Some people hate planning. Me, I am a planner freak.. I love planning. My bestie used to laugh at me because I would plan every outfit for everyday and write it out with accessories and all. The worst part is that I DID follow my plan, lol. Planning can be so much fun especially when you plan a trip. You start by checking out the must-do's in the area, where to stay, reviews of different places, etc. How about that first family trip with your little one?????
We planned our first family trip for the 4th of July. I must admit that I started planning like I usually do for ANY trip. However, traveling with an infant IS NOT the same as traveling as a couple or alone. Nevertheless, all the considerations you must look into BEFORE the trip to avoid headaches. My experience was quite interesting and I MUST share what I found worked for me and what was an epic fail.
First, searching for airfare was very interesting. I looked for the most economical flights yet practical. So we purchased a night flight off to San Diego. Since we live in Denver, the flight was only 1 hour and 45 minutes. I planned for the departure time to agree with my daughter's schedule. I bathed her and put on her pjs right before we left the house. Since the flight was at 8:30, I did not want to wake her to change clothes. I always travel with Southwest because they do not charge for luggage and as a new mom with an infant I knew we would have tons of stuff.
Second, the hotel was family friendly. I made sure it had nice amenities for a family of 3. My standards will be different than everyone else because we have different comforts. My main concern was to get a king size bed and good pool area. Just in case the trip was a COMPLETE fail, I wanted to make sure I would be happy hanging out at the hotel. I find it hard to haul a pack and play so I rather co-sleep during vacation. That works best for my family for now.
Third, I researched places we can enjoy as a family. Keep in mind your children's age group though. Since we have a 6 months old, I had to make sure she was able to take her naps on the go. Since we were mostly outdoors, she was in her stroller without a carseat. But when she would fall asleep we would take the carseat and the stroller so we wont interrupt her sleep. Also, try to find a centrally located hotel. We were within 10-15 mins from all the attractions. That helped ALOT! Whenever it was too much for the baby to handle we were able to go back to the hotel and relax before another outing. It was a huge help to do that. We avoided temper tantrums by doing that.
Finally, travel smart and not "cute". It is super cute to travel with a cute little bag that matches your outfit or a travel side bag. If you are like me, you would hate carrying tons of stuff. I hate carrying a purse AND a diaper bag. So, I got a cute oversize bag where my personal things AND baby necessities would fit. I packed sufficient juices, bottles and snacks.
Some of the things that DID NOT work was buying bottled waters every time we had to make a bottle. It would have been easier to just buy a gallon at our destination. That would have been more cost effective. Another fail was to travel with baby food. Our luggage was heavier because of these items. Unless you are traveling international, you should be able to find all baby foods at your nearest supermarket. If you are planning to spend your vacation exploring all day and night then be ready to have one cranky baby at the end. Some of our outings had to be cut short!!!!!!
Aside from all these, we had a great time and learned how to team work to get things moving smooth. So do not be afraid to speak up and ask your partner for help. Even though you are on your vacation, your mommy brain will not take a break and it could feel like if you are still home!!!!!
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