Traveling with Infants: 8.5 Month Group Vacation Edition

At the end of July, we ventured to the Northwoods of Wisconsin for a week-long vacation with friends. We rented a gorgeous house (on an island, no less!) and prepared to spend a week relaxing by the fire, soaking in some sun, and playing with some cute babies. Of the eight adults going, 75% had kids as well, so we didn’t feel like a tremendous imposition bringing the kids along. In addition to the twins, the island was also home to a 2 year old and a 3 month old for the week.

Looking back, there were some real successes in the way we handled the trip and some things I would definitely have done differently if I could do it all over again. So instead of rambling on with no structure, here are six things we did well and six mistakes we won't be making again.

Where I ruled:

1. Bringing Toys & Books

Without all the jumperoos, exosaucers, and play tables of home, we relied very heavily on the old blanket-on-the-floor-and-a-jabba-the-hutt-sized-pile-of-toys method. This was pretty successful, but mostly because my husband literally filled a giant storage bin with 95% of their toys and another one with about 80% of their books. This gave them plenty of variety. We also bought a few new toys for the road that would hold their attention for longer, such as the VTech Rhyme &Discover Book.

2. Booking a Place with a Washer & Dryer
We do laundry on a daily basis at home and vacation was no different. I honestly don’t think we’ll be able to travel to a place without laundry services/facilities ever again.

3. Downloading the “Tango” Application
This probably wouldn’t apply to many people, but this place was out of the range of cell reception…BIG time. That meant that our back up plan of using our phones as an audio baby monitor went right out the window. The second night, we downloaded Tango which allows you to make wifi calls, and since the house had wifi, this app allowed us to use the phones as a baby monitor so that we could enjoy some campfire and star gazing action once the babies went to sleep.

4. Planning Ahead
I started making a packing list three weeks before we left. I put it on the fridge with a pen and my husband and I added to it as we thought of things. This allowed us time to remember “Oh yeah! White noise machine!”, rather than trying to brainstorm all at once and inevitably forgetting something.

5. Having Awesome Friends
This trip would’ve been way more difficult had we traveled with jerks. While Greg and I tried not to impose on others as much as possible, it was nice to have caring and capable hands around when we needed them.

6. Not Bringing a Stroller
Because we literally didn’t leave the vacation property for seven days, having a stroller take up room in the car would’ve been a real waste.

Where I sucked:

1. Picking the Wrong Week
I wasn’t using the Wonder Weeks application yet when I booked this place, but had I been using it, I would’ve seen that the first day of this trip was also the first day of a “leap”, which means more fussiness, sleeplessness, clinginess, etc. We weren’t very flexible on our dates anyway, but if you have the choice, pick a week when they’re less likely to be having sleep regression/fussiness.

2. Forgetting the Baby Monitor
I remembered the screen part. I remembered the screen part charger. I, of course, forgot the freaking camera part. This was way stupid. Given the pretty pathetic distance range on our monitor, it probably wouldn’t have worked all the way down at the fire pit anyway, but it still would’ve been useful for watching them during naps when we were on the porch. We had real trouble putting them down because we had to stay in the room rather than just watching them settle down on their own on the video monitor. Us being in the room was a real impediment to them getting settled.

3. Driving Back Too Late
We left the island later than we had planned, pulling out of the parking lot after 11am. This meant that we didn’t get home until after 7pm, and the boys were really tough for the last 2-3 hours. In hindsight, they’re really best in the car during the AM and early afternoon hours when they’re more likely to nap. They’re used to staying up and playing between 4 and 8pm, so they got pretty angry and squirmy being confined to car seats.

4. Planning to Swim
Had there been a pool, sure. Had they been five, I’m sure I’d have to have pulled them out of the lake every night. But at 8.5 months? That water was way too cold and icky for them. I brought all these floaties and swimsuits and swim diapers that I never used. They didn’t take up much room, all things considered, but they were pretty much useless.

5. Not Prepping Them for the Pack n Plays
Our boys had literally NEVER slept in a pack n play. This was probably our biggest mistake. If I could go back, I’d have them sleep in them pack n plays for a week or so before the trip to get them used to them and to make sure they would work. Our boys are used to rolling around a lot in their cribs, and this just isn’t as easy or comfortable in the pack n play.

6. Not Getting Two Rooms
In a hotel, I would obviously never get two rooms unless it was a suite, but in a house, you really want two rooms—one for you and your spouse and one for the kids. I hated worrying that I’d wake them up when I crawled into bed or being unable to get my pajamas from my suitcase once they were asleep. Plus, the bed plus two pack n plays was pretty much the entire room.

Despite a lot of difficulty in the sleep department, it was a great trip. While traveling with infants is totally different than traveling before babies, that’s no reason to stay at home. Even though they were more difficult on vacation than they are at home, it was still an important trip for us to take as a family and as a group of friends. We made memories that I’ll absolutely never forget, started traditions, and the change of scenery benefited us greatly. Just plan ahead and be ready to roll with a little bit of chaos!