My 2 cents. The first year of raising a child is easy(you dont realize this until you have a second child and the toddler is 5 times the work of a newborn), you can do everything you can do now, if they would let you in a bar with a baby bjorn you could do that to. Dont let other peoples expectations of how someone should parent affect you. Parent how you want to. You dont have to become a hermit, a few diapers and some formula and you are ready to go anywhere.
For travel do as much as you an in the next year as you can pretty much do what you want. Once they hit about 15 months you have to start keeping them entertained so it is more work to do the things you want to do. Children under two fly free or discounted
In the schedule debate dont be rigid, the crazy people who leave friends houses because their kid has to sleep have restricted their own schedules. Instead teach your kids to sleep anywhere, put them in a closet and continue on.
The best baby carrier is the ergo baby carrier, not because of any forward rear facing debate but because you can comfortably carry a 30lb kid in it. I still carry my two year old on day hikes in the thing. Way more comfortable than the framed carriers and much better than a stoller once your child is out of the bucket seat.
And whatever you do dont try to be perfect. Society, moms groups, message boards etc are a destructive cocktail of judgement, gossip, and junk science. People burn themselves out trying o achieve some ideal when doing what you want works just as well.
As for strollers decide jogger or no jogger and 1 kid or 2 kid. So jogger is Bob or phil and ted. For two kids, not a jogger the city select wins hands down. Check to make sure the stroller fits in your trunk before you buy it and that the car seat fits in your car.
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