I am taking my 3 year old grandaughter to Vancouver for the day via the train that leaves from Seattle. What do you suggest that we do for the approx. 5 hours we will be spending there for the day.
Your website is fantastic.. I'm planning to take my 2 kids to London this summer. They are 3 yrs old and 16 mths old . Im just wondering whether I need to bring 2 strollers.. These might be a handful for both my hubby and me.. Any suggestions.. Was thinking of carrying the 16mth old in a baby carrier..
Debbie on April 1, 2009 at 1 p.m.
I actually wrote about this very subject a while back! Here's a link to the post:
Hi Debbie, We live in California but my husband and I are considering doing a cruise that will visit Italy and Greece starting in Europe. Do you have any recommendations how to make this trip easier or would you recommend against it until she is older? One of our concerns is that the ship is not in port for many hours (sometimes it's only 5-6 hours) and we're afraid if our daughter is not being cooperative that we will not be able to see much of the city or join the optional excursions as they are on a time schedule.
I would love to hear your wise opinions on this matter.
Thanks, Virginia
Cloud on October 2, 2010 at 12:32 a.m.
Hi,
thanks so much for your thoughtful advice. Very appreciated. Let me add a thought and ask a question too.
We are living in Africa, and we are always learning that traveling (living!) with our son (now 21 months) has always been dependent on our state of "harmony, relatedness, and connectedness" and knowing him and us.
Kids here are confined hours and hours in cramped buses and taxis and can handle it. Of course, there are many differences and they are raised in a different way, but also, because their parents can handle to travel like that too (no stress here!), are relaxed (because there is no other way to go about it) and expect it therefore from their kids. Maybe this can also be a helpful thought for our Western constantly hurrying and stressed out mind and body.
Nevertheless, I do have a rather practical question: you advised in regard to flight travel as few connections as possible, but what about a 14 hour flight? Isn't a stop over in between for a few hours helpful?
Thanks and happy bouncing around the globe Cloud
Gloria Anderson on January 4, 2012 at 2:25 p.m.
My 3 children and i, ages 4, 2 1/2, and almost 1, will be flying from Nevada to Wisconsin by ourselfs next week. I am sooo nervous, and most of your tips are great if there is 2 parents, but as we are meeting my husband there, it will just be me! Any advice?!?!
Debbie on January 4, 2012 at 9:48 p.m.
Cloud,
Yes, for a 14 hour flight, you'll probably want a stop (possibly overnight) to give yourselves a chance to stretch.
Debbie on January 4, 2012 at 9:51 p.m.
Gloria,
Good luck with your flight! A couple of thoughts
1) If you're not all seated together to begin with, try not to stress about it. I've never met a passenger who wouldn't trade seats rather than be responsible for someone else's preschool aged child ;) It will work out once you are onboard. b) Keep your load as light as possible and try to pack items that do double (or triple) duty. c) This is one time that you might not want to buy a seat for your 1 year old since that would mean that your 4 year old would sit on her own.
Good luck!
Vandana on February 13, 2012 at 10:32 a.m.
Hi Debbie, We are travelling with our almost 2 year old to Spain(Barcelona, Seville, Madrid) next week for about 2 weeks. We have a bob stroller and a very a basic umbrella stroller. Since you have traveled with a toddler there, can you please recommend on what stroller to take? Will umbrella stroller work on cobbled roads or too uncomfortable for kids or cant nap in them. Bob is perfect but too heavy to haul around so needed some suggestions what to do about stroller.
Thanks..
Debbie on February 13, 2012 at 12:14 p.m.
Vanduana
First, I hope you have a wonderful family trip. With respect to the stroller, the umbrella will not give as comfortable a ride as your Bob stroller, but with narrow sidewalks, lots of stairs and small elevators, that is the stroller you should bring. We brought our Maclaren with us to Barcelona and were happy with its performance on the cobbled streets. I do have some other stroller and baby carrier recommendations here: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/products...
Travelling Kids on February 19, 2012 at 12:43 p.m.
Will be travelling 22 hours for family wedding and driving with a 21 month and a 7 month old. Any tips for driving and making the trip faster and pleasant for kids
Ana Trejo on March 6, 2012 at 8:34 a.m.
I am visiting my sister and driving from El Paso, TX to San Diego, CA with my 5 and 2 year old daughters. We are driving out there by ourselves to visit my sister. I am then meeting my husband in Phoenix, AZ. Do you have any advice to put my nerves at ease???
Debbie on March 6, 2012 at 9:42 a.m.
@Travelling Kids and @Anna Trejo Kids really pick up on your mood - especially when they're in a confined space without much else to distract them! My best advice is to take it easy and treat it like a fun adventure, even if you're feeling frazzled! Pack lots of activities, and a few suprises and give the kids control over which activities they'll do next. Take your pitstops as you need them instead of at pre-planned intervals.
Good luck!
Shanon Frishe on August 12, 2012 at 11:46 a.m.
my son will be 2 when we board our plane, now we plan on taking buses and trains most of the time however i dont feel comfy not having a carsat with me, i dont want to drag around a huge carseat in the airport, we are going to germany, any suggestions?
If not, you might consider buying a carseat in Germany before you rent a car as you would likely not be able to use it on busses or trains.
Good luck!
Alison on March 6, 2013 at 7:56 a.m.
Hey, I need some tips!! I have a 2 and a 3 year old going to Florida from Tennessee! What can i bring to keep them busy on this flight?
Abhilash Pillai on January 5, 2014 at 3:27 p.m.
Hi Debbie
I, my wife , two kids (4 and almost 3) and my parents plan to take a trip to New York, Niagra Falls and DC in the month of May spread over the period of a week.What is your advise on car seats , best mode of transportation and good hotels to stay.i dont want to sound too over zealous ..but was interested in doing teh train trip from new york to DC and then fly back from DC to San Francisco as the final destination
R Hadley on April 14, 2014 at 3:15 p.m.
Hi Debbie, We are travelling with our (will be) 23 month old to Jerusalem and Rome in September (a week in each place). We will be renting apartments in both places and not renting a car (public transport and taxis). Will we need to lug our massive car seat for taxis? Stroller or baby carrier or both? We have a seat that attaches to a table for her to eat, should we bring? Will there be enough in Rome to entertain an almost 2 year old? Thanks!
About Me I'm Debbie, mother of three delicious kids and I write about traveling with little kids. That's my daughter in the backpack and my son in Paris on Halloween.
Comments
cheryl stewart on October 20, 2008 at 9:54 p.m.
I am taking my 3 year old grandaughter to Vancouver for the day via the train that leaves from Seattle. What do you suggest that we do for the approx. 5 hours we will be spending there for the day.
Debbie on October 21, 2008 at 10:36 a.m.
I hope you have a great time in Vancouver, you might want to check out our city guide at http://www.deliciousbaby.com/travel/c...
Wen On on March 31, 2009 at 6:32 p.m.
Dear Debbie,
Your website is fantastic.. I'm planning to take my 2 kids to London this summer. They are 3 yrs old and 16 mths old . Im just wondering whether I need to bring 2 strollers.. These might be a handful for both my hubby and me.. Any suggestions.. Was thinking of carrying the 16mth old in a baby carrier..
Debbie on April 1, 2009 at 1 p.m.
I actually wrote about this very subject a while back! Here's a link to the post:
http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/...
Virginia on June 24, 2009 at 11:18 a.m.
Hi Debbie,
We live in California but my husband and I are considering doing a cruise that will visit Italy and Greece starting in Europe. Do you have any recommendations how to make this trip easier or would you recommend against it until she is older? One of our concerns is that the ship is not in port for many hours (sometimes it's only 5-6 hours) and we're afraid if our daughter is not being cooperative that we will not be able to see much of the city or join the optional excursions as they are on a time schedule.
I would love to hear your wise opinions on this matter.
Thanks,
Virginia
Cloud on October 2, 2010 at 12:32 a.m.
Hi,
thanks so much for your thoughtful advice. Very appreciated. Let me add a thought and ask a question too.
We are living in Africa, and we are always learning that traveling (living!) with our son (now 21 months) has always been dependent on our state of "harmony, relatedness, and connectedness" and knowing him and us.
Kids here are confined hours and hours in cramped buses and taxis and can handle it. Of course, there are many differences and they are raised in a different way, but also, because their parents can handle to travel like that too (no stress here!), are relaxed (because there is no other way to go about it) and expect it therefore from their kids. Maybe this can also be a helpful thought for our Western constantly hurrying and stressed out mind and body.
Nevertheless, I do have a rather practical question: you advised in regard to flight travel as few connections as possible, but what about a 14 hour flight? Isn't a stop over in between for a few hours helpful?
Thanks and happy bouncing around the globe
Cloud
Gloria Anderson on January 4, 2012 at 2:25 p.m.
My 3 children and i, ages 4, 2 1/2, and almost 1, will be flying from Nevada to Wisconsin by ourselfs next week. I am sooo nervous, and most of your tips are great if there is 2 parents, but as we are meeting my husband there, it will just be me! Any advice?!?!
Debbie on January 4, 2012 at 9:48 p.m.
Cloud,
Yes, for a 14 hour flight, you'll probably want a stop (possibly overnight) to give yourselves a chance to stretch.
Debbie on January 4, 2012 at 9:51 p.m.
Gloria,
Good luck with your flight! A couple of thoughts
1) If you're not all seated together to begin with, try not to stress about it. I've never met a passenger who wouldn't trade seats rather than be responsible for someone else's preschool aged child ;) It will work out once you are onboard.
b) Keep your load as light as possible and try to pack items that do double (or triple) duty.
c) This is one time that you might not want to buy a seat for your 1 year old since that would mean that your 4 year old would sit on her own.
Good luck!
Vandana on February 13, 2012 at 10:32 a.m.
Hi Debbie,
We are travelling with our almost 2 year old to Spain(Barcelona, Seville, Madrid) next week for about 2 weeks. We have a bob stroller and a very a basic umbrella stroller. Since you have traveled with a toddler there, can you please recommend on what stroller to take? Will umbrella stroller work on cobbled roads or too uncomfortable for kids or cant nap in them. Bob is perfect but too heavy to haul around so needed some suggestions what to do about stroller.
Thanks..
Debbie on February 13, 2012 at 12:14 p.m.
Vanduana
First, I hope you have a wonderful family trip. With respect to the stroller, the umbrella will not give as comfortable a ride as your Bob stroller, but with narrow sidewalks, lots of stairs and small elevators, that is the stroller you should bring. We brought our Maclaren with us to Barcelona and were happy with its performance on the cobbled streets. I do have some other stroller and baby carrier recommendations here: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/products...
Travelling Kids on February 19, 2012 at 12:43 p.m.
Will be travelling 22 hours for family wedding and driving with a 21 month and a 7 month old. Any tips for driving and making the trip faster and pleasant for kids
Ana Trejo on March 6, 2012 at 8:34 a.m.
I am visiting my sister and driving from El Paso, TX to San Diego, CA with my 5 and 2 year old daughters. We are driving out there by ourselves to visit my sister. I am then meeting my husband in Phoenix, AZ. Do you have any advice to put my nerves at ease???
Debbie on March 6, 2012 at 9:42 a.m.
@Travelling Kids and @Anna Trejo Kids really pick up on your mood - especially when they're in a confined space without much else to distract them! My best advice is to take it easy and treat it like a fun adventure, even if you're feeling frazzled! Pack lots of activities, and a few suprises and give the kids control over which activities they'll do next. Take your pitstops as you need them instead of at pre-planned intervals.
Good luck!
Shanon Frishe on August 12, 2012 at 11:46 a.m.
my son will be 2 when we board our plane, now we plan on taking buses and trains most of the time however i dont feel comfy not having a carsat with me, i dont want to drag around a huge carseat in the airport, we are going to germany, any suggestions?
Debbie on August 12, 2012 at 3:33 p.m.
Shanon,
If your two year old is big enough, you could consider the Ride Safer Travel Vest http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000...
If not, you might consider buying a carseat in Germany before you rent a car as you would likely not be able to use it on busses or trains.
Good luck!
Alison on March 6, 2013 at 7:56 a.m.
Hey, I need some tips!! I have a 2 and a 3 year old going to Florida from Tennessee! What can i bring to keep them busy on this flight?
Abhilash Pillai on January 5, 2014 at 3:27 p.m.
Hi Debbie
I, my wife , two kids (4 and almost 3) and my parents plan to take a trip to New York, Niagra Falls and DC in the month of May spread over the period of a week.What is your advise on car seats , best mode of transportation and good hotels to stay.i dont want to sound too over zealous ..but was interested in doing teh train trip from new york to DC and then fly back from DC to San Francisco as the final destination
R Hadley on April 14, 2014 at 3:15 p.m.
Hi Debbie,
We are travelling with our (will be) 23 month old to Jerusalem and Rome in September (a week in each place). We will be renting apartments in both places and not renting a car (public transport and taxis). Will we need to lug our massive car seat for taxis? Stroller or baby carrier or both? We have a seat that attaches to a table for her to eat, should we bring? Will there be enough in Rome to entertain an almost 2 year old?
Thanks!