My Kinderpack Adventures - Beach Weekend With Baby

Guest post by Laura Leigh Abby

Fire Island—a barrier island off the coast of long island—is sprinkled with beach towns that are the epitome of small-town summer; Think beach bungalows and charcoal grills, days in the waves and outdoor showers. It’s one of our family’s favorite summer spots, and we’ve made it an annual trip with our siblings and their kids. With the addition of two new babies, this year our crew was bursting out of our tiny little rental home, and with the mayhem came lots of laughs and incredible memories.

While the lack of cars on the island is part of its charm, the only downside of Fire Island is that most of it is only accessible by ferry, which means we must lug all of our groceries and belongings with us. Getting there with our 6-month-old son Quinn meant that this year, my wife Sam and I had our hands full.

We decided to fill Quinn’s stroller with many of our necessities—including wine and beer, of course—and I carried him onto the crowded ferry in his Kinderpack. He loved watching the water from the comfort of mom’s chest, and I loved being cool, comfortable and hands-free.



Because it was Pride weekend in New York, our family decided to have our own Pride party on Fire Island, which is also famous for its LGBT communities. It was Quinn’s first pride, so along with his cousins and aunts and uncles, he celebrated with rainbow flags, rainbow temporary tattoos and other festive accessories. We are a two-mom household, and we want our son to celebrate diversity as much as we do. For now, meeting other families and going on adventures with our own is the best way to help our baby boy acclimate to a lifestyle that celebrates the unique attributes of every individual and family. Wearing Quinn has been a great way for us to go exploring with new and old friends, and he loves riding along on one of his moms.

On our last day on Fire Island we took a walk to the beach with Quinn and our four-year-old niece. “Quinn looks so cute in there!” She said. “My mom used to wear me everywhere.” She was right. Four years ago, when she was Quinn’s age and Sam and I were planning our wedding, our sister-in-law wore our niece onto the ferry for our yearly trip to the beach. Watching our family grow has brought us so much joy, and introducing our son to the places we love has been the blessing of a lifetime.

  Laura Leigh Abby is a writer and editor. A graduate of Emerson College, she received her MFA from the New School, where she was also chosen by essayist John D’Agata as the winner of the 2013 Alumni Chapbook Contest in nonfiction for her essay “Absolutely Fine."

Laura Leigh and her wife Samantha appeared on the second season of Bravo TV’s Newlyweds: The First Year and are both active in the LGBT community, most recently teaming up with the Family Equality Council, The Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps, and the NYC LGBT Community Center.

Laura can be followed on her Instagram and Website