11] You quickly realize that a long car ride or a long flight is not as relaxing as it once was, but I will tell you it kind of swings where like, okay, maybe it was like kind of an aggravating thing to have to do before it is super aggravating with children. But then it becomes the epitome of relaxation when you’re not with kids.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:03:33] Once you do have kids I had to take a solo trip up to Philadelphia from Florida last year and I was like, I’m sorry, three hours of no phone. And no Wi-Fi and no children. I mean, I might get to read a book. I might get to enjoy a drink like this. That actually sounds amazing. So it’s funny how it can be kind of on both ends of the spectrum.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:03:57] I guess just for me, something to add into the intro is that we moved. So that’s the thing. Kacie and I both travel. We both moved around a bunch. We moved nine times within two and a half years, and a lot of that was across the country, from Philadelphia to Florida to California. My daughter was right along with us for the ride. I think she thought it was normal that just everybody does that and everybody goes on planes quite often, but because of it, we picked up a lot of different tricks along the way. So I’m glad that you have us on today to talk about it.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:04:31] Yeah, same with us. I mean, we’ve moved so much, you know, with baseball, you just have to move from wherever you are to Arizona for spring training, which is give or take two months. So you’re uprooting your entire life, moving to spring training, going to Scottsdale, Paradise Valley. Before kids glam, baby, like dinner dates every night with your friends, shopping with the girls, going to the Phoenician. Oh, you want to get a facial today? Yeah, I can do that. Oh, you want to go to Pilates? Sure. Let’s do back to back like. No, I would never do back to back Pilates also. But it is so funny, those experiences that were really glamorous.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:05:10] And then once you have kids and diaper bags and formula and poop and all this other stuff, it is so cumbersome. It is so crazy. I even remember going to Erik’s opening day with the Cubs, and just the amount of crap that I had to bring, because in Chicago, opening day at the end of March is freezing. It was 40 degrees. I mean, I had a six month old child, like he was in a snowsuit and I had blankets and I had a change of clothes. And I’m also a first time mom. It’s all so incredible. Like I’ll be interested with the second baby, the amount of stuff I think I need, but I don’t actually need when I’m traveling because I am the kind of person like I am a Sherpa, like I am packing it on. I am a pack mule. I don’t want to be without anything, so I need every Mary Poppins bag. But it’s funny how as your kids get older, my son will be two tomorrow. You start to debride things and you’re like, ah, I don’t need that. We don’t need that. Just bring the diapers and wipes.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:06:08] It is. And I’ll tell you what I’ve started to do is I have two diaper bags anyway for my two kids. I know a ton of friends were like, you don’t need it, just stick with one. But for me, it was just to keep me sane. I need to have two. And then now what I’ve started doing is I have the like, bare bare essentials bag that’s diapers, wipes, a few snacks and hand sanitizer and that is like it is. And then I have the other one that I pack with a ton of extra stuff, or like things that change of.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:06:37] Clothes or bottles or bibs or…
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:06:40] Yeah, right. And then I’ll take the smaller one, the bare essentials one with me, like whatever we’re doing if we’re going to a restaurant that will come inside, but the other one will stay in the car. So it’s kind of like, okay, I can have everything or I can settle my mind to know that we have the things if we need it. But I don’t need to be schlepping it with me everywhere. Or also, you see, I have one of these like organizers that you put in the trunk and there’s a bunch of different slots for it.
I tried to keep diapers and wipes and some extra clothing and some extra snacks or books and games and stuff like that, so that if I am somewhere and I only grabbed the bare essentials bag, then I know I can go into the trunk of my car and that there is a thing of snacks, or there is a book or some other toy that if I need to distract my son because he’s going wild or something like that, then it’s there. But trying to not be the Sherpa and overwhelm yourself and have like everything under the sun or from the nursery at one time.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:07:36] I have an organizer in the back of my trunk, but we just have diapers in all of the mesh seat back pockets, so there’s like a wipe under the front seat, like a wipey container under the front seat that just sloshes around all the time. And then there are diapers in every door compartment. So I’m not as organized, but they’re there.
Sarah Trott: [00:07:57] One time I saw this man in a park, the dad, and he was carrying the baby in one hand, just the baby. And then in the back pocket, sticking out of his jeans. He had one dipe.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:08:06] Oh, that’s so funny. Yeah. Oh, just in case.
Sarah Trott: [00:08:09] What? No bag? Nothing.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:08:10] That’s such a man thing. That is like, such a dude thing.
Sarah Trott: [00:08:14] Like how in the world. I know.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:08:16] But it is. You start to realize, like. Oh, okay, we can kind of get away with less and less. I always liken it to, listen, freshman year of college, you go, you bought your entire room with you. Yes. You had everything you bought out bed, bath and beyond. You got everything.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:08:31] Don’t say that. You grow out of that stage because I’m still in that stage. I’m still in.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:08:34] That grew out of it.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:08:35] No, I never did.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:08:36] By senior year, I brought two duffle bags and called it a day.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:08:40] No, ma’am. I am like, literally every possession. I’m like borderline hoarder. I’m like, flirting with hoarder. Every time we would go to spring training, all the other girls would make fun of me because they would bring a suitcase or two suitcases and I would bring like 6 to 12 and they’d be like, you have a disease and you should get help immediately. And I’m like, but what if I. What if it’s chilly and I need my boots and they’re like, you’re an idiot.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:09:05] Do you feel that now with Jack when you travel all over?
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:09:07] Oh, we overpack all the time. All the time. Overpack because he has so many cute outfits. So now I just obsess over him. I mean, Sarah, you have three girls, like. Yeah you have every ruffle, every bow, every sequin, every Swarovski crystal.
Sarah Trott: [00:09:23] Yeah, yeah. And you know, if one person brings one thing, the other one needs it. yeah.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:09:29] And she’ll get beat over the head with a hairbrush until she takes it off or peels it off her body.
Sarah Trott: [00:09:35] Yeah. No, we have all the things. So if we were to say there’s a go bag, like one essential go bag for the car or for the plane? What’s in it? We’ve got the diapers and wipes.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:09:47] Oh, extra diapers. Because I have had to bum diapers off other moms on the plane. I’ve been like, I’m so sorry. There’s poop dripping down my leg because of my son.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:09:55] Jack made it his mission in life to explode his diaper on every flight. That every flight I’m on, literally every flight.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:10:04] And then he potty trained before two. He literally potty trained last week. So I think this is like God paying me back. Yeah, I think this is. I’m getting a little bit of a reprieve.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:10:17] But diapers, wipes, I think you have to have some activity, like a book, something, a toy, hand sanitizer for sure. I bring yogis everywhere because not only does my son love them, my husband loves them. So I kill two birds with one stone. Yes.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:10:34] Like the little thing. Yeah, yeah.
Sarah Trott: [00:10:35] Older kids love them too. Yes. Yeah. So you get an extra bag because the older kids will just go through the bag.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:10:40] And Yes, my husband eats them. He’s like two for daddy, one for Jack. I don’t. Other than that, I think I like muslin. Is that how you say it? Like the blankets, the light ones? Muslin? Yeah. Muslin. Blankets. Blankets. Because he’s such a sweaty hot box that, like he is naked by the time we take off. But it’s so bright. And I hate this. Goes back to Pre-children. If you were on a flight and it takes off before 9 a.m., or if it’s sunset, put your shade down. Everyone is trying to sleep. If you see a child, a mother trying to rock her child have an ounce of feel like one ounce. Have two brain cells to rub together and put your shade down. But in the event that you have just oblivious human beings.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:11:30] Don’t, they have to be open for taxi and takeoff.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:11:32] Okay, then put it down when you’re in the air. Stop looking out your window. Put it down. I’m trying to put my kid to sleep. And then the worst is when you’re up by the stewardess and you’re trying to get them to sleep, and then you have guys just slamming the bathroom door and trying to strike up a conversation. I’m like, do not talk to me. So then you just put the blanket over the baby and just look really bitter and angry, and then usually people don’t talk to you.
Sarah Trott: [00:11:58] Okay, so I have a true story, which is the first time I went on a flight with my, at the time, 13 month old, we wanted to get out of the cool weather and get somewhere warm over the holidays, so it was only a three hour flight. Like, not that long.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:12:13] That’s long with a new baby. With a baby that age?
Sarah Trott: [00:12:16] Yeah. She was. She was an early walker too. She walked at nine months, so she was wiggly and wanted to exercise and move her developing exciting body and walk constantly. But I sort of did my homework right. So I packed a surprise in the go bag so something she could unwrap that was new and really fun and intriguing. And I had books and kind of everything you mentioned. And then I kept the morning nap because she was doing the two naps. Morning afternoon. Kept the morning one to a bare minimum so she’d be tired on the flight. And I thought, okay, great, we’re gearing up for sleep. and then kind of brought her passport. All the things.
Sarah Trott: [00:12:51] By the way, you do need a passport for your little one. Also, you can register them for points. They can start earning points when you’re little. so you just call the airline usually to set that up or do it on the website, but might as well get them points. and so anyway, so what I wasn’t prepared for was just how absolutely awake. Yes. And chatty and like, movement oriented and at times very unhappy she was going to be. So she just basically did an Irish jig on my lap. We had the three seats myself, my husband and our older child, and so the baby, she was like dancing a little jig across our laps. And then it was really gross, she got on the floor and was like going under the seats and stuff. And I was like.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:13:32] That’s the other reason for the blanket. If you have one of those blankets, because it’s also gross when you change them on the changing table that is literally six inches by six inches, and they think that like half of their head fits on it. That is, I think bring the blanket for that or wee wee pads. Gianna is a big weewee pad fan.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:13:51] Oh yeah. Multi-purpose of those for like the dog pee pads you get those, which is a great idea. A lot of things. Yeah. So those I keep in the back of the car as well. And it’s like you can lay it down in the car, you could lay it down on the grass, you could lay it down wherever you could lay it on the and throw it away.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:14:06] I know that’s wasteful, but I love to throw it away, especially in the airport. Of course, of course.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:14:10] Throw it away.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:14:11] Yeah.
Sarah Trott: [00:14:12] I love that tip. I wish I’d had one of those because I didn’t. I mean, I just figured she’d sleep right.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:14:16] When did she discover the tray table? That’s the worst. Because then you feel bad for the person in front of you because they’re just yanking it out of the seat in front of you? Yeah.
Sarah Trott: [00:14:25] And at first, it’s cute to peek a boo and everyone’s charmed and everything, but after an hour, they’re like, no, we’re trying to read. We’re trying to see what’s on TV.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:14:34] So funny about the tray table. You know, I’ve never considered that because my husband is six seven and always aims to get the bulkhead.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:14:42] We always get the bulkhead. Yes, but then.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:14:45] So I don’t actually think I’ve ever had. No.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:14:47] Okay. New level of anxiety unlocked. Getting the bulkhead with your family, but having so many bags that you have to I. I’m a big I’m a big proponent of like, everyone’s going to the same place, baby. We don’t have to push each other out of the way on or off the plane. We’re all going to land at the same time. The bags are going to take a while. But when I am traveling with kids and we have the bulkhead, I am like okay, Sarah was talking about the mom being calm, cool and collected. I’m like, no, we cannot eat. We have to be the first ones in line. We have to board first. I need that overhead bin space because they all have safety stuff on one side.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:15:24] I have a trick for that. And here’s what we do. And first of all, to your point, I don’t understand why the airline industry hasn’t figured this out yet. I don’t think they do it anymore. But do you remember when southwest used to have you’d have a number? Yes, like a one.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:15:36] You’d stand at the pole? Yes.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:15:37] And you’d stand at the poles, like in a normal, organized line. This whole thing of like, oh, you’re group four. But it’s 63 people are group four that are trying to push themselves in and everyone’s just, and you’re standing around and you don’t know if that person is the group or not. I hate it so much. Anyway, what we do is one of us will take the kids, and one of us will take the bags, and the person with the bags is first in line and boards and gets the bags up, gets situated, makes sure we lock down our area and everybody knows this is for us. The other, which is normally me, will have the kids. I’m playing hide and seek with them in the terminal. I’m walking up and down. I’m waiting until the very last moment.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:16:19] So you wait to get on the plane even if you’re in the first row. Wow. Okay.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:16:24] Okay. I wait to get them on the plane because think about it, that is a torturous like almost extra 20-30 minutes sometimes it can take for them to board the plane. So why put them through that? If you’re saying, okay, you need to behave for this 30 minutes okay. And then now you really need to behave for this two hours. And they’re like, what? I just like I just spent up all my time behaving in the boarding process. So I want to be like, okay, you’ve had to be really good throughout the airport. You’ve had to listen to Mommy and Daddy, you’ve had to stay with us, hold hands and whatever. Now, 20 minute free for all. Let me run around. Let’s I don’t know, I make up all these stupid types of games, but just let play.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:17:04] Your kids are at really fun ages, though. Like, those are super fun ages. The other thing is to car seat or not to car seat on the plane. That’s a very personal thing I’m looking for. There’s a Costco car seat. If you just go on Amazon and it’s on it’s on our Amazon storefront. It’s just a Costco travel car seat. It weighs like 0 pounds. and you just run the seatbelt through it like the good old days. It has the tether, but it’s also very easy.
I also like that, like when we go to New York City and you need a car seat for the cabs and that kind of stuff when you’re unfortunately out of the Doona. But for me, travel is Doona. If they are under one or whatever whenever they grow out. Gianna and I have giant children, so Jack was like dangling out of the Doona and smacking his head. I was like, okay, I think we need to take you out of the Doona at this point. And the Nuna traveler is hands down the best travel stroller ever.
Sarah Trott: [00:18:01] Yeah, and you could just check those at the gate. So yes, that’s another thing is like you can decide to bring all your gear or you can, you know, rent some of that stuff. But often what I would do is the stroller in the airport is fantastic, especially if you have three walkers or like really little ones if they’re napping, it’s if it’s around that time that’s brilliant.
Sarah Trott: [00:18:20] And of course if your baby is under two, they can be considered a lap infant. You need to call the airport or the airline ahead of time and let them know. So they expect that. But then your baby basically flies free and free is like it means money free. Not like always stressing.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:18:35] Not like you’re getting kicked in the gut the whole time and you have black and blues on your legs. Yeah. Yeah.
Sarah Trott: [00:18:40] The other thing is there are some people like safety sometimes is a consideration. So like having the car seat, as you say, in a seat, sometimes paying for that seat is the right move. And you know, people do what’s right for them. and sometimes that’s the thing that they want to consider just for the sake of safety. If you’re like, we would all be safer in a five point harness, like in the car or, yeah, in a plane, even a. Yeah, all strapped in. Any turbulence, no one would be getting hurt. Like in the same way you do. If you’re just like getting flown around without your lap belt on. so for sure a consideration but you could just check all that gear, bring your car seat, bring your stroller, leave it at the gate. You don’t have to worry about checking it. It doesn’t count as your bags. Right.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:19:21] Which is nice. That’s true. Yeah. You don’t have to pay for it. The other thing is, I know that I was squawking about people that leave their windows open. Please bring headphones for your child. Like I am against screen time. I try to fight screen time. My son watches Blippi all the time, but bring headphones. No one wants to listen to old MacDonald 100 times. They don’t – I don’t while I’m drinking my mimosa and alone for three hours, right?
Sarah Trott: [00:19:44] No, no, I think they have rules about that for adults. You have to listen on your headphones so you don’t.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:19:49] There’s always Sarah there. There’s always that one. There’s always sure as the sun will rise.
Sarah Trott: [00:19:56] Yes. And so to flip that around then to be the mom. So like in my story, I was that mom, I was the mom with the kid who was screaming like a demented hyena at one point. And I was just like, I felt all these eyes on me. And most people who are experienced travelers, they’ve been parents themselves or they’re very gracious and kind and, we’re just talking about people with different attitudes from different parts of the world or the States. And there are different personalities out there, and I feel like 80, 85% of the people around me were just like, you know, didn’t mind or quiet or like wanted to actually help me, which was really kind, really nice. But there were a couple of people where they were like, obviously child free, and I felt the heat of their stares.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:20:42] How old were they? How old were they?
Sarah Trott: [00:20:44] I think people in their early 30s or something like that.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:20:50] So like us selfish when we were flying by ourselves and like, had no care in the world.
Sarah Trott: [00:20:55] They were like, this is my one flight with my gene. Yeah, exactly. So. And I felt that and I think the thing I want to pass along about that, and this is what I was talking about up front, is like, don’t let other people’s judgment take away from the joy of this wonderful trip you’re having with your family. You may be going through something stressful, but like, yeah, this is for you. And you know what? Take care of your kid. Take care of your partner, your kids, whoever you have with you. If you have a partner. Right. so just think about what you need and what’s best for you and your family and just, you know you can even come up with a mantra like, I can I can get through this journey and do what’s best for my family and, and really kind of shut it out because other people’s negativity doesn’t have to impede on your experience. It just doesn’t.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:21:40] You’re right.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:21:41] Such a good point. And I really wish that I would have had you in May tell me that because I went on a trip, we went to LA to visit family, and that is exactly what happened. That for some reason we were just in a grumpy plane. There wasn’t even a delay. There wasn’t anything like that.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:21:59] Was it a red eye or. It was like normal business hours?
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:22:02] No, it was normal business hours. Everybody had just decided that they’re not going to be nice to each other, you know, like it wasn’t even just us, but it was everyone. And, and and the flight attendants were also kind of making our life a little miserable. And I really let that stress sit on me like, you know how people even generally like when you’re sitting there and they’re boarding and they’re passing you and they’ll even look over and like, give you a smile or even with the kids all like, so sweet, like or whatever. Or make a little comment. Oh, my grandson’s at eight. Whatever. Yes. Nothing. Not one little comment, not one smile. I mean, and I like felt it. I felt the heaviness, like you were saying of like their gazes on us. And I took that as my own like responsibility to like, yes.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:22:50] To prove them wrong or like to shine through.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:22:52] Like not only for my own experience of like, okay, I want to have a nice experience on this flight. But now I just took on the 100 other people that are on this plane, that this is my responsibility to make sure that my kids are okay because everybody else is already pissed off, and this is just going to make it worse. And how unfair of myself to say that. And what does it even matter? I’m never going to see these people again. Like, why do I even care?
But I think you’re so right, Sarah. Like even just saying something very simple like that to yourself. Like, my responsibility is to enjoy this, and this is an experience with my family, and to make sure that my energy stays calm, the children’s energy stays calm, and that, you know, this may not be the best memory that we’ve ever had together, but just to say that we got through it and everybody is okay will be a plus and a positive.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:23:40] If and but like you said, if the kid like I want the kids energy to be calm, you can want that and will that and manifest that all you want. But like Sarah said, they could be doing the floor is lava on your kneecaps across the three seat row. But it’s like, I feel like for me, if Jack is going ballistic and I am actively trying and parenting him and like offering him things and doing things like, that’s all I can do. Like there’s nothing else I can do. If I was sitting there drinking my mimosa with my headphones in and my book and just like letting them rip in his car seat, then we have an issue.
But I do find and this is kind of interesting, when we do fly first class or when we did like when he was younger, like probably, I don’t know, I would say like six months to a, you know, 18 months when we would fly first class, we would get those looks and no one would say a thing to us until we landed. And then every single one of those people would be like, oh, my God, he was such an angel. No one gives you the dog treat until the flight lands. No one wants to give you one accolade until you land. And then they’re like, good, good girl. And I’m like, bra.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:24:50] So that’s how I felt.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:24:51] Like it’s like a report card. At the end of the year.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:24:53] I took offense to it for my children when we landed, and they were so well behaved and not one person.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:24:58] Then everyone wants to be your friend.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:25:00] I was like, is no one gonna tell this one year old how good he just was?
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:25:06] Well, no, because he looks like he’s five because he’s huge.
Sarah Trott: [00:25:13] I mean, and that’s it. If we’re trying, honest to God, to do our best and be a parent and be there for our kids. And that’s the point about the calm. If we take on everyone else’s stress, then we’re going to be more stressed. And then that amps up our kid even more. It just does. They sense it. They sense everything. And so if we can sort of brush it off, do our best, hopefully people are kind and understanding around us. And Kacie, to your point, I’m trying – I’m not ignoring them.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:25:43] Right.
Sarah Trott: [00:25:44] You know, and so that I think that’s the difference is demonstrating to your kid that they’re safe, they’re okay. And they do – it passes. It will all pass. And then you can get off that plane and.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:25:55] You’ll land and never see them again. Yeah. Bye.
Sarah Trott: [00:25:58] Yeah, yeah. And I feel like that centeredness is sort of like the mental game and like the mental. Yeah. You’re so right. As a parent.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:26:07] What about car rides? What do you guys have on car rides? Because, like.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:26:10] I have one more thing I want to add to planes, which actually can be parlayed into car rides as well. But the bag of tricks, do you guys do that?
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:26:18] Mhm.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:26:19] You just take a random plastic bag. Now I know there are people that want to do this to the extreme. And there are influencers all over the internet that tell you that you have to get all these different things and color code them and blah, blah, blah, blah and whatever, and put them in a beautiful, pretty Etsy bag and have this bag of things to keep your child occupied that are sensory and all these things. You know what also works? A plastic bag from the grocery store that you throw the pen and the hair clip, and this plastic bag, like literally things that you have sitting on your desk or like in your junk.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:26:49] Just random stuff.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:26:50] And that’s like, this will be like five full minutes of them. Just like clipping it, going, feeling it sharp, sharp, touching it, saying circle. Okay, on to the next pen. What color is this? Yes. What do you do? Like you can make the most mundane everyday objects fun, interesting. Something for you to. Yeah. Make them interesting or something for you to spend time on with the kid. And then they’re like, what else is in that thing?
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:27:16] Yeah, it’s like how they love the filthy, dirty safety insert in the back pocket seat, back pocket. Exactly that everyone sneezed on.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:27:24] Yes. So same thing. I mean, that can be done on a plane or that can be done in the car ride, too. I mean, a little bit easier if there’s somebody in the back seat with them to kind of go through the different things. car ride, I don’t know. I mean, we just had one on this past weekend. We did a like a 2.5 hour car ride. I know that people say often like, don’t plan the rides or the flights around nap time because you want to say to yourself, oh, they’re going to sleep, so why wouldn’t I book it during that time? So I want them to sleep well, what if they don’t? And then they’re miserable and then they’re miserable. So sometimes it’s better to say, I’d rather travel in the morning and then let them get there. We get settled, and then they can sleep and they can get their nap, and then the rest of the day is good. And we’re not dealing with a terrible bear because they didn’t sleep well, or they’re screaming in the car because they’re upset and they’re miserable. So I know that seems counterintuitive, but sometimes it might be what’s best for your baby.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:28:25] Yeah, I mean, I we’re just starting with car rides, so I’m still learning. I have the iPad pack on the back of the seat. I mean, I, I just bring a cooler with all the liquids, and I usually. Well, he does he’s not in diapers anymore, but I would usually put an extra pad like an overnight pad in the diaper just in case we have any. Like, this kid drinks like a fish. So just in case we have any blowouts, the other thing I’ve seen, I haven’t done this yet, but going back to the weewee pads, if you bring the portable potty you can put a diaper in the potty for them to go to the bathroom on in the trunk. Or you can put a weewee pad in there and then just fold it up and throw it away so you’re not wiping out the plastic, which is a good trick.
Sarah Trott: [00:29:11] Yeah. Yep. And some of them come with baggies too that you can use. Yeah, but that’s great because they only come with like five or something. Yes.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:29:17] At least it absorbs it. And it’s not just like jiggling around in there.
Sarah Trott: [00:29:21] Yeah. It’s nice to have, especially for little ones, even if they’re completely potty trained and everything just for super long rides if you think there’s a chance because. So first off, I plan breaks. Plan breaks in the car ride. You know you’re going to do it sometimes. My husband and I looked at the map and found playgrounds along the way.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:29:39] Oh, yeah.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:29:40] Such a smart idea.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:29:41] Well, you have a lot of. You have a lot of foresight. Sarah. Wow. Yeah, I know. Holy crap.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:29:45] We’re just flying by the seat of our pants most of the time. Yeah.
Sarah Trott: [00:29:49] Yes, we have done this. Yeah. Especially because we’re in Northern California. So driving to SoCal to visit friends or, whatever. and so that’s really helpful. But then when you’re traveling and you’re doing these stops like you’ve got the activities and whatnot, and. Yeah, I just find that to be super helpful.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:30:08] And do they zonk out after the play? The playground?
Sarah Trott: [00:30:12] sometimes. Yeah. The thing about naps, I do try to travel. Like, if I often we don’t have a choice. Like, we have a destination. We want to get there by a certain time. And you get what you get and you don’t. Yeah, but but but if we can like it is kind of nice to try to get them in the car and sleep. It doesn’t always work to Gianna’s point. so it’s kind of a crapshoot, but yeah, no, it does help to get the energy out. I feel like it does. And then they sleep better in the car.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:30:39] How long did you keep them rear facing. Did you wait to 50 pounds. Like how they are saying you’re supposed to now?
Sarah Trott: [00:30:46] Yeah. I mean, there are people out there who are certified in car seat safety. But yeah, two years is like the absolute minimum, right? They need to be two years old, backwards facing. And then weight is a consideration. you know like basically the tip is like, don’t be in a rush for any of those changes. Yeah. Whether it’s to the booster or facing the front or whatever it is make sure they’re comfortable and secure.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:31:20] I still have him rear facing and he’s 33 pounds and 37in. So he’s big. But I mean I’m trying to keep him rear facing as long as possible.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:31:32] Yeah.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:31:33] Which is tough because I think when they’re forward facing there’s way more action. I mean they can see everything and they’re a little bit more stimulated.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:31:42] Maybe that’s a little easier to hand them stuff back. Right. What they’re saying or see what they’re trying to grab or whatever it is. But yeah, it’s definitely safer to, to try to, to keep them there for as long as you can.
Sarah Trott: [00:31:56] Yeah. The tip that I would pass along just repeating what this gal said who was on the show. like the number one mistake she sees parents making with their car seat is that the harness is scooted too far down on their torso.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:32:05] Isn’t up here.
Sarah Trott: [00:32:13] Yeah. It really needs to be high up on their chest. and it shouldn’t be too loose. It shouldn’t be flippy floppy. It should be not. Not too tight, you know but, you know, be able to just be comfortably close to their body.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:32:26] It’s like the pinch test. Because if it is too low, I mean, that’s what your rib cage is for. I mean, it’s supposed to protect your organs, so you need it over their rib cage, not over all their organs to smush them. Right? I know I always get crazy about that.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:32:42] What about eating in the car? How do you feel about that? Sarah? Like there is nothing worse than having to pull a car seat apart when somebody pees in it or spills juice in it. It is the worst. It takes hours.
Sarah Trott: [00:32:56] Yep. It’s true. well, we have you know, just the cups that are sippy cups, right? So everything’s like a water bottle with a straw so that that can stay contained. There are certain kinds of snacks I’m comfortable with. Like, I think goldfish, as annoying as they are to vacuum off the bottom of the floor, they’re kind of nice and handy because they’re containable, I think yogurt is a no. Obviously things that are wet.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:33:21] Wet and perishable.
Sarah Trott: [00:33:23] And sticky and also I’m not a huge fan of sugary stuff in the car because you’re just asking for a meltdown in a place where they have no way to get rid of that energy that they’re going to immediately have when they eat something sweet. so those would be my tips for having some sanity in the car.
Sarah Trott: [00:33:43] And yeah, I think that the other thing going back to the top when we were talking about packing and packing or over packing or not like this sometimes, like if you have a very full car and you are staying somewhere for a handful of days. It might make sense not to bring your travel crib with you.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:34:02] Oh yeah.
Sarah Trott: [00:34:03] I’ve tried it once or twice. There are lots of companies out there – and I’m not endorsing any company in particular. It’s just like but you can it can be really nice to just have it, like waiting for you at your Airbnb. Like a delivery of the stuff like your highchair and your you know, travel cot and whatever else you might want.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:34:24] So that’s a tip that I wanted to share. Not only do these companies exist like that, you can, whether it’s your hotel or whatever, but like there are these third party companies that are mostly for vacation areas. I’m sure if you’re going to go visit friends and family in the middle of Idaho, that may not have this, but that you can call a local company that says hey, we have all this baby stuff on hand, what do you need? Some of them even have packages like, do you need a car seat?
You need a crib and you want a highchair. We have a place here in town that is like that. It’s called twinkle, Twinkle Little Store. Adorable. And it is a warehouse full of as many things as you could possibly think of that if you need, when you come here on vacation. Alternatively, if you do have something like that in your area, you can tap that for your own vacation. So we needed a double stroller, and the one that we had was just, I have the Uppababy and like that’s great for going places. But in terms of like when you’re local, but in terms of traveling with it and putting it into the car, it was taking up way too much space.
We weren’t even going to be able to get like two suitcases in it, let alone all the suitcases that we wanted. So I wanted a much smaller, foldable, compact travel stroller that went to that company nearby. I rented the stroller. I took that with us for our trip. It was like 100 bucks maybe. And then that was it. So you can think about it in both ways. Like you can rent it to places when you get there or rent it before for your travel if you really need it, because it was something that really helped us to have throughout the airport.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:36:06] I also just going back to airport travel, as long as you can strap them on and strap them on. I feel like limit them as much as you possibly can. but with the strollers, that’s what we run into with Jack. He’s not a stroller kid. Doesn’t want to be in the stroller. Busy body. So that’s another issue. If you don’t travel a lot and you kind of do have a free range chicken child, and then you’re like, okay, we’re going to go in the stroller now and they’re like, yeah, fat chance lady. I mean, that’s another issue. And I’m not a leash mom. Yeah.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:36:41] Well yeah. Another thing that we’ve done not necessarily for big equipment like that, but we’ve Instacart and diapers and wipes or formula or.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:36:52] Snacks.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:36:52] Or just.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:36:53] Ship it to the hotel. Just mail it to the hotel.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:36:55] Yeah, yeah. And said there’s no point in packing all of this stuff that is just going to be taking up so much space. Or we needed an entire suitcase that we know it’s going to be empty when we come home. So let’s just have it sent directly to the hotel. And that’s been.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:37:10] Formula is a big one too. Like because I was doing the ready made like the ready made whatever the liquid version of the formula with Jack. So that I mean, think about all that weight and how much space it takes up. Like we were putting it in suitcases and I was like, no, no, we’re just going to ship it right to the hotel and it’s there, ready and waiting for you. The other thing I don’t love is when they have pack and plays as opposed to cribs.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:37:31] So it’s funny that you say that because they’re like a.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:37:34] Little like dirty. Oh, I feel like there’s like germs. Oh, no.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:37:39] I want to pack and play instead of a crib. Because first of all, I feel like the pack and plays are easier to wipe down and like, probably more maintained than a crib is. And second of all, that allows us to put them wherever we want. Yeah. They’ll they’ll. We just had this just recently. They bring the crib in and it’s massive. It’s like the size of my desk. And it can go in like one of two spots in the entire hotel room.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:38:04] That’s the best one the hotel room has, like a full living room, and you’re like, can you take a chair out? Can you take the coffee table out that my kid’s gonna bust his lip on? Like the glass coffee table? Can you remove it?
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:38:16] So we say that our children have slept in the finest hotel closets and bathrooms around the world. Because that’s what we do. We. And when you do a crib you normally can’t fit but a pack and play, you can shove it right into that little closet you can make.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:39:41] The other thing that I bring though too, I always keep in my suitcase for hotels. Anywhere People can tell you it’s blackout. It’s not blackout. I bring the black garbage bags and painter’s tape. You’re not going to peel anything off the wall. Black garbage tape, black garbage bag, the window. And it’s. I mean, you look like a hillbilly, but it works.
Sarah Trott: [00:40:02] Yeah. And the pack and play. You could probably get your own sheet for it, right? Like that’s small. And you can fold it up and put it in a handbag. Yes.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:40:10] So I bring them.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:40:11] That muslin blanket is good for that.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:40:13] Yep. I also bring a continuous spray bottle of just rubbing alcohol. And I’ll do that in the tub. I’ll do that. You have to bring I mean, you always have to bring, like dish soap to do the bottles because you’re not going to use like the scented hand soap. But I’ll even do that if I don’t have dish soap. Do that to the bottles. And if you’re washing them in the sink, it’s just easy.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:40:32] By the way, really cute travel bottle washing set on Amazon. Oh, it’s like this little I can’t I mean it’s maybe like the size of two of your hands. It’s very small and it’s like it compact. It opens up like a rack. There’s a rack that stands up cute, and then you can put everything on there, and it comes with like, a little brush and a little bottle that you put the dish soap in there too. So same things I mean, yeah, with Sienna, I’m bringing an extra brush, I’m bringing the big bottles.
And by Asher I’m like, here we are. Everything compact we’re using. Yes this and Amazon’s great for that. Just like little things that you wouldn’t even have thought of. You put in travel baby. And they do have everything. We have a lot of it on our Amazon storefront Sarah. We’ll definitely have to get you the link for that. Yeah.
Sarah Trott: [00:41:18] I loved the little – it’s for a toddler age – but there’s a little hammock you can get. So there’s this golden era like of size and age of child that will fit in this. But when it works, it’s so nice. It can go around the we’re talking about the fold down table in the front of the seat and the airline. Right. So it goes one strap there and then one strap around the back of the seat. So you have to have a nice neighbor who doesn’t really mind. But I’ve never had anyone mind.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:41:42] Is there an adult version of this that sounds great.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:41:45] You’d have to buy three seats. Yeah.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:41:48] I would love that.
Sarah Trott: [00:41:49] It’s so nice.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:41:50] Have you seen the inflatable one that goes on the floor and it becomes a bed on the seat? It’s like a T shape like this. And it goes in front of the seat. Somebody bought me one, and then it goes over the like, sits on the butt part of the seat, and the baby can lay flat.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:42:08] So be careful with those because some of them have gotten banned.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:42:13] Well yeah I’m sure because people are probably, like taking up, clogging up the lane and like you’re trying to deflate it and they’re trying to deplane and you know, I’m sure it’s a mess.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:42:22] Yeah.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:42:23] But if you’re going to California.
Sarah Trott: [00:42:25] Yeah. So check, check with the safety part first.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:42:28] Yeah. If the stewardess is coming at you with a knife. Yeah. You know that it’s not allowed.
Sarah Trott: [00:42:32] You’ll find out pretty quick. Yeah, they’ll tell you to put that right away. I actually had this people working on the flight stop and say, oh, my gosh, that’s so great. Look at your daughter. How happy she is. And she’s like, just, you know of course, glued to a screen. My kids will watch commercials. If we go to a restaurant with a TV, they’ll just sit, you know, like they just want screen time. They don’t even care. Yeah, right. But they’re, you know, just sat there eating a snack, watching her screen and just happy as a clam.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:42:58] No, I think I think on flights, all bets are off with screen time and activities, I think. Oh, yeah. Give them what they need to keep them calm.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:43:07] Yes. Yeah.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:43:07] Especially when you’re driving. Because like, when you’re operating a vehicle and you have screaming kids like it’s no joke that an accident can happen in a heartbeat. It’s different on a plane. But when you’re driving, it’s definitely. Give them what they want.
Sarah Trott: [00:43:21] Yes. Yeah. If they’re the age that likes appreciates the screen that’s such a such a handy thing that like we have that our you know, I think about past generations I was like I was like looking at my, my grandma had this cute little charm bracelet where she, she collected charms from everywhere she went. And I was like, thinking about travel. And this conversation, I was just having some good vibes. And I was like, how did you know? Like, there are probably things that were a lot harder then and easier to, like getting through security. There’s probably all kinds of trade offs. But yeah.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:43:49] Oh yeah. As they were like smoking a cigarette. Right. Yeah. Like right while pregnant and yeah, while pregnant.
Sarah Trott: [00:43:56] Which we would never recommend here for obvious reasons.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:43:59] Well, that’s like you think about it and like, you joke about it, but our parents slid across the back seat of the station wagon when they went on road trips with no seatbelts.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:44:06] Right. There was like a, like a crate.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:44:09] Or and you would probably just hold the baby in the front seat.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:44:13] You did. That’s what they did. That’s how they came home from the hospital.
Sarah Trott: [00:44:16] It’s a wonder we’re all here.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:44:18] Yes, it really is.
Sarah Trott: [00:44:19] Yeah. so I always like to ask if you have any gold nuggets that you’d like to share about your fourth trimester experience, anything that you wish you knew going into it that you’d love to share with other parents?
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:44:33] Do you want to go first? Do you want me to go first?
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:44:37] I think it’s all just time. You know, like I am still going through it. My son is a year and a half old, and there are still things that I go through. And then like a week later, I’m like, that wasn’t so bad that I, you know, I wish I would have been easy on myself. I mean, a lot of it is the body image. A lot of it is just how your life has changed and your life is different. A lot of it for me is my identity. And going from a career woman or having things that were my identity to now shifting to a mom. And it’s not that I don’t like it. I love being a mom, but I’m just trying to like, rectify that change in my head.
And all of those things come back to it’s getting better with time and just being open about it. I think it can be really hard. I have been like trained from the jump to be emotional and wear my heart on my sleeve, and I think that helped me in this experience because I had to start talking and voicing what was going on with me. And that’s how Kacie and I really connected. And our podcast was born out of our fourth trimester and really needing that connection with another woman and other moms. So just having in the back of your mind to stay open, to keep talking with your husband, your, your, your, your partner, your friends, whoever that is for you, and to also just to remember, to give yourself time. Give yourself time.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:46:07] To piggyback off of that, I was a career woman and very self-sufficient and very driven and got married later in life. got married when I was, how old was I when I got married? 31. Yeah, I was 31 when I got married. so older in life in terms of, I guess, today’s societal expectations. and I was so stuck in my ways, and I was very selfish, and I did mourn the loss deeply of my independence and navigating that. Or I should just say, navigating that, finding out who you are.
And Gianna and I have talked about this a lot. Did I really know who I was before I was a mom, or did I just do what I was supposed to do and go out for drinks and hang out and post pictures on Instagram and go on dates and like, who? What? What did I like? Like, what was I into? Like, what was my higher purpose or anything like that? And I think I’m redefining that and kind of compartmentalizing now okay, this is my mom hat. This is what I need to fill my cup. And we had Kayce Smith, who’s so awesome, huge deal with Barstool on, and she said her therapist said to her because she was just like, I haven’t even gotten my nails done.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:47:21] And he’s like, when you look down at your nails postpartum and you see that you haven’t gotten them done in weeks, that is a physical reminder that you did not put yourself first and you are not taking care of yourself. And if that’s if you’re that girl that you need your nails done, that’s something that you need to carve out time for and you need to ask for help. Sarah you talked about having a plan and having the village and having the support that you need postpartum. What I ran into the biggest danger to myself postpartum was myself.
I was the biggest hurdle in my own way. Denial of postpartum depression. I can do this. I’m a mentally strong person. There’s nothing wrong. Wait, maybe there is something wrong with me. Maybe I’m the problem. Maybe I don’t love my child enough. Maybe I’m not communicating with my partner like I didn’t want to ask for help, and I didn’t even want to ask myself for help. Like, I didn’t even want to open that door, because I thought that it made me a less strong person or something that I didn’t think I was like, I’m a strong, independent woman. I got this and it’s like, nope, that just got stripped away. And you’re not as tough as you think you are, and it’s okay to ask for help.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:48:31] Another thing for me was it that in that struggle, it took me a while to bond with my son and and it wasn’t that I didn’t love him, but it was just like this imposter syndrome, which we talk about all the time. Also like I’m his mom. I grew him and I had him and, you know, we were moving. We were moving around right before I had him. I didn’t really have time to nest.
So I think it was a lot of situational things. And that’s why going into this one, I think I’m better prepared. But I’m also like, the wheels might fall off the bus again and that’s okay. And I just need to be. I owe it to myself to be honest with myself about that, because it’s more detrimental if I just push it down, push it down, push it down. So feel it to heal it. Name it. What is it? What is it? Name it to what do we say? Claim it. Whatever. Name it to claim it. Yeah just take a step back. Look in the mirror. It might not be the prettiest picture, but like, that’s where you are right now. Be grateful for that and push through it. And I think that is the biggest thing of like, meet yourself where you are.
Sarah Trott: [00:49:39] Yeah. Thank you for sharing, both of you. I love all of those gold nuggets of information. So I hope all of our listeners benefit from knowing this and feel the assurance that it’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to take time. The fourth trimester, it could be like it could feel like six weeks. To some people. It could feel like six years to others, you know, and one of my favorite sayings is there’s no going back. It’s through. You change. Like Gianna was saying, your body changes. Love this awesome body. You created life like it’s not going to be the same. It shouldn’t be. You’ve done something pretty miraculous. So I really appreciate that point.
Yeah do ask for the help. I had a postpartum doula who was regularly visiting me, helping me with practical things. She let me cry. She let me talk. She let me ask questions. Don’t feel like you have to do it all. Yeah, I love that point as well. Kacie. Thank you. Well any other final thoughts before we sign off? We’ve covered a lot.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:50:42] One thing I had in my tips to share was using Ziploc bags to pack. So baby clothes are tiny. I would, I put everything in an outfit. So it’s my son’s shirt, his shorts, his socks like a bib that was affiliated with it and any other accessory or something.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:51:01] The whole outfit.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:51:02] Put it all into one Ziploc bag and then put them all in the bag or the duffle bag or suitcase, whatever, however you’re packing. And then that whatever day it is, you just pull out the Ziploc and that’s everything you need instead of.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:51:15] I love that.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:51:15] Going through all the little crap in the bag.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:51:18] Also, bring Ziploc bags in your go bag on the plane or in the car, because when you have a stinky diaper and you’re not. Yeah. If the seatbelt sign is on. Yeah, you need to just put it in the Ziploc and not stink up the plane.
Sarah Trott: [00:51:32] So. So just like the amount of wisdom on this episode. Yeah.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:51:39] So basically, if you have any questions about how to handle diaper blowouts, please contact Kacie McDonnell Hosmer. She has the answers for you.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:51:47] And pack extra clothes for yourself.
Gianna DeMedio Simon: [00:51:51] Yes.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:51:52] Pack an extra pair of at least pants like you can buy an I love New York shirt in the airport, but like, pack an extra pair of leggings. They take up no space because you are going to get peed on or puked on or pooped on.
Sarah Trott: [00:52:05] Yep. Dark colors.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:52:06] Black. Dark colors? Yes.
Sarah Trott: [00:52:08] Very helpful. Okay.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:52:11] That’s what we leave you with. Poop. Yeah.
Sarah Trott: [00:52:13] On that note, thank you so much for listening, everybody. And we’ll see you next time. All right. Thank you so much, Gianna and Kacie. Really appreciated having you on the show.
Kacie McDonnell Hosmer: [00:52:21] Thank you so much. Thanks for having us.
The content provided in this article(s) is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or other professional advice. Neither Sarah Trott nor Fourth Trimester Media Group LLC are liable for claims arising from the use of or reliance on information contained in this article.