What I’ve Learned Traveling with a Baby / Toddler
We had planned to go away a few months ago, but then lockdown happened, and we had to think again. We rearranged our trip to last week and, as the rules had eased, we decided it would be just what we needed and that we should go for it. The last time we went away was well before Christmas and I knew my son wasn’t going to remember it, so this felt completely new all over again. However, when we last went away the journey was awful. He screamed and cried the whole way. It took all day as we had to keep stopping. I would feed him, change his nappy, walk him around, and all would work and cheer him up until it was time to get back in the car when he would scream and shake with rage. We’ve been in the car loads since then so I felt happier that he wouldn’t hate it so much. I was also more prepared with snacks and toys. And I was also a little more anxious as I knew what could go wrong. But we hoped for the best!
We only went a couple of hours drive away to the coast and stayed in a static caravan for a week. It was completely self-enclosed; it was self-catered and a lot of the businesses on site were closed. We could stay as isolated as we needed to. But there was a beach nearby and that was all we needed. We just had to pray that the weather would hold out! I told myself we didn’t need anywhere near the amount of stuff we took with us last time, but I kept adding stuff to the bags ‘just in case’. We packed up the car as full as it could possibly get (we borrowed a roof box and even that was bulging) and there was just enough room for myself, my husband, our little boy and our spaniel, Scout. We set off on our adventure and it felt weird leaving the house properly for the first time in so long. We tried to time the main bulk of the journey to fit with my son’s nap, so we knew if we wanted a coffee/meal/toilet then we needed to go soon. We stopped for food and to let the dog stretch her legs, within about 20 minutes of leaving and then our little boy did manage to nod off for an hour afterwards, so it timed quite well. Except that I should’ve gone to the toilet in that break too as I was so desperate after another hour of traveling and it was all I could think about. But leaving our baby to sleep and not cry for the remainder of the journey was more important than whether I wet my pants!
I managed to hold out until we stopped again, and we bribed my son and the dog with snacks for the remainder of the journey. I was so surprised with how successful the journey there went that I was already planning our next vacation. I was prematurely smug. I forgot we had to get home again yet. It was mid-afternoon by the time we arrived so we had to try to unpack and set most things up before our evening meal, all while trying to keep an energetic one year old boy and puppy entertained and out of the way. The main downside to bringing so much stuff is that there was so much to unpack. It felt like it was going to take half of the week up doing so. Just in time to start packing up again... But we managed it. Our dinner was a little late, but it could've been worse. We got fish and chips that night as a treat for managing to get so far. No trip to the seaside is complete without fish and chips- an excuse we used more than once that week. We did go for other meals out though which were mainly successful. We learned early on that we had to get in, eat and leave as quickly as possible or either one or both of our son and dog would get bored, restless, whiney or scream-y.
Most places were still practicing safe social distancing (COVID 19 rules) so we sat outside a lot. We were lucky with the weather. It was mainly sunny, but not too hot. There was however one horrendous thunderstorm which seemed to last all night. Now, thunderstorms are loud and dramatic at the best of times but when you're trying to sleep in a caravan where the walls feel paper thin, it's on another level. The wind felt like it was going to pick us up and tip us over, the rain was drumming so violently on the roof it felt like it was going to come straight through it and the thunder shook us all to our core. As you can imagine, none of us slept that night and we were switching between keeping the baby and the dog calm and comforted. It wasn't only the thunderstorm that kept us awake though. My little boy had never slept in a travel cot before (last time we were away we co-slept in my bed, but now he was old enough to roll out and he moves around so much in his sleep that that is quite likely), but he did not like this new sleep scenario. And he let us know about it. Frequently. Throughout the night. Sometimes he just needed a bit of reassurance that it was okay for him to be asleep somewhere new. but I felt like I was constantly waiting for him to let me know he was awake. Even when he was sound asleep. Something I will try to work on for our next holiday. The worst part is that now he has decided he doesn't really like his own crib at home that he had been sleeping well in before we went away. I think he is still a little disorientated so I'm hoping this will settle down soon on its own. Wish us luck please!
We had to plan most activities around my boy's nap which was sometimes tricky, but we mainly managed. We went on LOTS of walks which we all enjoyed, especially Scout the crazy spaniel. She always has so much energy to burn. We booked to go to a castle one day but when we got there, we realized it was NOT buggy friendly and we didn't bring any other baby carriers. I mean, when we thought about it obviously castles aren't buggy friendly. They are all about the stone steps, moats, narrow doorways etc. So, we didn't stay too long. We tried to get down to the beach every day. A mammoth task somehow but me and my husband were looking forward to this the most when we had booked this place. Both baby and dog absolutely loved the sea. But neither were so keen on the sand. So again, we couldn't stay too long as there's only so long we could stay in the ocean before we were shivering uncontrollably.
On our last day we packed up everything, although we kept thinking we had forgotten something, and by the time we left it was a little late for my son's nap. Cue lots of tired whines and crying for most of the journey. From all of us. But we made it home all intact and all still getting along. Our routine since we've returned is all over the place, and sleep has gone to pot but here is what I have learned from our little trip away -
6 Things I Learned While Traveling with My Little One
Prepare as much as you can beforehand. Take what you think you need and more. The idea of packing lightly is appealing, but it is less so when you've forgotten your child's highchair/favourite cup/enough sleeping bags etc. Don’t rush and try to make sure you've got all you need.
Journey around naps. If you can and it doesn't take you a ridiculously long time to pack everything up again like us.
Snacks help everything. Seriously. Snacks got us through car journeys, long walks, meals out. Mainly for the baby but take some to treat yourself too.
Be flexible with routine. It just makes life easier if you can't get back from somewhere for their exact lunchtime. Try not to worry about it and give them an extra snack to get through.
It’s better than you’ll imagine. I worried so much beforehand about everything that could possibly go wrong. And while some things did, the parts that went well and the fun we had was beyond wonderful.
The memories that you make will last a lifetime. And will be so worth a few long nights when you get home. Trust me. We're already planning our next one.
