Want to know how to travel with a toddler so you have an amazing family trip? These are some smart tips you need to know about when traveling with your little one.
Traveling with a toddler can be stressful and if you’re like me, you are looking for ways to make sure your trip is a success. We’ve traveled near and far with our little one and I am giving you the top tips for how to travel with a toddler.
You are going to learn about all the hacks for how to travel with a toddler including tips for getting to your destination, choosing where to stay, and planning your days.
After learning about all these tips, you are going to be a pro and be super prepared when taking your next family trip with your toddler.
This post is all about how to travel with a toddler for an awesome family vacation.
Tips for How to Travel with a Toddler
1. Focus on sleeping arrangements
We all know how important sleep is for toddlers, and parents! When away from home, try to replicate your toddler’s sleep environment as much as possible so everyone can get a good night’s sleep.
If your toddler sleeps in their own room at home, then try to find a separate space for them to sleep in. For example, look for a hotel room or vacation rental with a separate living area and bedroom. You can set your toddler up to sleep in the living area while you sleep in the bedroom. They don’t need their own room. Any space where they can’t hear or see you will do.
When you are stuck in one room together, then bring your own room divider. Although not ideal since you will have to keep the same schedule as your toddler, at least you can create separate spaces and hopefully avoid sleep issues with your toddler.
2. Look for access to a washer/dryer
Let’s face it, toddlers are messy. And they love getting you messy too! Laundry can pile up impossibly fast. If you are going on a weeklong trip (or longer), then look for access to a washer and dryer.
If you can wash clothes and linens, then you can reduce the amount you will need to pack. You can also come home with less dirty laundry to do.
If you are going on a shorter trip and don’t want to bother with doing laundry, then make sure you pack extra outfits beyond what you think you will need for each day.
3. Location, location, location
Staying close to what you are doing is key so that you don’t have long commutes with your toddler. Getting a toddler to stay in a car seat can be a challenge so look for short trips from point A to point B.
When picking a place to stay, find somewhere in the middle of everything you plan to do. I like to plot on a map all the places I plan to visit. Then, I try to find a place to stay in the middle so we are equal distance from all the activities we plan to do.
4. Delivery, pickup, and room service will be your best friends
Going to a restaurant with a toddler can be unpredictable. Sometimes, it can be ok, but often it can make you embarrassed and frustrated. While traveling, I like to avoid these unpredictable situations so the day doesn’t take a turn for the worse.
Nowadays, most restaurants have delivery and pickup options. Or you might stay at a hotel that offers room service, or at least a free breakfast. Any option that allows you to eat on the go, or in your hotel room/rental will take the stress out of mealtime.
If you aren’t staying in a hotel room or vacation rental with a kitchen, then you might want to bring some basics with you, like utensils and dishwashing supplies.
You also want to take into consideration what restaurants are close by when selecting where to stay. If there are no restaurants close by, then you might have a hard time getting food delivered, or it might get cold by the time you pick it up and bring it back to where you are staying.
5. Factor in extra time on the road
If you are driving to your destination, then plan to stop often. Toddlers need to move and won’t do well being strapped in a car seat for hours on end.
I try to stop about every two hours. Make sure you plan for these stops by factoring in extra travel time and looking ahead for good places to stop. Look for rest stops with a playground or space for kids to run around safely.
Depending on the length of your trip, you can also plan to drive while your toddler sleeps. Whether it’s driving through the night, or just driving during naptime, if your toddler can sleep while you drive, then everyone can have a more peaceful trip.
No matter when you decide to drive, you should plan for more stops than you think and expect the stops to last longer than anticipated.
6. Rent baby gear to lighten the load
If you are going away for a week (or longer), consider renting baby gear.
When packing for a trip, toddler gear can take up a lot of space in the car. You can use a baby/toddler gear rental service to rent some of the bigger items, like cribs and highchairs. At the very least you can look into pricing, and then decide if the cost outweighs the extra space in the car.
7. Be mindful of your toddler’s schedule
Before kids, you may have planned jam-packed itineraries with tons of activities for each day. When traveling with toddlers, your trip itinerary will look a lot different.
Top of mind is mealtime, naptime, and bedtime. You want to stick to your toddler’s schedule as best you can while away. Keeping a familiar routine will be comforting to toddlers and help ease the transitions from home to vacation to back home.
When planning each day of your trip, you need to schedule activities around your toddler’s schedule. Which may mean you only have time for one or two activities a day.
Be realistic and prioritize what you want to do on the trip because you will only get to so many places between meals, naps, diaper changes, etc.
8. Plan for more activities than you will do
You won’t be able to do too many activities each day with everything else your toddler has going on. Plus, you need to factor in extra time to get out the door and complete activities.
However, plans always change. Maybe you have rainy days or someplace you planned to visit is unexpectedly closed.
It is good to have a couple of activities in your back pocket that you can pull out in these situations. So have some substitute activities planned that aren’t on your priority list for the trip, but instead on your “if we have extra time” list.
Then, if an activity doesn’t work out, or a miracle happens and you have extra time, you can plop these alternate activities into your itinerary and not have to scramble for something to do.
9. Stay positive
Your toddler will watch your reactions. As you hit challenges, make sure you keep a positive attitude. Treat each challenge as an adventure and keep your verbal and non-verbal language positive.
You want to give off upbeat vibes so your toddler feels safe and secure. You don’t want your toddler to have a meltdown because you are stressing about something you forgot to pack. Keeping a positive attitude can go a long way toward making it a happy family trip.
