Vacation Part 2: Organizing the Trip

First long trip as a family of four? Done. 

There were highs + lows. Vacation was so so good, but SO different with kids.

It took a lot of organization getting the kids' stuff ready for the week and making sure I had everything all squared away.  I had read lots of tips/tricks for traveling with kids...so now I have my own little list. Storing it on here for the next trip we take (in about a month), and for anyone else who will be traveling with littles + needs tips! 

1. Have a light suitcase.  We don't and we really need to invest in one. I packed the boys' stuff together in an old gym bag (my soccer bag from high school...that thing is OLD, but not gross!) and then I had a suitcase and Nate had a suitcase.  Because our boys are still so little, we would have been able to pack their stuff in our suitcases, if our suitcases weighed less.  They're super heavy ones and so although we have the room for the clothes, we couldn't add more or we would be over the weight limit.  If we had a lighter suitcase, we would have had one less bag to drag everywhere ;) 

I've heard good things about these IT Luggage bags {says they're the world's lightest!} and am hoping to get one for the next time we fly. Except I want the pink one....eeekk!!

2. Do what you want with car seats.  We didn't rent because it's not cheap and we had Eric + Amanda with us at the airport, so we had extra hands :) They charge a freakin' arm + a leg to rent them, but it would really help with the airport hustle.  However, if you don't want to pay for them...we took ours and just bought the 2 bags that go over them so they wouldn't get messed up.  We had no problems AND it was nice for the boys to be in their own seats. If carrying them to check in seems simple enough, then go for it.  I think Nate would always take our seats + I would rather just rent. He prefers to save money, I prefer convenience. hahaha.

3. Strollers. So I read many tips that said to take 2 cheap umbrella strollers instead of my double stroller and so I did. I think that works for some, but I SO wish I would have had my double stroller.  With the two umbrella strollers, Nate + I both had to be pushing...wish caused a lot more work.  Also, the wheels on umbrella strollers are not my favorite! Yikes. I can't tell you how many times the wheels got stuck and we looked insane with all of our stuff, trying to straighten out the wheels.  My double stroller pushes like a DREAM and I missed it lots..

All of that to say...here's a few pros to 2 separate umbrella strollers.

1. They are much easier to break down and put through security and on the plane.

2. If Nate + I ever wanted to separate (say I needed to take Jacoby potty while he would wait for food with Maddox...), it's super convenient. 

3. I didn't worry if they got banged up...they were CHEAP.

Pros for my double stroller:

1. It pushes so easily! It would navigate the airport so well because of this. Most airports don't have tiny aisles anywhere...and if I can get my stroller in and out of the Gymboree at our mall, then I can go anywhere with that stroller. Just sayin.

2. Only one person has to have their hands occupied with a stroller. The other one can carry or push more bags, or just have free hands.

3. It has a storage bin underneath. I've never used an umbrella stroller before this trip + I kept thinking...where am I supposed to put my bag? (I did put it on the handle bars but if I picked up one of the boys...it toppled over).  Also, where am I supposed to put my drink??? I always have a drink...but had to carry that along with pushing the stroller.

4. My double stroller has much better sun shades and is adjustable for the boys to be able to nap in it better. And by boys, I mean Maddox because Jacoby would never nap in a stroller. It's a bed or nothing for him ;) 

Sheesh...that's a lot on strollers!

3. Pack a backpack for the kids. Jacoby is only 2.5 but it was so nice to have his bag packed with his stuff and not jamming up my bag. Maddox I just packed a little baggie of snacks and chew toys in my bag because he doesn't need all that much.  Jacoby wouldn't carry his bag but we just hung it on the back of the stroller and that worked well.  I filled up his little backpack with snacks: suckers are amazing for flights...they don't roll on the floor, they don't melt and they last forever!, chewy snacks for take off/landing, peanut butter crackers, and I packed a water bottle that the boys could share.

  I also went to the dollar spot at Target and picked up little coloring packets that Jacoby LOVED. I got him a Blaze one and a Paw Patrol one.  It has a little coloring book, 4 small crayons and stickers.  He was all about the stickers and the book.  I also dropped by the dollar store and picked out a few new trucks (because trucks are his life!) and a few dinosaurs.  I didn't let him look in the bag until we got there so that it'd all be new and exciting.  He brought a few of his favorite trucks with him too.  I think if he were older, it'd be good to let him pick out what he wants in his bag, but for his age-- it worked to have it be more of a surprise! 

4. iPad. While we can be strict about iPad use (which means he really never uses it at home) we let him use the iPad on vacation.  It was something that helped him when we were on an extra long road trip, or when he needed to just calm down before nap time.  I'm not suggesting one way or the other... every parent has their own way of using or not using electronics.  I AM saying that it helped us sometimes when Jacoby was getting antsy.  It wasn't the first thing we whipped out if he started to fuss, but it did come in handy!  I just downloaded a few of his favorite shows.



Oh, and we used these headphones and loved them! Jacoby never bothered with them, they stayed on well and they have volume control that keeps it from getting too loud for his little ears. #allthemomssaidamen

Also, we used the iPad to help him calm down at night and before naps.  We were on vacation with 10 adults plus our boys...it wasn't easy to just "wind down".  Jacoby thrives in big groups like that and he can go go go until we make him go to bed.

So we would turn on one 15 min. episode of a show and let him watch it, with his headphones, while I put Maddox to sleep.  Then we'd turn it off and he'd go to sleep.  It helped SO much. Speaking of sleeping...

5. Roll with the sleeping.  Our kids both sleep in separate rooms in their own beds every single night.  So knowing that we had a king size bed and one room for our family of 4 was a situation we hadn't had yet.  I was excited because I told Nate that they have to learn eventually how to sleep in different places while we are traveling.  I thought of it as a learning experience and one that would help us all be able to travel more and do things more simply.  Nate was a little more afraid of how little sleep we would get :)  To our surprise, Jacoby did GREAT sleeping in bed with us.  He never had a problem going to sleep and slept the whole night through--but did wake up earlier than usual.  Nate didn't sleep great because Jacoby wanted to snuggle him all night...but it got better as the week went on.  Maddox slept in a pack n play and was up about 2 times each night.  Not horrible, and since I was still nursing him at night, I just nursed him and put him back down.  Most of the time he went back to sleep.....breastfeeding has its perks! ;) 

If you're wondering how your kids are gonna sleep on vacation...my biggest tip is to just roll with it.  Be prepared to get less sleep with kids on vacation.  Be prepared for a little confusion at first, but also the better your attitude, the better their attitude--always!

6. You will survive. I am so excited that the boys did so well traveling and on vacation.  They definitely had their missed naps, tantrums and fussy times (screaming in the car for a lot of the trip home from Charleston...sorry Eric + Amanda), but it happens.  Life with kids is more challenging, busier, louder but definitely more FUN.  Oh, and although my kids did great on the plane...they won't always.  I know better than that :) Just tell yourself in your head, I will survive.  Because you will.  The people on the plane will get over it and so will you.

Oh...and if you aren't sure you'll survive? Let me remind you that in the middle of downtown Charleston, Jacoby smacked me right in the face and as I was disciplining him, an 80 year old woman stopped walking, stood right over and just STARED. She just stood there and stared for what felt like forever. Y'all, talk about embarassing! Nate was 3 seconds from telling her to move on :) 

We survived...you will too!!

Did I miss any other travel tips you have? We are going on a long ROAD trip in about a month.  Road trips are so different than flying trips...I need your HELP ;)

xox,

Naomi