Young kids are elastic, thank God. As long as you are smilie and strong, so shall be your little angel. Young kids thirst for knowledge and new adventures. Take advantage of this! Show them their exciting world! There is no better time than now! Here’s just a few tips and tricks to help make any temporary transition a breeze.
Traveling Tot Tip #1
Be flexible and routine simultaneously. WTF are you talking about Alyssa? How can you have a consistent routine and be flexible? Listen, I read “Baby Wise” and I read “Happiest Baby on the Block” among many other books while I was pregnant and for our family, from day 1, we found a flexible schedule works best. Since we were aloud to bathe Alexa, I began a nighttime routine of dimming lights, relaxing classical music, nightly gentle baths (even if we didn’t use “soap” every night), lavender oil massage, and a before bedtime milk snack. Right away Alexa’s longest sleep in a 24 hour period happened at night and quickly that 4 hour stretch turned to 5 hours, then 6, 7 and so on. Daily routines obviously have evolved as Alexa has grown, but have remained similar in many respects. The time frame for our routines are generally the same, but flexible. Last summer in the Med at around 14-15 months, Alexa moved from two naps a day to one long afternoon nap all on her own. I quickly picked up on this and shifted my schedule to accommodate her new schedule. Soon our daily routine consisted of a morning excursion of some sort, lunch and then an afternoon nap. In the beginning, she wouldn’t always make it till after lunch to nap, but that’s okay… I would just readjust my schedule for that day. Dinner has always been fairly flexible as long as it occurs in the range between 5pm and 7:30pm. Our nighttime routine is still relatively the same since day 1. Today, in the morning, after 11+ hours of restful sleep, Alexa wakes up with a big smile on her face. After changing clothes I make her an almond milk shake with chocolate flavored organic green/berry antioxidant powder. No matter where we are in the world, this routine stays consistent with a bit of time flexibility depending on the lifestyle and daily activities of the location. This consistency is key. This is why I believe Alexa is such a great traveler. No matter where we are, she can always count on certain things in her daily life. I believe, this is why her home (and my home) is the whole world instead of putting all our comforts in one particular box somewhere inside it.
Traveling Tot Tip #2
Create location-based routines. Have fun with your new surroundings. And smile, a lot! No matter where we go, no matter how hard it is at first to get settled in for me, I always try to remain positive, especially around Alexa. As we enter into our new accommodations, we run around “checking things out”, and making comments like “Wow! Look at this Alexa! Look at that! We are so lucky!” Then right after unpacking (Alexa loves to help), I usually take Alexa on an outdoor adventure to see what surrounds us… iguanas, butterflies, flowers, hummingbirds, yachts, water, palm trees, cool rocks, coconuts, orange and red sea grape leaves… we play, feel, absorb and smile. It’s not long before we develop our location-based routines. For example, Alexa and I go on daily walks around our St. Maarten neighborhood looking for hummingbirds, butterflies and iguanas. We ALWAYS find iguanas and butterflies. Sometimes we get lucky with a hummingbird or two and maybe even the friendly neighborhood cat or neighborhood dogs will show up for some lovin’. There are some stepping stones around the pool near our apartment… every time (almost daily) when Alexa and I see them, we jump from stone to stone. These small location-based consistencies make the new environment fun and also comforting.
Traveling Tot Tip #3
Pick out the familiar. Do you see a consistent theme here? On our daily adventures, Alexa and I not only discuss and explore new and exciting things, we also pick out familiar letters, numbers, colors, objects, calendars, time, weather and animals. The grass is green, the sky is blue, the clouds are white and the moon and stars shine bright no matter where you are in the world. This is comforting.
Traveling Tot Tip #4
The most common question I see from fellow traveling Moms is what in the world do you pack for extended stays for a sprouting toddler that will accommodate their ever growing brain and body AND minimize bulk? The last thing you want to do as a Mommy traveling many times without another helping hand and with toddlers in tow is to also attempt drag around a mountain of bags or bags so heavy you need an elephant to push them through the airport for you. The first time I flew over to Nice , France
Toddler Extended Stay Packing List
1. Passport. Yes, your little one needs a passport to travel. Alexa got hers at 6 months old. They expire every 5 years at this age.
2. Clothes. Bring clothes just a bit too big for them and not too many. Toddlers don’t care if they wear the same thing each week.
3. Shoes. We bring one pair of crocks and one pair of sandals. If it gets cool, we just add socks to the crocks.
4. Organic Essentials. If you are like this organically obsessive family, then you must travel with the organic essentials just in case you can’t find them at your destination or it takes a few days to track down an organic, vegan-friendly store. And not only do we travel with our organic, cruelty-free soap, shampoo, tooth paste, diaper cream, lotion, organic juice boxes, vitamins, greens and an extra few days stash of diapers and wipes, but we also bring a small medical kit that includes a thermometer in Fahrenheit. Maybe a family from pretty much anywhere else in the world traveling to America
5. Important Stuffed Creatures & Blankies. A no brainer, but I had to include this one for check list purposes (yes, I used to be a check list happy chief stew)
6. Beach/Water Toys and Balls. Purchase at your destination. They are cheap, but a necessity when traveling to yachtie destinations. If your significant other is working on a yacht, store them on the boat. If not, and if you don’t want bring them back with you, donate them to a local kids charity before you leave.
7. Life Jacket. Very important for a little Yachties. “Mustang Yellow Sidekicks Vest USCG Type II and Type III” is the best we’ve found. Hopefully you have a yacht to store it on, because although it’s not a very bulky life vest in comparison to some of the cheaper, less safe vests, it is bulky to travel with… but it IS a miniature mate must.
8. Home Safety. Where ever you are staying in your travels, if you have a curious little one, you should bring some home safety gear. Especially if you have cleaning supplies or other toxins within the toddler zone or maybe a kitchen drawer filled with knives. A few little cabinet locks and plug covers is all it takes. Yes, you can get them at your destination, but you might not find the proper store for a few days while settling in so just bring them yourself. If you are traveling somewhere with different outlets, well, you might have to wait until you get to your destination, but you can still bring the cabinet locks.
9. Pack-N-Play. Unless your little one co-sleeps with you, you will need a bed for her. Alexa LOVES her Pack-N-Play. Although I am pretty sure this is the last time we will be able to use it. She is almost out growing the thing. Not sure yet what to do about this summers travels. Bed rails maybe? I think I saw some blow-up “bed rails” in a catalog at home, but will she roll over them? Any advice is appreciated.
10. Toys, Games and other Indoor Entertainment. Every toddler needs a little indoor entertainment for plane rides, rainy days and every day in between the outdoor fun. I found it’s best to bring a few toys they aren’t quite ready for yet, because trust me, our little geniuses will surprise you by mastering these by the end of the trip. Below is a list of our entertainment package for the Caribbean (Alexa = Age 20-22 months)
a. Melissa & Doug Alphabet Peg Puzzle
b. 2 Dr. Seuss Books, 2 small hard page books and a recent fav “Gerald the Giraffe”
c. Baby doll (that wets) with bottle, mini diapers and miniature potty (good for potty training)
d. Coloring book with crayons (this is cheap and can easily be bought at the destination as well, but we find it’s nice for the plane trip over too)
e. Sticker book – Specifically “My Big Book of Stickers” (Another great plane entertainment)
f. iPhone Apps. (You can also use an iPod Touch or iPad). This is such a HUGE hit for our family. Below is a list of my highly recommended apps. And yes, she plays all of them… daily.
i. Starfall ABC’s
ii. Monkey Preschool Lunch Box
iii. Monkey Preschool When I Grow Up
iv. Baby First Puzzle Time
v. Baby First Peek-A-Boo
vi. Baby Cortex Baby Memory Cue
vii. Infant Arcade Peek-A-Boo
viii. Giraffe’s Preschool Playground
ix. Tickle Tap Apps
x. Teach Me Toddler
xi. Lunabee Shapes
xii. Baby First Number Time
g. iPhone movies
i. Barney Top 20 Count Down
ii. Elmo’s Rainbow
iii. Sesame Street: Elmo Loves You
11. Car Seat. If you are like me, back home we spent a ton of money to purchase the safest, most secure, most comfy car seat around, and we want our little ones to be safe no matter where we are in the world. But, trust me, it’s not worth it to drag that thing around with you on your travels. The rentals might not be as cozy, but they are safe and work just fine for the time being. Alexa doesn’t even know the difference.
12. Baby Backpack. If you are doing a lot of off-road walking or hiking on your travels, I highly recommend a child carrier. Specifically the Deuter II Kid Comfort pack. It’s compact, light, has lots of storage space and adjusts to fit my 6’ tall husband and shorty 5’ 3” me comfortably. Alexa falls asleep in it. A hiking essential. It’s great even for daily street travel, since it can take the place of a bulky stroller.
13. Stroller. A necessity or a nightmare? I left this one for last because for us, sometimes the stroller was really more of a hassle then a help. Early on, I opted to take only the Baby Bjorn on our travels. Smaller, lighter and our little lady loved it. As she grew, we moved to a stroller, but our little explorer didn’t want any part of it. Sometimes the stroller was our naptime necessity allowing Mommy & Daddy a little afternoon peaceful rose lunch break. But overall, for us, the stroller is barely worth it. So on this last Caribbean trip, I nixed the stroller all together and haven’t had one ounce of regret.
Miscellaneous Tips. Try not to rent a place with interior stairs. For some reason, we’ve accidently gotten places with stairs twice (so far) and for our toddler this means we need at least one stair security gate which we move repeatedly to accommodate her current location. It usually takes us a few days to locate a baby or hardware store that sells what we need. Then for 20 to 50 Euros, we end up with a safety gate we only use the length of our stay giving it away when we leave. If your significant other is working on a yacht, you can store the gate onboard.
