As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted over the next few months, vacation season will be upon us. We aren’t sure where we will be going next, but we are ready for an adventure. We currently have a 20-month-old little boy and traveling with an infant/toddler can be hard, but with these tips, you’re sure to have (less) chaos.
My background has helped me create many smooth vacations — I am a travel specialist — and I have planned travel for hundreds of families. The one thing I have found helpful with any vacation, no matter how old the child, is to manage one’s expectations. We knew the first time we took our son to Disney we weren’t going to be able to ride roller coasters and we were done for the day by 3pm.
Below are 5 my top tips when traveling with an infant or toddler:
- My first lesson is expectations. I cannot stress this enough. This is true for anyone’s vacation, really. Your little one may not like the beach which could result in a $1,000 trip spent in the room. You probably aren’t going to spend 12-14 hours laying out in the sand like you used to. One to two hours are the maximum we spend at the beach. If you do take your little one to Disney, they can’t ride every ride, they will sleep during the important times like meeting Mickey (or on the Haunted Mansion), and you may spend half the day running to the bathroom for diaper changes. Think about their routine at home and plan your vacation around it. Why would they change it just because you are on vacation? Know that your child’s schedule may be disrupted, which can lead to decrease sleep and irritability.
- Relax. This makes me giggle because I have to remind myself to do so. I meticulously planned our plane rides to coincide with nap time and guess who didn’t nap? I became so stressed and frustrated I think he fed off my negative energy. I found most people are pretty forgiving on a plane (unless your baby cries for the whole three hours). Passengers around us were playing peek-a-boo, making him laugh, and I realized that it’s okay.
- A follow up to point #2. If your child has something special they sleep with or a very large stuffed animal, despite the size, BRING IT. We made the mistake of thinking he could sleep on the plane without his Dumbo (silly me). The flight home we brought his large Dumbo; security snickered, but we had a sleeping baby!
- The following items are great to have. (Note: this list is not part of an ad; these are the products we used during our beach trip without which I could not imagine traveling.) Our Pack-n-play: we used this for sleeping, naps, and while we were both getting ready. It’s compact and relatively small to pack in the car. Our “Baby spring float” with sun shield: this was amazing for the pool as it kept my son covered and afloat. It also folds up to almost nothing. A small beach tent: ours folded up completely flat. I bought it at our local Bargain Hunt for $12.99 so it was nothing fancy. We put him in this when he started crawling which kept the wind, sand, and sun off of him, and he loved it. Strollers: the type of stroller we bring is determined by what kind of trip we take. For our long big trips, we take our BOB stroller; however, when we drive, we take a little $20 umbrella stroller. The only downside to umbrella strollers is lack of storage.
- Snacks, snacks, snacks. The airports will let you travel with outside food, and if you have a baby on formula or breastmilk you can fly with it. Goldfish, Cheerios, puffs, kids’ Lara Bars — anything snacky is a must.
When we were young, we would go on trips and come home just in time to sleep and go to work the next day. Having a child changed this. Make sure to have an extra day of rest for when you get home. Traveling with a one-year-old is truly exhausting. I think in Philadelphia’s airport we clocked 12,000 steps by 1pm. If you have any questions, let me know!
These aren’t all the tips, but definitely my top five for a smoother vacation. I am not an expert on all areas of travel, but I can do my best to answer your questions.
