Tips for travelling with newborn and toddler

[neeleymartin]

dh and i as well as mil will be taking a 4 night trip to north conway, nh in june. we never travel alone let alone with children. packing and logistics is scary to me.

we are staying at a condo that has full kitchen, w/d, two bathrooms, linens. well equipped to say the least. i am most worried about ds1 (24mos). do we bring toys with us? we reserved a unit a stone's throw from the pool and playground intentionally. we will most likely be doing a little shopping, visiting some local attraction in the mornings.

also, what about food? should we bring what we need or shop once there? we will be traveling by car and a large cooler will keep things cold on the way, just a 4 hour or so drive.

how about sleeping? the unit has two bedrooms. we plan to put both boys in the master w/us in their pnp, with mil in the other room. we thought about putting one in with her but she has a very loud snore (i think she would kill me for posting that). it actually woke ds1 up once when she stayed over. he was asleep in another room with a fan on. YIKES!!! any sleep tips would be great.

ds2 is waking for feed. gotta run. i have many more questions. please post any/all tips that you have to make this trip the most enjoyable it can be. i will add more questions as time allows. tia :kisscheek:

[neeleymartin]

edited to change title. not specific question to north conway. general question about traveling with kids. title was misleading. tia

[mmsmom]

I would bring some toys but also remember that 2 year olds can make toys out of anything, so there are probably plastic utensils, mixing bowls, etc. in the kitchen that will be fun for him. Exploring a new place will keep him entertained for a while too.

I recently did a trip w/ my parents, DS who is 2.5 and DD who is 3 months. We had 2 bedrooms, 2 baths as well. We weren't sure what we were going to do for sleeping... waited until we got there to see the layout. What worked was my parents having one bedroom and me & DS (in a crib) in the 2nd bedroom. Turned out there was enough room in the laundry room for the PnP so that's where DD went. I brought a monitor so I could hear when she was up for her night feeds. It worked out well. I also brought our white noise machine for DS since I did not know how noisy the place would be w/ street noise, etc.

I would bring some food from home just so you don't have to rush out when you get there. Milk, snacks, anything that your DS likes that you may not be able to find there.

I haven't done this but I've read to travel w/ duct tape because you can use it to baby proof... cover outlets, tape down cords, wrap around sharp corners, etc.

I try to not be as strict about schedules, etc. when we are away & just enjoy the vacation.

[nfowife]

we travel a lot with our kids:
-maybe you can put DS1 in the bathroom if the pack 'n play will fit. We do that A LOT when we travel if there is an extra bathroom.
-my kids use sound machines at home for background noise and we bring them with us on trips (just use batteries on trips).
-I bring a bag of toys, small things like matchbox cars, a few books, crayons and paper, etc.
-bring DVD's and see if they have a dvd player in your room. If not see if you can get one/bring one. We have a portable one we use in the car on trips that we can then hook up to a tv at the hotel and it has been a godsend when getting ready in the morning. We bring a few movies for us, too. Especially since we live in Europe and there aren't always things to watch in English when we travel! If you have a DVD for your car, they are great for trips!!
-for food, you can just shop when you arrive. But make sure to bring a few bibs, cups/tops, etc. so you have stuff for your DS that you normally use at home. But be sure to bring snacks for the ride. My kids like things like fruit snacks, raisins, kix cereal or fruity cheerios, pretzels, goldfish, etc etc. I bring a few lollipops for moments of desperation when I need some quiet or if there is a meltdown.

[bubbaray]

:54:

And then more :54:

LOL. I make extensive use of packing lists. I pack in LL Bean color-coded duffles (ie., each family member has their own color and matching toiletry bag in same color).

[neeleymartin]

I haven't done this but I've read to travel w/ duct tape because you can use it to baby proof... cover outlets, tape down cords, wrap around sharp corners, etc.

I try to not be as strict about schedules, etc. when we are away & just enjoy the vacation.

i have heard this about duct tape too. glad for the reminder as i forgot about that.

as far as schedule, when you are not as strict do you mean skipping a nap, later bedtime or a little bit of both? and how does this effect dc? our ds is a great sleeper, and has a very mild temperament if that helps answer. tia

[neeleymartin]

:54:

And then more :54:

LOL. I make extensive use of packing lists. I pack in LL Bean color-coded duffles (ie., each family member has their own color and matching toiletry bag in same color).

too funny. who does the night feeds if we are all half sauced :ROTFLMAO:!!

just looking on llbean last night for the duffels. dh and i both have them and have for years. we will be ordering one for each boy this evening. they are easy to pack and cram into and already stuffed space, much better than suitcases. as far as toiletry bag, i am planning to get one large. is that big enough? or should i get two large? one for boys and one for dh and i? or other. something tells me that i could fill one myself.

[bubbaray]

Each of our girls has a small LLB duffle (pink aloha and orange aloha) and the matching mini duffle toiletry bag -- but it appears that they no longer sell those. You could call and ask.

DH and I got the large duffles for ourselves and they are HUGE. I could fit in one! So, I also got us the mediums. For a weekend, the mediums are fine for our use as adults. We use the larges for longer trips (ie., week in Maui), and for winter ski trips when we need to pack bulky outerwear.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I'm sloooooowly getting over this pack-a-phobia thing. If there could be a service where you tell someone where you're going, for how long, and give them $40/hour to pack your family's stuff, I'd be ALL over it!

To ease my panic, I try to use lists from this site http://www.parentingweekly.com/parenting_information/organized_mom/index.htm
to create my own packing list. We have lists for each kind of trip we normally take - to the beach, to my mom's in FL, for a Christmas trip to see relatives, for a random vacation-like trip, etc. We keep them on Google Documents and list them by bag - since we usually fly and that determines how many bags we can take. I can pm you one so you can see if you'd like.

yes on the sound machines, extra sleepsack/bedding for the PnPs, a lovey for each kid, taking some emergency food to get you through the first night, going shopping when you get there- and having a mealplan sketched out in advance. And we actually do try to stick closer to our normal schedule as it seems to help keep us regulated. We'll do stroller naps if needed - or Ergo naps on occasion. Be careful about putting DS1's PnP close to your bed. it gives them an easy way to climb out. Yes on the monitor.

[mmsmom]

I mean a later nap and/or bedtime. If we are out enjoying something I don't want to worry about rushing back for naptime. It's our vacation too & I want to enjoy it and make it different than being at home. So our DS usually still needs to nap but it may be a late nap & late bedtime (which unfortunately doesn't mean sleeping later in the morning). I'm just careful to make sure he isn't too tired so we don't have a meltdown.

[neeleymartin]

I can pm you one so you can see if you'd like.

would love it. tia