Trips with toddlers

[addictedtopurses]

I need some advice from all the TPF mommies. My son will be 2 in June and my husband and I would really like to take a vacation this summer (we haven't traveled since right before I got pregnant). What are some good trips/locations that we can take with our son? I am open to any and all suggestions and as much planning advice as you are willing to share. I want this to be an enjoyable trip for us all because DH works so hard and by June I am fried from teaching middle schoolers all year.

 

[Beach Bum]

OK..My fave trip with my kids was to ATLANTIS in the Bahamas.It has something for kids of all ages and for the parents at night too.Check out their website....we had a blast there!

 

[maria28]

how about going to london (uk)? we've always enjoy london. my toddler loves going to kensington garden to feed the ducks or go to the big playground (the princess diana memorial playground). then you can also take your son to various museums (eg. the science museum in south kensington). the plus point, you can also enjoy shopping there . on top of that, there are many facilities that are baby/children friendly.

 

[Rose]

London and Washington DC were the two top places (and still is!) to go when mine were toddllers. There is just so much to do in both these places.

 

[Swanky]

MAUI! Check out Ka'anapali Beach, it's perfect for parent and kids alike!
We've been a lot, and we took my DD when she was 2. I was afraid of the long flight from here, but she actually did better than we did.
Take a portable DVD player and oodles of snacks and activities. Kids that age think it's an adveture going in the plane.
We went to Atlantis this summer and my 5 yr old loved it but we {DH & I} HATED it.
We had horrible service consistently there, no one seemed to care that we were there or not. Restaurants were closed early, they didn't serve food/drink by the pool after 5pm although pools were open until 8, etc. . .
I could go on and on and on. . . .
If he's not a big swimmer, he won't get much out of Atlantis at that young age. It's like a big waterpark, 4+ is probably ideal.
I personally wouldn't go out of the country, customs is HELL especially w/ a 2 yr old.
We stood in Customs lines for 3 hours just in the Bahamas airport alone
Also, San Diego and Seattle are pretty great.

 

[acegirl]

We usually take our kids (3 & 6) to Florida. It's only a 2 hour flight for us. Being on the beach & letting the kids run & build sandcastles is the best. If your going in the summer, I wouldn't recommend south Florida since it gets so hot- especially for little ones.. Like Swanky said, for the flight we always pack a portable DVD player with a set of headphones for each boy. Crayons, stickers, Leapster, snacks- you should see my bag!

 

[maria28]

another thing about london...whenever i arrive at london heathrow, i never had to queue for immigration. they normally let travellers with young children through to the front of the queue and i find that really really nice. here in montreal we had to queue for quite a while despite travellig with my toddler. whenever i travel with children, i make sure there's enough in-flight entertainment.

 

[caitlin1214]

how about going to london (uk)? we've always enjoy london. my toddler loves going to kensington garden to feed the ducks or go to the big playground (the princess diana memorial playground). then you can also take your son to various museums (eg. the science museum in south kensington). the plus point, you can also enjoy shopping there . on top of that, there are many facilities that are baby/children friendly.

If you go to Hampton Court Palace during the right time of year, as you cross the bridge you can see swans.



If you had a little girl you could go see Queen Mary's Dollhouse.

When I was little, my dad would take my brother and me to a bakery to buy a loaf of bread. Then we'd take it to a pond to feed the ducks and swans.

(I'd be by the pond like, "One for the ducks, one for me . . . ")




The standard answer is always Disney World.