Traveling with toddler

Karen I took my kids on some flights when they were in that age group,, er,, not that fun, since they want to walk when they can't sometimes( and they don't understand why not ) , and they will need you to keep them busy and entertained FOR HOURS,, lol, now,, that is not the end of the world for you guys, ,, there is only one of her, and two or three of you adults so you can share her out a bit.
Other then that they are ok by 2 yrs old ,, they aren't crawling anymore ( that is a bit of a gross stage when travelling because their little hands are on floors that are filthy, then often sucked on before you can wipe them ) they can talk so you can try and explain a few things to them and understand their needs better then an infant. I would push date as close to 2 as I could. At 18 months you are still having to be quite aware of baby proofing issues for some kids( like everything goes in their mouths) One other issue. Toilet training or lack thereof, its hard to change a toddler standing up unless they are in pull ups ,, but there are often not places big enough to have a toddler lay down to be changed( this obviously is going to be a case by case issue , ) or places clean enough, with a smaller baby you could easily do it in your lap if push came to shove or in stroller ( take one that reclines) so you may have to improvise a bit. I was lucky, both my boys were toilet trained by 22, and 24 months, but my daughter was closer to 30 months ( and everyone told me girls would be easy, lol ) . I still had them in diapers for long flights and nights though sometimes. She will have plenty of time to learn enjoy travel,, if you do decide to leave her at home she will still have many many years of trips with you. Fact is you may not enjoy trip if child is at home, so take her and tell FIL you expect his help! lol

We travel everywhere with our now almost five year old daughter. We took her when she was 18 months old to Ireland and France. It was hectic at times but so is being a stay at home mom but in Europe the scenery is much better and you often have a cleaning service and cook! It was fun to see her experience such different places and she was a great ice breaker with the locals. We love to travel and we love our daughter so there is no way we would leave her for more than a night a Grammy's house. The only logical choice was to share with her our love of travel. I highly recommend these kinds of memories. Our daughter has developed a great appreciation of different cultures and she is world class eater. She will be making her third trip to France in the Fall!
Enjoy!

Karen, I'm considering travelling to France with my 9 month old as well.. How was the experience like travelling with the baby in England & Germany? I'm planning on a 18 day trip in France covering Paris, Bayeux, Mt St Michel, Loire Valley, Dordogne, Carcassonne, Arles and Nice. Itinerary's still evolving but we're worried that we're moving around too much.. Any advice?

Shane thats too much .. I wouldn't do that much even if I did not have a small child with me. Remember , two nights in one place only equals one full day, then more travel.. and with kids that can be exhausting.
Also, remember travel itself takes a day up for some places.

I took my son to London and Paris when he was about 19 months old. My older son was 4, and the toddler was actually far than the preschooler. As far as the plane, having his car seat was a huge, huge help. It was also a giant pain in the *ss to carry around, but on the whole I'd take it again for that age. The hotels kept it in the luggage room, so the issue was b/w cities. Kids that age are used to sitting still in their car seats, but when we were on trains without the seat he wanted to wander more. Fine on a 2 hour train ride, but wouldn't have worked on the 8 hour flight! That and the stroller killed the whole "packing lightly" goal, but were worth it. One day my husband took our older son to church (he likes organs and music), and I pushed the stroller on a 3+mile walk all throughout Paris. He loved it, loved stopping in some parks, watching the boats on the Seine, etc.

Continued... Diapers were available everywhere, I assume Berlin and Munich would be the same. Food was no struggle, but we did stick to very casual restaurants and picnics. I found out ahead of time where parks were, especially parks with playgrounds, and built some time in those. Then it was fun to just see what drew his interest. Tip: Get her used to being carried in a backpack carrier. A light one, like Ergo. Much easier on days the stroller isn't practical. Drawbacks were that taking the stroller on public transit was a challenge (folding it up for stairs, etc), but certainly doable. Also we couldn't linger in some museums that were less kid-interesting. DH and I had an agreement that we'd each get a few hours in each city alone while the other watched the kids. Basically, we couldn't see/do everything we would have on our own, but it was much easier than expected. Honestly, I think the hardest age for international travel and kids is somewhere between 3-4. They don't want the stroller, can't walk too far, are too heavy to be carried a lot, potty training can be an issue, etc

Thanks everyone! Amanda I agree about it being just as hectic, I am a stay at home mom but I wouldn't change it for anything. She was a great ice breaker this past year and I was amazed at all the people who smiled when they saw her or made comments. She was a hit every where we went. Shane - the experience was great. You pack a little more, need to take your time and breaks but it was so worth it!! I will be happy to tell you about the things I did or didn't do but I wouldn't have enough room here. I'll send you a note. I agree with Pat though, I think that might be a little too much moving around. I would knock off at least 1 or 2 cities and save them for the next trip.

Hi Karen - There are several fairly recent threads on this very issue if you do a search.

Definitely take your daughter. Definitely!!! I have been to Europe 4 times with my kids. Each time it is more fun. If you don't keep going, you will never get better at it, you will just always see it as a big challenge. First visit was with 13 month old boy, 9 days in Scandinavia. Was challenging but fun. On the flight home, I couldn't wait to go back. Second visit was with 3 year old boy and pregnant wife. That was also fun, but challenging because my wife was slowed down, even though she felf fine. Third visit was with 4 year old and one year old boy, awesome time.
Fourth visit was 5 year old boy and 2 year old boy. My kids talk about it all the time, they can't wait to go back to Switzerland for another 2 week vacation, and neither can I. Just do it. You can change diapers at home, or change them in Europe, it's all the same.

My advice is GO GO GO now when they don't have an opinion! We started taking our daughter when her whole body fit in the passport photo and went to Europe almost every other year. When she was old enough to have an opinion and voice it is when the real "fun" started. I still cherish all of our trips though and waiting for the day she comes to us and asks us to plan a trip for her!

Here's a few more specific tips regarding traveling with a 2 year old. That is a challenging in-between age because she can walk but tires out easy. We used a big jogger stroller when my son was 12 months, but when he was 24 months we made him walk and carried him when he got tired. He walked a lot and when necessary I'd put him on top of my shoulders for a ride. Jogger strollers are a pain because they are big, but I notice that a lot of Europeans use large strollers/buggies for their little kids, so there are actually lots of ramps that make pushing the big stroller easier than in the US. I liked using the jogger stroller because it rolled well on cobble stone streets. Make sure your room has a fridge, preferably get an apartment with a little more space. You don't want a traditional hotel room. A fridge is important to store a small supply of fruit, yogurt, milk, etc. One time we got stuck with a room with no fridge and that was a headache. Luckily I found a bartender next door to our hotel who would give me a glass of milk for free each night, which was key when my little one still took a bottle before bed.

Thanks again everyone! I second taking the car seat, at least at the younger age (which is what I have experience with), it made the flight much easier. This past year we took her travel system stroller since her car seat snapped into it and it was easy. We'll see how she does with an umbrella stroller this fall when we travel west. We love staying in apartments or homes and I will look at them again for this trip since we will definitley need the frig.