Babies at Weddings: What Did I Learn?

For Jaxon’s first Memorial Day holiday, we took another family trip to Chicago. Yes, I put him on an airplane again. Yes, naive Brittany thought it would be similar to his first trip on an airplane. No, it was not. I will get to that later.  Just to warn you, I’m going to keep it real here. Babies at weddings and other events can either be a fun experience for everyone involved, or a headache.

This Memorial Day weekend, Jaxon’s aunt (his dad’s older sister) got married. The ceremony was held in a Chicago suburb, and it could not have been a prettier day. And unlike Mississippi, the pollen didn’t send us into a sneezing frenzy. The wedding had a color scheme, which was the perfect reason to dress Jax up in mint green and pink (that would not fly with Daddy on ANY other day). However, since this was my first time ever taking him to an event, I did not know what to expect. There are a lot of lessons to learn. Some GOOD, some bad, some ugly. If anyone is considering what it is like to have babies at weddings or other events, keep these things in mind.

Take a back up outfit

Even though this seems like common sense, sometimes when you’re in a hurry, you forget to pack an extra outfit for your baby. More times than not, Jaxon always has a backup outfit in his baby bag. The wedding day was one of those times. There’s this new kid-craze which involves children making their own slime. Somehow, some way, Jaxon ended up with this green, glittery, glob of slime on his entire outfit. Jaxon was smooth. Jaxon was fly. The baby had on a navy blue blazer, a plaid pink and mint green button-down onesie, a bow tie, and some khaki pants. You couldn’t tell him anything! Until he became covered in slime.

Lucky for me though, I had packed an extra mint green onesie and some baby sweatpants. Have you ever seen baby sweatpants? They’re adorable! Anyway, I was able to change him before the wedding and I didn’t freak out like the mommy I am because he was still able to match mommy and daddy.

Take a baby carrier

I know a baby carrier doesn’t actually go with your outfit, but unless you have a bunch of family that would like to hold your baby for you, you have no choice but to wear your baby. The entire time at the wedding, I did not have to ask anyone to hold Jaxon for me while I ate, danced, or mingled with people. Because I was at a family wedding, I had no problem with people holding Jax. But when you are at an event that is full of strangers, you may reconsider. So do what any momma would have to do. Find a babysitter, skip the event, or strap your baby to your front with a baby carrier and enjoy the night! Plus, Jaxon is pushing 17 lbs. I refuse to hold him the ENTIRE night.

Read: “Tips on Traveling with Infants”

Take toys that don’t make noise

It may seem hard to find a baby toy out there that DOESN’T make noises, but they are out there. Annoying sounds bother me. This includes baby toys. So me being me, Jaxon has at least one toy that doesn’t make any noise. Although I did not take it with me to the wedding, I did take his pacifier to keep him quiet during the ceremony. There is another wedding coming up in June. If I take Jaxon, he will definitely have something quiet to play with. If that doesn’t keep him quiet, I will purposely sit near the back so I can make a quick exit if he becomes upset. I want to take him everywhere possible, but I also want to be courteous of those around me, and not have a loud baby interrupting the ceremony.

Take snacks

Unless your baby is already eating table food, take snacks to your event with you. My fat baby is still primarily breastfed, but this weekend, he ate a little bit of everything! He doesn’t have teeth yet, but he got to nibble on a few mashed potatoes and rice. LOL. However, the wedding reception took place right in the middle of one of his feeding sessions, so I also had a bottle handy, and some dissolvable banana rusks. When I have a full baby, I have a happy baby. Heck, you might even do well with taking some snacks for yourself!

Those are just a few things that I learned from our first wedding experience together. We had a blast, his family loves holding and playing with him, and he still looked good in his onesie and sweatpants, with no socks! As for our plane ride from New Orleans to Chicago, he pooped and I had to change him in that TINY bathroom. The flight attendant failed to mention that the lavatory at the front of the plane has a changing table. I also had to nurse on the plane. Marquis is one of my best supporters on my breastfeeding journey, and we made nursing in public work!

Babies at weddings and other events can work out in your favor if you want it to. Just remember to stay positive, and understand that the more you take your baby places, the more accustomed they’ll become to going places.

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