Vacationing with a Baby - Lessons Learned

After a few years of staying home due to the pandemic, our family was eagerly seeking our Revenge Travel. With time, our wunderlusting hearts are finally being filled to contentment with adventure around every corner.

While our journeys thus far have been incredible, they have also been quite insightful. Traveling with a baby has already taught us so much. I want to spend time in this post discussing our Top Ten Lessons Learned from traveling with a baby. Let's get started!

Top Ten Lessons Learned from Vacationing with a Baby

#1 Take Your Time Getting to the Destination

Have you ever wanted so badly to arrive at your destination that you drove a little faster than you normally would? Have you ever told someone to "hold it" when they requested a bathroom break? Have you ever eaten your food while driving in order to get to vacation sooner? I'm sure we can all answer "yes" to at least one of these questions. I want to recommend that you throw the "get there faster" mindset out the window, right now.

Our family has learned the best way to arrive at our vacation destination is when everyone is happy and safe. We do this by starting our vacation the moment we leave the driveway. Before pulling off for vacation, we say a family prayer and have a celebration "woohoo" for vacation starting! From this moment on anything goes, and we get there when we get there!

Dad wants to stop for a Starbucks coffee even though we just left the house? Totally ok! Mom needs to use the restroom even though we left less than an hour ago? Let's stop! The baby needs to get out and walk before he naps? Let's find a park!

By having a mindset that the vacation starts with travel we find ourselves more joyful, less stressed, and just generally happier. There really is no better way to start vacation.

#2 Book the Nice Hotel

Before our son was born, we were the people who preferred to save money on a hotel and instead enjoy a unique vacation experience. Our son changed that.

For our family, a nice hotel matters. We want to feel safe, clean, secure, and pampered. We also want to be as close to the fun as we can.

There is a DRAMATIC difference in the cleanliness and hospitality of a two-star hotel versus a four-star hotel. My husband and I both have found that we breathe better, sleep better, and relax easier staying at the nicer hotels. This has become so essential to us since having a child. The only downside to staying at the nicer hotel is the cost. We manage this differential by planning further in advance and saving more cash for the trip.

If at all possible, once we pull our son out of his car seat at the hotel we try to keep him out of it until it's time to go home. This means we look for hotels with great walkability to attractions. If no walkability options exist, then we look for hotels with extremely short commutes (we're talking 15 minutes or less). The less we place him in his car seat for long drives, the happier he is. The happier our son is, the happier we are, it's that simple.

#3 Book a Room with a View

Along the same lines of booking a nice hotel, we prefer to book a room with a view.

Pre-baby, we didn't care what the view of our hotel room was. In fact, we would go with the cheaper room and give up a view to save money. Vacationing to us was about the adventure, not the hotel. If we spent more than a few hours daily in the hotel room, we would deem it a poor vacation. Not anymore.

Sometimes the only thing that our son wants to do is play with his toys in the hotel room, it reminds him of his routine at home and it makes him happy. As we said earlier, what makes him happy makes us happy.

If we have a room with a view, we rarely have a problem with giving our son his few hours of hotel-play each day. Having a window to the excitement outside keeps us connected and our hearts full. By booking a nice hotel AND a room with a view, we all get our enjoyment out of the vacation, whether we are outside adventuring or inside resting.

#4 Set Up the Baby's Sleep Space and Toys IMMEDIATELY upon Arrival

Once we get to our room, the first things we unpack are the toys and our son's sleep space. Toys are ESSENTIAL in order for the baby to remain occupied while we unpack the bags and settle into our room.

It's easy to want to drop off the suitcase and head out for an adventure, but we find it is much more beneficial to take an hour, maybe even two, and really settle into our room.

We first get the baby's bed unpacked and prepared so he can nap whenever it's needed. Then we set up a changing station, food station, and hang up our clothes. It really makes crazy times (poopy diapers or a hungry kiddo) much easier when everything can easily be found, versus digging through a suitcase looking for something specific.

#5 Plan Activities Around Nap Times

Tantrums on travel are inevitable, just as they are inevitable at home. To minimize events that lead to tantrums (exhaustion, hunger, frustration) we try to keep our child's vacation routine as close as possible to his daily routine at home. This means his nap times are "untouchable" times.

When making vacation plans and booking excursions, we refuse to book any event that overlaps (even partially) with a nap time. By protecting his nap time, we guarantee that he has the opportunity to get the rest he needs, keeping him in happier spirits and in turn keeping ourselves in happier spirits.

#6 Only Make Plans for Half of Your Day (or less)

Along the same lines of protecting nap times, we never make plans for more than half a day. We like to create as much margin as possible during our days away, so that we have time to let the baby simply behave like a baby.

It would be insane of me to ask my 1 year old to jump from activity to activity all day long, giving him only an hour or two to nap. I can guarantee you that without his time to wonder and play freely, he would be a tantrum monster before dinner time.

To combat this, and still have fun, we make plans for maybe 2-3 hours a day and this may or may not include a meal. We leave the rest of the day up to chance. While this approach would have given me hives before a kiddo, I have found life is much more relaxing with a baby when there is no plan. Our favorite vacation memories are the spontaneous walks we have taken, stumbling upon the uncommon shops and eateries. I would never have imagined we enjoyed walks more than excursions, but here we are. Babies change everything!

#7 Pack One Spare Shirt for Everyone

This one is especially important if you are not traveling somewhere with a washer and dryer. Babies make messes, gross messes. Babies also don't really care who they get messy or what you are wearing. Our son is all about putting his peanut butter filled hands EVERYWHERE. Do yourself a favor and bring an extra shirt, just in case. You don't want to find yourself buying an unnecessary souvenir t-shirt because you weren't prepared.

#8 Take Your Time Getting Home

Just as it's important to arrive at your vacation happy and safe, it's important to arrive home the same. We do this by continuing our vacation until the moment we arrive home. I'll admit, it's much harder to have patience and be happy about a drive home, but it is important.

#9 Prepare for the Tantrums

Did you know it is extremely common for little ones to have a hard time during transition phases? Something as simple as eating dinner away from home can really throw them for a loop. If one meal can cause a tantrum, imagine how an entire weekend or week can wreck the comfort they find in their daily routine.

Does this mean your vacation is going to be miserable? No. Am I saying you should just stay home and never leave? Absolutely not. You can have a good vacation, heck, you can have a great vacation. You will have neither if you expect perfection from your child. So, expect the tantrums and prepare yourself for when they come, then handle them as you always do and carry on with your amazing vacation.

Our family's approach to combating vacation tantrums is doing all we can to keep our son's routine as close to "normal" as possible. This means the same nap times, bringing favorite toys, and the same bedtime routine. By both bringing and re-creating the comforts of home, we do our best to help him feel safe and comfortable in his new environment.

#10 Just Have Fun

Traveling with children is remarkably different than traveling without them. I will not lie, it is much more work to travel as a family. BUT it's much more rewarding. There is nothing that compares to the joy I feel when I see my son's face light up as he experiences new things. Remember that vacation is about finding the fun. It's about taking a break from the routine and exploring something new. It's about uninterrupted quality time with your family. Can I get an Amen?!

Go out and have that adventure. Be prepared, and have fun! Much love!