Traveling with a 1 year old

[piximamason]

I have to go to Ny for 5 days for training to be a childbirth class teacher. I will be taking my bf ds(1yo) and dd(6yo). My mom will be along to babysit while I'm in class. This is the first time I will be going away with the baby and my memeory needs to be refreshed with ideas on traveling with babies. I was hoping to get some suggestions about what to take things for entertainment (WE will have alot of hotel time), food ( we will be eating out, but I will need food for baby because most restaraunts will not have much he can eat), and diapering (We use cloth). It's only been a few years since dd was a baby but I'm feeling a little rusty, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[MamaOui]

If you are breastfeeding, can your ds get by mostly on nursing? I have never done jarred baby foods, but I bet the would be great for travel (seeing you won't be with him all day every day). How about some dry cereal, too.

Bring a few new toys and books for the kids for some novelty. If all else fails, fill up the tub and let them play while you sit in the bathroom and read. Check and see if the hotel has an empty conference room for the kids to run around in. Is there a pool on-site? Is there an outdoor area to play in at the hotel or a park nearby?

Some things to get you thinking. A good book about travel with young kids is: Have Kids Will Travel. I forget the author.

[piximamason]

I will be in classes from 8:30AM- 10:30PM with a lunch and dinner break so he will probably need more then breastmilk. Unfortunatly he will not eat puireed food, he prefers table food and gets rather grumpy if he doesn't get enough to eat. I should have asked if rooms have a frig. I guess I could use a cooler, that way we could save some $$ and eat lunch in the room! Hopefully they have a pool but the tub is a great idea!!! I am going to the bookstore today and will check out the book you reccomended. Thank You!

[laura163]

You might want to bring outlet covers and keep an eye on the floor lamps. I spent 3 days in hotel with my 11 month old and he loved it!

Laura

[fluffernutter]

Here's what we did when we went to NYC for a week (DH was on business)...

Snack foods for plane ride, Cheerios, fruit, etc.
We ate out a lot, but I made sure to get things she could eat. Green beans, mashed potatoes, peas, etc.
While DH was working Reese and I explored the city. It was great, and she loved it.
We used disposable dipes for the trip, most hotels have a laundry service and will wash for you, or have washers and dryers so you can wash yourself. Either way it costs money, and is a bit of a pain, so we went with 'sposies for a week.
If you're going to NYC there is a drug store on every block (Duane Reade) so if you need anything, you can easily get it.
Bring your sling!!! We did a lot of walking and the streets are so crowded I would've hated pushing her through the crowds in a stroller. Plus it'd be a big pain on subways and cabs and such.

[piximamason]

Thanks for the advice- Outlet covers, what a great idea, I would have never thought of them! I probably should just give in and use disposable for the week. We will only be in NYC for one day but I totally agree about the stroller. Not that Ds will ever sit in one anyways. I found another thread that had some good food ideas that I may be able to use. Thanks Again! We don't leave till June 12 so if you have any more brainstorms let me know!

[geekmom]

I just got back from a 5 day vacation with my 1 year old and 2 year old. The hotel was no problem at all. You can call before and get a frig put in your room. I brought a whole bunch of non-perishable snacks like trail mix, veggie sticks, animal crackers, cereal, dried fruit and such like that. I picked up fruit on the way. I kept the cooler with me at all times with sippee cups in it. I sort of just kept feeding the kids regardless of meal times so we never had to worry about when we actually found a place to eat for the grownups.

I really didn't need much in the way of toys. My parents, who I was traveling with, had bought this cool blow up ball that was soft and nobby so the kids could grab it and I could deflate it to pack it. Other than that I kept crayons with me for them to color with, but mostly they played with the phone in the hotel room, the remote control, the paper cups, the ice bucket etc. etc. I unplugged the phone in the room.

I enjoyed staying at the hotel. We also stayed at friend's houses and that wasn't so easy because they were so un-child proofed.

Oh, bring a bunch of ziploc bags and napkins and disposible, natural wet ones (so you can wash their faces with them if necessary).