We recently returned from Chicago, which was our first trip with Lily (who is now just over four months old). Honestly, as we arrived at the airport with our seven – seriously, SEVEN – bags, I was convinced that we had over-thought our preparations for the trip. Ten minutes in to the trip, I knew that this would be a blog post, and we knew what the big takeaway should be.

You cannot overprepare for your first trip with an infant.

We had read blog posts, visited official websites, called the airline/hotel/tourist attractions we were visiting, and we were still caught off guard only five minutes in.

Now, we’ve only taken one trip with Lily, so by no means is this an exhaustive list. We also plan on adding to it as we find out additional tips and tricks of the trade, too. Some of these are broader suggestions and others are super-specific, but here are some of the tips we found most useful.

1. Have a planned packing list.

This may seem like a given, but you’d be surprised how many people we’ve spoken to who just “wing it,” only to find that their days of backpacking no longer cut it with a baby.

That’s not to say it can’t be done, but having a plan in place made us feel significantly more comfortable with our first trip. Sure, we happymay have packed a few too many toys and , but more often than not, we were that we have Exhibit A: The portable fan shown above, which we couldn’t have lived without, seemed like a complete over-pack item. However, when faced with the walking we did in Chicago, we couldn’t have been more thankful that we erred on the side of “too much” instead of “not enough.”

2. Don’t take shortcuts when it comes to details.

This tip comes from getting caught off guard in the first few minutes. We had researched beforehand to see if infants need any sort of special identification to get on the plane, and most websites said no. We found a couple of sites that noted Southwest Airlines as a possible exception, but they stated that even then, a need for isn’t always required. Of course, we were flying Southwest. Of course, we decided to chance it (because almost all of the sites said you didn’t need ID, right?) And of course, the desk agent at check-in looked at us like we were crazy when we didn’t have anything to present. She let us go this once, but warned that the agents in Chicago’s destination wouldn’t be so kind.

Fortunately, we had a couple of electronic copies of Lily’s medical records, and those worked for us later in a tight spot, but being caught in a panic that your baby can’t join you on the trip isn’t exactly the way you want to start that trip!

All of this is to say: assume that you’ll need that ID, or that thing you think you can do without. Go ahead and call ahead to make sure you know the procedures for infants and for strollers at the venue. You may not need them, or find out anything you didn’t already know, but these first few trips with an infant are anxiety-inducing. Why not do everything you can to reduce that anxiety?

3. Don’t be afraid to let plans go.

This was something that never crossed my mind before our trip, but adopting a more relaxed mindset about our plans made the trip so much more enjoyable. As you can imagine, we had a pretty strict itinerary to follow for the trip – we are working on a travel blog, after all! One thing we didn’t consider in advance, though: naps. Infants take a ton of naps, and they happen throughout the day. Lily can sleep pretty well in a car seat, but that’s only comfortable for short stretches – she still needed a proper laying-down-flat nap to get legitimate rest. These typically happened every afternoon – right when I thought we’d be visiting a museum or sightseeing.

However, what we did instead proved to be much better: we rested, and as a result, Lily seemed to be in a much better mood throughout the rest of the trip. Taking the afternoon to recuperate did wonders for her mood in the evening (which was when we got to spend time together as a family), but it took a change in mindset – maybe it’s worth it to skip a quick tourist attraction or photo op (that ultimately she won’t remember) if it pays off in the larger scheme of the trip.

Plus, we took some pretty great selfies just hanging out in the hotel room!

4. Don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake!

On literally the first night of the trip, we accidentally left Lily’s medicine on the In-Room Dining tray, only for it to never be seen again. We thought we’d be fine, but after two meals seemed to sit uneasily with her, it was clear that we couldn’t go without it. But did we panic? Well, kind of (although you may have expected me to say ‘no’ there!) What we found was that with a simple call, we got a refill prescription at a pharmacy that was only two blocks away.

Now, admittedly, not every solution will be that easy, but you get the overall gist: more often than not, there are quick and easy solutions to whatever issues may arise. All it takes to find a solution is staying calm, some out-of-the-box thinking, and some flexibility in planning.