My husband and I have a week off in July and are looking to go on a nice vacation with our one year old son. Where not exactly sure what would be the best idea for a vacation where we can all have fun as a family. We were thinking of going to the beach but the waters up here are pretty cold even in july(we live in NY) Is the beach going to be entertaining enough for a one year old? We are on a tight budget but we still want to enjoy our vacation. Does anyone have any advice on something that we all can enjoy? If its out of state, how is traveling long distances with a child?
2007-03-21 06:40:18 · 4 answers · asked by Jenny Penny 1 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Other - United States
You could always just stay closer to home and stay at a hotel with a pool. We took my daughter to the beach at that age and she enjoyed the pool way more than the ocean. Even now at age 4, a vacation to her is a night in a hotel. Short (2-3 hour) excursions to zoo, aquarium, etc. are great for kids that age. Try to stick to normal nap times and meal times as much as possible. As inconvenient as it may seem at the time, it will make the trip much easier in the end.
As far as traveling with kids, unless you know for sure that your child sleeps in the car, do NOT count on it. My daughter will not sleep in the car for anything, regardless of time and how tired she is. (She's so nosy she's afraid she'll miss something.) Take some of his favorite CD's to listen to in the car. Be prepared to sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" 3,000 times. :)
2007-03-21 06:59:06 · answer #1 · answered by yrg 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am an expert at traveling with small children. Yes, it is difficult, but it is fun. I have 3 small boys, ages 5, 2, and 5 mos.old, and I just recentley returned to Kentucky from Florida. We went from Ashland, KY, to Miami Fl, (17 hours) then to Key West (5Hours) then from Miami to Myrtle Beach, SC (10 hours). You will have to make many diaper stops, eating spots, etc. I would suggest going to the beach, a family oriented beach. Your child is still small, and should like to nap from time to time, so that will help with the travel distance. At the beach, the baby can play in the sand, which for kids is a blast.Then you can go out shopping, and just taking in the area that you are visiting. A lot of vacation destinations are kid friendly. I would suggest Myrtle Beach SC. I have taken my kids there 6 times in the past 2 years. We love it. There they have Aquariums,zoos, and an alligator park. Even the Shopping areas , like Broadway at the Beach has a small kids amusement park in the entrance for children to enjoy. As far as your budget, it helps to take snacks and juices for the trip there and back as well as to have while on vacaction. It is expensive to stop 5-6 times there and back on eating. On my recent trip I spent $35 on lunch meat, snacks, juices and pop and it lasted me through the mid week of my trip. I saved about $ 50 doing this. Also, vending machines and some restaurants are expensive on trips. The best suggestion I have is to talk to your husband about the amount of time you want to travel, the types of things he wants to do on vacation and the amount of money you want to spend. Then chose a destination and select the attractions which best suit your wallet and time.Good Luck.
2007-03-21 15:59:07 · answer #2 · answered by barefootcountrygal_25 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your son could have fun at the beach. Just spend time with him playing in the sand.
As far as traveling with the kid, I don't have one. But when my wife and I drove with her 2-year old niece, we learned that when we were quiet, she slept. Keep the rear speakers turned off and try to enjoy the scenery.
I think you can get real cheap flights to Florida through Southwest of JetBlue. That might be a cheap alternative than driving somewhere.
Anyway, enjoy!
2007-03-21 13:47:46 · answer #3 · answered by ropman1 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe a lake instead of the ocean. the water will be warmer. PS I'm in New England and we swim in the ocean from June on!
vacations with toddlers are always challenging, just don't set your expectations for cozy dinners out and relaxing on the beach too high. You'll be doing exactly what you do at home--chasing a toddler around!
We used to bring one of those blow-up wading pools to the beach with us and fill it up with water, and let the baby play in there. That worked out very well!
2007-03-21 13:45:18 · answer #4 · answered by Adrian Wapkaplett 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋