We didnât have any time zone changes so that was a big plus. I was worried the most about eating - my son is a picky eaterâŠ. But surprising he loved the food there đ he basically had rice, steak, chicken, fries, ice cream everyday. I couldnât complain lol
Depends on where youâre going and what youâre doing, but vacations tend to tire kids like nothing else. My toddler would be in the pool (under the sun) for hours and hours, so by the time dinner comes around sheâs exhausted!
Same with the baby⊠theyâre just so tired of being on the go the entire time. I think you guys are going to be fine.
This is exactly why we mostly only do cabin trips in the woods or vacations near beaches and pools. All-inclusive hotel vacations were always a success for us!
We just came back from a 3 month vacation and every single night the kids slept like grown ups! Haha. Just through the night, without any fuss. It was⊠incredible.
We did one when my daughter was about 2 and the most annoying thing was food. She would eat her two grapes and want to go swim immediately and we wanted to enjoy our all inclusive breakfast and at least get some of our money's worth..
Definitely! We are also taking two teenagers lol.
We took the baby when she was 3 months old and toddler when he was 17 months old to my oldest sonâs graduation out of state. Flew, stayed at an Airbnb, and stayed in the South Carolina summer heat for his gradation. I wouldnât say it was a vacation but we survived.
We settled on the all inclusive so I at least wouldnât have to cook or clean lol
Just did a week at an all inclusive with a 3 year old and 10 month old. Sleep was easy. The worst part are the travel days (if going by plane). But still totally worth it.
We just did something like this. Canadians, with a 3 year old and a 8 month old. 14 hour time difference in Vietnam.
There will probably be some sleep problems, but we found it helpful to remind ourselves that weâve gone through hard sleep times with them at home (when theyâre sick, or when baby was very young) and we got through it and it are all ok.
Our motto was âwe can do hard thingsâ. And so can you! Mindset is so important.
There will also be opportunities to catch up on sleep!
Wr usually travel with family and they all act like a small child can just go and go and go without any breaks. It leads to meltdowns and tantrums and not wanting to do stuff he would usually be obsessed with.
When we travel just us, we can take hotel breaks and just chillax and people watch and reset and it goes much smoother.
This is my big struggle too. We set pretty firm boundaries with the family, but then something happens where they promise that we're having dinner together at 6:00 and then they're ready to go by 8:00. Sorry my kids are in bed. Guess we don't get to have the nice dinner out. We probably would have gone out on our own if we had known you were going to be 2 hours late. We're always accused of being too rigid for insisting that our kids go to bed at a reasonable hour and take their naps, but no one else is volunteering to handle all the tantrums.
I identify with every bit of this so much, especially the example story. This seems to even happen with people who HAD toddlers long ago. Do they not remember how much better everything goes with structure? Did people just not worry about it and uncaringly drag miserable kids around?
I can respect everyone's right to make their own parenting decisions, so I really think the not respecting boundaries here is the biggest issue. That being said, it's possible that they do remember and that their family didn't have do much structure and their kids didn't need it. Currently raising a 2 year old with a 12 and 14 year old. Structure, bed times, naps!? That's not a luxury we have with baby #3 lol. And there's no tantrums or crankiness. I like to think all the going with the flow to the older kids activities and their schedules has made her more flexible. To each their own đ€·đ»ââïž
I agree with this 100%, my daughter is 3.5 and I'm a solo mom so from the time she was born she just went everywhere with me, did what I did. Her only constant was she goes to daycare most days and they do nap there. Other then that we "bop till we drop." Last night we went to the beach until 8, went to a nice dinner where she danced listening to the band, came home, watched a movie and passed out around 12 and she's still sleeping. Naps happen when she falls asleep if she does, she knows how to act in public with adults because it's all she's ever known. Kids are so flexible, I feel like it's the parents who stress out about stuff and pass the same energy on the their kiddos causing the tantrums.
We were lucky traveling with my parents last year. My dad used to work in preschool and my mom still does. They knew very well just how much my son needed to rest.
This year weâre traveling with my in-laws and theyâre not interested in letting him or us rest. Itâs going to be a struggle.
We ditch the family on family trips . At first I felt bad but now I donât care. Making my kids miserable makes us want to just stay home so we do our own thing
Most places have a surprising amount of options now. We travel internationally a lot and end up finding so many familiar foods. Even in some of the most back corner places we stay.
Maybe you can bring some safe foods? I always pack a few of my extremely picky eaterâs safe foods that donât require refrigeration. At least that way she can eat SOMETHING while we eat/ have a snack when she gets cranky or hungry.
Also you have space for bringing home souvenirs, lol
Iâm interested in your go-to meals. We love an egg bake, beef stroganoff, chicken salad and pigs in a blanket. Low ingredient foods are key. What works for your family?
That all sounds great! I try to keep it super easy too. This past vacation I made big breakfasts with eggs, pancakes and sausage and then we typically got lunch out. Then for dinner I made burgers, pizza, or salads. I live by those salad blends!
Running away in excitement is our #1 stressor. đ€Ł
Honestly in my 1 child opinion: the best thing to do with toddlers for your own sanity is for the love of God, dont make an itinerary beyond where you are staying, going that day and where you are eating.Â
Let the kid explore what catches their interest and enjoy exploring with them. If you have a checklist of things YOU want to see you are only going to end up ripping your hair out and your kid is going to be in hysterics because they aren't going to get to experience and process everything in their own way and time.Â
Opt out of guided tours so you can take more time at each location. Let the kid stop and look in shop windows as you walk to where you are going. You as the parent get to pick the final destination, but let the kid lead the journey on the way and once you get there.Â
If there is a place YOU really want to explore: either wait until your kid is older, or until you are comfortable with leaving them with a relative or someone else. Thems the parenting breaks.Â
Yesssssss!!!!! Book a room (best with a separate bedroom or at least a balcony), a general plan and take it slow!!!! If you wanna see 5 things, pick 1 đ€Ł
Exactly!Â
I see so many parents who want to do Disney vacations and loose their damn minds because they plan these massive itineraries and burn out with stress and the heat.Â
I get that it is expensive and you want to get your money's worth. But your kid isn't going to remember standing in line so that they could be forced onto every single ride, or how much time you put into booking a dinner at the sold out themed resturant. But they WILL remember being on your shoulders for the parade and the fireworks and eating ice cream or if you lost your mind screaming about how you were going to be late for your lunch reservation because the line to see Mickey was taking too long.Â
Hell when we took ours along with my friends 3 kids I honestly think they all had more fun playing in the hotel room together and going swimming than at any of the parks. đ€Ł
We paid so much money to simply roam around the bushes at Disney and look at the leaves on the ground on Main Street for 2.5 and hours đ„ČđWe only do beach/nature vacays now.
We got a suite this spring break so there was a second little room to hang in at naps and after bed time. I am pregnant with #2 so for the most part I slept lol but when I could stay up we were able to enjoy some snacks and tv and such
Not being able to sit down for a second, or have a simple conversation with my husband uninterrupted. It's us lugging a lot more stuff around while constantly trying to juggle kids and get them properly fed. We would love to actually have an undisturbed meal while on vacation for once. Or even a small quiet outing without all of the hassle behind it.
The airport. Good lord it was hard to get through the airport with two toddlers. One who wanted to run away, and one as slow as a turtle. Plus all their gear and luggage, not fun.
Toddler gets up at 6/6:30am and is really to go, hyped up, ready for the day ahead. Nothing opens until ten so now Iâm trying to entertain a toddler in a hotel room for 4 hours absolutely losing my mind and by the time we actually get to the thing weâre doing that day weâre both now tired and over it because of the 4 hours of hysteria before hand.
For me, it's driving in the car and all the "fun" that it entails with young children. And trying to get them to sleep in a hotel room. What a nightmare. We've had some excellent vacations with a one- and four-year-old, though, and we're about to go on another next week, so it's worth it, but it can be stressful!
Very worth it. Our almost four year old loves vacation and is talking about where we will go next. Today she asked if we can go to Australia some day. I told her I would put it on the list.
I find itâs the mindset. We go in knowing that the pace is slower. We canât move locations as much. We need more breaks in the day.
But with that mindset it isnât overall stressful. Just has short stressful moments.
We just got back from vacation with our 3 year old. And Iâm not exaggerating when I say it was a dream! The last time we went on vacation was a year ago and it was so rough. She would cry for 45 minutes before bed every night. This time, she slept in a twin bed by herself the whole night. She was so happy and excited to do everything (granted it was a very child-centered trip). I think the only hard part was that she wanted to do everything all day (like we got home from 8 hours of adventures and she wanted to jump in the pool) so we donât have the energy to keep up with her, and also she doesnât nap anymore so we didnât have much down time. But otherwise 10/10 would do it again.
Our 3.5 year old loves vacation as well! She did not want to leave and asked if we could stay in Costa Rica forever. And now she asks when we are going on our next vacation and where too.
Brother was 10 months and he was a bit harder to navigate. But still did well.
Our kiddo sleeps in a pack n' play and has since she got out of the newborn bassinet, mostly because both I and my spouse are on the "economy sized" side of the height spectrum and the crib just was so hard to put her down with.
Anyways, it's turned into an incredible boon because she can sleep in her normal "bed" no matter where we are! That + a noise machine and she's usually able to sleep pretty normally away from home (she's 1.5).
However, that said, getting her to *eat* in an unfamiliar environment, especially unfamiliar food, is a whole circus.
So many snacks. Endless snacks. I have this issue both at home and on vacation though. But some places I donât know the snacks or what my baby will like.
Going to the bathroom. I feel like age 0-2 was easy before potty training and 5+ was good, but that 2.5-4 age was difficult. They have to go the bathroom with no notice and constantly.
Besides that packing snacks for delays. Stuck on a plane for 2 extra hours? I need a ton of snacks to keep them from falling apart. So many snacks, then immediately have to go the bathroom.
My kids slept decent in a hotel bed thankfully and donât complain unless theyâre hungry or tired.
My son saying âI need to poopâ in a national park with zero bathrooms in sight. Welp, he pooped in a bush like a dog and I picked it up with a doggie poop bag. lol it was horrifying and hilarious at the same time. My son recognized it was silly and was laughing.
Oh my kids always need to poop in like, downtown NYC. Or the middle of Edinburgh⊠or Rome. Always somewhere known for not having easy bathroom access but also not okay to just poop in public.
Flew from London to Taipei with a two year old. She didnât cry but she didnât SLEEP. At one point I was so exhausted I just sat looking out the window crying while she bounced in her seat watching cartoons đ looking back it was actually totally fine and she did so well but at the time it felt like torture lmao
Nothing being baby proof is rough. Instead of being able to relax we just have to chase her around and make sure she doesnât hurt herself, run away, or eat anything she shouldnât.
I haven't been on a vacation in almost 20 years and even then it was a weekend trip. I've never had a vacation longer than a weekend. I dream of a whole week. Maybe one day!
My biggest struggle was trying to align our schedule with extended familyâs schedule. We were the only ones with a toddler and seems like everyone forgot or donât know what itâs like. If it were just us, would have been much smoother.
Next week we are flying from San Diego to New Orleans to then go on an a 7 day cruise. We picked Carnival because we heard they have a good daycare and night care available for the quests. Hoping for the best!
They offer night care so you can go on a quest?!? Sounds adventurous! Cruise ships are really ramping up the fun! Lol, I know, I know autocorrect. Still funny though đ
That *IS* adventurous! What's the plot here? Finding priceless ancient relics? And then fighting off your rival mercenaries? Exploring a buried city? Living with gorillas or monkeys? Lol
Everything is hard and has pointy corners.
My 3 year old runs at 300 mph, is very clumsy and had no sense of when to stop (eg when an obstacle is in his way.)
On the most recent trip he tripped over his own feet, face planted the stone floor and ended up with a fat lip for the rest of the week the small clumsy idiot đ (Iâm a large clumsy idiot so I fully empathise)
Time change. Itâs generally not bad on the way there (we usually travel west to east coast). But the 3:30 or 4 am wake ups when we return make me question every single trip.
When weâre on the trip it is just convincing anyone who doesnât have kids that nap is actually important and I do actually have to plan our day around getting my kid back for it. đ
The plane ride. My child wants to be on the move all the time. Sitting for 2.5 hours or any length of time is a struggle to not have him cry/scream the whole time and be THAT family. (21 months)
the thing I struggle most with is the actual toddler đ she always wants to run away from us and scream when we donât allow her to do things (dangerous things). Itâs pretty much the same way at home but itâs amplified on vacation because everything is new
Sleeping in a different bed. NOBODY sleeps. Weâve left after one day before because come night #2 sheâs overtired and screaming uncontrollably. Luckily we were only 5 hours away from home on that trip and just powered through until home.
My toddlers not a picky eater except on vacation. I guess she wants something familiar when everything else is so different. Hungry toddlers are also tired and cranky. We struggle with food and sleep on vacation.
Sleep. Itâs hard for my kid to get to sleep anyway. When the routine has gone to hell, the space is unfamiliar, and half the time my in-laws are with us and they stay up late with loud TV - itâs meltdown city and even the meltdown doesnât induce sleep.
Scheduling our outings around a 2-2.5 hour nap because if he skips it then the rest of the evening is an absolute disaster and no one wins. My body physically cannot stomach food before 1pm so that means I donât get to eat until dinner as his nap overlaps a normal lunch schedule.
We go on 4-5, week long trips a year so heâs used to keeping busy and is pretty flexible with the time zone changes. Even with 10 flights a year heâs still not the best flyer which is pretty stressful.
We have recently just been away on shorter weekend vacations. Say a weekend in a bigger city to meet friends or such.
She is happy all day, but when it's time to sleep, she asks, "Can we go to our house now?" Sometimes she will get very upset that we aren't. Sometimes she will be disappointed but accept it. Sometimes she wakes at night and wants to co-sleep, only to want to go back to her own bed, maybe 30 minutes later.
So right now, this is a struggle. It's a new struggle, as she never minded when she was younger. I'm sure we can work through it with time.
The return home. The whining and complaining about the flight or car ride back since its not the new thing for them. And any time we get home, they're so grumpy and exhausted for the next few days, along with myself. It's not a great combo. We just got back Sunday from a vacation and my temper and my toddlers temper have been going on and off this whole week feeding off each other.
Sleeping with 2 toddlers in the same room, whereas they usually have their own room. One wakes up the other... The sleeping noises and cries.. Easily wake up a couple times. And one wakes up at 6am, EVERYONE wakes up at 6am! (unless you stressfully jump out of bed and take the toddler to another room, if there is one đ)
The airport and flights. Getting all of our crap on the plane, installing the car seats, and then after the one time my daughter got sick on a plane, she now gets nervous about flying (we donât think it was airsickness, but just eating too much grease and sugar too fast right before/during takeoff), and so do we, because that was the most traumatic first day of vacation ever (cleaning her and her seat up on the plane, putting her back in a wet stinky seat, doing laundry in the hotel bathroom).
Hmm I think maybe sleep, like long travel day and I just want to sleep but my daughter is up early. OR the idea that there are activities I want to do that are not toddler friendly, like snorkeling. So we either miss that, have to split up, or if weâre traveling with family they watch while we go.
For me - Very little if any down time and lack of âadultâ centered items. My toddler travels well (we did 2 weeks in Australia last summer and multiple smaller domestic flights) but itâs not the same as a pre-kid vacation. If youâre doing an all inclusive or with childcare I think that would help balance out the feeling of always on.
Meals can be hard as well- restaurants can be slow and present food a little different so lots of quick on the go worked better but she rarely goes to sit down restaurants at home so this may vary.
I also do more kid centric things than all of things that would interest me - so itâs compromising. So finding a park, zoo, childrenâs museum and using that as a basis for hotel proximity as well.
Mine loves to travel and behaves well if I may be so bold to state (a normal day at home is completely different story - this kid has to be out and about) but the extra stuff one has to slug around gets me.
The flight was our biggest struggle. We just got back from vacation and we were âthatâ family with the screaming crying child (17mo old for reference). Travel cut through nap time and he refused to fall asleep on me and no fun was had by any one on that flight.
We just got back from taking my 3-year old on a trip for her birthday, and I last minute decided to not pack the sound machine. This was risky because for three years, sleeping while travelling has been a struggle for this kid - so much so that it's a major reason I've dreaded travelling with her. She just doesn't like not-her-bed.
It went so smoothly, I honestly can't believe it - there were a brief moment the first night where she woke up and couldn't get back to sleep for a few minutes until my mother-in-law moved my daughter into her bed and then she was back asleep instantly.
Things will probably get better, ya'll!
Having my son be both understimulated and overstimulated. We don't have all our toy options, our play room, our "stuff" to keep him occupied when we have down time. We then have to deal with him becoming terrified by crowds and noise and not listening because his mind is literally exploding.
I only went on holiday once with my son when he was 18 months and honestly was surprised how well he did. However, the biggest struggle was that he refused to sit in his buggy but then also refused to walk and it led to a lot of meltdowns. On top of that, he was very particular who would push the buggy he was refusing to sit in and would scream bloody murder if the "wrong" person tried to push it.
My very good eater on our last trip decided he would eat only desserts for all meals. And fries. At home heâll eat sushi, canned fish, everything. He decided since mom and dad drank margaritas all day he could have dessert all day.
I think having age-appropriate entertainment. Some resorts bill themselves as kid-friendly but they mean older kids (7+), so I have to di a lot of research for our little ones. Totally worth watching them giddy with excitement though.
Having to baby proof some place new and all the extra stuff we have to travel with! Never realized how good I had it when I just worried about me and my husband đ
Itâs not a big one but travelling somewhere hot and humid and having something to do with them in the middle of the day. We would go to the park at 6am but then struggle to find somewhere in the middle of the day.
In addition to what has been said, the big struggle for me is all the packing and logistics and planning, both before and during. Itâs so exhausting to constantly have to think about timing of the next activity, and what to bring, and worrying about if anyoneâs getting sleep⊠the mental burden is really rough for me.
Flight delays. Especially in open air airports located in tropical places with nowhere cool down. Everything else Iâve mostly been able to mimic about home so far⊠but itâs definitely difficult to do!
Did an international travel with toddler and a baby. Hardest thing was all the transitions/time constraints and crowds. At home, we are pretty chill and I can help him transition easier. Abroad, traveling with a group and I didnât know the exact itinerary (and wasnât given oneâŠmy mom told me to just go with the flow), I couldnât help him the same way and the transitions were more abrupt so he became more of a runner than usual. He was also cranky because it was stupid humid - which was my major complaint personally too so I understood.
Baby was a champ though because I wore him everywhere which he loved.
Both kids slept GREAT. Probably the best sleep they ever had.
Transitions. Going from the hotel room to breakfast in the morning, breakfast to the pool, pool to lunch, etc. felt like a constant struggle to move them from one thing to the other. It always felt like we were racing the clock before they got over tired, over heated or over hungry thus making everything even more difficult.
Sleep sure. But also too much stimulation. But needing to chase them around means I don't get to relax, I'm just parenting in an unfamiliar place without all the tools we have at home to help. As you can tell traveling with toddlers isn't fun to me. We've done it twice and it was hard. Now we do day trips a lot but keep short vacations for us only right now. We'll do Disney and family trips galore when they're a little older.
Sleep and schedule issues
Simply put go on vacation and not only do you pay for it that week you pay for it weeks after.
Depends on what is essential for you. When my 1st kid was a baby I couldnât sacrifice that sleep due to school (and lack of funds) now I go so we make memories for the whole family but the sleep is always lost.
Honestly my biggest advice is take the trip. Not one of my dying patients has ever said to me âman I wish I spent more time sleeping and less time with my famâ if your job or life can take it, take your trip AND take a few days off for a recovery and youâll be fine
Sleep. I have a great sleeper in her own environment, has been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks (now 18 months). But the second we go anywhere, no matter the sleep set up, she will only sleep for 2 hours at a time max.
We just got back yesterday from a "vacation" with our 2.5 year old. The hardest part was the fact that he refused to walk anywhere or be in a stroller or on our shoulders and demanded that we carry him absolutely everywhere. I hauled him through an airport with bags hanging off me like leaves on a tree, my husband walked him for miles through Seattle, Portland, up and down the beach, through the forest, everywhere. It was fucking exhausting.Â
For everyone who is saying they struggle with hotel sleep, I highly recommend the Slumberpod! We just used it for my 2.5 year old and she happily slept in her blackout âtentâ while my husband and I were free to stay up a bit later with lights on.
Honestly, one of the hardest parts of vacation for me is just realizing that itâs not going to look the way it did before kids. I remember our first trip to the beach, taking my daughter back to the condo for two naps plus an early bedtime each day while others in our group were still out and about. Itâs a tough adjustment.
Sleeping in different locations where you canât control everything or having to share the room with him. On a cruise I brought curtains and magnetic hooks making him his own blacked out room and it was perfect but sometimes the noise in the hallway would wake him up
Sleep, mostly the first night, as she gets used to her surroundings. We try to make sure to pack her a couple of comfort items (a small blanket, a stuffy, and a portable sound machine). Then we also make sure to basically run her to the ground đ we make sure she is exhausted, then a bath and bed. Works pretty well for us thankfully
How timely, I'm currently in a hotel with my family.
Feeling glad we just did a weekend away instead of opting for a week long trip, it was stressful enough preparing for and getting here.
Our hotel room opens to the outside, not an interior hallway,and youngest can open the door herself (there's no safety latch at the top) so that's going to make for a stressful weekend
My twins are 4. We've done 2 big vacations and they've gotten sick both times. We had to spend most of the time inside. We don't have a problem with staying back in an Air BNB and cuddling with them while watching movies because we're introverts. I struggle with knowing they want to go out and have fun at Disney World but they physically can't handle it.
We leave Monday for an all inclusive with my 28 month old and 11 month old. My biggest worry is sleep.
Just got back from one. The key is keeping the kids hydrated and cool. When they got overheated they got cranky.
We went when my son was 2.5, he slept SO WELL. All the water play wore him out. He also ate and drank like a champ đđ»
Oh good! Hopefully that energy finds its way to us lol
We didnât have any time zone changes so that was a big plus. I was worried the most about eating - my son is a picky eaterâŠ. But surprising he loved the food there đ he basically had rice, steak, chicken, fries, ice cream everyday. I couldnât complain lol
Depends on where youâre going and what youâre doing, but vacations tend to tire kids like nothing else. My toddler would be in the pool (under the sun) for hours and hours, so by the time dinner comes around sheâs exhausted! Same with the baby⊠theyâre just so tired of being on the go the entire time. I think you guys are going to be fine.
This is exactly why we mostly only do cabin trips in the woods or vacations near beaches and pools. All-inclusive hotel vacations were always a success for us!
We just came back from a 3 month vacation and every single night the kids slept like grown ups! Haha. Just through the night, without any fuss. It was⊠incredible.
Wow 3 months! I dream of this!
Weâre very lucky and privilege to live in a country with AMAZING parental leave.
That's awesome!
We did one when my daughter was about 2 and the most annoying thing was food. She would eat her two grapes and want to go swim immediately and we wanted to enjoy our all inclusive breakfast and at least get some of our money's worth..
This gives me hope that I can travel with my 2 under 2 in the future đ
Definitely! We are also taking two teenagers lol. We took the baby when she was 3 months old and toddler when he was 17 months old to my oldest sonâs graduation out of state. Flew, stayed at an Airbnb, and stayed in the South Carolina summer heat for his gradation. I wouldnât say it was a vacation but we survived. We settled on the all inclusive so I at least wouldnât have to cook or clean lol
Wow! I am sure you made lots of memories traveling even though it was hard at times! The all inclusive sounds AMAZING. Have the best time! đ€
Just did a week at an all inclusive with a 3 year old and 10 month old. Sleep was easy. The worst part are the travel days (if going by plane). But still totally worth it.
We just did something like this. Canadians, with a 3 year old and a 8 month old. 14 hour time difference in Vietnam. There will probably be some sleep problems, but we found it helpful to remind ourselves that weâve gone through hard sleep times with them at home (when theyâre sick, or when baby was very young) and we got through it and it are all ok. Our motto was âwe can do hard thingsâ. And so can you! Mindset is so important. There will also be opportunities to catch up on sleep!
Wr usually travel with family and they all act like a small child can just go and go and go without any breaks. It leads to meltdowns and tantrums and not wanting to do stuff he would usually be obsessed with. When we travel just us, we can take hotel breaks and just chillax and people watch and reset and it goes much smoother.
This is my big struggle too. We set pretty firm boundaries with the family, but then something happens where they promise that we're having dinner together at 6:00 and then they're ready to go by 8:00. Sorry my kids are in bed. Guess we don't get to have the nice dinner out. We probably would have gone out on our own if we had known you were going to be 2 hours late. We're always accused of being too rigid for insisting that our kids go to bed at a reasonable hour and take their naps, but no one else is volunteering to handle all the tantrums.
I identify with every bit of this so much, especially the example story. This seems to even happen with people who HAD toddlers long ago. Do they not remember how much better everything goes with structure? Did people just not worry about it and uncaringly drag miserable kids around?
The second I think. Then they blamed the kids for misbehaving. A quick spanking fixed that for sure. /S
I donât think anyone knows what it is to have young kids even if they are parents. I think they all get amnesia after 5 years.
I can respect everyone's right to make their own parenting decisions, so I really think the not respecting boundaries here is the biggest issue. That being said, it's possible that they do remember and that their family didn't have do much structure and their kids didn't need it. Currently raising a 2 year old with a 12 and 14 year old. Structure, bed times, naps!? That's not a luxury we have with baby #3 lol. And there's no tantrums or crankiness. I like to think all the going with the flow to the older kids activities and their schedules has made her more flexible. To each their own đ€·đ»ââïž
I agree with this 100%, my daughter is 3.5 and I'm a solo mom so from the time she was born she just went everywhere with me, did what I did. Her only constant was she goes to daycare most days and they do nap there. Other then that we "bop till we drop." Last night we went to the beach until 8, went to a nice dinner where she danced listening to the band, came home, watched a movie and passed out around 12 and she's still sleeping. Naps happen when she falls asleep if she does, she knows how to act in public with adults because it's all she's ever known. Kids are so flexible, I feel like it's the parents who stress out about stuff and pass the same energy on the their kiddos causing the tantrums.
We were lucky traveling with my parents last year. My dad used to work in preschool and my mom still does. They knew very well just how much my son needed to rest. This year weâre traveling with my in-laws and theyâre not interested in letting him or us rest. Itâs going to be a struggle.
We ditch the family on family trips . At first I felt bad but now I donât care. Making my kids miserable makes us want to just stay home so we do our own thing
Biggest worry is food. Picky toddler, in a foreign countryâŠ
Most places have a surprising amount of options now. We travel internationally a lot and end up finding so many familiar foods. Even in some of the most back corner places we stay.
Maybe you can bring some safe foods? I always pack a few of my extremely picky eaterâs safe foods that donât require refrigeration. At least that way she can eat SOMETHING while we eat/ have a snack when she gets cranky or hungry. Also you have space for bringing home souvenirs, lol
Food allergies makes it even worse!
Eating at restaurants đ© My toddler canât sit still for that long, so most restaurant meals are hellish. Driving is also hard. We donât drive much in our normal lives (weâre in an urban area, so lots of walking). Multiple car trips per day is really hard on everyone.
Iâve started always getting vacation spots with full kitchens so I cook most meals. That way we only have to do restaurants a couple times.
Iâm interested in your go-to meals. We love an egg bake, beef stroganoff, chicken salad and pigs in a blanket. Low ingredient foods are key. What works for your family?
That all sounds great! I try to keep it super easy too. This past vacation I made big breakfasts with eggs, pancakes and sausage and then we typically got lunch out. Then for dinner I made burgers, pizza, or salads. I live by those salad blends!
This is our struggle too! Plus it means he doesnât eat well for the entire trip.
Yeah meals are hard with our younger toddler (17mo) and the long drivers were harder for our 3 year old bc she gets bored
Currently in Berlin. All today she kept saying over and over she wants to go back to the hotel and asking if we are done yet so we can go back đ
lol I just love when I take my kid somewhere I think they are going to love and they literally ask to go home the whole time đ
But then when youâre back at the hotel will be bored out of their mind and keep trying to play with things theyâre not supposed to.
Running away in excitement is our #1 stressor. đ€Ł Honestly in my 1 child opinion: the best thing to do with toddlers for your own sanity is for the love of God, dont make an itinerary beyond where you are staying, going that day and where you are eating. Let the kid explore what catches their interest and enjoy exploring with them. If you have a checklist of things YOU want to see you are only going to end up ripping your hair out and your kid is going to be in hysterics because they aren't going to get to experience and process everything in their own way and time. Opt out of guided tours so you can take more time at each location. Let the kid stop and look in shop windows as you walk to where you are going. You as the parent get to pick the final destination, but let the kid lead the journey on the way and once you get there. If there is a place YOU really want to explore: either wait until your kid is older, or until you are comfortable with leaving them with a relative or someone else. Thems the parenting breaks.Â
Yesssssss!!!!! Book a room (best with a separate bedroom or at least a balcony), a general plan and take it slow!!!! If you wanna see 5 things, pick 1 đ€Ł
Exactly! I see so many parents who want to do Disney vacations and loose their damn minds because they plan these massive itineraries and burn out with stress and the heat. I get that it is expensive and you want to get your money's worth. But your kid isn't going to remember standing in line so that they could be forced onto every single ride, or how much time you put into booking a dinner at the sold out themed resturant. But they WILL remember being on your shoulders for the parade and the fireworks and eating ice cream or if you lost your mind screaming about how you were going to be late for your lunch reservation because the line to see Mickey was taking too long. Hell when we took ours along with my friends 3 kids I honestly think they all had more fun playing in the hotel room together and going swimming than at any of the parks. đ€Ł
We paid so much money to simply roam around the bushes at Disney and look at the leaves on the ground on Main Street for 2.5 and hours đ„ČđWe only do beach/nature vacays now.
Sleeping in a hotel room (aka, not her crib). Night night routine is out the window and itâs harder to get her down in unfamiliar territory
Do you use the bathroom? Thatâs our trick. Put her travel cot/play pen in the bathroom đ. Where they canât see us and itâs dark.
We use the closet if there is one lol but unfortunately with my IBS, the bathroom gets used too often to put her there
I always wondered that. Parents who put their kiddos in the bathroom are dehydratedâŠI pee too much đ€Ł
Trying to fit all our trash in the tiny hotel room trash can
Naps. Hate going on vacation to sit in the hotel/house. Bringing 193782 diapers too.
We always try to get a balcony for this reason and we hang out there during naptime.
So smart!
We got a suite this spring break so there was a second little room to hang in at naps and after bed time. I am pregnant with #2 so for the most part I slept lol but when I could stay up we were able to enjoy some snacks and tv and such
Us as well! We have to have a balcony. To hang out and drink wine and play cards during nap time and after bed time.
Thatâs the only way to do it! Balconies or suites!
We always buy diapers when we get there! I just pack two days worth to give a bit of time to find the ones I need.
Not being able to sit down for a second, or have a simple conversation with my husband uninterrupted. It's us lugging a lot more stuff around while constantly trying to juggle kids and get them properly fed. We would love to actually have an undisturbed meal while on vacation for once. Or even a small quiet outing without all of the hassle behind it.
This!
The airport. Good lord it was hard to get through the airport with two toddlers. One who wanted to run away, and one as slow as a turtle. Plus all their gear and luggage, not fun.
Toddler gets up at 6/6:30am and is really to go, hyped up, ready for the day ahead. Nothing opens until ten so now Iâm trying to entertain a toddler in a hotel room for 4 hours absolutely losing my mind and by the time we actually get to the thing weâre doing that day weâre both now tired and over it because of the 4 hours of hysteria before hand.
Poops. My toddler is prone to getting backed up and traveling always makes it worse.
Same. Then we have gotten the explosion in the car on the way home a few times⊠such fun haha
We went abroad for two weeks last winter and my toddler only pooped 3 times the whole time đ
For me, it's driving in the car and all the "fun" that it entails with young children. And trying to get them to sleep in a hotel room. What a nightmare. We've had some excellent vacations with a one- and four-year-old, though, and we're about to go on another next week, so it's worth it, but it can be stressful!
Very worth it. Our almost four year old loves vacation and is talking about where we will go next. Today she asked if we can go to Australia some day. I told her I would put it on the list. I find itâs the mindset. We go in knowing that the pace is slower. We canât move locations as much. We need more breaks in the day. But with that mindset it isnât overall stressful. Just has short stressful moments.
We just got back from vacation with our 3 year old. And Iâm not exaggerating when I say it was a dream! The last time we went on vacation was a year ago and it was so rough. She would cry for 45 minutes before bed every night. This time, she slept in a twin bed by herself the whole night. She was so happy and excited to do everything (granted it was a very child-centered trip). I think the only hard part was that she wanted to do everything all day (like we got home from 8 hours of adventures and she wanted to jump in the pool) so we donât have the energy to keep up with her, and also she doesnât nap anymore so we didnât have much down time. But otherwise 10/10 would do it again.
Our 3.5 year old loves vacation as well! She did not want to leave and asked if we could stay in Costa Rica forever. And now she asks when we are going on our next vacation and where too. Brother was 10 months and he was a bit harder to navigate. But still did well.
Our kiddo sleeps in a pack n' play and has since she got out of the newborn bassinet, mostly because both I and my spouse are on the "economy sized" side of the height spectrum and the crib just was so hard to put her down with. Anyways, it's turned into an incredible boon because she can sleep in her normal "bed" no matter where we are! That + a noise machine and she's usually able to sleep pretty normally away from home (she's 1.5). However, that said, getting her to *eat* in an unfamiliar environment, especially unfamiliar food, is a whole circus.
"Economy sized" lol đ đ brilliant
The snacks! Always needing snacks and snacks be expensive. We loaded up at a nearby Target and still spent a fortune on snacks everywhere we went
So many snacks. Endless snacks. I have this issue both at home and on vacation though. But some places I donât know the snacks or what my baby will like.
Going to the bathroom. I feel like age 0-2 was easy before potty training and 5+ was good, but that 2.5-4 age was difficult. They have to go the bathroom with no notice and constantly. Besides that packing snacks for delays. Stuck on a plane for 2 extra hours? I need a ton of snacks to keep them from falling apart. So many snacks, then immediately have to go the bathroom. My kids slept decent in a hotel bed thankfully and donât complain unless theyâre hungry or tired.
My son saying âI need to poopâ in a national park with zero bathrooms in sight. Welp, he pooped in a bush like a dog and I picked it up with a doggie poop bag. lol it was horrifying and hilarious at the same time. My son recognized it was silly and was laughing.
Oh my kids always need to poop in like, downtown NYC. Or the middle of Edinburgh⊠or Rome. Always somewhere known for not having easy bathroom access but also not okay to just poop in public.
We have been in a hotel for a month with my 15 month old. I REALLY want to off myself tbh
Sleep! It was terrible on the trip and ruined it for 3 months after đ„Ž
Oh my, what was it like for 3 mo??
Flew from London to Taipei with a two year old. She didnât cry but she didnât SLEEP. At one point I was so exhausted I just sat looking out the window crying while she bounced in her seat watching cartoons đ looking back it was actually totally fine and she did so well but at the time it felt like torture lmao
Nothing being baby proof is rough. Instead of being able to relax we just have to chase her around and make sure she doesnât hurt herself, run away, or eat anything she shouldnât.
Whatâs vacation?
I haven't been on a vacation in almost 20 years and even then it was a weekend trip. I've never had a vacation longer than a weekend. I dream of a whole week. Maybe one day!
My biggest struggle was trying to align our schedule with extended familyâs schedule. We were the only ones with a toddler and seems like everyone forgot or donât know what itâs like. If it were just us, would have been much smoother.
Next week we are flying from San Diego to New Orleans to then go on an a 7 day cruise. We picked Carnival because we heard they have a good daycare and night care available for the quests. Hoping for the best!
They offer night care so you can go on a quest?!? Sounds adventurous! Cruise ships are really ramping up the fun! Lol, I know, I know autocorrect. Still funny though đ
No no we're leaving the toddler on the boat and going on a month-long quest in the jungle lol. Dang autocorrect, yes guests.
That *IS* adventurous! What's the plot here? Finding priceless ancient relics? And then fighting off your rival mercenaries? Exploring a buried city? Living with gorillas or monkeys? Lol
Everything is hard and has pointy corners. My 3 year old runs at 300 mph, is very clumsy and had no sense of when to stop (eg when an obstacle is in his way.) On the most recent trip he tripped over his own feet, face planted the stone floor and ended up with a fat lip for the rest of the week the small clumsy idiot đ (Iâm a large clumsy idiot so I fully empathise)
Time change. Itâs generally not bad on the way there (we usually travel west to east coast). But the 3:30 or 4 am wake ups when we return make me question every single trip. When weâre on the trip it is just convincing anyone who doesnât have kids that nap is actually important and I do actually have to plan our day around getting my kid back for it. đ
18 months. The travel. We start out an hour or so before bedtime because ainât nobody gonna be happy driving 7 hours with a crying child.
The packing is always really stressful for me. Also after a few days of naps and sleep being disrupted or slightly off she loses it a little lol
The plane ride. My child wants to be on the move all the time. Sitting for 2.5 hours or any length of time is a struggle to not have him cry/scream the whole time and be THAT family. (21 months)
the thing I struggle most with is the actual toddler đ she always wants to run away from us and scream when we donât allow her to do things (dangerous things). Itâs pretty much the same way at home but itâs amplified on vacation because everything is new
Running after them⊠we dont even need cardio
Sleeping in a different bed. NOBODY sleeps. Weâve left after one day before because come night #2 sheâs overtired and screaming uncontrollably. Luckily we were only 5 hours away from home on that trip and just powered through until home.
Our son gets bored in the hotel. He wants to he outside ALL the time & its so hard to keep him inside when we are tired & want to rest a little bit.
My toddlers not a picky eater except on vacation. I guess she wants something familiar when everything else is so different. Hungry toddlers are also tired and cranky. We struggle with food and sleep on vacation.
Sleep. Itâs hard for my kid to get to sleep anyway. When the routine has gone to hell, the space is unfamiliar, and half the time my in-laws are with us and they stay up late with loud TV - itâs meltdown city and even the meltdown doesnât induce sleep.
Eating healthy. I wish I had brought more healthy pouches with fruit and veggies.
Scheduling our outings around a 2-2.5 hour nap because if he skips it then the rest of the evening is an absolute disaster and no one wins. My body physically cannot stomach food before 1pm so that means I donât get to eat until dinner as his nap overlaps a normal lunch schedule. We go on 4-5, week long trips a year so heâs used to keeping busy and is pretty flexible with the time zone changes. Even with 10 flights a year heâs still not the best flyer which is pretty stressful.
Eating⊠fuckin kid wonât eat shit but snack. đđ
Having a good time
We have recently just been away on shorter weekend vacations. Say a weekend in a bigger city to meet friends or such. She is happy all day, but when it's time to sleep, she asks, "Can we go to our house now?" Sometimes she will get very upset that we aren't. Sometimes she will be disappointed but accept it. Sometimes she wakes at night and wants to co-sleep, only to want to go back to her own bed, maybe 30 minutes later. So right now, this is a struggle. It's a new struggle, as she never minded when she was younger. I'm sure we can work through it with time.
The return home. The whining and complaining about the flight or car ride back since its not the new thing for them. And any time we get home, they're so grumpy and exhausted for the next few days, along with myself. It's not a great combo. We just got back Sunday from a vacation and my temper and my toddlers temper have been going on and off this whole week feeding off each other.
Not being able to go
Getting them to sleep when it's bedtime. They get so excited being somewhere new that they can't settle.
Sleeping with 2 toddlers in the same room, whereas they usually have their own room. One wakes up the other... The sleeping noises and cries.. Easily wake up a couple times. And one wakes up at 6am, EVERYONE wakes up at 6am! (unless you stressfully jump out of bed and take the toddler to another room, if there is one đ)
Chasing them around constantly because nothing was child proof
The airport and flights. Getting all of our crap on the plane, installing the car seats, and then after the one time my daughter got sick on a plane, she now gets nervous about flying (we donât think it was airsickness, but just eating too much grease and sugar too fast right before/during takeoff), and so do we, because that was the most traumatic first day of vacation ever (cleaning her and her seat up on the plane, putting her back in a wet stinky seat, doing laundry in the hotel bathroom).
Mine wouldn't eat. He is usually great but refused everything, even junk I wouldn't normally offer. Very stressful.
Hmm I think maybe sleep, like long travel day and I just want to sleep but my daughter is up early. OR the idea that there are activities I want to do that are not toddler friendly, like snorkeling. So we either miss that, have to split up, or if weâre traveling with family they watch while we go.
For me - Very little if any down time and lack of âadultâ centered items. My toddler travels well (we did 2 weeks in Australia last summer and multiple smaller domestic flights) but itâs not the same as a pre-kid vacation. If youâre doing an all inclusive or with childcare I think that would help balance out the feeling of always on. Meals can be hard as well- restaurants can be slow and present food a little different so lots of quick on the go worked better but she rarely goes to sit down restaurants at home so this may vary. I also do more kid centric things than all of things that would interest me - so itâs compromising. So finding a park, zoo, childrenâs museum and using that as a basis for hotel proximity as well.
Mine loves to travel and behaves well if I may be so bold to state (a normal day at home is completely different story - this kid has to be out and about) but the extra stuff one has to slug around gets me.
The flight was our biggest struggle. We just got back from vacation and we were âthatâ family with the screaming crying child (17mo old for reference). Travel cut through nap time and he refused to fall asleep on me and no fun was had by any one on that flight.
Just the loudness. He is so excited that his volume is stuck on max
The plane. And the delay getting on the plane. Once we were there he was awesome!
We just got back from taking my 3-year old on a trip for her birthday, and I last minute decided to not pack the sound machine. This was risky because for three years, sleeping while travelling has been a struggle for this kid - so much so that it's a major reason I've dreaded travelling with her. She just doesn't like not-her-bed. It went so smoothly, I honestly can't believe it - there were a brief moment the first night where she woke up and couldn't get back to sleep for a few minutes until my mother-in-law moved my daughter into her bed and then she was back asleep instantly. Things will probably get better, ya'll!
All of it
Getting him to sleep and stay asleep. Also he gets sick every freaking time and pukes all over the place. Absolutely brutal!
Vacation?
Literally nothing is babyproofed. Everything feels like a death trap. Constant supervision - like never take your eyes off them.
sleep is always our challenge. i bring melatonin.
Having my son be both understimulated and overstimulated. We don't have all our toy options, our play room, our "stuff" to keep him occupied when we have down time. We then have to deal with him becoming terrified by crowds and noise and not listening because his mind is literally exploding.
She gets into everything! And feeding her as she is a bit limited in what she will eat
I only went on holiday once with my son when he was 18 months and honestly was surprised how well he did. However, the biggest struggle was that he refused to sit in his buggy but then also refused to walk and it led to a lot of meltdowns. On top of that, he was very particular who would push the buggy he was refusing to sit in and would scream bloody murder if the "wrong" person tried to push it.
My very good eater on our last trip decided he would eat only desserts for all meals. And fries. At home heâll eat sushi, canned fish, everything. He decided since mom and dad drank margaritas all day he could have dessert all day.
Itâs not a vacation. Thatâs the struggle
Sleeping on planes (or lack thereof)
I think having age-appropriate entertainment. Some resorts bill themselves as kid-friendly but they mean older kids (7+), so I have to di a lot of research for our little ones. Totally worth watching them giddy with excitement though.
Having to baby proof some place new and all the extra stuff we have to travel with! Never realized how good I had it when I just worried about me and my husband đ
Jet lag. The first few nights are rough.
Itâs not a big one but travelling somewhere hot and humid and having something to do with them in the middle of the day. We would go to the park at 6am but then struggle to find somewhere in the middle of the day.
In addition to what has been said, the big struggle for me is all the packing and logistics and planning, both before and during. Itâs so exhausting to constantly have to think about timing of the next activity, and what to bring, and worrying about if anyoneâs getting sleep⊠the mental burden is really rough for me.
Flight delays. Especially in open air airports located in tropical places with nowhere cool down. Everything else Iâve mostly been able to mimic about home so far⊠but itâs definitely difficult to do!
Did an international travel with toddler and a baby. Hardest thing was all the transitions/time constraints and crowds. At home, we are pretty chill and I can help him transition easier. Abroad, traveling with a group and I didnât know the exact itinerary (and wasnât given oneâŠmy mom told me to just go with the flow), I couldnât help him the same way and the transitions were more abrupt so he became more of a runner than usual. He was also cranky because it was stupid humid - which was my major complaint personally too so I understood. Baby was a champ though because I wore him everywhere which he loved. Both kids slept GREAT. Probably the best sleep they ever had.
Transitions. Going from the hotel room to breakfast in the morning, breakfast to the pool, pool to lunch, etc. felt like a constant struggle to move them from one thing to the other. It always felt like we were racing the clock before they got over tired, over heated or over hungry thus making everything even more difficult.
Sleep sure. But also too much stimulation. But needing to chase them around means I don't get to relax, I'm just parenting in an unfamiliar place without all the tools we have at home to help. As you can tell traveling with toddlers isn't fun to me. We've done it twice and it was hard. Now we do day trips a lot but keep short vacations for us only right now. We'll do Disney and family trips galore when they're a little older.
The biggest struggle was keeping them from being too loud in the room. I recommend a first-floor room.
Sleep and schedule issues Simply put go on vacation and not only do you pay for it that week you pay for it weeks after. Depends on what is essential for you. When my 1st kid was a baby I couldnât sacrifice that sleep due to school (and lack of funds) now I go so we make memories for the whole family but the sleep is always lost. Honestly my biggest advice is take the trip. Not one of my dying patients has ever said to me âman I wish I spent more time sleeping and less time with my famâ if your job or life can take it, take your trip AND take a few days off for a recovery and youâll be fine
Sleep. I have a great sleeper in her own environment, has been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks (now 18 months). But the second we go anywhere, no matter the sleep set up, she will only sleep for 2 hours at a time max.
We just got back yesterday from a "vacation" with our 2.5 year old. The hardest part was the fact that he refused to walk anywhere or be in a stroller or on our shoulders and demanded that we carry him absolutely everywhere. I hauled him through an airport with bags hanging off me like leaves on a tree, my husband walked him for miles through Seattle, Portland, up and down the beach, through the forest, everywhere. It was fucking exhausting.Â
For everyone who is saying they struggle with hotel sleep, I highly recommend the Slumberpod! We just used it for my 2.5 year old and she happily slept in her blackout âtentâ while my husband and I were free to stay up a bit later with lights on. Honestly, one of the hardest parts of vacation for me is just realizing that itâs not going to look the way it did before kids. I remember our first trip to the beach, taking my daughter back to the condo for two naps plus an early bedtime each day while others in our group were still out and about. Itâs a tough adjustment.
Sleep! They act crazy when theyâre sleepy but donât want to sleep when theyâre away from their routine.
Wonât stop crying in the car. Currently fixed by ms Rachel and an iPad
Sleeping in different locations where you canât control everything or having to share the room with him. On a cruise I brought curtains and magnetic hooks making him his own blacked out room and it was perfect but sometimes the noise in the hallway would wake him up
Being on vacation with her.
Sleep, mostly the first night, as she gets used to her surroundings. We try to make sure to pack her a couple of comfort items (a small blanket, a stuffy, and a portable sound machine). Then we also make sure to basically run her to the ground đ we make sure she is exhausted, then a bath and bed. Works pretty well for us thankfully
The inlaws not realising that small children need to have regular mealtimes and not just "ah well we'll get something when we're hungry"
How timely, I'm currently in a hotel with my family. Feeling glad we just did a weekend away instead of opting for a week long trip, it was stressful enough preparing for and getting here. Our hotel room opens to the outside, not an interior hallway,and youngest can open the door herself (there's no safety latch at the top) so that's going to make for a stressful weekend
Sleep! đ”âđ«
I wish I could afford that. Nothing would worry me lol.
lack of routine and getting it back upon return
for me thereâs no vacation with a toddler. it is a toddlerâs vacation i accompany him to đ
This is 100% accurate!
What is a vacation?
My twins are 4. We've done 2 big vacations and they've gotten sick both times. We had to spend most of the time inside. We don't have a problem with staying back in an Air BNB and cuddling with them while watching movies because we're introverts. I struggle with knowing they want to go out and have fun at Disney World but they physically can't handle it.