Traveling with an 18 Month Old?

We traveled quite a bit with our son while he was between 1 year and 3 years. We've slowed down a little bit since we've moved closer to family. He was fine to travel with. We tried to time flights with naps, but bought a DVD player which I HIGHLY recommend. Lots of crackers and snacks on the plane. Also, we did better with shorter flights, even though it meant having to go through more airports. That way he wasn't stuck in the seat for as long. We took our carseat on the plane...that was a godsend...he couldn't get out and he could see out the window. Once we got to our destinations, he was fine. Maybe a little more wound up from sitting so long. Our first major trip was to WDW and he did great except for one day close to the end of the vacation...he was just exhausted. One thing I did learn, have a plan, but be very flexible. For example...we planned on having naps every afternoon, but he was just so excited, he couldn't calm down that much, so we just kept going! Good luck! I think you'll be fine. Don't forget passports though! Even the little one has to have one if you fly!

The main thing to remember when traveling with a toddler is that you can't just go, go go and expect to enjoy yourselves. Take things at his pace -- eat, play, snack, nap, snack, play, eat, etc. -- and you should have a nice, relaxing getaway! The best kinds of trips are something like what you're planning -- all inclusive. That way you don't have to go anywhere for dinner or spend a lot of time in transit to get to the fun stuff.
Your biggest concern is really the flight. We didn't have a sit 'n' stroll and didn't travel enough with the kids to make it worth the investment. If you have a travel dolly for lugging the car seat, you can just take your regular stroller into the airport and wheel it right up to the plane. The attendants will "gate check" it. It's the last thing into the cargo hold and the first thing off -- waiting for you outside the plane's door when you get to your destination. Check all of your luggage except a back-pack diaper bag with the essentials. Stickers and a new toy or two (window clings were fun for my first when we traveled with her at this age, but you'll need a window seat) and plenty of snacks are a must. The portable DVD player would be a fabulous idea.
Be sure you request early boarding -- most airlines don't automatically call for it these days.

I bought the sit and stoll for our recent trip. Although it is a little pricey, it was well worth it. It converts from a carseat to stroller and is FAA approved for traveling in planes too. It was great for us because our son falls asleep in cars, this way we never had to wake him up when we were at our destination. You can take it out of the car and pop the wheels out without waking the baby!

Hi J.,

We took our daughter who is now 17 months to Cancun over the summer...she was 11 months old. We stayed in a very nice, kid friendly resort. It was called Riu Palace Las Americas, http://www.riu.com/en/hotel-riu-palace-las-americas-cancu...

We would do it over again. Like your daughter sounds, ours is a very laid back go with the flow kind of gal. She had a blast...we did too. We took her little float that has a sun shade on it and she loved hanging out in the pools.
Although she was younder than 18 months at the time, I bet you will have a blast taking her. We are looking to go again this summer!!

If you have any other questions, you can feel free to ask me!

K.

I travel all over the country and to Mexico with my 4 year old (since she was 3 months ) and now with my 7 month old too (she made her first cross country plane trip at 2 months). After reading responses, I feel that I may just be blessed with good travellers because I have not had too many difficulties. While it is true that, flying with babies/toddlers can be exasperating, taking my children with me on various trips has been one of the most exciting things about being a parent. It is nearly impossible to gage how a baby is going to respond to air travel and, for me, behavior completely varies from trip to trip. Sometimes I have had nothing but screaming from start to finish, while others, the trip was completely uneventful. However, even on the worst trips, I just keep in mind that there is not much you can do about it anyway (I mean babies just cry on planes, that's what they do) and try to make the best of it. The plane will land and it will all be over. Getting trough security can be a juggling act but again just ignore ignoant people who get impaitent behind you in line.

Other than those two issues travelling has been a breeze. I never had to purchase any special equipment or DVD players (we bring favorite books and toys etc). Sometimes I wrap up a few cheapo toys (crayons, playdoh books etc) from the Dollar store and give them to my older child over the course of the trip. They make her excited and motivted to behave on the plane and they give her something to do. At 18 months, I did forgo the whole lap travel thing and went ahead and shelled out for a separate seat. I also used a carseat to secure her on the plane. I have seen many parents struggle trying to keep their kids in thier laps when the kids are just too big. It is well worth the extra money for your toddler to have her own seat.

As far as going out and having a good time as an adult, most of the big Mexican resorts offer a babysitting service (for extra $$$ of course) so you could have an evening or two to yourself. Finally, with regards to the terrible twos and travel, it never really made and differece what the age was. The challenges had very little to do with my daughter. They were more about just the nature of air travel and what was inconveniant as an adult flying alone, was just that much more inconveniant with a baby. But my advice is to just suck it up and go on vacation with your child. The fun you have with her at the ocean will for outweigh the difficulties of travel.

Hi J.,
I am a travel agent in the Carrollton area and would be happy to give you any information that I can. I can tell you from personal experience that it really depends on the resort that you are staying in as well as, of course, your little ones age and disposistion. I found that I worried less about my daughter when she came with me, than when I left her at home with family! :-) Also, if the resort is too big, you could get stuck doing alot of walking with a stroller, so, are the grounds good for that (you know, smooth paved walkways or uneven? I've found that I prefer a medium to small resort so that it doesn't take too long to get back to the room for naps or diaper changes or "meltdowns" :-) Please feel free to contact me at ____@____.com if you would like anymore information or help in planning your vacation!
S. Johnson
Fairway Travel
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Traveling with my daughter is a nightmare! She is so against any sort of change, and very set on her routine.

When she was 6 months old, we flew to Indiana to visit family - Madison didn't sleep for almost 4 days and broke out in this weird rash.

When she was 10 months old we drove from Texas to Indiana, she did better - we left in the middle of the night, so she slept a lot of the way.

When she was a year old we flew again to Indiana.. She refused to eat anything and stayed permanently attached to my hip the entire time.

Now, I'm not saying your child will be ANYTHING like Madison. She is just really touchy. We are planning a Disneyworld trip in September. We are hoping now that she's older, she'll do better.

As a traveling Mom myself... our son who is now almost 5 has been on so many airplane rides he could have about ten free flights! LOL I have been very blessed with a wonderful traveler... I think he channels my Father who used to travel every month for work. My advice would be in regards to the long flight, keep some of her favorite things on hand to occupy her. When we took our son to Disney it was a three hour flight... I bought a child's guide for Disney and we looked through that and planned our trip together which was really fun. Snacks are also something to take into consideration...I used to keep my son drinking or sucking on something, even small ice chips while he slept (I would stick them right in his mouth) to keep his ears from popping (he didn't like pacifiers). You can also give her a little Benadryl or Tylenol to keep her calmer. You will also need to check on shots/vaccines she may need before going out of the country. I would also take any meds that she takes if she were to get sick... just in case, it may be difficult to find that drugstore in the middle of the night or may not have the right brand as I know some Moms are real particular in what they give thier child for an earache or headache, etc. I think that you will have an absolutely wonderful time... what a fun age! It will be so rewarding to go to a place you have already been and see it again through her eyes. Enjoy!

My ds went with us to a resort in Playa del Carmen. My ds has traveled a lot so, in a way, he's used to it. I would advise booking flights for around nap time. This way, your dc can run her yayas off at the airport before the flight and (hopefully) conk out on the plane. In case she doesn't, take lots of books, games, toys, snacks, etc to keep you occupied. Hopefully your flight is direct. We went through Mexico City and were delayed hours -- most of that time on the plane on the ground -- so having lots of toys, etc are good. Also, our luggage was lost and we almost ran out of diapers. I would suggest taking tons of diapers on your carryon unless you want to go into town to the local Walmart and do some shopping. The resort only had a limited number of sizes (not his size of course) and running out of diapers could be a really bad thing.

I spoke w/our ped before leaving, she said that Mex was great for kiddos but you have to take some precautions regarding food. The water in a lot of resorts is ok so that's not a worry unless you go outside the resort. Above all, avoid fresh produce that doesn't come with peels when you go out. I think it's generally ok at the resorts, but you're best to stick to things like melons, mangos, bananas, etc. Also, we brought boxes of that organic milk since my dc is such a milk monster. I thought I was being paranoid at first, but it turned out to be a great idea. They don't have to be refrigerated. Also, milk and other items are rediculously expensive at the resort. You also don't want to inadvertently give you child unpasturized dairy.

We had a great time in Mexico. It's a very kid friendly place. When we were stuck on the plane, the people in front of us (from Mexico) were so wonderful with my cranky/kicking son. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message.

ps. Oh and be sure you have a passport for yourself and your dd. It's now a requirement.