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Any women doing GORUCK ?
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Just changed the type of trips we go on with two little ones, tbh. What types of trips are you going on? Maybe we can offer more specific suggestions!
We have focused on driving vacations with grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins - to the beach and other areas. Rent a big Airbnb and have most meals at the house. Have fewer expectations of big outings each day. If grandparents are up for it, get date nights in while they babysit. We do long weekends without family as well but similar in nature - for example, drive to a beach and get a hotel with a poolside suite, in-house restaurants/bars, etc. these types of trips have been awesome.
Haven’t taken a plane with the kids yet. (2 & 3 years old now.) I look forward to going on “big” trips with them in the future but not interested in working around nap time / picky eating / tantrums / early bed time / etc.
When they get older they’ll appreciate it more. Went to Greece a few years back and they got hooked. But even a big difference between, say, eight, and twelve years old. They get used to it and learn to adapt but even domestic travel was rough initially.
Suggest waiting a few years - depends on your children. I waited until my youngest was 8.
Would like to know what trips have you taken that had lead to high stress? When I think vacation got <3 I think beach resorts that aren’t too far from home
Agree that it depends on where you’re going and what expectations you have. Plan for a couple hours in the morning, heading back to the hotel for a nap for your child, lunch, and a couple hour activity in the afternoon. They wear out easily. Try to have some kid-focused down time - plan for a picnic in the park, getting a hotel with a pool, going and just sitting somewhere. My son would get overstimulated when we’d travel so the breaks and focused kid-time were crucial to avoid my 2-year-old turning into a puddle. Once I learned that, far less stress!
I work for an airline, so day trips are a regular occurrence. My kids are now 8 and 5, which makes things easier. When they were 4 or younger, it was much harder because they required a lot of attention. Now, they need an iPad and a book, and they’re good to go.
It may be a factor of what your kids' temperament is. For us, pretty much every trip has been miserable or not very enjoyable. Driving trips to somewhere with no real plans have been our best success.
At 6 months old - drove 1hr away to a resort for a couple days. Packed everything but the kitchen sink, went to attractions at the resort (easy to retreat for naps), ate out a couple times, but mostly chilled. Probably our most successful trip.
At 1yr we flew to visit grandma. 0/10 for the flight , we planned it during nap time but our FOMO baby decided to skip nap and raise hell the entire time. House was not babyproofed, so had to watch him like a hawk at all times, not restful. He got sick, and ended up sleeping the flight home only because he had a fever.
At 1.5yr - drove 3-4hrs away (slept most of the way to/from), stayed in a timeshare type place. Chilled, ate mostly at the condo, very limited activities. He refused to eat the entire trip. First night refused to sleep, to the point we considered just driving home. But after that did... okay.
At 2yo - took a cruise, Grandma stayed in the room next door. He got sick the first day on the boat, woke up screaming bloody murder the first night (mix of scary noises and fever dream maybe?). Only would sleep on top of me, while sitting up. We were so miserable that my husband considered us flying home from the first port. Didn't do any activities on the boat. Only left the room to eat really. Vowed to never go on vacation again 🫠
We loved traveling before baby, but our kid is SO particular about everything that travel disrupts his groove. Sleeping 3 hours maybe while on vacation, then having to function enough to take care of the child during the day is miserable.
That said, I've traveled with other people's babies/ small kids that are pretty happy go- lucky travelers for the most part. I envy those parents.
I'll say that my 2yo is getting way easier with time, especially as he's able to communicate and understand better. He's SO much easier now than he was as an infant/ early toddler.
It’s a right of passage!