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Have you ever taken off on vacation by yourself?

Have you ever taken a vacation with a toddler before?

  • Our daughter is 16 months old and we are about to go on vacation. We are driving to a location about 6-8 hours from our home. She doesn't like the car, but we plan on making frequent stops to break up the drive. The place where we are going has plenty of places within walking distance- so hopefully we can just walk everywhere and not get back in the car until it's time to get home! I'm a little nervous about the hotel room, since we will all be sleeping in the same room. Thinking maybe I could put her crib in the bathroom so us parents don't have to go to bed at 8pm! I just hope it's possible to have a decent vacation with a toddler. I hope it's not more work than it's worth, because I want to relax. Thoughts? Have you vacationed with a toddler before and was it a good time?

  • Answer:

    ive been outta town a couple different times since becoming a mom, some with just my daughter before my son was born and then with both my son and daughter both under 3. my best advice for the car - yea frequent stops, keep a cooler in your car for juice or milk boxes and snacks - save your dough there, take new to her toys - even if its dollar store toys - just new things you can pop at her when shes getting antsy, and if she watches movies a dvd player, im not an advocate of mindless tv but car trips its a life saver - esp long ones! as for the hotel - yea that part stinks. my kids would never sleep when they could see me or i could never last long enough when they are in plain sight. its easier to "do the right thing when they arent in view, you know. the best thing i did there was when i had the option and could afford it - booked a hotel that had a separate sleeping area that was separate from the rest of the hotel room. if thats not possible do what you have to do, you could try rigging a sheet or something up in front of the crib to block the sight of you if thats a problem that you have too. now here what i didnt learn until after the fact - moms dont get a vacation. its the same stuff we do every day (same kids too) just in a new unfamiliar place for them. the closer you can stick to whatever routine they have at home the easier it will be while on vacation and once you get back. dont set your expectations too high. that was also a major problem that i had as well. and - have fun!

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HI! There:Pewh! A vacation is a vacation... Its a time to relax and chill-out; toddlers need toddler time.I had the experience of caring for a seventeen month old child and it was no vacation. The entire time was given to working;from changing diapers to playing and comforting the toddler. At the end of the day I was totally exhausted. Yes, I vacationed with a toddler,and it was just like not having a vacation. Try taking some extra help along to assit. Happy vacation and good rest to you!

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You don't need to put the crib in the bathroom......why would you make your child sleep next to the toilet? To be honest you might need to let her sleep in your bed so she will feel safe and comfortable. Any bed time schedule will go out the window! Trust me........she might not even fall asleep until you do. It is going to be an adventure for sure! At least there will be two of you. I recently took my then 16 month old from southern to northern CA (8 hour drive) by myself! Its a lot easier with two people for her to interact with. One of you can entertain her while the other person drives. One of you can also hand her snacks/sippy cups and toys, when I was by myself she just had to wait for me to pull over to give her anything. Just be patient.....it will take her a while to adjust to everything but she will get used to it! Just expect her to be cranky and "not herself" at first. Its a big adjustment for a baby that is used to a schedule and their own crib at home and familiar surroundings. Good Luck.

Krista and Masons Mama

Have you considered getting a hotel room that has different rooms? I do hotels fairly often as my husband does quite a bit of travelling for work. We also do the vacation thing once or twice a year. When we get a hotel we typically try and get one that has a bedroom doors that can be shut and curtains to keep the light out. Usually the suites or the ones with the kitchenettes offer this. If you shop around you can get good deals and not pay much more. Just a thought. =) I have always had a great time with our kids and vacations. Just make sure that you and your significant other break up the time with the kids so you both get to enjoy it. Like when we went to a nice beach the one time we took turns watching the kids for a half hour at a time so the other could just lie down and relax, take it easy and do what they wanted to do. We also took advantage of some of the babysitting that our hotel offered. It was great because it allowed us to go out for a couple hours and enjoy the vacation as a couple. Not all hotels offer this but some do and it can be a nice treat if you feel they are reputable enough to take care of your child. Another thing is if you do a lot during the day, your daughter may very well be so beat from a long day of running around that as soon as you get back to your hotel room she will pass out regardless of how much noise there is. I know that's usually what my kids did. We could of had a circus perform in the middle of the bed and they would of slept through it due to exhaustion lol. Overall though we never had any issues and we all came back relaxed. Best of luck to you and I hope you enjoy your vacation. After all . . they don't happen every day =)

The Mrs.

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