Talk to me about....vacations....and a 1 year old

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Talk to me about....vacations....and a 1 year old

By blackbird Oct 29, 2013

E will be 1 in April and we are thinking about a vacation before TTC for #2. Probably in the May-July time frame (depending on DH's grad school schedule). 5 days, in Cancun. Nonstop flight.

The travel agent found us a hotel that has a kids club for kids her age. She is really friendly and loves other kids and stuff. It has great reviews, too (particularly from a mom of 13 month old twins, ha)

My husband is super skeptical about the whole thing. Says we wouldn't enjoy ourselves, one of us would be anxious the whole time, etc.

So what's your experience with traveling with a baby that age? Major hassle? She's very mellow, sleeps through the night....we did a 5 hour road trip this past weekend and it was soooo not a big deal.

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27 comments

looch
wonderful pear / 26210 posts

Oct 29, 2013

We vacationed at a hotel with a kids club when our son was 4 months old and again when he was about 14 months old. The kids club was fine when he was 4 months, but we had some major stranger anxiety/separation issues, so we could bring him to the club, but we couldn't leave him there.

It's hit or miss, you don't know it until you try it. I always try to think of the worst case scenario, and honestly, the worst is you can't leave him with the arranged care, but there are still a lot of things to do on site!
blackbird
wonderful grape / 20453 posts

Oct 29, 2013

@looch, I was banking on her not having major separation issues since she goes to daycare and such *fingers crossed*. But, yeah, worst case scenario, we wouldn't be able to drop her off for 2 hours and leave. So far, none of it's an issue at almost 7 months old.

The alternative option of NOT going is pretty shitty. It's not like we can leave her for 5 days with his mom. She works!
lamariniere
pineapple / 12566 posts

Oct 29, 2013

Sounds completely fine and very manageable to me! We've traveled all over with DS. At that age, we went to Hawaii (11 hour flight with layover!) just 2 weeks before he turned 1 and he was fine. He wasn't sleeping through the night at all at that point, so consider yourself lucky. We didn't have any sort if care for him on the trip, he was just with us the whole time. You could always try to leave her at the daycare but expect to not be able to rely on it too much if it doesn't go well.
LuLu Mom
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts

Oct 29, 2013

@blackbird: My LO's stranger anxiety didn't really sink in until 10-11 months, so I would be worried to book based on your child's behavior now. My LO was so easy and would reach out to strangers at 6 months but now you get her in a room of 5 people and she clings to me for her life. (13 months)
sarac
pomelo / 5093 posts

Oct 29, 2013

Sound pretty ideal, honestly. I'd just think about what it would look like if she hated the kids club. Would your vacation be ruined? I took my daughter to New Orleans at about 20 months, and we had a blast. But my idea of fun is exploring and walking around and lots of stuff like that that I could easily do with her.
Baby Boy Mom
pomegranate / 3983 posts

Oct 29, 2013

I think you'll still have fun even if you don't end up using the kids club. Vacationing with little ones is different but I've never regretted any trip and we've gone at all ages. I think it's just a matter of adjusting your expectations: so the likelihood of you both lounging with drinks in hand is small but seeing your kiddo splash in the pool, explore the sand etc.is also joyful.
blackbird
wonderful grape / 20453 posts

Oct 29, 2013

@baby boy mom, I think that's what my husband might be expecting. A super lazy, relaxing trip. And we'll have moments but we can't just, well, sit on the lazy river for 8 hours a day drinking and eating. Like....no.

I wanna goooooooooo, lol. I was 6 months pregnant on our last vacation
googly-eyes
GOLD / pomelo / 5737 posts

Oct 29, 2013

I don't think our lo would like to be left with someone she doesn't know. Also we have the problem of sleep disturbances when we don't stick to our schedule/ner room. But you have to live your life! If it's going to break the bank, maybe wait because if you're disappointed/sleep deprived/whatever you don't want to have spent a ton of money, but otherwise, I'd say go. We are sticking to nearby places at 13m. I do have to say, with sleeping regularly (like the time change) our easiest trip was at 4m. We also traveled at 6m and 11m and it was harder each time for lo to adjust to a new environment/time.
mrsjyw
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts

Oct 29, 2013

We went to Myrtle Beach for five days with DS this past summer when he was 8.5 months!

He slept on the plane ride, there/back. We rented a condo that had two br's ... he slept well, ate well, LOVED being out/about/swimming in the ocean/pool. And we got to enjoy couple time relaxing too

Was def worth it and would do it again in a heart beat!
yoursilverlining
eggplant / 11824 posts

Oct 29, 2013

Definitely do it!!! I think it would be tons of fun without the kids club, but with a buil-in babysitter at the resort? Do it!!!!
blackbird
wonderful grape / 20453 posts

Oct 29, 2013

@googly-eyes, no, it's really affordable! And it would be the same time zone! Bah! We are landlocked so there really is NOTHING here. We would spend just as much going to Chicago for the weekend.

@mrsjyw, oh a condo is a good idea. I don't know if it'd save us much to rent a condo for 5 days in florida. Not a bad idea, though! If one of our friends doesn't get deployed, we would totally do that with them!
MamaJ
pear / 1609 posts

Oct 29, 2013

We just went to NYC. Our LO was only 10 months though. It was a lot of fun and wasn't a hassle at all. I'm not sure I would use the kids club but my DS isn't in daycare so he wouldn't be used to it.

The only issue we had on vacation was DS refused to sleep in the pack and play. He ended up sleeping in bed with us and woke up a ton. But we survived
blackbird
wonderful grape / 20453 posts

Oct 29, 2013

@mamaj, well i know the hotel will give us a crib. We could bring our own sheets!
mrskc
bananas / 9357 posts

Oct 29, 2013

Go! I think it would be a lot of fun! Obviously like others said, it will be a different kind of vacation than if it was just the two of you. But I absolutely love taking my LO to new places and seeing how he takes it all in and explores new surroundings.

Would it be a hotel room? The only thing that would be nice is to have a place where there is separate living and bedroom area so you can put her to sleep in the bedroom and you and DH can hang out before you go to bed with out disturbing her.

We took my son a few weeks ago on a 3 night trip. It was only a 3 hour drive but it was a lot of fun and he did great! He was almost one and just started walking. He surprisingly napped and slept better than he does at home.
MamaJ
pear / 1609 posts

Oct 29, 2013

@blackbird: our hotel said they provided a "crib" so that's what I expected and brought my own sheets. Yeah turns out it was a pack and play haha. DS had never been in one either so he hated it.

It wasn't a huge deal to us that he ended up in our bed. DH loves him in our bed so he was happy. We had no issues putting him back in his crib when we got back either.
blackbird
wonderful grape / 20453 posts

Oct 29, 2013

@mrskc, it would be a hotel room probably with no separate room. But honestly, she goes to bed at 730 or so, and DH and I usually stay up til about 9 or 10 on the patio, reading and lounging. We could easily stay within earshot of her. We just aren't crazy people when we travel! We could definitely think about upgrading to a suite that has a family area, though, and keep the crib in there

@mamaj, ah, a crib is not a PnP! But she sleeps fine in those, too.
blackbird
wonderful grape / 20453 posts

Oct 29, 2013

I've concluded that DH is just being a wanker about it
mrskc
bananas / 9357 posts

Oct 29, 2013

@blackbird: I've heard other people have put their LO's to bed in the bathroom! but hanging out on a patio would work too. And I hear ya. DS goes to bed at 7-7:30 and DH and I go to bed around 9-10. We're such old people now. lol!
sunny
coconut / 8430 posts

Oct 29, 2013

@blackbird: we just came back from an all inclusive in Mexico with our 14 month old!

We didn't feel comfortable leaving her in the Kids Club (it also seemed to be for older kids) so we had her with us the whole time. It was not stressful but it was not super relaxing either. Our LO needs a lot of attention for eating and once she was down for the night I was stuck in the room and couldn't socialize with our other friends. I also had to go back to the room 2x/day for naps as well.

Overall it was still fun and our LO had a blast playing in the pool and the sand. I would recommend buying one of these for the pool:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00253T7R2

A friend brought one and it was great!
shinymama
persimmon / 1128 posts

Oct 29, 2013

We went to Hawaii when LO was 11 months and it was fantastic. The 5.5 hour flight was easy because we kept him distracted with new toys, lots of snacks, and let him play on the floor {bulkhead seats}. We rented a condo so he had his own room and that made it easier to stick to his routine. He went with us everywhere and was a major trooper.

We've also taken our oldest to an all-inclusive resort in Cabo and it was great. There are usually young children at all the resort events and restaurants. Plus if you want to call it a night early so LO can sleep, you can usually get room service at no additional cost.
Baby Boy Mom
pomegranate / 3983 posts

Oct 29, 2013

@blackbird: In that case, I would make sure he has a reality check: you're still going to be dealing with diapers and meals and naps. But it will still be vacation because of the whole no working, no cooking, no cleaning.
Sammyfab
pomegranate / 3383 posts

Oct 29, 2013

We went on a week-long beach vacation when LO was 13 months and he loved the beach and pool! We stayed in a condo with my MIL but we got our own room and our LO slept in a rented crib in a walk-in closet. It was perfect!!!

I wouldn't bank on her being ok with the kids club but I still think it'd be a great vacation!
blackbird
wonderful grape / 20453 posts

Oct 30, 2013

@sunny, we would totally need that! So great.

@shinymama, so true. They offer in-room babysitting for $10/hour so I'm sure we'd take advantage of that a few times

@baby boy mom, haha. Yes. Exactly. Plus, get some sun, play in the pool..it's so hard to turn myself off at home.
Adira
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts

Oct 30, 2013

@blackbird: Where are you going?? Can I come??
shellio
pear / 1614 posts

Oct 30, 2013

Yeah, go! I don't know if I would totally bank on the kids club but if you are ok with going either way (mentally prepared to not have tons of adult time), go. You'll have fun. We have travelled a lot with DS, he was a good night sleeper too and after putting him to bed we always had some time to ourselves. If you are in a place that has some sort of lounge area somewhat close to your room, you could even bring a video monitor with you there. That's what we do although the distance has always been just a little too great for our monitor to work.

We only stayed in a hotel once, around 9 mos, since then we've always gone for a condo that has at least one bedroom because he is used to going to bed in his room by himself and we didn't want to disrupt his sleep. The other great thing about the condo is that having a kitchen when travelling with a LO is awesome. He usually wakes up pretty hungry so rather than having to buy breakfast every morning we are able to just make him some oatmeal, make us some coffee, and lounge around a little before heading out for the day. Also nice for the other meals too - having to eat out for EVERY meal is kind of a bummer. (IMO.)
JoJoGirl
cantaloupe / 6206 posts

Oct 30, 2013

Go! Yay!

ETA: If there's babysitting available, you really have nothing to lose except a few bucks if the kids club doesn't work out... and why go all the way down there if you're not going to take advantage?
pastemoo
cantaloupe / 6146 posts

Oct 30, 2013

Yay vacation! Go!
I family vacation!

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Talk to me about....vacations....and a 1 year old

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