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I want your tips for how to have a *fun* family vacation with young children. Where do you go? What do you do? What are your strategies? Finally, how do you cope with significant age gaps between the children?
Works for Me Wednesday is backwards-themed this week. For more advice-giving opportunities [show what you've learned!], visit Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer
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33 Responses to “WFMW: Vacationing with young children”
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We stay home! LOL
Okay…not a good tip, so I’ll look forward to checking back, as this is an area we need to work on too!
We’ve traveled a lot with our kids, so I have a few suggestions:
1. Pack less, not more. Nobody needs to be dragging around ten bags when your trying to hold onto little hands;)
2. Find a condo or other place that has a kitchen. The more you can take care of right in your room, the less hassle – and you’ll save a ton of money on food, so that pays for the extra cost in lodging.
3. Keep it simple. With little kids, we just stayed at a resort the whole time and never did excursions. Beach. Pool. Cartoons. Over and over and over again. Now that they’re older we do the excursions, but not when they were little.
Good luck!
time share! first off, it makes it easier to get larger places with more rooms. second, usually the places have kitchens. third, there are often activities right in the resort.
biggest tip: low expectations for fun. ice cream in the middle of the morning is exciting no matter how you cut it. embrace the small joys!
My team is so young that we try to keep vacations a good driving distance away. We always stay somewhere with a kitchen. Right now we do relaxing things since babies need to nap. Vacations are about catching up on sleep. This probably didn’t help, good luck to you!
We always bring kid carriers, so that we can go anywhere (even non-stroller accessible places). We’ve used slings, baby bjorns, mei-teis, and backpacks.
I second getting somewhere with a kitchen and two rooms – nice to be able to put them down without having to sleep yourself. Though we’ve done camping too – kids can nap in a tent and you can do some relaxing outside.
We go outside a lot, wherever we are. When we went camping, my youngest spent an inordinate amount of time just playing with the DIRT. Literally. He’d pick up a handful, pour it out, and pick up another handful.
good luck!
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
I’d say if you are going to be staying in a hotel, get a suite with a kitchen. That has helped us a lot. We’ve always brought a play yard for the youngest (whomever it was at the time) to sleep in because we all need to sleep good. When planning excursions, plan short things so you can go do something in the morning, come back to the room to relax and nap, and then do something short in the afternoon. We always take a back pack to carry the youngest in because it takes up a lot less room than a stroller, and then we rent a stroller if we go someplace where a stroller would be better. We have taken our kids camping a lot and they love it. Again, we take the back pack to carry the youngest on short hikes. Sometimes my husband will take the older kids for a walk while the youngest and I take a nap in the tent. We take a lot of books and games in case it rains (which it usually does at least once every trip) so we have a lot to do while cooped up in the tent.
Great question and lots of helpful comments. I’ll see if I have any other suggestions.
Matching outfits – great for travel and outings (easy to find your crew in a crowd)
Give each child their own travel bag or back pack – pack surprises and treats in the bag
If family is helpful then stay with or include relatives in vacation plans. We love traveling with and visiting my parents are part of our vacations. The kids get grandparent time, dh and I get breaks here and there, and it’s fun all around.
Duckabush Blog
Well, you’re already getting some great advice here!
I only have one child so far, we’re hoping to adopt a second child soon, so it’s pretty easy for us to find things to do to entertain our son without the age gap issue.
Good luck!
Keep yourself to one activity per day, and make it physically friendly (less sitting, more age-appropriate moving).
be flexible.
create a home base – one place that you stay, that can be a temporary home. It reduces the sense of displacement in the littler guys.
keep some routines – like bedtimes! Familiarity helps.
Bright colors on the kids, to help spot them in a crowd – and baby carriers so that you can backpack the littlest ones.
And yes, I agree with the others. We’ve always had a kitchen for our crazy foods, but it definitely helps to be able to make food on their schedule and to their preference. Kind of sucks to spend so much vacation time in the kitchen, though.
I don’t have any children, but something I remember when when I was little was making a memory book\scrap book of things that we did. It can contain any tickets\leaflets from things you pay to do, but also, for example, pictures you drew of ducks at the park.
Another game i remember playing was the alphabet game. Whereever we were going, maybe the park or even the supermarket, we took a little notebook, a pencil and the letter of the day. When we were younger we had easier letters and once we were older we had harder letters. You all work together to come up with all the things you can see beginning with that letter. I liked the letter D because I could put down my name and daddy for starters! Then thnigs like ducks, dogs, daisys…. you can play it for 5 minutes or all day!
Our favorite vacation has been Disney World. There is something for all ages. It is expensive but it was worth the investment!
For traveling, we pack surprise bags that have things like stickers, pipe cleaners, little toys that I fish out of the bottom of the toy box, etc. I usually don’t buy much to go in them but just gather things up around the house. Each hour we pass out a new bag and it contains something interesting for them to play with for the next hour. They know that once the another hour rolls around they will get a new bag and something new to play with. It keeps them engaged for hours!
Hope that helps!
With three kids, we keep it simple. I think our best family vacation was when our twins were two. We rented a cottage in Door County, WI, that backed up to the beach. The boys loved playing on the beach, and we were able to relax a bit. We kept our naptime/bedtime routine, so we were all happier! We prepared simple, no-fuss food at the cottage, which was much less stressful than eating out.
Good luck!
Kelly PTT had some great tips. We try to stay in a suite if possible (Homewood and Embassy are reasonable and serve a big breakfast), or a condo, because then WE get to relax when the kids go to bed (especially if you have younger ones, as you do).
I agree with the beach idea. We’ve done that several times, and my kids are 5 1/2 years apart (currently 9 and 3). We did go to an amusement park (Not Disney), but we had my in-laws with me who loved hanging out at the kiddie rides with the young one. That’s an idea that several of my friends have used–bring the grandparents!
Don’t be afraid to think big–like Disneyland big! We added up what it cost to go to the county fair; after entry fees, tons of food, ride tickets, petting zoo and special exhibit fees, parking…a “cheap” day out cost more than we paid for a day at Disneyland, including food and hotel. I see your adorable baby–travel success means Be Overprepared! Pack a backpack in a style your husband is willing to carry with 4 outfits for the baby and lightweight underwear/pants/socks combos for bigger kids if they’re at all prone to accidents. Pack each outfit in a quart size ziploc bag and squish the air out. Take a large blanket and attach a safety pin–double duty as a nursing cover you can sling over your shoulder and still walk around while feeding. Take more diapers and wipes than you could possibly need…you’ll always come up short if you don’t! Think of every possible scenario and pack to avoid stopping fun–kid size earplugs, tylenol, gas drops, diaper rash cream. Take several disposable changing pads and line the stroller–when baby has a blowout, your (or the park’s) stroller won’t be ruined. I just realized this is a looong comment; maybe I’ll post an article later this week
Good luck!
I concur with all the posts that suggest kitchens, also, try vacationing with another couple, you have more adults to divide and conquer the different age groups and someone to swap childcare with so you can go out to dinner on your own at least once on vacation. I know it defeats the purpose of “family” vacation a little, but have lots of friends who are like family.
You might like this post I did last year about car trips and kids:
http://milehimama.blogspot.com/2006/12/wfmw-holiday-travel-with-dollar-store.html
By far, our best vacation is renting a house no more than a block off the beach (allows for easy return for naps, potty breaks, the predictably unpredictable issues). The beach is so perfect it keeps the kids occupied for hours, the husband and I can actually talk in complete sentences, if anyone freaks out the sound of the ocean drowns it out…just awesome. We live about 3.5 hours and it is a relatively easy, (all) day drive
We just have one kid, but we try to do most things in the morning, leaving room for the afternoon nap. I also love to research the heck out of a destination so I know what can be kid friendly.
So many great tips already. My idea is to vacation at home. I know there are still a lot of places in Seattle that the kids and I haven’t seen yet. Next spring this is what we intend to do. We have something called a “City Pass” (lots of big cities have it or something like it.) You get to do five predetermined things (only one of which we have done before) within a small window of time (like a week) for a really great price. You have all the comforts of home. Just make sure you actually DO your vacation instead of getting sidetracked with projects and work.
1. Keep a special bag of things that are just for traveling (stickers, books, crayons, etc)
2. Give even young children their own camera (a disposable one works well). They really love it!
3. Make sure the children have some of their own spending money, even a very little will do.
4. It’s ok to change plans when something isn’t working. In my childhood memories it was the traveling and swimming in the motel pools that I remember the most, not the places we went or what we did.
We took my nephew to the Strong Children’s Museum in Rochester, NY. I am not kidding when I tell you there was more hands on fun there than at Disney. Anything your child can imagine to do and 100′s of other things too. They have baby play areas in many rooms for the littlest sibs. Rochster is a pretty inexpensive city too. If you live where you can drive this is more than worth it! You could spend three days there! Also, lots of great family friendly restuarants in the area.
Our best vacations when the kids were little beach vacations. My best tips that I could pass on for vacationing in general…
* If you go to a public place, dress your kids in a brightly colored shirt. They don’t have to look like twins but the same color is helpful for spotting them in crowds.
* Stay somewhere with a kitchen or at a minimum a fridge. We ALWAYS bought, milk and did breakfast at the hotel. Lunch can be cold cut sandwiches.
* Go with another family or some relatives. Grandparents can babysit one night so parents can have some time on their own. Same with the other family, built in playmates for the kids and you each take a turn sitting for the other couple to have a night on their own.
* Each child packs their toys and is responsible for hauling their toys. I let them take a backpack or whatever but they have to carry it on the plane, in the car, to and from hotels etc. and be responsible for repacking it at stops etc. You’d be surprised what they decide to leave behind by the second vacation.
* Take a deck of cards! When it’s raining, it solves a lot of problems and can be lots of fun to play as a family. Even the youngest can play concentration.
Good luck!
Lots of great tips already! My in-law’s have a time share that we used last year and it worked great! This year we are going with them so we will have babysitters!
I planned a flexible meal menu ahead of time and then we were able to quickly purchase what we needed for food. A lot of times we brought fast food back to the condo and ate at the table there. Then it didn’t matter what the kids did.
We took one box of old toys, and bought a couple new things from the dollar store.
We looked in the local phone book for play parks in the area. The kids had a blast climbing, swinging, and sliding.
We determined ahead of time to just take it slow and easy and be flexible.
We went and walked through a mall on the rainy day.
I’m in the group that packs less. You’re usually not that far from a Wal-mart if you need something.:)
The main thing that helped me was to remember that the vacation was going to be different than when we were just a couple and we just decided to have fun being together.
We are currently living in Europe with our 19mo so we travel around a lot. My suggestions are:
-Have several options for how to carry a baby. When they want out of the stroller, have a bjorn or a backpack, sling or something.
-Don’t be oversealous on how much you can do in one day. You may only see one museum or site.
-Find the playgrounds and parks so kids can let out steam.
-Stay where there is a kitchen. By the end of the day going to that great local restaurant is not usually a good idea. Cooking spaghetti at the apartment/condo/hotel is.
-Bring a few familiar toys and books so you can keep a regualar routine.
-As best you can keep the kids on teh same sleeping and eating schedules as at home. Even if it means missing out on something.
Pay attention to your kids. Sounds silly, but you can usually tell when they’re getting keyed up from doing too much. Don’t push them too far. Like someone else said, fun can be had so easily with the most simple things.
Kitchens are GOLDEN.
All inclusive if you’re going to a resort.
If you’re flying, have fun things for the little ones that aren’t really toys… a small can or jar with a bunch of coins, rubber bands, straws, pipe cleaners. Be creative.
have fun!
Relax, be flexible, but stay sane
I wrote a novel about this on my blog, once. http://prettybabies.blogspot.com/2007/06/baby-jet-set.html
Good luck!
Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com
Thank you for all your wonderful comments. Everyone was so helpful; I really appreciate it.
I take it the main advice is:
1) Go to the beach.
Stay with your normal schedule.
2) Rent a place with a kitchen.
3) Lower your expectations. Scale back your plans. Do not overdo.
4) Take friends or grandparents with you to share babysitting.
5) Children should wear bright and/or matching clothing.
6) Take lots of little surprise toys from home or dollar store.
7) Think carefully about child transport. (Good backpack, or sling, or stroller).
I was super impressed with the links that Amy and Melehimama posted to their respective blogs. Amy’s is great for airtravel and international travel, and melehimama’s is great for car travel and what you should have in your car. Also, I appreciated the reminder someone posted about disposable cameras. We did that last year, and my daughter loved it.
I forgot about the disposable camera. We did that once and I regretted not having done it earlier. That year we had a bad rainy day so, we dashed to the car on a mission! We had the film developed in an hour- there was a special where you could get duplicates free. Bought 2 cheap albums at the dollar store with a pack of construction paper and markers. Went back to the condo and spend the ENTIRE day assembling the 2 albums, cutting and decorating and journaling. One album was for him and the other for the grandparents. Lots of fun and he’s 17 now and the album is on his desk like a coffe table book. GREAT IDEA!
Well fist I guess we are super lucky to live in Southern California, so we have lots of stuff to do without traveling far from home. Someone else mentioned time shares – I totally believe this is the way to go! We have a time share with Hilton that can be used at any Hilton property (includes places like Comfort Inn & Homeward Suites) traded into RCI timeshares – there has never been a place we’ve wanted to go that we couldn’t use some points somehow. Most of the places have full kitchens and washer/dryers. And most of the time share properties (not the hotels, though you can stay at them) offer kids activities at least once a day for a minimal charge ($2 – $5 for a craft, movie night, etc.). We love love love our time share!!
Travel with others – a family who has similiar aged children, a younger couple with lots of energy, who can help out with your kids, or relatives
It helps take the pressure of and it gives you someone to talk to, or play games with when the kids go to sleep.
We took our 5 month old to a lake town where we rented a HUGE house and shared it with my parents and brothers. I actually got to read a book and my husband got to play video games while grandparents and uncles took a turn with the baby. The town itself had lots to do around the lake with grass, not sand. So we could set up camp in a shady spot while some people swam, jet ski etc in the water. We did golf while the baby lounged on a blanket under a tree with toys. It was great!
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I know I’m a little late on posting to this question but I’m just checking out the Backwards WFMW posts and found yours.
The best thing we ever did with the kids is take a Disney Cruise. Pricey but it was seriously the BEST. They had a blast, The Man and I got some time alone, and we had fun with the kids, too.
We’ve also visited the Nickelodeon hotel in Orlando and that was awesome for the kids.