I, along with several of my postdoc friends, spent last week in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the national AAPA and HBA conferences. As a grad student, I attended these conferences several times, a couple of times with my oldest daughter in tow. She was 6 when our department hosted the national meetings, and 12 when we went to Philadelphia. This is the first year, however, that I went to the conference with an infant. That adds a whole new level of complexity to the experience.
Greetings from Albuquerque
Now that we’re home and reasonably rested, it seems like a good time to share a few tips for having a successful conference experience with little ones along (noting that all of these depend on your personal circumstances/budget).
- For getting on and off the plane, a baby sling is wonderful. We have an Ergo, so Charlie rode strapped to my chest while boarding, disembarking, through baggage claim, and on shuttles. And I still had my hands free to carry stuff.
- If possible, have your spouse come along. Having a dedicated caregiver makes those poster sessions a little less stressful (the sling comes in handy here, too, since he could walk around with her while she napped), and made it possible for me to attend some podium sessions uninterrupted.
- Rent a car. And a car seat. Waiting for a shuttle is tedious enough without a fussy baby. And by renting the car seat you don’t have to worry about yours being damaged in transit.
- Since we’re still breastfeeding, I tried to take breaks from conference activities every 3-4 hours to feed her. The conference hotel had a nice sitting room off the ladies restroom, which was frequented by several breastfeeding moms, but many of us also breastfed during podium sessions if necessary (and if our babies we’re being disruptive). I just sat near the door in case she got cranky.
- Take naps. On most days, we’d all be strung out by around 3 pm, so we’d head back to our room and rest for a while before dinner.
- Baby proof your hotel room – unplug unnecessary items (lamps, phones, clocks) so baby can’t chew on the cords, put trashcans out of reach, close the bathroom door, block the dresser drawers with a chair or suitcase to prevent pinched fingers, and give your baby a safe place to explore while you catch up on work or have a little siesta. One thing I wish we had done, bring some outlet covers for the wall sockets.
- Get a cheap umbrella stroller – you can gate check it, and it’s lightweight and small enough to get around in restaurants or while playing tourist.
- Make friends with the other moms. We gravitate towards each other, anyway, but the conference moms know exactly the level of crazy you’re dealing with, and may have some useful strategies for handling it while still being professional.
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Image credit: K. Beaty
