Toddlers: 24 Months+

Babymoon destination in Feb with 24 month old?

We would like to take a trip before LO#2 arrives (early May). We live in SoCal, so we were trying to think of someplace different - DH and I loved to travel before DD, and we would like a change of scenery as well as someplace fun for her. Our requirements are a nonstop flight (no place too esoteric) less than 5 hours and someplace with decent toddler-appropriate activities (kiddie museum, indoor pools, zoo/animals, or whatever). 
We thought about some of the more developed places in Hawaii, but we've been there a bunch of times and flights are a bit pricey right now (plus we live near the beach, so not that exciting). DD has never played in snow before, so we thought maybe a ski-type resort or some other wintry destination would be fun, though none of us would actually be skiing. Everything I can find online about kid friendly resorts is geared at older kids that can ski, etc. Any ideas on a fun place to go with an active and curious 2yo while I am 6-7 months pregnant? We are not interested in dumping her with a babysitter all day, so the Club Med-type places are out for us. We also are pretty terrified of Disney. Any other suggestions would be great. TIA!

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Re: Babymoon destination in Feb with 24 month old?

  • Why are you terrified of Disney? If you're already in SoCal, even a 4 day Disneyland getaway would be fun. Or Florida is w/in your 5 hours probably. But we enjoy Disney and will be going this year. 

    I know she's never seen snow, but that just wouldn't be appealing to me. I don't have any good ideas for you either, unfortunately. 

    Not sure what your budget is or timeframe exactly, but a west coast or Alaskan cruise could be fun. Lots of options, kid friendly, etc. 

    I am sure there are great resorts  in Hawaii and Mexico that would fit the bill, too. 

    Or you could do a city - they all tend to have great parks, museums, zoos, etc. San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, etc. 


    The Disney thing is really just a preference - too many lines and overly commercialized for our taste (though we have many friends that love it). FL is a possibility but frankly not much different than where we live. We were actually considering doing a Seattle/Victoria trip. We're a little leery of the weather, but I guess that's a gamble for most destinations in February! Would also love to go to either CO or Canada in the mountains, but not sure there would be enough for us to do.

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  • Seatle sounds great.  I have never been there.  I thought it rained a lot there in the winter though which sounds worse than snow. 

    I am in a similar situation..due in May with a 2.5 year old.  We are going New Orleans next week.  Probably not the most appropriate place but DD loves vacations/hotels (who doesn't?) so I think she will enjoy it.  Plus I am pregnant and can't drink anyway.  I read that it is very child friendly even though that is not what it is known for but I will see when I get there.  The weather might be similar to SoCal I would imagine.  For me, it will be much warmer...yay!!

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  • I think a snow trip could be a lot of fun. We just took our 14 month old to Tahoe for a few days. The hotel we stayed at (Granlabbakin) had a great sledding hill and we had a blast playing in the snow and sledding with dd. we also ventured out to The Resort at Squaw Creek for a sleigh ride and I absolutely fell in love with that hotel. It is a bit pricier than were we stayed but really seemed worth it. There is a outdoor heated pool so you can swim while surrounded by the snow covered mountains and there is a huge snow play area to explore (a 9 hole golf course in the summer). We definitely plan on going back.

    Have fun and congratulations on your pregnancy!
  • congrats on your pregnancy!  i live in socal too, and things that come to mind are (keep in mind, though, i'm not that well traveled...) lake arrowhead,catalina, tahoe sounds nice, hearst castle area, san diego, palm springs, sequoia national forest, hawaii...

    that being said, i don't know if you've flown with your lo before?  for me, i don't know if i could do a five hour flight with a toddler AND being preggo--but again, that's just me, lol.

    have fun! 
  • janniep said:
    congrats on your pregnancy!  i live in socal too, and things that come to mind are (keep in mind, though, i'm not that well traveled...) lake arrowhead,catalina, tahoe sounds nice, hearst castle area, san diego, palm springs, sequoia national forest, hawaii...

    that being said, i don't know if you've flown with your lo before?  for me, i don't know if i could do a five hour flight with a toddler AND being preggo--but again, that's just me, lol.

    have fun! 
    Yep, I'm definiteyl scared of a long trip! We have flown with her, but it's been awhile. I like the Hearst Castle idea - I wonder if we could turn that into a few days if we explore the surrounding area. Unfortunately Feb isn't really a good weather time anywhere!

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  • I second NOLA. We live here so I'm biased, but there are a ton of fun things to do for kids. We have a really great zoo, Children's Museum, Aquarium, you can do a steamboat cruise, spend an entire day exploring City Park (there's Storyland, a train, a kid's amusement park, the NO Museum of Art, gondolas, paddle boats), you can ride the street car from downtown to the park and admire all of the mansions along St Charles Ave or there's always Mardi Gras World where you can learn about the history of Mardi Gras, see some of the past floats and watch people build this year's floats. . Cafe du Monde is a hit with my kids- you can't go wrong with powdered sugar and beignets! There are tons of really great restuarants, the weather tends to be pretty mild. If you ask my DD all of the good things in the world are across the lake in NOLA.
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  • I hit post before I meant to, but there's definitely more to NOLA that just Bourbon St and Mardi Gras. In fact, no one that I know that lives in the NOLA area really frequents Bourbon unless they are going to a restaurant.
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  • vszapp said:
    janniep said:
    congrats on your pregnancy!  i live in socal too, and things that come to mind are (keep in mind, though, i'm not that well traveled...) lake arrowhead,catalina, tahoe sounds nice, hearst castle area, san diego, palm springs, sequoia national forest, hawaii...

    that being said, i don't know if you've flown with your lo before?  for me, i don't know if i could do a five hour flight with a toddler AND being preggo--but again, that's just me, lol.

    have fun! 
    Yep, I'm definiteyl scared of a long trip! We have flown with her, but it's been awhile. I like the Hearst Castle idea - I wonder if we could turn that into a few days if we explore the surrounding area. Unfortunately Feb isn't really a good weather time anywhere!
    oh eek, i didn't realize it was going to be in feb! yah, not ideal for the coast!
  • We just took a family trip to yosemite, great fun. There was a bit of snow, easy hikes. Teneya lodge has sleigh rides. Just make sure you have good footwear so you don't fall on patches of ice.

    Lake Tahoe could be lots of fun too. Mammoth lakes.
  • Seattle, Vancouver or Victoria are not that pleasant in February - they are cold and rainy. But if you plan to stay indoors doing kids museum type stuff, there are tons to do in that area. Also, Whistler (near Vancouver) is a great ski resort - that's where the Olympics were held. It's quite kids friendly and the village is very pleasant for walking around. There are also lots of trails that you can go snow shoeing or cross-country ski. Keep in mind however that Whistler is quite expensive.
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