Moving Across the US With A Baby: Why, What, How
Hey friends!
I can’t believe it’s been a month since we made our cross country move from California to Tennessee. In just a few weeks time, we sold and bought a house, said goodbye to our friends, and moved crosscountry with our newborn baby ALL in the middle of a global pandemic. It’s been a whirlwind to say the least! Now that all of our boxes are unpacked and we’re mostly settled in, I wanted to share about my experience while it’s fresh in my mind. I’ve shared bits and pieces on my instagram, but I wanted to deep dive a bit more and share why we decided to move, what it’s been like so far, and how we flew with a baby during a pandemic.
WHY we decided to move out of California
So let’s take it back to January 2020. I was in my third trimester of pregnancy and was in full on nesting mode. We were renovating, cleaning, and getting the house ready for the baby to arrive. Then COVID happened late February and by mid March, most of the world was on lockdown. It was awful in so many ways, but it did allow us to hit pause in our lives and really examine it with a new set of eyes. We started to ask ourselves, what would we want our lives to look like if we had a blank slate? Since the beginning of our relationship, Patrick and I had always talked about living somewhere new just for the fun of it. We didn’t have any timeline in mind, but during the lockdown, we thought, why not now? Both of our businesses had gone remote by that point and we were essentially set up to work from anywhere. We had also recently paid our taxes and were blown away by how much the California state income tax came out to be. FYI: California is NOT a friendly state for business owners and the cost of living is very high in general. We started to look into housing markets out of state and were shocked at how much more land you can get. We were also excited by the idea of living a slightly slower pace of life, especially with a new baby along the way.
WHY we chose Nashville
Patrick and I initially started to look into Nashville because we have family members living in the area. We loved the idea of being close to family and having our baby grow up with cousins! We started to do some research online and talked to friends who lived in that area. We were hoping to hear both the pros and cons, but to our surprise, we heard nothing but good things. Nashville seemed to line up with a lot of the things that we were looking for in terms of pace of living, family life, food/culture, etc. The lack of state income tax was a big plus and it seemed to be more friendly for business owners from what we could gather. Our biggest concern was the weather, so we decided to visit during one of their worst months. It is definitely hot and humid during the summer, but the rest of the year seems to be pretty neutral. Coming from California, I loved that Tennessee has all four seasons! It also has a pretty mild winter, which is great since I’m a total wimp when it comes to colder months (lol!)
WHAT it’s been like so far
So that brings us to the present and we have been living here for almost a month! Our new neighborhood is a lot more rural than our old neighborhood in CA and to my surprise, I’ve been loving it! In all honesty, we moved for the long term benefits of being closer to family & financial/business reasons but I didn’t realize how much I’d enjoy the everyday details of living in Tennessee! First of all, it’s really green and scenic here. Driving through the neighborhoods almost reminds me of Hawaii (minus the beach) because of how green everything is! I remember the first time I drove to Target, I saw horses and cows in the fields and it made me so happy. Shops are a bit further away in our new neighborhood (15 mins instead of 5 mins), but it hasn’t bothered me at all! I was also pleasantly surprised at how good the food is. Coming from Los Angeles, we have pretty high standards when it comes to cuisine and so far, most of the restaurants we tried have been delicious! We’re super excited to try out more restaurants in the Nashville and Franklin area and check out live music venues once they open up. Similar to Los Angeles, Nashville definitely has a fun and unique culture of their own that I can’t wait to explore!
HOW to travel with a baby (Tips & Tricks)
By the time Everett was three months old, he already had three flights under his belt. I flew with him by myself on two of those trips and the other one was with my husband. Having an extra pair of hands definitely makes traveling with a baby easier, but it’s also doable to fly solo! Here are some tips that I learned from those trips and I hope it’s helpful to any mamas hoping to fly with their little ones:
COVID: Procedures are ever changing, but when we flew in June 2020, Southwest was only accepting limited seating per plane. They were only offering window and aisle seats and no one was allowed to sit in the middle unless they were traveling with a group. Outside of eating/drinking, everyone had to wear a mask at all times and they had a thorough cleaning procedure in between flights. All of this made me feel safe and it was honestly the ideal situation for traveling with a baby!
Flight time: We do a sleep training method called Babywise, so I tried to pick a flight that would line up best with Everett’s schedule. Everett sleeps from 8pm so I wanted to make sure the flight did not interfere with his bedtime. I also tried to pick a flight that matched with one of the feedings since it’s recommended you feed the baby during take off (& landing.) You’ll have to be flexible of course, but it did help to plan things out in advance!
Take off & Landing: They say you should feed the baby during take off and landing to help their ears pop. With this in mind, I made sure to wear a nursing bra and a top that I can easily feed him in. The nursing tank from Kindred Bravely was perfect because it was hassle free, kept me from being exposed and easily worn under a shirt. I also had a bottle and pacifier handy in case he didn’t take the boob as well.
Bottle feeding: Sometimes it’s easier to bottle feed a cranky baby than try to breastfeed in a public setting, but how do you keep the milk fresh? For me, I thawed a bag of frozen breastmilk in the refrigerator the night before my fight. Then the next day, I put the enclosed milk bag in a hydroflask, which kept the milk cool until I needed it. When I got on the plane, I poured the milk bag into a bottle an hour or so before feed time.
Must have travel gear: Here’s a list of items that made traveling with a baby so much smoother (or check out my Amazon page for linked items.) Truly, I don’t think I could’ve gone without them!
Ergobaby carrier: for keeping your hands free before and after flights!
Baby blanket: to keep baby warm and snuggly and to use as a cover while BF
Nursing top: or a nursing bra under a loose top if you’re BF
Pacifier: I’d recommend getting one with a clip so it doesn’t fall off!
Changing items: diapers, wipes, changing pad, and wet bag for dirty diapers. I’m a huge fan of Esembly cloth diapers to prevent blowouts while on the go! Use my code ChasingLinen10*20 for 10% off.
Snacks: easy to eat snacks for mama because BF makes you hungry!
Small toys: Anything to keep baby distracted! Ev loved the high contrast book that crinkles and a colorful teething toy.
Burp rag: I’d pack a few of these and maybe a cloth bib for drooly babies!
I’m not going to lie, moving across the states with a baby was challenging and the whole experience was a blur! Even still, I feel so at peace here in our new home and I’m so glad that we decided to make the move. I’m excited to get settled in, decorate our new home and to explore more of Nashville. California will always have a place in our hearts, but I’m stoked to make new memories here in Tennessee!
