Ah. Unpopular opinions. I’m full of them. I don’t like Golden Retrievers. Have never watched Friends. I hate cooking. And the list goes on forever.
For those who follow me on social, you probably know we just took our first family trip with three kids. Ozzy was out of school for a week for Spring Break and I needed a change of scenery real bad, so we rented a house about an hour away by car so we could still stay socially distant, could run back home fast if it was a disaster and maybe maaaaybe have some fun.
It took a ton of logistics and prepping, but we had a blast. Which prompted me to write this edition of Modern Motherhood about a hot topic on Twitter right now: moms and vacations. The word out there is that moms simply do not enjoy family trips because they still have to do a ton of work and don’t get to fully relax. While I don’t necessarily disagree with this (says someone who yesterday took two naps after returning home, so yes, it’s exhausting), there’s nothing I love more than traveling with my children. In fact, my most loved memories with my parents are all related to travel. Of course, I’m an only child which probably made it much easier for them (we shared a hotel room every time, even as an adult).
When we only had Ozzy, we were on an adventure almost every month. The kid had been on at least 12 flights by age one and road trips to Maine or Pittsburgh were a constant. Of course it was more manageable back then, because packing for one kid and having two parents to share duties is far easier than being outnumbered (twin parents know what I mean).
Traveling with three kids under 4 is not for the faint of heart, but the change of scenery, the new adventures, the new stimulus, is all in my very unpopular opinion very worth it. In fact, had we not traveled this week, I think I would’ve been even more exhausted by staying home and trying to keep everyone entertained by doing the same things we do regularly over and over again.
And travel does not need to require spending tons of money (although I will admit I am dying to take everyone to Disney, but the mere thought of how much those park tickets are going to cost makes me want vomit). In our most recent adventure we saw two baby seals being released into the ocean, we discovered that Ozzy loves lighthouses, the girls learned that eating pebbles is not a good idea but that running on them is such fun, and our decision to move to Maine was reinforced by how much we all loved making sand castles even when it was 50 degrees and windy (the girls kind of just ate sand, but we’ll get there).
Did it take a lot of work? So much. It required packing a week in advance. My husband stuffing our belongings like Tetris pieces into our car (dog included). Taking turns on who would look after the kids while the other cooked, unpacked, cleaned up, set the table, took a shower, etc.
But every night after we finally put everyone down in their travel cribs, we threw ourselves on the couch with a drink in hand and, even though our eyelids were heavy and our brains plain mush, we smiled going over what we enjoyed doing that day together.
It is the memories that does it for me. Even when it’s such incredible hard work.
Now, because I always rave about products that make my life easier, I’m going to share with you some of my faves for traveling with little kids.
BabyBjorn travel crib: I’ve tested a ton of travel cribs and this one is the easiest to set up. It’s also the biggest in terms of length, which allows our giant toddler to still be able to sleep in it. $299.99
Bombol pop up booster: We got this when we still lived in NYC after realizing not every restaurant came equipped with high chairs. It folds flat and fits in any diaper bag or stroller basket. We used them with the twins since they still need to be contained at meal time. $129.99
Tommee Tippee black out blind: I shared on Instagram that we always opt to put kids in closets because they are the darkest room in the house. However, just in case that’s not an option, we have this black out blind with suction cups that can be used in any window and makes any room truly pitch dark. $35.69
Yogasleep portable sound machine: We blast white noise when it’s time to sleep (nap or bedtime) and this is especially key when we travel to avoid wake ups from unfamiliar noises (like dogs barking or cars going by). This portable sound machine is tiny but mighty. $29.95
Munchkin travel pail: Although we didn’t use this with Ozzy, with the twins it is absolutely necessary (so. many. diapers.) We have one in the car always just in case. $12.95
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