Saturday
Nov272010
Useful Tips for Parents: Vacationing with Wee Ones
Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 5:25AM
I'm so excited to introduce to you Robin Merrill. Her savvy mom-ness and wonderful writing skills have combined to bring to you, parents of babies, some great tips on traveling and vacationing with the little ones. I thought it was perfect timing since many of you will be on the go for the holidays! Enjoy and take notes! And check back because I'm going to add my tips, too, now that I've done an airplane trip and a 7-hour drive trip with Sailor. And, although Robin says to check the stroller, it definitely worked for me to NOT check it - so you'll get the case for both and can figure out what might work best with your situation!
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I was so excited to take my daughter on her first “vacation.” Nobody told me that traveling with a baby is not really a vacation.
It’s not that I didn’t go prepared. I packed heavy. I was ready for anything. And I felt like such a good mom for getting my daughter out of the house and exposing her to the great wide world. I was going to raise a well-rounded child, and I was going to start early.
So I spread a blanket out on the beach and I plopped her down. I took my own chair out of its bag and then turned around to see that my daughter’s mouth was completely full of sand. She looked up at me, panic in her eyes, her little fists clenched as if to say, “How could you let me do such a thing?” In a panic, I tipped her over and scooped out fingerfull after fingerfull of sand. Then I went down to the water to rinse off her face. She began to scream. Apparently, my daughter was terrified of water. She was also terrified of sunscreen, and all the other children at the beach.
We left early.
We didn’t leave the house for another several months.
Many vacations later, I have some advice to offer you when it comes to traveling with young children.
But before we get to that, realize what I didn’t realize. Children don’t care. Babies and young toddlers will have just as much fun in your yard or at the local park as they will at an expensive theme park. If you are vacationing solely for the benefit of the baby – don’t! Trust me, I learned! If, however, you are vacationing because you need a vacation, and you figure it just wouldn’t be right to not take baby along, here are some semi-wise words from a woman who has made a lot of mistakes.
So, where are some kid-friendly places to go? Well, you might start with finding one close to home to minimize your traveling pains.
Then, look for destinations that cater to families. Even if your child is too young to appreciate the San Diego Zoo, the people and businesses in that area are used to children, and will welcome you to their community and culture. In other words, you probably don’t want to go on an antique store tour or a romantic cruise.
State and national parks are often great choices for families with youngsters. If you are brave, you might consider camping out. We have successfully camped with babies dozens of times. They seem to love the fresh air, and are too little to complain about sleeping in a tent. However, even if you don’t want to camp, areas surrounding these parks often have cabins for rent, and affordable motel options. Families often do well visiting Yosemite in California, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and Acadia in Maine.
And remember, even though you want your little one to have fun, they are still really little, and it is important that you have fun too. So choose a spot that is best for everybody. You can take them to Disneyworld when they’re older.
Robin Merrill is a writer who divides her time between Maine and Michigan. She writes for Marquette Michigan Hotels.
_____________________________________________________________
I was so excited to take my daughter on her first “vacation.” Nobody told me that traveling with a baby is not really a vacation.
It’s not that I didn’t go prepared. I packed heavy. I was ready for anything. And I felt like such a good mom for getting my daughter out of the house and exposing her to the great wide world. I was going to raise a well-rounded child, and I was going to start early.
So I spread a blanket out on the beach and I plopped her down. I took my own chair out of its bag and then turned around to see that my daughter’s mouth was completely full of sand. She looked up at me, panic in her eyes, her little fists clenched as if to say, “How could you let me do such a thing?” In a panic, I tipped her over and scooped out fingerfull after fingerfull of sand. Then I went down to the water to rinse off her face. She began to scream. Apparently, my daughter was terrified of water. She was also terrified of sunscreen, and all the other children at the beach.
We left early.
We didn’t leave the house for another several months.
Many vacations later, I have some advice to offer you when it comes to traveling with young children.
But before we get to that, realize what I didn’t realize. Children don’t care. Babies and young toddlers will have just as much fun in your yard or at the local park as they will at an expensive theme park. If you are vacationing solely for the benefit of the baby – don’t! Trust me, I learned! If, however, you are vacationing because you need a vacation, and you figure it just wouldn’t be right to not take baby along, here are some semi-wise words from a woman who has made a lot of mistakes.
- Check the stroller. If you are going to bring a stroller, I would recommend checking it, as opposed to pushing it around the airport. I have had a near death experience getting the wheels of the stroller caught in those automated walkways. I have also been hollered at for trying to get a stroller up an escalator, and was forced to “find an elevator,” which almost made me miss our flight. I’ve also been hollered at by many, many flight attendants as I tried to jam a stroller into an overhead compartment. I highly (get it, up high in a plane? sorry …) recommend wearing your baby when you fly. By wearing, I mean, tuck your little darling into a wrap, pack or sling. This makes running across a terminal far easier, and your baby will be snug and safe for takeoff and landing.
- Call ahead and ask your hotel if they are family friendly. I’ve actually had someone answer, “Not really. How old are your kids?” You do not want to be sleeping (or trying to sleep) in a place like that.
- Before you book a room, ask if the hotel provides cribs. While your toddler might be sleeping in a bed at home, you might still want a containment device in a hotel room. I tried to forgo the motel crib once, and I’m pretty sure my son ate every germ in the room. He had never been so curious in his life as he was in a new room with a yummy carpet, two phones, a remote control, and several drawers sans safety locks. He was in toddler heaven. And I was in mother … make sure your hotel will provide you with a crib.
- Be willing to nurse on the plane. If your baby starts fussing (or screaming) during ascent or descent, it might be because her ears are hurting. If you can nurse at this time, it will alleviate that pain in her ears. If you are no longer nursing, you can achieve the same effect with a bottle.
- If you will be spending a lot of time in the car, invest in some new (or at least new to baby) toys, books, and objects of interest. When he starts to get fussy, and tired of his carseat, you can surprise him with a new noise-making device.
So, where are some kid-friendly places to go? Well, you might start with finding one close to home to minimize your traveling pains.
Then, look for destinations that cater to families. Even if your child is too young to appreciate the San Diego Zoo, the people and businesses in that area are used to children, and will welcome you to their community and culture. In other words, you probably don’t want to go on an antique store tour or a romantic cruise.
State and national parks are often great choices for families with youngsters. If you are brave, you might consider camping out. We have successfully camped with babies dozens of times. They seem to love the fresh air, and are too little to complain about sleeping in a tent. However, even if you don’t want to camp, areas surrounding these parks often have cabins for rent, and affordable motel options. Families often do well visiting Yosemite in California, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and Acadia in Maine.
And remember, even though you want your little one to have fun, they are still really little, and it is important that you have fun too. So choose a spot that is best for everybody. You can take them to Disneyworld when they’re older.
Robin Merrill is a writer who divides her time between Maine and Michigan. She writes for Marquette Michigan Hotels.
Copyright; 2011, Blahggy. All rights reserved.
Reader Comments (14)
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Violeta Guerrero, Liza. Liza said: Useful Tips for Parents: Vacationing with Wee Ones http://t.co/1q3lCRU [...]
Huh. We've actually found vacations with a wee one fairly easy - And I'd recommend packing LIGHT. (We went on our first week-long ski trip at 6 months, went to Hawaii at 8 months, 13-hour road trip at 10 months, and camping at a year... We didn't bring a stroller or crib anywhere, just the Ergo.) I think you're right in that the little guys will be happy to go anywhere and see anything - I've found it quite easy to keep my daughter entertained.
Those are great tips! We leave in less than two weeks for a family reunion and I need all the help I can get!
Dear God. I think I would rather plan the invasion of a small country than travel with a baby. It sounds less complicated.
I actually really appreciated my stroller when I was traveling with a small one. However, I would NOT recommend trying to jam it into an overhead compartment. Gate check, baby. The attendants will take it when you get on the plane and have it ready when you get off again. As for the escalators and moving walkways....avoid them. There are always alternatives. If finding those alternatives makes you miss a flight, you simply didn't plan well enough to get to the airport the recommended 2 hours ahead of flight time.
I totally agree with you. That's what I'm going to write about in my additional tips!
Oh, good! I personally LIKED having my stroller, but I bought a smaller one for travel. One way worked for my guest writer, and one way worked for me. I wanted to present both, though, because to each her own!
You also find kayaking down the most roaring of roaring rapids and then plunging over a waterfall fairly easy! So I am not surprised at the ease you found in traveling with a baby - it probably seemed simple compared to most of the activities you enjoy! :)
Sooooo... You're saying I'm weird? :)
Hi Y'all!
Thanks for all the great comments. I assure you, we always arrive at the airport obscenely early. I was referring to rushing across airports when trying to make connecting flights. We've been given 15 minutes before to get across Detroit Metro, which meant trains and escalators without an elevator or stairs in sight!
And I have no idea why gateside check was not an option. That would have been wonderful! We often fly on tiny little planes -- maybe they don't pay as much attention to those passengers.
Have a great day!
~ Robin
Haha! No! I'm saying there's not much you're afraid of!!
No gateside check! No wonder you didn't want to travel with your stroller! That's what saved us. Good old gateside check.
So, John, it sounds like my blog has convinced you to become a dad!
No, liza. You're "story of my pregnancy" blogs have rendered me sterile.