Traveling with infants and toddlers Part Two: What to do, bring and eat

So you figured out where you are going, bought the tickets and booked a hotel or arranged to stay with someone.  Now I'll cover what to bring, what to eat and what to do while you are there.  These are by no means rock hard guidelines. Just some tips to make your life easier.

I want to cover what to bring and what to eat first as they can be lumped together.  I've found number one that when figuring out what to bring, less is always more, even with two little ones in tow. Actually even more so then, the less junk to drag around the better. When my husband and I traveled before kids we brought two suitcases. One with both our clothes in it and the other empty for bringing back things. We also had one carry-on each. We even went to India and Italy for a month in the same trip with that many suitcases.

Adding one or two little people into the mix is not too much harder. I start by making two lists, one for my girls and one for my husband and me. I find that keeping a checklist of all the stuff you want to bring makes it easier not to forget something critical like snow boots if you are going on a ski trip. I always number how many of each item I want to bring so I won't get caught up in the "that's cute" or "what if I want to wear that". The number for each item depends on how many days you will be gone and if you have easy access to a washing machine. For my printable packing list click here.

If you have easy access to a washing machine my rule is to bring less, wash often. For example, on a week long trip for the adults I would bring: three pairs of pants each, one skirt or dress for me, four shirts one of which is long sleeves, seven pairs of underwear, 4 pairs of socks, one set of pajamas, and a jacket or sweater. For the kids I bring seven of everything except jackets, I only bring two of those. This is because little ones get really messy and you want to have enough back up so that you can wash things and hang to dry if needed.

Then of course there are the diapers. I bring one bag just for our cloth diapers. This is where I find less is NOT more. For my infant I have 24 pre-fold diapers, and I bring them all. When my toddler was in diapers I also brought all 24 of those as well. Cloth diapering is not hard while traveling; I'll have a full discussion on that in part three.  

As for toiletries I always bring the little versions. At Target I found little brushes, and set of 3oz bottles. I get the bottles and put my normal shampoo in there. I also bring along a bar of soap instead of body wash. The less liquid in your bag the less likely it is to have spills.

Driving gives you a lot more leeway in what extras you can bring, and by extras I mean entertainment. Personally I bring a book, some knitting, and my camera equipment. My husband brings his tablet and a book just in case. Just for completeness I'll mention that you should't forget phone or camera chargers! If you are driving a lot, a car charger is quite handy. As for the babies, once again less is more. For car trips I bring one soft side box with the most favorite toys and our library bag filled with the ten most favorite books and one surprise new one. If you have an older toddler you could bring a few rock crayons as well and a small notebook to color in. On a plane I would cut all the toddler extras down to whatever can fit into a small toddler backpack. As long as you have a window seat and daylight there will always be something for them to do.

Finally, remember the first aid kit. At some point someone will scrape a knee or cut a finger and you don't want to be without a way to hide a boo-boo.

Now onto food. I find food is one of the most important parts of a successful trip. Whether flying or driving, always have plenty of snacks. It's important to make sure that they are snacks that fill up little tummies. Things with substance will keep their energy levels even and yours too so you can keep having fun all day. I like to bring nuts mixed with dried fruit and if it's a cool season some chocolate chips. If you eat meat, some nitrate free jerky. Whole grain crackers and veggie sticks as well as a piece of fruit that will travel well like apples or bananas. Of course one sweet treat for emergencies is okay too. I like to bring homemade cookies or date-nut balls for that. Click here for my list of easy travel snacks.

When traveling I've found that we have been in one of these three situations for eating. First is we stay with family or friends and they cook for us, so meals aren't a big deal. Second we are in a hotel with no kitchen but they do have a fridge and possibly a microwave. Third, we have a small kitchen to work in. The first and third are ideal because you can bring normal ingredients from home or buy them at your destination. I'd like to talk about situation number two because that is the most tricky. If you are on vacation for a week and you have to eat out three meals a day for seven days it will cost you quite a bit. This is where buying some food and putting it in the fridge will really help out. If we're driving I'll pack a cooler with things, but if we're flying I will buy a few things when I get there. Having breakfast and sandwich ingredients in your room makes for easy meals when you or the little ones are too tired to go out. Click here for a list of good food items to have in your mini fridge.

And then there is eating out. I recommend sticking to toddler-friendly places, and going early. Happy hour is a great time to go as the meals are usually cheaper, service faster and your toddler is still happy. Pick up a local eating guide and see what they recommend for kid friendly place. Oh yes and as for the infant, your easiest bet is to breastfeed, as food is always ready and waiting and there's nothing to pack. Since I have only breastfed my two girls, I don't have experience with bottle feeding while traveling.  If you have any suggestion you would like me to add to that note please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

Lastly, what to do when you get there. Well I can't really tell you because I don't know where you are going but, I will give you some general suggestions: local children's museums, zoo, parks, outdoor monuments, national and state parks as well as quirky local attractions. Look for parades and festivals as well. Go on to the city's visitors and convention bureau website and see what attractions they recommend for the under 4 set.  Remember to work in activities around your toddlers lunch and nap times. If your infant takes a morning nap and is willing to be carried while doing so then carry them during their nap time so you can get out and about with the toddler. Most toddlers love to be outside, and weather permitting try to let them be as free as possible to let out pent up energy from being in a new place.

Now you have an idea of what to bring wear, eat and what to do. In part three I'll talk about the "how to" of cloth diapering while traveling.