andie, mike and andy relaxing in the garden

How We Chose Mike’s Stroller Thinking We’d Travel by Plane (Spoiler: We Didn’t)

ByAndy P

There’s a moment in every soon-to-be parent’s life when you honestly believe that having a baby won’t change your life that much.

We were right there.

Andie was pregnant, close to the end, and we were confident. Calm. Prepared.
We told ourselves:

👉 “Sure, we’ll have a child. But life won’t stop.”

And technically… we were right.
Life doesn’t stop.

It just completely changes shape, speed, priorities – and expectations. 😄

Choosing a stroller before you actually know what life with a baby looks like

When we chose Mike’s stroller, we didn’t really know what life with a baby would feel like.
We only knew what we imagined it would be like.

So our checklist looked very logical, very adult, very optimistic:

  • ✅ lightweight stroller, easy to carry,
  • ✅ compact, not taking over the entire sidewalk,
  • ✅ easy to fold and unfold, ideally with one hand,
  • ✅ airplane-friendly stroller, perfect for travel,
  • ✅ great for city breaks and airports.

Basically, we were shopping for a stroller that fit a lifestyle we thought we were about to keep.

The dream: traveling with a baby, airports, new cities

In our heads, it was all very clear.

We’d travel often.
We’d fly ✈️
We’d walk through unknown cities, push the stroller through crowded streets, stop for coffee, explore, live.

A baby wouldn’t stop us – he’d just join us.

Reality check?
Not immediately.

Life with a newborn: same life, totally different rules

Yes, life continues when you have a baby.
But not in the way you imagine before actually living it.

Everything changes:

  • your rhythm,
  • your energy,
  • your tolerance for stress,
  • your logistics.

And when you add:

  • a newborn,
  • multiple daily naps,
  • feeding schedules,
  • pumping (Andie was pumping constantly),
  • diapers, bottles, clothes, extras for every possible scenario

…you start realizing that airports and airplanes suddenly feel a lot less appealing.

Why we didn’t fly (even though we planned to)

At first, we avoided flying because we wanted to protect Mike:

  • from stress,
  • from too many stimuli,
  • from long, exhausting transitions.

Then:

  • he started using the potty,
  • his sleep schedule became important,
  • Andie was still pumping regularly.

Getting to the airport 2 hours early, flying, then traveling again to accommodation felt… overwhelming.

So we chose the car.

And honestly? It worked perfectly for us.

Mike likes car rides.
We have space for everything.
We can stop when needed.
No pressure. No rushing.

The stroller that became… just a small stroller

So that ultra-compact, airplane-ready stroller we carefully chose?

It turned out to be:

  • very useful,
  • very easy to maneuver,
  • perfect for daily walks.

But not the travel-by-plane hero we imagined.

And that’s okay.

Because plans made before a baby are just plans.
Life with a baby rewrites them – gently or brutally – depending on the day.

No regrets. Not even a little.

The funny part?

Now, when I write this, it feels like it happened in another life.

And the best part?

We don’t miss that life.

We don’t want it back.

We’re not waiting to “return” to who we were before Mike.

We’re just waiting – calmly, excitedly – for:

  • our first flight with Mike,
  • our first longer trip,
  • our first big adventure together.

Not for nostalgia.
Not for old habits.

But for the experience of discovering the world with him.

And when that moment comes, the stroller will be ready – or Mike will just walk and run.
Even if it took a little longer than planned😊

Privacy & Image Disclaimer

To protect our family’s privacy, all images on this blog are real-life moments, visually transformed into cartoon-style illustrations using AI. The stories are real. The emotions are real. The people are real. The art style is simply our way of keeping intimacy safe.

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