Baby Friendly Travelling

I posted about my trip to Yosemite along with some recommendations below. But, travelling with a baby opened my eyes to a whole different world of travel: comfort. Before baby, I didn't hesitate before pitching our tent and bundling in our -30 REI sleeping bag. But, now, I'm all about paying the extra money for a place that is both comfortable and baby friendly. I was pleased with where we stayed.

We travelled with our portable crib. We were roadtripping so it was easy enough to throw in the back of the truck and set up once we arrived. But, if this is not available to you, please call before hand and ask questions. First, do they provide cribs? Second, what kind of crib are they? Metal or wood or a portable crib like such? Do they have fitted sheets for the crib or should you bring one?

Are the restaurants inside the hotel baby/kid friendly? There were two restaurants at our hotel in Yosemite. One was reservation, nice attire only while the other was more family friendly {don't mind if food everywhere after you leave kind}.

If you can manage, I imagine having a suite or a two-room hotel accomadation would be even better so you and your partner can watch movies without worrying about the sound/light of the monitor waking the baby. We brought our laptop so we watched movies without worrying, but still...

Avery did really well on our trip. Her schedule was tossed and she adapted much better than I expected. She slept through the night just fine. Some tips: establish a bedtime routine before you travel. Bring some familiar bath toys so they realize it is time to get ready for bed. The familiar toys help them feel like they know {slightly} what comes next. Remember that they aren't sure of the "vacation plans" like you. They are adjusting and {possibly} thinking that this is life from here on out. Don't stress about the baby being "off schedule." They will be fine and though a little exhausted by the end of the day, they will catch up on their sleep!

I will admit that Avery was very happy to be home. She crawled around her toys the next morning and couldn't stop smiling, pointing and showing me things that she knew was familiar. But, she did great. We enjoyed it, experienced our second family vacation and have tons of pictures to prove it.