We’ve flown to
Colorado twice and Houston once since Z was born. The first time we went to
Colorado, Z was only 10 weeks old. She slept on the plane and didn’t make a
peep the entire time. The people around us were surprised when we deplaned with
an infant because she was so quiet. The second time we went to Colorado, Z was 9
½ months old and mobile. She still did really well on the plane and stayed
occupied by playing, reading, and eating snacks. I was afraid she’d want to get
down and crawl around, but she didn’t. Our Houston trip was the weekend after
that Colorado trip, and it was pretty much the same scenario on that plane
ride.
Two weekends
ago, we decided to take an impromptu trip to Chicago to get away for the
weekend. Even though Z’s a laid back kid, I was a little nervous for the 4 ½ hour
car ride. She did really well though! I made sure to bring a lot of toys,
books, and snacks. We stopped a couple of times on the way up for pit stops. As
a last resort against boredom, we turned on Ratatouille
and Z zoned out.
This was our
first family vacation with just the three of us. It was such a blast! We went
to the Field Museum to see the Lascaux cave painting exhibit. I’ve written
about this exhibit and the cave’s importance to art history before. It was an
amazing exhibit, very well done, and R really liked the fact that the signage
was written in both French and English; he felt it was respectful to the
Lascaux cave heritage. We walked around Chicago a lot, visited Navy Pier, ate
Chicago-style pizza, walked up and down Michigan Avenue, and walked along Lake
Michigan.
My bottom line
for writing this post: it is possible to travel with kids. From my experience,
traveling with kiddos requires flexibility. Each age has its perks and its
downsides: nursing on a plane sucks, as does worrying about nursing schedules
while you’re in the middle of traveling. Having a toddler in a museum isn’t as
easy as having a non-mobile infant. BUT, the important thing is to roll with
it. If you’re calm, your kid will be calm, and everyone will have a lot more
fun. So here are some tips I’ve compiled:
Travel Tips with
Tot:
Think
your kid’s favorite toy or book will be enough? WRONG. Bring 4 times the stuff
you think you’ll need, especially if you’re traveling by car and can’t get up
and walk around. Kids get bored really fast.
·
Bring
a variety of snacks or treats. Having something that you normally don’t buy
will be fun and special; however, don’t introduce anything that could cause an
allergic reaction (IE: nuts, shellfish—don’t know why you’d do this anyway—exotic
fruits, etc.). You don’t want to ruin your trip by spending time in the ER.
·
Always
keep a roll of toilet paper or a pack of baby wipes in the car (regardless of
whether you have kids or not). You can thank me in advance.
·
Bring
extra clothes. For everyone.
·
Buy
a stroller with a collapsible seat in case your little one wants to take a
snooze.
·
Remember
to have fun and go with the flow!
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| Pretty skyline |
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| Love this shot! |
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| LOVED this exhibit |
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| Gorgeous view |
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| Waiting for Chicago-style pizza at Giordano's |
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| Z likes to hold hands. |
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| Happy family! |
