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MrsNJSwimmer
member
tips for traveling alone with toddler
MrsNJSwimmer
member
My husband can't go with me to this wedding I'm in this weekend (my brother is getting married) b/c he has to work. So, I'm on solo travel duty with the toddler.
Here's my schedule and plan. Trip is 5 hours if I drive straight. Plan on the way there is to leave ~ 4am so he will continue his sleep and stop at a friend's house (~3hrs from here) for the morning (breakfast, playtime, lunch), then leave about 12:30 for the remainder of the trip ~(2hours) during which I'm hoping he'll sleep. Go to hotel, unpack (I'm seriously hoping they have one of those carts I can put everything on and lug into the hotel), get changed and ready for rehearsal/dinner (I'm thinking this will generally be fine). I"m figuring this will be past his reg bedtime, so go back, bath/bedtime routine, sleep until he can.
Get up in the morning, eat bfast at the hotel, go to bride's very small apt to get ready (hair/makeup/dressed) - he will be with me. I will have to try to keep him entertained during this time and not touch my face or hair or dress after I'm done up. Likely he will not have a chance to nap, which does not bode well for the rest of the day. Drive to wedding (starts at 2), hopefully he will sit with my parents after they are seated and I can walk down the aisle sans toddler, but I'm not hopeful. After the wedding (not a catholic wedding, so I'm hoping it'll be short), we go for pictures - she wants to do the family ones first, so hopefully he will then go to the reception with my parents while I do the bridal party shots. Reception should be fine after bridal party introductions. Since the wedding is at 2, I'm figuring the reception will be over earlier rather than later and we can go back to the hotel and hopefully he will be so tired that he will fall asleep.
Next day we will eat breakfast at hotel again, play for awhile while I pack up and then drive 1.5 hours to my parents for early Easter. Then drive 45 mins to different hotel after dinner, bedtime, then bfast at hotel with some playtime in the morning. Not sure if I will stay there for lunch or not. Drive 3+ hours home.
What flaws do you see? What am I forgetting or not thinking about.
My shower schedule will be before we leave Friday morning, wash up Saturday morning, shower at my parents on Sunday and then when I get home Monday.
Thanks for reading and helping!
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Re: tips for traveling alone with toddler
Wow, you have put a lot of thought into this! Do you think he will nap if you're not with him? Could your parents stay with him so he can nap (if the timing it right)?
Also, we went to a hotel with DD for the first time last weekend, and tried to leave Friday night at her bedtime and transition her to the hotel in the middle of the night. It was a total disaster; she was so freaked out not knowing where she was (even though we were all sleeping in the same room). I would say there are two ways to counter this: Let him get aquainted with the room before bedtime, and do some practice runs in the pack and play (if that's what he's sleeping in).
Best of luck, and have a great time!
Ditto. I would be most worried about him missing the nap on Saturday, especially since that's the day of the wedding and there will be a lot of activity. Is there any way possible that you can give him a chance to nap that day? Could the grandparents stay with him at the hotel to nap? Or, could you set up a PNP at the bride's house with some white noise so he could nap there? Or can you get ready with the bride in the early morning and then head back to the hotel so he can nap?
Other than that, I think you have a pretty good schedule planned. I would just bring lots of snacks and drinks for him. I would also bring a flashlight because if he goes to bed early at night, you may still have to get around the room. There have been a few times that I've been stumbling around in the hotel room while DD is sleeping while wishing I had a small flashlight.
Good luck. I hope that all goes well.
What time does your DS usually nap in the morning (is he still on two a day?)? Is it possible to get to the bride's apartment early and get your hair and make-up done before everyone else, then head back to the hotel in the hopes he'll get at least a cat nap? Would he sleep in the car if you drove around a bit? You'd have to get into your dress very quietly and in the bathroom, but sleep is so important when all other elements of their routines are changed up. Since the wedding is relatively early (and I assume the reception is immediately following), if no nap can be made possible, hopefully he can hang in there and just crash after you get back to the hotel in the evening...lots of books, favorite snacks, toys, etc. in the meantime!
I've been there (my brother's wedding in Vermont just after DS turned one), and I'm so impressed your tackling this solo (even though you don't have a choice). DH and I were in the wedding party and on a tight schedule with our obligations. And while we'd done lots of planning for all contingencies, they all involved DS taking an early afternoon nap (which he fought tooth-and-nail and let the entire B&B know it...it was quite stressful for us). Definitely have several people at the ready to lend a hand with whatever you may need a moment's notice - preferably people you don't feel bad leaving him with if he's fussing. Don't just assume people will help, since they're there primarily for the wedding and may not be thinking about what you need. Also, make sure your brother and his fiancee understand that your priority is DS, and your tending to him may not fit into how they envision all the details of their wedding. For the longest time, my brother and SIL were adamant about no kids at their event, and I was like, "Um...exactly how's that going to work? Leave DD and DS at home and trust our cats to watch them?"
I always found that DS was comfortable in his stroller...he would sometimes fall asleep even...maybe there is a friend of the family that has a child @ 10 or so that would think it was fun to push your LO around and "entertain".
You also want to remember lots of fun activities for your LO. Snacks etc. DS loved the elmo etch-e-sketch type toy as well as those books that have like sing a longs and toy trucks (like the Chuck ones).
New pillowlanket too might be good...
Thanks - I've known it was a possibility since Saturday, so I'm been trying to come up with contingency plans since then.
We still cosleep for naps and bedtime, so I'm pretty sure it would mess up my hair to lay down with him for his nap.
We have traveled with him before, and he's been generally good about being in a new place - sometimes he'll wake up in the middle of the night and be freaked out, but generally he's ok once he realizes I am there.
Good call on the flashlight, pp - thanks for that. And for reminding me not to forget the stroller, since that doesn't live in the car anymore!
he's down to one nap a day (he fights it a lot!) and it's usually early afternoon. So driving around for awhile might be a possibility. Thanks for that thought! I just wish it wasn't supposed to pour all day Saturday there. I wish I could get him to run around a bit, but that's not going to happen. There will be 2 other boys within 2 months of his age at the wedding&reception, so I'm hoping they will play together and wear each other out
DS is the same - gave up his second nap before he turned one
Like you, I knew he wouldn't get much of a chance to burn off energy (and therefore be more likely to take a nap) the day of the wedding we were at. There's always the option of getting him up extra early that morning and hoping he'll take his afternoon nap a little sooner than usual. DS usually responds well when we adjust his schedule like that. Of course, you run the risk of him NOT napping and therefore being extra tired...you know him well enough to know whether that gamble would pay off or backfire!