summer road trips

Now that Summer is in full swing many families are packing up the family car and heading out on a road trip. Last summer we took a three week road/camping trip with our then 10 month old baby. Figuring out how to travel by car with an active baby proved to be a bit of a challenge, but we figured it out. The hardest thing was figuring out what we didn't need to pack. Babies these days come with so many accessories that the department stores and other parents will tell you are must haves, that when it comes time to pack it is hard to figure out what is truly essential. We brought our pack n' play but we probably could have done with out it, because our daughter almost never used it. The pack n' play was only used when we stayed with family or in a motel. When we were camping our daughter refused to go in the pack n play at all. I think this is specific to our child, any child that is used to spending time in a pack n' play would probably do fine.

We didn't bring a stroller and we didn't miss it. The stroller took up too much space and my daughter was used to being carried in an Ergo back pack, which is a fabric baby carrier that will hold up to 60lbs. We carried her on hikes and in shops and she was fine. Through Pike Market in Seattle my daughter slept in our Ergo and she didn't see a thing.

We packed a few toys and books for her and we bought a few on the road, but for the most part she was interested in pine cones, rocks, sticks and tree branches. We did buy some kid music for the road, which was very helpful. We would sing a long to the cd and this would keep our daughter happy for a long time.

The tent was interesting with our daughter, dog and the two of us all sleeping togehter. At home our daughter slept in a crib so in the tent she thought we were having a party and it took a while to get her to settle down enough to sleep. Even after three weeks we were still struggling to get her to go to sleep. She did sleep in the car about the same amount she would sleep at home so her naps were very regular, probably more regular than at home.

With camping we had to give up a lot of our standards for what went in her mouth and how clean she was. She loved eating dirt and rocks when we were camping, I had to remind myself that dirt and rocks wouldn't hurt her. We also didn't get to give her a bath every night. Mostly we would take family showers in the campground and in places where this wasn't possible I would shower with our daughter and my husband would wait for me to finish washing the baby and take our daughter and get her into her pjs while I finished bathing.

In the end we had a great trip. The memories will last forever and I would do it again in a second. We haven't taken another long road trip since last summer but we have taken some trips that took a day and our family has had a great time. I think road tripping with a toddler is harder than an infant. If we were to road trip today we would only be able to drive for about two hours at a time then have a break near a playground for 30 minutes. It would take us forever to get anywhere far.

to stroll or not to stroll

My verdict on using a stroller when traveling is a little mixed. I had a five hour lay over in London and couldn't have made it without a stroller. Holding my daughter in the back pack or letting her walk around the entire time would not have been welcome. That said with two to three hours in an airport I would have prefered not to have a stroller. I found it cumbersome even though my stroller is small. My bag was a little too big to fit easily under the stroller and when I hung it on the handels the stroller would tip without my daughters weight holding it down. I love my Ergo baby carrier and still think this is the best travel gear around. On the way home I found the stroller to be more trouble than it was worth, it is almost impossible to wheel a stroller and a suitcase through an airport. If you can do curb side check in and have a small carry on bag then a stroller is okay but the baby back pack is still easier to manuver through security, ticket lines, air planes, etc..

Spain

Spain is a very child friendly country, and would be a great place to go on a family vacation. Everywhere we went people would give my daughter attention. They would say hola, que bonita, preciosia, etc... My daughter was given snacks, toys to play with, and picked up like one of the family. In restaurants the Spainards let their kids run around, part of this is high chairs are a few and far between. Many of the kids will pack together and play games while the adults sit and eat and enjoy their meals. In the US people would freak out by the children running free, but as a mother I wish kids could run free here at home.

At one hotel in Sevilla we started to check in and the clerk said "wait, first things first" and went and said hello to my daughter and tickeled her foot and made her laugh, then he helped us check in to the hotel.

In Southern Spain their are a lot of animals around. My daughter loved seeing the burros in Mijas, the horses in Monda and Terrifa, monkeys on Gibralter, and cats, dogs and goats everywhere we went. My daughter loved being able to pet the horses and burros. She would have loved to touch the monkeys on Gibralter but I wouldn't let her near them as I find them rather disgusting and scary.

The one problem I had in spain was with the car seat. We borrowed a car seat from a rental car company and we could never get the seat belt to lock and secure the car seat. I am not sure if there are different safety standards in Europe for car seats, but I found the car seat a little unstable and even if I had brought my car seat from home I would have had the same problem securing the seat to the car.

Baby changing tables and high chairs are not available in most public places but I think it is more acceptable to change your baby in ther stroller or on a park bench than it is in the US. Many roads in Spain are made of individual stones and this is hard on a stroller, so I would recommend a cheap stroller you plan to throw out or a good stroller that will hold up to the punnishment it will undergo.

I would also check out a department store to look at the baby goods. European design is amazing and a lot of that carries over to their infant goods some of which are very interesting. The clothes for children are amazing and sometimes very expensive, although we found some very cute dresses at an open market and at some small shops.

airlines

A few weeks ago I took my 15 month old daughter to Spain. We flew British Air from the US to London then from London to Malaga, Spain. British Air was a pain to deal with in terms of reservations and service. They also charge you $20 to talk to an agent because they want you to use their online service, but their online service does not work for all needs. That said once we arrived at the airport, British Air was great. They let families with children pre-board. They had a bassinet that was more like a carseat so I could secure my daughter. The carseat/bassinett fits children up to two years old, most airline basinetts only fit young children. The staff on BA was very friendly and helpful.

When we arrived in London we had a five hour lay over. We got off the plane and the Heathrow staff were also very nice. When I went through security the staff saw that I had a baby and they let me go through a short line. When I transfered from Terminal 4 for intercontinental flights to terminal one various people pointed me to elevators and helped me find my way. In terminal one there is a play area for children. The play area is a little grungy but it is somewhat contained so you can keep track of wondering children. There was a fish tank, snack bar, and baby changing restroom very close to the play area. Throughout Heathrow there were bathrooms with baby changing/nursing rooms. These were great we could roll our stroller into the restroom, change diapers, wash hands, etc. and not have to deal with the chaos of a regular airport restroom. They also had chairs and some private rooms for mothers who are nursing.

Overall I think Heathrow is a very nice airport if you have to spend some time with a child.

Airlines

I am having some problems with the airline I am traveling with. I have booked a basinett but the airline won't even talk to me about an earlier connecting flight. I hope they will work with me when I get to the ticket counter. When I booked my flight I couldn't find an earlier connecting flight, but when I looked again about a month later I found one with the same airline.

I think that when traveling with children it is important to find a ticket that has the shortest lay overs and that is the most flexible. Some airlines are better than others. I hate to say this but American ariline companies don't seem to be as child friendly as airline companies from other countries. When an ariline allows for pre-boarding with young children, when they will book a bulkhead seat for you or just outline their policies on their website they are much better. I think most people book flights based on convenience and price than the airlines' service, but I am starting to weigh the service of airlines a little more when I book flights, especially when there is only a small price difference.

packing list

Spain Packing List
Baby
3 pairs pjs, 3 dresses, 4 cardigans, 4 pairs of pants, 5 onsies, 3 pairs of shoes

Tylenol, Motrin, Nail clippers, Baby soap, Diaper cream, Wipes, Diapers (enough for the flight and a couple of days)

Mom
4 pairs of pants, 2 skirts, 5 t-shirts, 3 cardigans, sandals, tennis shoes, airport shoes, undergarments
Advil, Soap, Makeup, Contact solution, Contacts
Moisturizer

Cary on
Books for baby, Magazine for me, Diapers, Wipes, Cream, Three toys, Baby blanket, Ergo, Snacks for Sun, Food for Sun, Sippy Cup, Change of clothes for Sun, Clean shirt for me, Zip lock bags, Tooth brush
Tylenol for baby, Calming drops for baby

to stroll or not to stroll

I am trying to decide if I should bring a stroller on my trip or not. In the past I have always used my Ergo carrier and it has worked well. However, I have a five hour lay over in London and I think a stroller may save my back and my sanity. I have been offered a sit and stroll to borrow but it doesn't have a basket on it for my carry on bag and my mother has a car seat for me when we get to Spain. I think I will still bring my Ergo because my daughter does not love the stroller, but she may hang out in it in the airport if we are walking around and she might sleep in it, which is what I am hopping for. When she was little she would sleep in the Ergo but those days seem to be over. I am only concerned about another piece of luggage. I only want one checked bag and one carry on bag. I think navigating a stroller and a checked bag is a pain, I am going to ask my mother to come into the airport to get me so I don't have to get everything to the curb by myself. On the way home I am scheduled for a night in London I am going to try to get this changed but so far the airline has not been very agreeable. So we will see how this all goes.