Travel Apps for Toddlers

If you have flown once with a toddler you know how important the Ipad is...wifi is not always available. Even though there is a personal tv on international flights with a kid zone station..one of the personal tv was broken our last flight so we did seat switching and relied on the Ipad. So I always have about 6 shows and 3-4 learning apps. 

Tip: if you load too much on the Ipad, your shows may be moved to the cloud. If you have no wifi, you have no shows...we learned this lesson.

Apps
Little People Apptivity Barnyard 

• Taking care of barn animals
• Sorting colors
• Finding letters
• Counting vegetables

Tiny Hands Lotto

• 10 matching games for toddlers

Tiny Hands Whats My Pair 1

• Colors, shapes, and numbers

Tiggly Toy & App

• Award winning toy with 4 toy shapes that you use on an app to learn shapes

Room on the Broom

This app is based on a british children's book and short movie. Very cute story and DMC really enjoys playing this

Dr. Suess Bookshelf App

Traveling international you are limited on your books we tend to read the same ones over and over. With the Dr. Suess book app you have access to all the popular books in one place. DMC really enjoyed picking 2-3 stories out each night. 



ABC Mouse
This is a great app, with over 400 activities (reading, coloring, songs, puzzles,etc.). There are lesson plans according to age group and after each lesson is completed your child receives a ticket. The ticket is used to purchase items for pets, clothing for avatar, or to decorate a room. The only issue when traveling is you need wifi.

Playgrounds at the Airport

There are a few memorable times we have been delayed at airports, the longest was 4 hours at our own Sea Tac Airport. The 'play space' made all the difference. A majority of the airports we fly in and out of either domestic and international have a 'play space' area. Look on the map at the airport for a icon of a teddy bear.

Here is a great article link 'Airport Fun Guide for Kids'

We personally really enjoy:

Sea Tac Airport (there is a family restroom and nursing area in the playspace area)

Chicago O'Hare Airport (this a a very large playarea, however family restroom is across the hallway)

Frankfurt Airport

London Heathrow Airport (Terminal 5)

Travel with your Family to Celebrity Resort Locations

I came across this article on yahoo recently '5 Family-Friendly Resorts that Celebrities Love'. Of course I had to see where celebrities travel and relax with their families. The resorts are pricey however the locations can be budget and family friendly. So you will still be able to appreciate these locations that celebrities flock to with their families. Since we have stayed at three of the five recommendations, I'm able to give my budget and family friendly travel advice.

1. Los Cabos, Mexico

Celebrity Resort: 
Las Ventanas (price per room $1,600)

Budget Friendly Resort: 
Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf &Spa Resort 
(price per room $ 309.00)

This is a great family resort. The reason we booked, is due to miles rewards and also the variety of pools and restaurants available at the resort. The hotel is clean and had beautiful views from the restaurants, pool, beach area, and a lookout tower in the hotel. The beach was not a safe area for children due to the high and strong 12ft waves. Cabo in general has a few beaches that you need to exercise caution around the waves. 

·      Sheraton Adventure Kids Club

·      Kids Pool Play area

·      6 restaurants (poolside, casual, and upscale)

·       

2.  Sardinia, Italy

Celebrity Resort: 
Forte Village Resort (price per room $437.00 euros)

Budget Friendly Resort:
Grand Hotel Smeraldo Beach (price per room $200.00 euros)

This hotel was perfect due to location, easy parking, and the amazing beach access. The hotel itself had the seaside charm and great buffet breakfast every morning. The rooms were a bit small and  the gym..well there was a few machines that did'nt work. However again location, location. When you are on a 'beach' vacation you are not indoors. There is a small town plaza in walking distance and its not overcrowded. This is an Italian hotel chain, so leave American expectations at the door:) 

• Walking distance to a small town plaza; restaurants, gelato shop, beach store, etc.
• Large buffet breakfast
• Beautiful beach area

3.  Dubai (closer destination Bahamas)

Celebrity Resort: 
Atlantis in Dubai (price per room $600)

Budget Friendly Resort:
Atlantis in Bahamas (price per room $350)

Atlantis resort has two locations in Dubai and Bahamas. The Bahamas is a bit closer and more budget friendly to travel too. This is a very family friendly resort and similar to a Disney experience. The great thing is its perfect for families with children from toddlers to teenagers. We had a great time at the water park, exploring the aquarium, and walking around the grounds. 

Tip: here is a great link on the website for activities for toddlers, kids, teenagers, and parents

• Waterpark
• Dolphin Cay
• Mini Aquarium 
• Stingray Lagoon
• Babysitting services
• Kids Club

Planning Christmas Vacation in July for Steamboat Springs, CO

We are planning a 6 day vacation in Steamboat Springs, CO end of December/New Years. There were a few family friendly ski resorts we were looking at; Jackson Hole, Sun Valley, and renting a cabin close to home in Stevens Pass. However Steam Boat Springs, CO was chosen for a few reasons; a direct flight, kids always ski free, an inexpensive experience out of all three, and my brother lives in Denver. This will be the first time DMC will experience a ski resort since last winter we literally had no snow in the mountains and DMC wasn't quite old enough to get on skis.

We booked a great town home close to the ski resort via www.vrbo.com 

Tip: Free bus shuttle that runs in the neighborhoods by the ski resort
Tip: Book in June/July, we received a free night and our cleaning fee waived

Services to make travel easier: 

Shuttle Service from Airport (book online and receive 10% discount)

Luggage Service to ship your Ski/Snowboarding gear (book early save 15%)

Grocery delivery service

Kids Programs:
There is a childcare center 'Kids Vacation Club'. That has a drop off care program for babies at 6 months of age-6 years old. Lessons start at 3 years of age, however most places will allow 2.5 year olds to ski.

Other activities: 
Sleigh Ride
Toddler Storytime @ Steamboat Library 

Kids Ski Free and Lift Tickets (Adults) Steamboat's Kids Ski Free and Grandkids Ski Free programs enable children 12 years of age and under to ski free the same number of days as their parents/grandparents when parents/grandparents purchase a 5-or-more day Adult lift ticket. Seniors (ages 70+) must purchase an Adult ticket to be eligible for this program. Purchasing a Senior ticket does not qualify for Kids Ski Free. Each qualifying purchase allows one free child per paid parent/grandparent.
(purchase online 7 days in advance 15% off)

Child's Meal on a Plane

Our second international trip, DMC had his own seat which meant his own meal. We flew on British Airways, so about two weeks before our trip I had the option of selecting a child's meal (free) for DMC. There are also 'upgrades' for the meals provided to adults for $23.00, which I highly recommend if you are flying coach.  

For our flight from Seattle to London we each received a meal (lunch or dinner) and a snack. There is alot of food on the childs meal tray.

This was was what on the child's meal from Seattle to London:

• Broccoli, Chicken, Pasta
• White Bread Roll
• Jello
• Kit Kat bar
• Ruffles Potato Chips
• Cups of Grapes
• Cup of carrot and celery sticks
• Mini bottle of water

Snack:

• Blueberry Muffin
• Granola Bar
• Apple juice box

This is what was on the child's meal London to Seattle:

• Chicken nuggets, peas, mash potatoes
• Wheat bread roll
• Fruit cup
• Raisins
• Strawberry yogurt
• Ellas organic food pouch
• Milky bar buttons (white chocolate chips)

Snack:

• Finger sandwiches (cheese, chicken salad)
• potato chips
• chocolate bar

NYC with a Toddler

New York City, NY

Flight Time: 5 hours (delay 4 hours)

Trip Length: 4 days

Age: 14 months (lap child)

Our second time to NYC with DMC is my earliest memory, somehow I cannot remember the first which he was not walking. This flight we decided to fly in the evening on a red eye so that DMC would sleep. Even with a 4 hour delay, DMC slept almost the entire flight in my lap. This was also the trip that I realized DMC needs his own seat, its not 'mandatory' till toddler is two years old. But I have had flight staff ask what his age is and if he is a lap child.

One main reason I knew DMC needed his own seat when he slept it was hard length wise to hold him without his legs resting on the person next to us. Even in the window seat with a few extra inches.

We arrived at our hotel around 3am and were able to transfer DMC, for our entire trip he stayed on west coast time. 

TIP: When we travel in the US I attempt to keep DMC on our timezone (Pacific).

We had a great time in NYC, lots of walking. We brought the umbrella stroller which is perfect. We try not to take cabs. So we stay around Timesquare. We eat breakfast at the hotel or go to a local cafe for a quick pastry and coffee, lunch we typically will eat outside of the hotel, and dinner almost always at the hotel or take out.

Hotel: Hyatt Timesquare New York

We stayed here since we were joining the hubs at the end of a work conference for him. The room was small, but fit a crib and gave us enough space.

Kid Friendly Activities:

Central Park Zoo, this was a great family activity. DMC was the perfect age to enjoy the zoo and he was learning animal names as well.

Kid Friendly Restaurant: there are many restaurants to choose from, remember most neighborhood restaurants are small so its tough to bring a sleeping baby/toddler in. Also make a resveration ahead of time so you are not waiting with a fussy baby/toddler.

Babysitting Service: Babysitters Guild, we used this service recommended by hotel and yelp. I would suggest booking a babysitter 1-2 days ahead, especially on a weekend. The sitter was great and very easy to book.

First Flight to Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV
Flight Time: 2.5 hours
Trip Length: 6 days
Age: 8 months

Our first trip DMC was 8 months old, we traveled to Las Vegas with hubs on a business trip. The milestone DMC learned to crawl in a hotel room and it was my first time to Las Vegas with a baby...I never visited in my 20's, go figure.

We spent five days in Las Vegas and accomplished all the kid friendly activities in two days, spent time at the pool, and walked everywhere.  Onto the first flight and I'll cover our activities..including family friendly dinner complete with a shot girl with booty shorts in the restaurant. 

For our first flight, I brought everything boppy, medula pump, boob milk, car seat, snap n go stroller, etc. The flight went really well, DMC nursed and slept on the boppy..so glad I brought it. I heard that I should just wear baby, but for us the boppy was his routine and comfortable for him plus he slept. 

So next question was how does all that baby stuff get through security? Slow and steady everything went through the scanner. Side note I've never had my boob milk or formula throw out. I brought 4oz bottles and TSA tested it along with my food pouch I only opened one pouch. I carried baby through and then had a pat down and my hands swiped with paper to do a quick scan. It's completely doable just leave extra time for security. 

Onto the flight, we checked our car seat and snap n go stroller base at the plane door. The flight attendant gave us a tag and it was waiting for us after the flight at the plane door.

Once we landed we picked everything up at luggage claim and grabbed a cab. I used DMC's car seat in the cab, I always use a carseat in every cab still and we make sure we can walk to lunch, dinner or other activities. We also rent cars while we travel too.

Items on the Plane:

Smart Noggin Stik (very cool baby toy, every baby I know loves this toy)

Teething toys (Sofie the Giraffe)

Cloth books

Blanket
Boppy

Kid Friendly Activities:
Las Vegas Children's Musuem, there was a crawl zone area in the toddler exhibit
Siegfried & Roys Magic Garden , this was fun for me, but DMC was too young to enjoy seeing the animals
Lots of pool time 

Baby Friendly Hotel:
We stayed at two different hotels since we were joining hubs during a work conference. The second hotel 'The Venetian'. This was more baby friendly since all the rooms are junior suites. So the crib is not next to the hotel bed. The crib also came with some small baby products. There were many small pools, fountains, boat ride, and a large piazza. 

Babysitting Service: We had a sitter for one night, while we went to dinner and a show. I would highly recommend the service 'Nannies and Housekeepers USA'.

First International Trip with DMC (French Riveria and Spain)

French Riveria and Spain (Barcelona, Granada, Marbella)

Flight Time: 36 hours of flying
Length of Trip: 2 weeks

Age: 15 months

For DMC's first trip to visit Nonni (grandparents), we traveled to four cities in two countries over a 16 day period. We flew on over 7 flights and rented two cars. Overall our toddler did really well with all the traveling and readjusting to an completely opposite time zone. After researching tips for flying with a toddler and completing our trip here are some tips and advice we learned.

Getting to the airport: We left two hours early and took an afternoon flight, we booked a car service. 

Airport checked luggage: Since DMC was a lapbaby for this flight (you still pay for a lapbaby on international flights) we checked his carseat, one suitcase for hubs, one suitcase for me, and one child suitcase for DMC. We then checked his umbrella stroller at the gate before boarding the plane.

Packing list of activities for plane ride:

Play Dough

Stickers (picture books with 100)

Magnet Book

Two new books (hidden flap book)

iMovie via Ipad, I made a short movie of photos of our son. He loves watching himself

Favorite blanket or stuff animal to encourage sleep

Tips during plane ride:

• Diaper for every three hours, plus two extra for the inevitable number 2:)
• Bring an insulated kid lunchbox and extra food container
• If your toddler or baby is a lap child, no meal will be provided
• I packed three horizon milk boxes for our 12 hour flight and one bottle
• Bring 3-5 bags of a special treat your toddler loves for breakdowns (our toddler loves plum organic teensy fruit)

DMC at a playground in front of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain

Grocery Shopping in Italy

This time around we rented a room at a Bed & Breakfast instead of a hotel. The perks; free breakfast each morning, shared kitchen for cooking, larger room/terrace, small fridge in the room, and much more reasonable price since we are staying for two weeks. There is a hotel in front of the Bed & Breakfast so we have the option of a restaurant too.

When we arrived I needed to buy milk, bottled water, and some snack items (yogurt, crackers, cheese, fruit). So we went to the grocery market in town. There were many choices for dairy products (milk,yogurt, cheese), pasta, crackers, drinks. There are not premade food items in most grocery stores, however you can find frozen meals. For meat, bread, and fruit you need to go to separate markets for these items. There are sold at the large grocery store, but not good.

The superstore that is now almost throughout Europe is the chain Carrefour. This store is similar to a Costco, no membership needed.

Tip: grocery carts in Europe have a lock with a slot. It costs 1 euro to use the cart and you get it back after returning the cart.

Grocery Store Chain
Spain: Supersol, Carrefour
Italy: Conad or local market
France: Carrefour (similar to a Costco, but you do not need a membership)

Diapers: the French/Italian Riveria carries Pampers brand and Spain carries the brand Dodot (grocery store or Toys R Us)

First grocery store trip: crackers, milk, cheese, and chocolate wafers

Marineland, a family amusement park in French Riveria

We have been staying near Monaco on the Italian Riveria in the same town as Nonni so we can eat meals together and spend time together. We are in a smaller town in walking distance to everything. The beaches have playgrounds, water inflatables in the water, and you can rent a beach chair with umbrella. Very child friendly. However after 8 days at the beach and pool, we decided to visit Marineland in Antibes, France (between Cannes and Nice). It's a mini Disney/Seaworld for France. There are 4 main parks, each great for any age. We visited Kids Island, which was a good fit for our 2 year old and Aquasplash. Kids island was small, animal focused with petting areas and a train to ride. What we didn't realize was how hot it would be. So we spent maybe 45min total at Kids Island, we spent the rest of time two hours at Aquasplash.

It was a very busy day since it was so hot, but clean, fun, and safe Waterpark. There were three large areas for toddlers at the front of the park, another smaller one close to the pirate ship ride, and the third largest area at the back of the Waterpark. It was so much fun and a great way to cool off. There are many areas with chairs, shade tent areas, and a soft faux beach area to sunbathe. There were numerous lifeguards in every area.

Lockers: There are storage lockers for your item 5 euros for small locker and 10 euros for large locker

Strollers: I brought our small travel stroller through the park. I locked our valuables in a locker, but kept towels, water, and sunscreen with us. There were numerous areas to park the stroller. It is a large Waterpark so the stroller really helped

Required swimwear for toddlers: Children 3 and under are required to wear arm floaters. They are sold at the store by the entrance for 5 euros

Parking: Large parking lot, easy to find a space and 7 euros

Kids Eating in Italy

First off chocolate and sweets are everywhere especially at breakfast. In Italy there are Gelateria's on every corner just like Starbucks. Be prepared for your baby/toddler eating sweets to start off their day.
A typical breakfast is: crossaints (cream, chocolate, nuetlla, marmalade,etc), sweet cake, fruit, yogurt, granola, meat, cheese, and plenty of bread. You need to make a special request for eggs. Italians do not eat eggs for breakfast and eggs are served soft boiled.

Lunch and Dinner are very different all over Italy depending on what region you are in. For example Rome: pasta, On the coast: fish, Umbria region: meats. All of the regions serve pizza. A typical lunch could be a vegetable appetizer (artichoke), small dish of pasta, bread, meat/cheese. Dinner is similar maybe consisting of a meat dish depending on your region.

Restaurants do not have children's menus. You may find them at resorts or hotels, but not at restaurants in town. You most likely will not find Highchairs unless you are at a resort or hotel. Many restaurants are very accommodating and you can tell the waiter what you would like for your baby/toddler. Almost all large restaurants have 'pomme frites' frenchfries on their menu.

Tip: Travel Highchair


Typical Mealtimes:
Breakfast 8:00am-10:00am
Lunch 12:30pm-3:00pm
Dinner 7:30pm-10:00pm

A majority of restaurants will be closed between lunch and dinner. With the exception of a resort or hotel. Italians in general do not snack between meals. The reason lunch consists of 2-3 courses and is a pretty large meal.


DMC is a good eater whenever we are in Italy, he eats most things and will try most things. He does still have a few favorites: pesto pasta, gnocchi, fontina cheese, yogurt, fruit, crossaints, and gelato of course. I still bring his American snacks with us: veggie/fruit pouches, granola bars, Annie's bunnies.

DMC and Jet Lag

Another first for our second trip to see Nonni is our jet lag is much longer than last year. It's day 7 of our trip and DMC is still struggling. He is on his own schedule wakes up around 7:15am, nap from 3:30pm-6:00pm if I don't wake him up he will nap from 3:30pm-11:30pm, and bedtime 9:30pm. He still wakes up around 3:00am or 4:00am ready to get up and play. It takes a lot of cuddling to get him to sleep until 7:15am.

I attempted to keep him on our schedule from home nap 1:00pm-3:00pm and bedtime 8:00pm. However Europeans eat dinner anywhere from 8:00pm-9:30pm, which hubs and I do at home. I feed DMC around 5:30pm in the states. Here's most restaurants open at 7:00pm for dinner. So that also adds to the later bedtime.

With a baby/toddler it's much more difficult to convince them to try jet lag tips out or even encourage them to stay awake. They sleep when they are tired. It's definitely tougher, but I always sleep with DMC does on the plane and I nap with him at the hotel. I know nighttime is most difficult for him to adjust so I need my rest whenever I can get it.

There are a few tips hubs and I always try to stick to when we travel international. Hubs travels internationally for work at least once a month or every other month.

Tips for Jet Lag

• When you arrive at your destination, immediately adapt to the local time
• Avoid a nap when you arrive to your destination
• Stay hydrated, drinks lots of water try to avoid alcohol the first day/night
• Before baby, we both would take a melatonin pill at night

Articles on Jet Lag
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/health/jet-lag
http://www.skyscanner.net/news/jetlag-15-tips-beating-timezone-tiredness

Second International Trip, things that have never happened before

French Rivera
Flight time: 12 hours (+2 hours delayed flight)
Visiting: 2 weeks
DMC Age: 24 months

After flying over 20 times with DMC about 85% on my own, hubs always meets us at our destination. I thought I had it down, I was happy to brag about how easy it was to fly with DMC.

This time around it was completely different. Starting the trip off I overpacked by 10lbs! I had to repack and add things to my already overpacked carry on. British Airways needed the bag at 50lbs, what did I pack that weighed 50lbs..3 gallon bags of DMC veggie pouches, brand new bottle of shampoo/conditioner, 3 bottles of sunscreen, and that right there about 10lbs of liquids:(

We flew out on a Sunday morning, the security line and airport were packed. We typically fly during the week for this reason. Once through security, we went through our normal process of my hands swiped due to carrying DMC through the security scanner and liquid check. This time however not only did my hands get swiped but I needed a pat down as well. I was then told I tested positive for a second chemical and needed to go to a private room for a further in depth pat down. Again this has never happened. We were finally cleared to go.

We boarded the plane, DMC was fed and happy. He started watching a kids show while I was waiting for the plane to dim the lights. Seattle time was 2:00pm, London time was 10:00pm. The plane lights dimmed about 7 hours into our flight, DMC napped for 1 hour.  DMC typically always sleeps on the plane during his routine time. Not this time.

We arrive for our connection and go through London security this time. The process took forever because of my 3 gallon bags of veggie pouches, 3 boxes of horizon milk, and DMC water bottle. After finally getting through security and boarding the plane to Nice, 10 minutes into our flight. We are told there is an engine problem. 25 minutes later we are told we need to unboard and reboard another plane from gate A5 to A19. Another first I was not allowed to bring the car seat/car seat cart on this flight. I had to carry DMC and our carry ons to the new flight. Heathrow is not a small airport.

At this time DMC crashed hard, jet lag had set in. We finally landed after 14 hours of flight and multiple lessons learned.

Lesson Learned:
Be aware of weight of liquids you are packing
Limit carry on bags, I packed one carry on for myself and DMC (now I will just pack one large bag)
Limit amount of baby liquids, longer weight time international security