Traveling over the holidays is stressful enough, but a few weeks before Thanksgiving I realized that I needed to take Hayden's homemade baby food show on the road with us to Texas. As all new parents know, traveling with an infant in the best of circumstances means a lot of fretting over getting to and through the airport and flight. And then lots of hand-wringing over potentially sleepless nights in unfamiliar sleep situations. Adding the feeding frenzy to the mix was about to send me over the edge.

I thought about not feeding Hayden any solids for the week we were away, but decided that was the wimpy way out. I then turned to my friend Research Girl for some help. Whenever I'm faced with any new logistical obstacle, and often even when I'm not, Research Girl isn't just who I turn to, it's who I turn into. During my pregnancy, I was a nonstop research machine, investigating anything and everything baby-related: from breastfeeding and baby gear to non-MDF cribs and toxin-free paints. Research is my coping mechanism, and if you were to tell me that it's a compulsion I wouldn't be insulted. I might even agree with you!

The first thing that I did was call the Whole Foods in San Antonio to find out what they carried in the way of organic baby food. Once I knew that I had two options to fall back on—Earth's Best jars and Happy Baby frozen cubes—I began to relax. When I read in Petit Appetit that purée can be thinned out with either water or breast milk, I was really relieved. Any nursing mom will tell you what a hassle it is to lug a breast pump anywhere, and so it was an easy decision to leave mine behind in Brooklyn. A quick call to my in-laws informed me that they had both a crib set up in the guest bedroom, and a high chair in the kitchen. What was it that I was worrying about again?

With matters uncomplicated in mere minutes, I realized that feeding Hayden over the holidays could actually be a fun thing. And it was. I brought Ziploc bags of pulverized organic rolled oats and millet, made a big batch of Bosc pear-Ambrosia apple purée to last us the week, and then sat back and relaxed while everyone else had fun feeding Hayden. As for all the attention, she just ate it right up.

Photo: Aunt Lynn Feeding Hayden in Texas