London With Toddlers

I recently came back from a quick trip to London. Ok, it was a business trip and I didn't have the kids with me. But my kids were definitely on my mind and as I used my very limited spare time, I was thinking about whether London was a good place to visit with toddlers.

First, the bad news. London is expensive and especially if you're traveling from the US and have to accept a less than favorable exchange rate. Simple meals in London can be very expensive. But like all big cities, there are ways to keep costs down and eat on the cheap. Think hotel breakfasts, pack your own lunch, and plan simple dinners.

Now the good news is that it's relatively easy to get around London. You can take the Heathrow Express or the tube to get from the airport to your hotel. Pack light and you just made it even easier for yourself.

Once you are in London, the hard part is picking what to do. I had a very short amount of time and relied on TripConnect users to tell me what to do with One Day in London. You can check out my guide on London to see what I ended up doing in detail. In short, the Tower of London was worth the half day, but I would keep young ones out of the audio tour which emphasizes aspects of the Tower's gruesome history. You can save a little bit of money and time if you buy your tickets online. I made a quick visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum which I found very interesting, but it may be too much for very young kids. My advice; give it a shot and if the kid(s) don't cooperate, you can always bail out for another activity. I visited Buckingham Palace, but did not have a chance to take a tour. I'm guessing young kids would enjoy seeing the Royal Mews or the changing the guard. I had my dinners at pubs, but many of them may not be suitable for young kids.

Bottom line, my advice is go for it if you can get a reasonable deal on airfare and hotel.

 

Kids Ski School Programs In Vermont

I'm not ready to take my four year old skiing out west even if it is worth every penny as reported in The Family Ski Challenge. Last year, I helped him onto a bunny slope at Belleayre and decided that doing it yourself is just not the way to go. He lost his ski half way down the slope and that pretty much ended our adventure. This year, I'm determined to make a weekend trip to Vermont and enroll my son in a ski program.

Here is a short list of programs that I'm considering:

• Okemo Mountain has 1.5 hour programs for Mini Stars (3-4), Snow Stars for kids aged 4-7, and Young Mountain Explorers for kids over seven years old. Let your kids play with Okemo Snow Monsters to get them interested.
• Mount Snow has full and half day snow camp for 4-6 year olds, but they are sold out for the holiday week of February 18-22. They also have Mountain Camp for the older kids and a cub camp for three year olds.
• Killington guarantees one instructor for every five children in their kids programs but their $180 Saturday and Sunday rate for 4-6 year olds (includes lift tickets and rentals) is more expensive compared to other programs.
• Stowe also has children's programs as does Stratton, Sugarbush, and Bromley.

Advice on Disney World with Four Kids

There's a great q&a going on here on going to Disney World with four kids. Also my most recent post on Zagat's Disney World guide.

I missed Disney in 2007 but plan to bring the family there again later this year.

Car Trip Tunes for Toddlers

Some of those kids cd's will drive you nuts. And for those of you with two or three year olds, you know you have to be careful with your choice of music because your child will want to listed to it over and over and over again. A couple of years ago, my son got a CD with Italian kids songs that we took with us on a trip from NYC to Montreal. Now it is really a good CD, but by the fourth hour, we were pulling our hair out!

Last year, my son received Folk Playground as a birthday gift. At first, we weren't all that excited, but it grew on us and it became a really good travel CD. This summer, we picked up New Orleans Playground, and it was an even bigger hit. If you're looking for some gift ideas for the holidays, that's my two cents.

Best Advice - Three Year Olds at the Beach

What is the difference between a two year old at the beach vs. a three year old?

Answer: The beach consumes the two year old and tires them out. The three year old at the beach consumes you, the parent. So I have a couple of tidbits of advice for when you bring your three year old to the beach.

1. Limit the toys. One large pail, one small one, a couple of shovels of different sizes. Maybe a small truck or two. Anything more is overkill.

2. Bring a swimming vest. Holding a three year old in the water is a lot harder than a light weight two year old.

3. Make sure they go to the bathroom before treking our on the sand. If your three year old frequents the bathroom, then think about staying near one.

4. Expect to spend more time with them teaching them the ins and outs of building sand castles, digging holes, and water pools. Cherish this time with them.

5. Be sure to educate them on beach safety and etiquette. No throwing sand or rocks. Avoid playing right on top of others. Stay clear of wildlife, dead or alive. Most important, do not  run into the water without help from Mom or Dad. Expect to repeat these instructions over and over again.

6. Give them some freedom to run around on their own. Chances are they will make a friend or two. Just make sure they play nice with their new friends' toys and share their own.

7. Getting a three year old to leave the beach can be a challenge. Bribery works. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to get ice cream after dinner. Watch them run!!

Keeping Babies Out Of The Sun At The Beach

For most of us, we're coming up to our last few weeks of the summer and last chances to visit the beach with the family and kids. If you have a newborn or a baby under six months in the family, you may quickly dismiss the idea of taking them to the beach. These young ones are not supposed to wear sunblock and the sun can be very dangerous to them, but does that mean the beach is out?

On our recent trip to Atlantic Beach, North Carolina we picked up a Kids Sun Dome from Kel Gar. There are several of these baby domes on the market, but this one seemed to fit our needs. It was relatively inexpensive and came in a small flat plastic package - easy to fit in the car. The dome's material acts just like sunblock and is rated at 50+ UPF.

At the beach, the best thing about this dome is it's ease of setup. Unzip the plastic case pull it out, and watch it unfold into its dome shape all on its own. This is a huge plus when you walk on to the beach and want to have Baby laying down quickly. The dome then has a front face that completely unzips making it easy to lie Baby down without waking her up.

We found the dome perfect on calm days with little wind and when it wasn't too hot. Our baby was generally comfortable and happy to sleep in the dome. The dome's bottom does not have a cushion, so you might provide Baby a little more comfort by laying down a blanket or towel before putting her inside.
On windy days, working with the dome was a challenge. It's just not structurally sound to stand up to even modest winds. First, you'll have to find something to weigh it down. Even after that, even modest winds will collapse the walls of the dome inward. You can try to rotate the tent to minimize this effect, but stronger gusts of wind can still push the tent walls all the way down. We ruled the dome ineffective and possibly  dangerous on these windy days.

Another issue is heat. While the dome does protect Baby from the sun's rays, the heat can make a beach experience highly unpleasant for Baby. The dome will provide some comfort, but when it's hot, our baby just wasn't happy at the beach.

One final issue with the dome is putting it away. They do there very best to illustrate the process of folding it back into shape and sliding into its case, but we never figured it out.

So yes, you can take Baby to the beach... But you'll have to watch the weather and avoid very windy or very hot days.

Teddy Bears and Ice Cream - Are Factory Tours Fun For Kids?

Many factories now offer tours. You’ll learn about the history of the company and product, get a view of their manufacturing process, and usually get the chance to sample the product. At the end of the tour, you’ll most likely land in the factory’s gift shop where you can purchase their products and other gifts such as t-shirts, hats, and toys.

I’ve always enjoyed visiting factories. For me, the manufacturing process is as interesting as the product itself. It’s also fun to see the vast quantities of raw materials used to make the product and to learn a few of the products secret and special ingredients. At the Ben & Jerry’s factory I saw huge vats of milk, special mixers used to fold in the special ingredients, and watched containers of ice cream flip upside down to get date stamped. At the Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory we saw bags of chips filled with gas (nitrogen? I forget…) to make each bag feel full and to keep the chips fresh. At the Vermont Teddy Bear company we saw how bears are stitched together and learned about their special eyes.

So for adults, these factory tours are interesting and can be a lot of fun. If you have older kids that love a product then taking them to the factory can be a really special experience. Just beware that you’ll probably have to buy them something from the gift shop.

But for younger kids (my son is 3.5), factory tours are hit or miss. My son won’t remember anything about the Ben and Jerry’s tour except that he had some ice cream and that he had fun playing in their playground. He showed no real interest in Vermont Teddy Bears but loved playing in the colorful silo just outside the factory’s entrance. So if you’re taking younger children to a factory, you should probably look up and see if they have any special activities for younger kids. That was the case for Ben & Jerry’s and the Vermont Teddy Bear factory which made our stops there worthwhile. But if it’s just a factory tour, you might want to skip it and choose a different attraction.

Planning Your Family Road Trip In Under 48 Hours

Lucky for me, I was able to go on two family road trips this past month, one to Vermont and the other to Atlantic Beach in North Carolina. We fully planned and packed for these trips in under 48 hours. Now we have two kids, a 3.5 yr old very active son and a newborn daughter (8 weeks) both presenting very different challenges in how we planned the itineraries and packed for these trips.

So how did we do it you ask?

First, we really had no idea where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. After all, Vermont is a relatively big place with lots of things to do for a family. We didn't know where we should stay and create our home base in Stowe, Burlington, Woodstock, Killington, or Manchester. Then, with only four full days up there what should we do? I posted this question to TripConnect Family Members, things to do with my family in Vermont, and got a wealth of responses... places to stay, farms, pools, events, even restaurants. We pretty much planned our entire trip based on these recommendations.

Our trip to North Carolina was different. We already had a place to stay (thanks allitcat!) and pretty much knew that we would be hitting the beach. Still I knew nothing about the area around Atlantic Beach and New Bern, so I asked a couple of TripConnect members for help. But our biggest worry was whether we could complete a 10+ hr drive with our newborn. Again, one TripConnect member provided excellent advice on long road trips with a newborn.

Some other tips:

1) Have a generic packing list for trips. We don't, but we pretty much know what we need to bring along for each family member. Don't think through every detail, just budget 30 minutes per family member and pack the essentials.

2) In your research, find the closest Walmart, Target, Kmart or similar store near your destination. Plan on picking up whatever you forget.

3) Give your 2-5 year old a small travel bag and have them pack their favorite travel items. Make sure they include some books, games, or even a video. I got this idea from the Shae by Air toolkit, a DVD to help kids understand air travel but it equally applies to road trips.

4) Pack something new items for your 2-5 year olds. This could be CD's books, or small toys. Anything that will give them something new to focus on during the trips. My son's favorite CDs: Putumayo Kids Presents: Folk Playground and Playhouse Disney: Imagine and Learn with Music

5) Our newborn was tricky. Sometimes she would sleep for hours, other times she would wake every hour screaming to be fed or just for some attention. Don't lose your cool - know this going to happen and know that you might have to change your plans. On our trip to NC, we picked up a book of motel coupons just in case we needed to pull off the road and complete our drive in two days.

6) Other important things to pack: First aid kid. Healthy snacks. Bubbles (all kids love them!). Bug Spray. Sun Block.

7) We found that traveling in the late evening and night was most optimal. We braked for dinner. But with any luck, your child(ren) will be asleep for most of the ride. If you drive at night, your more likely to avoid hitting traffic. In the summer months it will be cooler at night. Just make sure you're well rested especially for longer drives.

8) Two important things about meals. First, research meal options that you can do on your own. For breakfast, you can do breakfast bars or cereal. Bring some bread, peanut butter and jelly for lunch. Just examples, but be prepared to do some meals on your own so that you have complete flexibility. Second, know what towns or neighborhoods have several dining options. Before our trips, we knew that Woodstock, VT and Beaufort, NC would be our best dining options.

9) Our newborn was really unpredictable on both trips so you really have to be prepared to adapt your plans based. We had a stroller and a BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Active. We walked out of one restaurant before ordering because we knew she wouldn't cooperate. This also applies to a toddler. One night he fell asleep on the way home from a beach, so we had to modify our evening plans.

10) I really wadnt's aiming for 10 items but here I am... So item #10 is just remember that being with your family is more than half the fun. Enjoy the small things. Take lots of pictures.

You can see my reviews on Burlington, Killington, Woodstock, Atlantic Beach, and Beaufort.

Toddler's First Airplane Flight - Help From Shae By Air

Are you scared of taking your toddler on his or her first trip on an airplane? I was! What do you pack? What will he do on the airplane for four hours? What should I do if she has a meltdown? Now there are many resources online to help parents prepare for airplane travel with their toddlers including my post on Traveling By Air and Tips for Getting Through Airport Security with Kids. But both of these posts and many others that I have read online are tips for parents. It left me wondering, are there resources designed and directed to the toddler?

The Shae By Air DVD Toolkit is exactly one of these products. The DVD has three short videos; a video for parents, the main instructional video for the toddler, and a special music video. I suggest that parents run through all three videos before sitting down with their child. When you do sit down with her, show her the other items that come with the DVD including a specially designed luggage tag, a toddler oriented packing list, and the good little traveler stickers.

I didn't think my son would latch on to the instructional video so I chose to show him the music video first. He loves airplanes (what toddler boy doesn't!) and the video includes clips of different types of airplanes as well as planes taking off and landing. He loved it! So when I turned on the instructional video, his attention was peaked and he was ready to absorb the material.

The best part of the instructional video is that it's filmed from a child's perspective and everything is shot from their height and eye level. Shae, the little girl in the video, follows the packing list and fills her travel bag with her special items. She's shown waiting (and behaving) on line to check in luggage, walking through airport security, and boarding the plane. The rest of the video highlights takeoff, landing and how to have fun during the plane ride. One of the best parts of the video shows Shae kicking the seat in front of her - something almost all children do on an airplane. Shae quickly learns that this bothers the woman sitting in this seat and is then shown sitting nicely and quietly.

My son loved the video and when it was over he ran upstairs to pack his bag!

Shae by Air is really a great video parents can use to introduce airplane travel to their young ones. You can also check out other online resources that they provide on the Good Little Traveler website.

Review: Zagat Insider's Guide to Walt Disney World

Readers of this blog know I'm a big fan of Walt Disney World. I don't consider myself an expert, but am fairly knowledgeable having been there three times over the last five years.

In some ways, it's relatively easy to under-plan a trip to Disney. Choose a hotel, pick the number of days, and split your days across the theme parks. That's how I planned my first trip and it was great, but we left Disney missing some top rated shows and attractions including Fantasmic at MGM. My next two visits required a little bit more planning since I was traveling with my son and extended family. Lucky for us, we had a couple of insider experts in our gang.

If you're not an expert or don't know one, then you might turn to one of the many guide books on visiting Disney. Zagat's guide has the familiar size, style, ratings, and indexes as their restaurant guides. In addition to reviews and ratings of hotels, attractions, restaurants and shopping it has special sections on character dining, nightlife, golf and the Disney cruise line. One special feature for family travelers is the separate Child and Adult ratings for the attractions. Also, the attraction index includes categories such as Educational, Rainy Day, Toddler, Young Children and Teens. The simple format of the guide along with these indexes make it very useful for parents trying to plan the perfect trip for their kids.

Another good reason to pick up this guide is to skim for restaurant choices. If you're visiting Disney during a peak season, then go there knowing that the more popular restaurants can get booked up days and even weeks in advance. The restaurant section is most similar to Zagat's restaurant guides so readers should have an easy time skimming the reviews and identifying suitable options for their family.

As for the ratings themselves, I think the 4800 or so reviewers that contributed to this guide are pretty much on target. But do read through the details.... Tomorrowland's Indy Speedway was given a 26 child rating with the following review excerpt; "little ones" who want to "feel like adults" "absolutely love" chauffeuring "mommy and daddy" yet it didn't make a top list for toddlers or young kids. I can attest having been on the ride no less than five times with my two year old that this should be on the toddler list.

If you're looking for one simple, easy to carry, and comprehensive guide to Disney then you can't go wrong with Zagat's Insider's Guide to Walt Disney World.

Related Posts

• My TripConnect Travel Guide on Walt Disney World
• Beat the Heat! Visit Disney this Spring
• Disney Delivers to Kids with Food Allergies
• Disney Going Healthy
• Budget Travel to Disney with Baby or Toddler