Do any of you travel with young kids?
May 22, 2015, 8:06 am
#16
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May 22, 2015, 8:10 am
#17
Join Date: Jun 2001
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No intent to inflate the story. This is a frequent flyer forum; I presumed readers would understand context. The point was not to brag about my kid, but to encourage the OP to keep traveling!
It didn't even occur to me someone would interpret it to include Antarctica. My apologies if you were somehow mislead and inconvenienced by the misinterpretation of my child's travels.
It didn't even occur to me someone would interpret it to include Antarctica. My apologies if you were somehow mislead and inconvenienced by the misinterpretation of my child's travels.
May 22, 2015, 9:19 am
#18
Join Date: Dec 2004
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A couple of people have mentioned coinciding travel times with normal sleep times for kids. That is a very child-dependent (and routing dependent) situation in my experience. Sometimes it works great, other times the kid is so wired from being on an airplane that they can't sleep (or will only sleep after crying at length). Obviously it sometimes can't be avoided.
In our case, when traveling domestically in the US, we'd much rather take an early flight (we have a 5:30 am flight coming up) that gets us in by naptime than try to get kids to sleep on a plane during naptime. (A lot of times, based on our small origin airport, we have no real choices, but when we get the choice, that's what we pick.) Our son is sooo excited by going on an airplane that he puts up with the early morning departure pretty well and then takes a solid nap on arrival, putting him solidly on the new time zone.
We have not done any international/Hawaii travel with our kids. One factor for us is cost, the other is sleep while traveling. The flying part of the journey is OK for kids, but for me and the ages/stages of our kids, sharing a room (even a suite) with kids on vacation is just exhausting...they both seem to wake more often when traveling. There's lots of personal factors in that, and I'm getting better at it (discovered that sticking the baby's pack and play into a closet and clipping a sheet so it creates visual separation from me helps). So that's another factor; lots of people don't have that issue or lack of sleep doesn't bother them so much, but it hasn't worked well for me. But that's a very moving target that is working itself out as the kids get older.
In our case, when traveling domestically in the US, we'd much rather take an early flight (we have a 5:30 am flight coming up) that gets us in by naptime than try to get kids to sleep on a plane during naptime. (A lot of times, based on our small origin airport, we have no real choices, but when we get the choice, that's what we pick.) Our son is sooo excited by going on an airplane that he puts up with the early morning departure pretty well and then takes a solid nap on arrival, putting him solidly on the new time zone.
We have not done any international/Hawaii travel with our kids. One factor for us is cost, the other is sleep while traveling. The flying part of the journey is OK for kids, but for me and the ages/stages of our kids, sharing a room (even a suite) with kids on vacation is just exhausting...they both seem to wake more often when traveling. There's lots of personal factors in that, and I'm getting better at it (discovered that sticking the baby's pack and play into a closet and clipping a sheet so it creates visual separation from me helps). So that's another factor; lots of people don't have that issue or lack of sleep doesn't bother them so much, but it hasn't worked well for me. But that's a very moving target that is working itself out as the kids get older.
May 22, 2015, 9:52 am
#19
Join Date: Mar 2011
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I didn't experience any issues with flying and sleeping when my daughter was small, sure we tried to fly from the US to Europe at bed time but that was more about maximising time spent in places, when travelling out it wasn't something that I fussed over too much, on her first flight at 6 months from London to New York my daughter didn't sleep at all and it was a daytime flight, yet when we went to Hawaii 9 months later she slept half the way from London to Los Angeles (also a daytime flight)
I barely travelled before I had my daughter but before she was 2 we'd travelled extensively in Europe and the US as well as taking a trip to Hong Kong and have continued travelling fairly frequently since then (She's now 8)
I've almost always travelled solo with my daughter and I feel it's really enhanced my life experiences and helped me be a better person as i've had to deal with plenty of new experiences (like being in the middle of nowhere with a sick child!!) my daughter still talks about trips we've taken (admittedly not those before she was 3) and I love the positive impact that travelling has had for her
I barely travelled before I had my daughter but before she was 2 we'd travelled extensively in Europe and the US as well as taking a trip to Hong Kong and have continued travelling fairly frequently since then (She's now 8)
I've almost always travelled solo with my daughter and I feel it's really enhanced my life experiences and helped me be a better person as i've had to deal with plenty of new experiences (like being in the middle of nowhere with a sick child!!) my daughter still talks about trips we've taken (admittedly not those before she was 3) and I love the positive impact that travelling has had for her
May 22, 2015, 10:59 am
#20
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No intent to inflate the story. This is a frequent flyer forum; I presumed readers would understand context. The point was not to brag about my kid, but to encourage the OP to keep traveling!
It didn't even occur to me someone would interpret it to include Antarctica. My apologies if you were somehow mislead and inconvenienced by the misinterpretation of my child's travels.
It didn't even occur to me someone would interpret it to include Antarctica. My apologies if you were somehow mislead and inconvenienced by the misinterpretation of my child's travels.
A snarky reply because you don't understand the meaning of "every" is unwarranted.
May 23, 2015, 11:54 pm
#21
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: SAN
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A snarky reply because you don't understand the meaning of "every" is unwarranted.
May 26, 2015, 6:58 am
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 90
Thank you all for sharing your comments and experience with traveling with Kid(s).
I like the suggestion of the Caribbean instead of Hawaii atleast for now. I have a question regarding strollers, recently we got a Uppababy G-luxe stroller, which is light but when I fold it, I feel like its still looks big, I don't think I can put that in the overhead bin and don't know if it's allowed.
Was wondering if someone has experience with this stroller and the second choice was the Quinny Yezz, which fold down really small, but lacks some of the features the Uppababy has and both are priced the same.
I like the suggestion of the Caribbean instead of Hawaii atleast for now. I have a question regarding strollers, recently we got a Uppababy G-luxe stroller, which is light but when I fold it, I feel like its still looks big, I don't think I can put that in the overhead bin and don't know if it's allowed.
Was wondering if someone has experience with this stroller and the second choice was the Quinny Yezz, which fold down really small, but lacks some of the features the Uppababy has and both are priced the same.
May 26, 2015, 7:36 am
#23
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 702
We started travelling by air with our son when he was 3 months old.
You have gotten a lot of good advice so far. I'll add that the Caribbean is a great destination from PHL and great for babies. We favor the USVIs and BVIs and also had enjoyable trips to the T&C Islands, Anguilla and Mexico.
Old San Juan is a fantastic city trip (very walkable) and a great stop over for a Caribbean trip.
We preferred a backpack carrier for traveling so I can't offer stroller advice.
Flight out on the first flight of the morning worked best for our son when he was a baby. We were lucky, disruptions in his sleeping patterns didn't bother him at all. If we had an early morning wake up call, he fell asleep earlier at night. Other kids become unglued if their nap is 10 minutes late.
You have gotten a lot of good advice so far. I'll add that the Caribbean is a great destination from PHL and great for babies. We favor the USVIs and BVIs and also had enjoyable trips to the T&C Islands, Anguilla and Mexico.
Old San Juan is a fantastic city trip (very walkable) and a great stop over for a Caribbean trip.
We preferred a backpack carrier for traveling so I can't offer stroller advice.
Flight out on the first flight of the morning worked best for our son when he was a baby. We were lucky, disruptions in his sleeping patterns didn't bother him at all. If we had an early morning wake up call, he fell asleep earlier at night. Other kids become unglued if their nap is 10 minutes late.
May 26, 2015, 1:07 pm
#24
Join Date: Aug 2010
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I like the suggestion of the Caribbean instead of Hawaii atleast for now. I have a question regarding strollers, recently we got a Uppababy G-luxe stroller, which is light but when I fold it, I feel like its still looks big, I don't think I can put that in the overhead bin and don't know if it's allowed.
Was wondering if someone has experience with this stroller and the second choice was the Quinny Yezz, which fold down really small, but lacks some of the features the Uppababy has and both are priced the same.
Was wondering if someone has experience with this stroller and the second choice was the Quinny Yezz, which fold down really small, but lacks some of the features the Uppababy has and both are priced the same.
But that said, given the possibility of damage while gate checked, you might consider leaving the Uppababy (which I assume is expensive) at home and bringing a cheaper one along instead. We have a relatively inexpensive (~$100) stroller that we use mainly for travel and it wouldn't cause any stress if it were lost or destroyed.
I should point out that I have gate checked strollers many times and never incurred any damage, so I have some confidence in the process.
May 26, 2015, 2:51 pm
#25
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SMF
Posts: 1,251
With respect to strollers, I have to repeat great advice on the subject that I got here. Travel with a light stroller (Uppababy G-Luxe looks like it fits the bill) and gate check it.
But that said, given the possibility of damage while gate checked, you might consider leaving the Uppababy (which I assume is expensive) at home and bringing a cheaper one along instead. We have a relatively inexpensive (~$100) stroller that we use mainly for travel and it wouldn't cause any stress if it were lost or destroyed.
I should point out that I have gate checked strollers many times and never incurred any damage, so I have some confidence in the process.
But that said, given the possibility of damage while gate checked, you might consider leaving the Uppababy (which I assume is expensive) at home and bringing a cheaper one along instead. We have a relatively inexpensive (~$100) stroller that we use mainly for travel and it wouldn't cause any stress if it were lost or destroyed.
I should point out that I have gate checked strollers many times and never incurred any damage, so I have some confidence in the process.
While each kid is different when it comes to adapting to a new environment and schedule while traveling, the one thing that we've found is very beneficial is having a suite whenever we travel. Its very nice at the end or beginning of the day to put the kid to bed and have some time alone or just with your SO. You can often leverage elite status or stay at all-suite properties to get this for not much more than you would spend at any other property.
Whatever you do, relax, have fun, and enjoy your trip!
May 26, 2015, 5:31 pm
#26
Join Date: Sep 2010
Programs: HHonors Diamond; My Mom's Favorite Kid
Posts: 3,929
The Graco Breaze is about $150 and is a great stroller to gate check. You can buy one at Buy Buy Baby and use a 20% off coupon. It folds up rather small and is very light as far an non-umbrrlla strollers go.
Personally I'd not travel with a stroller which might hurt to replace. I'd never take my Britax B-Ready on a plane.
Personally I'd not travel with a stroller which might hurt to replace. I'd never take my Britax B-Ready on a plane.
May 27, 2015, 10:37 am
#27
Join Date: Jul 1999
Programs: AA 1MM/Gold, Marriott Gold
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Our KG-aged son has been on 100+ flights, including his first solo flight last year. Not having any family in town means that our travel is split between visiting family around the country (aka trips) and other "voluntary" travel (aka vacations)
Would echo others that travel < age 1 is pretty easy. It was pretty easy up until 18 months, then got more difficult for about 6 months or so. After age 2, it just keeps getting better and better. When your kid drops napping, that opens up another world of possibilities.
We've done long trips across continents, short driving trips, and just about everything in between....and would say that experiencing the joy of travel and discovery through the eyes of a child is 100% worth whatever hassles may come your way. Yes, you may have to prepare a little more - and your state of mind has big impact (if you are relaxed, odds are better that your child is relaxed).....but we haven't regretted any of our travel.
And now he has lots of input on where he'd like to go next - Dubai to see the Burj Khalifa is high on his list, as is Tokyo....and we love that curiosity and sense of adventure.
Would echo others that travel < age 1 is pretty easy. It was pretty easy up until 18 months, then got more difficult for about 6 months or so. After age 2, it just keeps getting better and better. When your kid drops napping, that opens up another world of possibilities.
We've done long trips across continents, short driving trips, and just about everything in between....and would say that experiencing the joy of travel and discovery through the eyes of a child is 100% worth whatever hassles may come your way. Yes, you may have to prepare a little more - and your state of mind has big impact (if you are relaxed, odds are better that your child is relaxed).....but we haven't regretted any of our travel.
And now he has lots of input on where he'd like to go next - Dubai to see the Burj Khalifa is high on his list, as is Tokyo....and we love that curiosity and sense of adventure.
May 27, 2015, 10:48 am
#28
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: SAN
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Regarding strollers, contrary to previous posters, I would suggest going all-in or not at all. We took several trips with a collapsable umbrella stroller and were frequently cursing it for its clumsiness. For us, we found either lugging the monstrous BoB for trips we knew we were going to "off road" it for long stretches (e.g., Hawaii) or skipping the stroller and going with a baby carrier (or sons loved the Ergo at that age; others prefer the Baby Bjorn) was less headache.
Also, as others have observed, every kid is different with regard to timezones, and you won't know how yours does until you try. Our eldest needs one night to adjust to any time change, up to and including 12-hour shifts. Our younger son takes a week to adjust to anything bigger than a 3-hour shift. Indeed, I spent an entire week of one European vacation entertaining him between the hours of 1-5am. YMMV.
Also, as others have observed, every kid is different with regard to timezones, and you won't know how yours does until you try. Our eldest needs one night to adjust to any time change, up to and including 12-hour shifts. Our younger son takes a week to adjust to anything bigger than a 3-hour shift. Indeed, I spent an entire week of one European vacation entertaining him between the hours of 1-5am. YMMV.
May 27, 2015, 11:14 pm
#29
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,734
Would echo others that travel < age 1 is pretty easy. It was pretty easy up until 18 months, then got more difficult for about 6 months or so. After age 2, it just keeps getting better and better. When your kid drops napping, that opens up another world of possibilities.
When my kid learned to read, about age 5, that also made travel easier - he could involve himself more in what he saw, and participate more in planning. He could also entertain himself for decent stretches of time.
Now he's a teenager and all bets are off.
But fortunately so far he has retained his love of museums, which continues to be a mutually enjoyable activity.p.s. the $10 umbrella stroller for travel was one of our best purchases ever. Got a net bag for the handles, and never looked back at the full sized stroller.