Trips with kids

Both me and my husband love to travel. But being underweight and supposedly vulnerable, our little fellows were not allowed a lot of outing in the initial months. The first outing they had was the trip from NICU to our house, through most of which they slept. After reaching home we followed doc's instructions and kept them inside till they gained some weight. Their first longest trip was at six months for their choroonu. Now ten months old, they have had a few road trips and one train journey. When three babies travel, if the journey has to be comfortable, there has to be four adults to accompany them, to take care of their needs.

Loooong journey, by our standards :)

The short road trips are okay, but for longer journeys we prepare the day before itself, packing all the necessary items like diapers, wipes, diaper disposal bags, change of clothes, towels, sheets, hand wash, toys, books etc. Morning we pack water, formula and snacks (nuts,fruits,cookies,cheddar cheese, peanut butter- preferably dry foods to keep the hands and car clean). Car seats are extremely useful for long trips. We have a hatchback now, so we bought only one car seat. Until a few weeks back, one baby used to sit on it, the other two used to sit on our laps. They prefer to sit on the baby car seat or the actual car seat itself. Mostly they do not sleep during the trips. They enjoy the trips, but once they are back home, they would be tired, and sometimes cry quite a lot. We let them sleep until they are well rested and then they wake up with bright eyes, all happy and looking forward to the next trip.

Want to know how we manage shopping with triplets? See http://tripletshouse.blogspot.in/2016/01/shopping-with-kids-in-kerala.html

Update: April 21, 2013
Today we-me and husband- took the trio to Durbar Hall Ground in Ernakulam- a public open area with a large lawn of buffalo grass. We waited this long to take all three together because we felt a bit unsafe and unsure if just the two of us can manage ourselves- we were unsure what we would do if all three started crying together, or if one of them ran towards the busy road or so. Whenever we went out for short journeys- even for routine hospital check ups and injections, we took them only one at a time, a luxury we could afford because my parents were there at home to look after the other two. 

                             

We were nervous, and excited. Before the pregnancy, both of us have always dreamed about taking our baby for outings, adventures, and showing him the exciting new world. When we knew we were to have triplets, we talked about the adventures we would have once they grow up. But once the babies came out, and we saw what it really is to be parenting triplets- well, we shelved our dreams about adventures for the time being.

Anyway, on this April evening, finally, both of us took them out to the large lawn of D.H. Ground. We thought they would be scared, they wouldn't move, they might cry. But the moment they set foot on the grass- Kutty laughed so heartily, like never before, and started running! Raman followed, and both of them were soon absorbed in their play and excitement and sheer pleasure. Balu was a little afraid at first, then he also joined them, but he was careful never to move away from us. However, they were soon joined by other children playing in the lawn and theyquite enjoyed the attention and company.

Update: 31-12-2015

Now that we have had quite a few trips, I feel equipped to give a few 

Tips to travel with twins and triplets in Kerala:

1. Make sure your babies is well slept the night before the journey.
2. No need for a head bath before the trip, unless you are visiting a temple. Even so just use a wet towel to wipe the babies' heads and then dry with another towel. Do not risk a cold after the trip.
3. Do not forget the change of cloths, diapers etc- the list I mentioned before. And the snacks and toys. A chocolate, a picture book, a surprise new toy- all these help to comfort if the babies become restless. Otherwise during a long journey, you will become exhausted when two or three energy balls move around on your laps, and arms and around you- oh yes, they do that.
4. Do not forget to find a way to block the sun as your car windows cannot have sun films. The magnetic shades are not very effective- try to use a black cloth instead.
5. Take a pillow so that one or two of the kids can take a nap comfortably in the back seat. But make sure they do not fall. If only the parents are there, better to have a car seat in front passenger seat, with one baby sitting on that, and the non-driving parent can sit at the back with the other baby/babies.

How was your first outing with your baby? What other tips can you think of?