I’m sure all of us with little ones have been there at some point or another. Getting home from your week long vacation and needing a VACATION….
We plan for months sometimes.
Booking hotels nearly a year in advance.
Planning out each day.
Sights to see.
Places to eat.
We write our checklists for what to pack.
Clothes. Snacks for the kids. Toohbrushes. Shampoo. Card games.
The day we’ve been waiting for all year long finally arrives! We hop in the car for our road trip or head to the airport. Wherever it may be. Sooo looking forward to this relaxing trip…..And then….
LIFE HAPPENS.
Vacationing with toddlers is just not as relaxing and enjoyable as we dream it would be! No matter what we do there will be meltodowns. There will be sand on the blanket at the beach. There will be naps in the hotel when you wish you were still toes in water ass in the sand!
BUT…There are also tricks and tips and methods to make it a little more enjoyable.
- MENTALLY PREPARE YOURSELF : You are going to be playing in the sand buiding sandcastles, standing by the crashing waves while they splash on his feet. You’ll be making potty trip after potty trip. If your little one is in diapers you’ll be changing them. Basically you’ll still be playing the same role you played before you left for this vacation. I know it took me a couple tries to realize this. Not that I didn’t really know I was still going to have to participate in mom duties, but when you think vacation, you think of relaxing. And I’ll tell you right now, there is not too much relaxing when you vacation with the littles. But, if you mentally prepare yourself before you leave. If instead of picturing yourself laying on the beach getting a tan, or sitting peacefully at an oceanfront restaurant sipping on a cocktail, you picture yourself making memories with these babies who will never be this little again, you will enjoy that vacation just a little bit more, and then when you do get that moment of silence to sit back and relax, you will appreciate it even more!
- Be PREPARED: Like super prepared. If there is even the slightest chance you’ll need it, bring it. It could save you from major meltdowns from either the baby or You. Little toys for distractions, baby strollers (even if you have a 3 or 4 year old who normally wouldn’t ride in a stroller), baby wipes, snacks, tablets, band aids, Tylenol, change of clothes (pack a backpack with just a few extra changes of clothes that is separate from the main suitcase),sweatshirts even if you are going to the hottest place on earth (you just never know when a cool breeze might sweep through) Basically just anything you can think of that your little one likes on a normal day. To help them feel more comfortable and content while away from home.
- DONT SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF: When we are dripping in sweat and covered in sand. Out of breath from making that fifth trip to the bathroom while everyone else around us seems to be chatting it up with friends or enjoying the peaceful sounds of the beach, we tend to lose our cool just a bit faster then normal. But take a breath. When your little one drops his sippy cup in the sand for the 5th time only seconds after you washed it off. Don’t yell. Don’t make them feel like they did something wrong. They are the child here. It can be super frustrating, but know that the more you stress over the more stressed you’ll get. Just take a deep breath. Rinse it off again. And keep on keeping on. Just don’t sweat the small stuff.
- SPLIT RESPONSIBILITY: Before you even head out, have a plan with whoever you are vacationing with. If you are married or have a significant other, talk to them about splitting the duties. You are responsible for THIS and the other is responsible for THAT. Or you could do an hour on an hour off. Whatever works best for you. But that way you will get some of those moments to yourself and you will have that to look forward to which will make that 11:45 meltdown just a little less stressful knowing you have 15 minutes until your “off duty” ( BUT in doing this, remember that even the best laid plans….If the person relieving you is swimming in the ocean with one of your older kids don’t expect them to immediately be there to relieve you at exactly 12, be patient and just flag them down, let them know its about that time, and since you planned it out good at home before heading out then they should have no problem riding the next wave in to relieve you.) And for all you hardworking single parents out there! If you are vacationing with a friend or another family member and don’t want to ask them to completely split the duties with you, maybe just ask them if they would mind watching your little one for a small allotted amount of time so you can have a couple minutes to yourself. When they are super young and trying even the smallest amount of time can make all the difference.
- KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET: When your little ones are very little there is just no need for a 7-10 day vacation. Depending on each individual child of course. But sometimes I think we tend to over do it. We plan these long elaborate vacations so we can fit in EVERYTHING. Every restaurant. Every water park. Plenty of beach time. Every fun activity. Depending on their age and how much they can handle, sometimes 7-10 days is just over kill. A simple 2 or 3 night mini getaway is really all you need when they are super young. Go ahead and take 7-10 days off of work! Give yourselves a mini stay cation for the remaining days. Sometimes its just much more enjoyable. You’ll still be able to relax, but you’ll be close to home when your plans don’t work out as planned. You can give them a little nap and just lounge on the back patio doing NOTHING while they peacefully sleep. Sometimes, that’s the best vacation of them all.
These are just suggestions that have worked for me over the years. My daughters were pretty easy going when they were little. But they were still little and learning and sometimes gave me a hard time. Stressed me to my limits and had me crying at the end of vacation that I just wanted to go home! With little man this time around, I’ve learned from the past. We recently took a trip to the beach for 3 days 2 nights and it was wonderful! There were no major melt downs from either of us! We both enjoyed the beach and the water park and got to ride every ride on the boardwalk that we wanted to.
We ate well.
We danced.
We laughed.
I still had to participate in some of the not so much fun mom duties. When we watched the fireworks on the beach he cried his eyes out because they were too loud for him, so I had to walk away and not get to enjoy them as much, he peed his pants while walking to the rides only minutes after leaving the hotel and asking him if he had to go…..but all in all, it was an amazing and relaxing couple of days, even with a three year old boy… 🙂
The point is. Vacationing with little ones isn’t always as glamorous and relaxing as we dream and hope it will be. But by mentally preparing, taking some deep breaths and being prepared, they can still be lots of fun and creating lasting memories for years to come.
xoxo Kerri
