Traveling Without My Toddler

My husband and I travel all the time and leave our daughters with grandma when we do. In my situation my 9 year old always has a harder time then my 3 year old. One thing I did do was call in morning when they woke up and at night before bed. Another thing we just recently started was we bought a cheap recorder at Walgreens and I recorded myself reading stories to her and my mom plays this for her whenever she starts asking for me.

Hi J.,
I know how you feel. We went to Hawaii and left our 2-yr old daughter at home with my parents staying with her. When the day to leave arrived, I felt like I was abandoning my daughter and I cried all the way to the airport. (I'm sure the ticket agent was wondering why someone going to Hawaii was crying...)
Anyway, my daughter handled it all FINE -- much better than me. She asked my parents about me and Daddy and they'd say we were on a trip and would be home in a few days. We called and talked to her every day or so and she enjoyed that. Kids always handle things so much better than we anticipate or worry about. She enjoyed the fun things she got to do with her grandparents and we had a nice trip. So, enjoy your fabulous trip -- I bet your daughter will adapt great and will have lots of fun with her grandparents.

I feel for you--this is hard because you really want to go on vacation, and need to have that time with your husband, but it's heart-wrenching to leave your little one! We just left our 3 year-old with my parents for a trip to Mexico, and it was exactly the same--we were so excited at the time we booked it, and then when the day approached, I was a nervous wreck. You have the advantage of your child knowing her grandparents very well, which is a huge plus. I had only taken my son once before for a long weekend, because my folks live 2 hours away, so you are lucky that she has this relationship with them. Even though this is sort of a crazy way to think of it, I try to think of who my child would bond with if anything were to happen to me and my husband. And your daughter is lucky to be so close to your parents--if anything happened to you, she is already very bonded to them. So this trip will only strengthen that bond, and when you return, she will be even more bonded to you due to the separation. A few things that helped me do this, were that I called every day (if I were you I would call in the morning--I called in the afternoon and my mom said he had a harder time dealing with it then because he was tired from the day). Ask your mom to decide whether or not you should speak with your daughter--she will know if your daugther will be up for it or not. I really needed to hear my son's voice, but it may not have been the best thing for him every day. Your daughter is younger, which I think is actually easier because they are less aware--she will love being at your parents', and she will only notice you have been gone when you get back! I would also put some new toys/videos in her bag so grandma can have a few surprises in case she does get sad or anxious. Above all--don't worry--everything will be fine, and it will be REALLY good for you to relax and let go and bond with hubby. You can even sleep in and order room service!!!! Have a great trip, and remember, time passes, and you will be back home soon!

J.,
Last year we went to Italy for our 10-yr anniversary, leaving our then 2 and 7 year-olds with my parents. Although I missed them, we had a wonderful, romantic trip. We went to museums and historical sites we never could have gone to with small children. We could also stay out past 8:30! We had such a great time re-connecting, it reminded us why we fell in love in the first place! Enjoy your time together. Your daughter will be fine! It's a vacation for her, too, since she'll probably get a little spoiled by her Grandparents! Purchase an international phone card so you can call and talk to her.
E.

Yes, I have. The one peice of advice my husband & I got from our parents when we had kids was to take time for you, without the kids. It is the one thing that both of them regretted. Both sets of our parents have marital problems now that the kids are gone because they had the kids on common. You need to make sure you and your husband have things in common (not just the kids). Date nights are just as important in that regard. Try not to talk about the kids that much on the trip either. Its hard but it will make it more enjoyable.

You & your husband need to reconect, have fun & keep the spark alive. It keeps you sane too! You will probablly miss her a lot this first time, but trust me it gets easier. My kids are now 8 & 6 and both them & I can't wait for our adult vacation. They love the extra time with grandparents too.

We have four girls and earlier this year we left them here while we went to mexico. I remember having the same thoughts you are having. Turns out all he anxiety was mine! The kids loved being able to sleep at their aunts and grandparents. We even split them up so that not one person had all our kids.

My 2 year old had a blast. When I would call she said she wanted me and tried to cry a little but my sister said as soon as she put the phone down the tears were gone and my little one was off and running with something else.

See my blog post on how to prepare your child for your trip. It helped us immensely.
So much so that he stayed for 5 days without too much crying/fussing and was happy to see us back.

Link:
http://livinglargetinylot.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/a-book...

Grandma and grandpa are probably so excited to have their granddaughter stay with them. She will be fine. You and your husband will have a great time,it is very important you spend time together. Have fun!!