How to Survive: 4 Tips for Traveling with a Toddler
In my toddler’s three short years of life, we have traveled from Sonoma County to SoCal a total of eight times with him. I will say that traveling with a toddler or a baby is not for the faint-hearted. The first trip was when he was two months old, for my grandfather-in-law‘s memorial. Each trip down has been drastically different because, well, each baby and toddler stage has been drastically different for us. The last one was a long weekend with my husband, myself, and our almost 3-year-old.
We still haven’t had a chance to fly with him, though we want to fly out of the Sonoma County Airport for a quick trip up to Seattle to see good friends very soon. But our road trips have definitely given us some insight into traveling with a toddler. Many of these tips work for everything, from going on family vacations to a trip to the grocery store!
4 Tips for Traveling with a Toddler
Tip #1 - Plan ahead
Yes, this one should be a given, but it’s worth saying again and again and again. Make sure to bring all of the snacks and food you may need for your kids. Be sure to have enough diapers and wipes. Taking that extra second to find out that you only have two wipes in your box and adding more is definitely worth it. It also helps to have at least one or two things that can occupy him/her. We bring a travel-sized Etch-a-Sketch that we absolutely adore, along with some toys.
Do your research on your travel destination first to see what activities they have. And make sure to mix it up so there is a combination of things your kids may want to do, as well as things you would like to do! Don’t just plan on going to Disneyland. Plan some time to grab a glass of Fairytale Cuvee from the Sonoma Terrace at Disney California Adventure Park. The bubbly is made by our own Iron Horse Vineyards in Russian River Valley (and can only be found at Disney).
Tip #2 - Give yourself time
Everything seems to take just a little bit longer with a small person in tow, so plan for that. Don’t overbook your schedule for the day, no matter how many tourist destinations you may want to see while on vacation. Remember to breathe, and try to be flexible when you have to be. This will help lower your stress level and ensure that you have fun on vacation, too.
Tip #3 - Don’t go during the busy time
This is my favorite piece of advice. When heading to a tourist attraction, restaurant, or even the grocery store, try to avoid going when everyone else will be there.
On our last vacation, we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. We made sure to figure out what time they opened so we could get there 10 minutes early, find parking, and get our tickets. This way, we were able to see the attractions we really wanted to see without a huge crowd. We scheduled our lunchtime for 11 a.m. versus noon to avoid the crowd. This also allowed us to see the sea lion show from the windows of Café Scuba. Yep, lunch and a show. What more could your toddler want out of life?! Even better, we didn’t have to sit in the bleachers with two restless toddlers.
Image via the Aquarium of the Pacific
When it comes to going grocery shopping, we generally try to avoid 5 p.m. or midday on the weekends. It’s too crowded, and we already know it has the potential to set us up for meltdowns.
Also, because we took our last trip over Labor Day weekend, we made sure to leave a day early and come back a day late. We left on a Thursday and came back on a Tuesday. This helped to make sure that the roads were not overly congested with all of the other travelers. It also meant that we got a few extra days to relax.
Tip #4 - Remind everyone around you that toddlers have a schedule
Older kids, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. don’t have the same schedule as a toddler. They also don’t have to deal with your toddler if they don’t sleep. You are the one who has to put up with a cranky toddler for the rest of the evening. We have learned this the hard way more than once. So we try to stick to the same schedule that we're on at home, especially for nap time.
This definitely means that you may be left out of some things. But it’s much easier to get a rested toddler down for the night than an overly sleepy monster. Obviously every kid is different, but that is what ours turns into if he doesn’t get his usual nap.