Vacation

Pretty much any cruise line will have kid friendly things. My family went on cruises when we were all young and there was so much for us to do all day long. If I were you I would look into the Disney Cruise Line.

I'm kind of in your boat, but this summer we plan on taking our kids, who will be 2 and 4, to San Diego to go to Sea World, Legoland and the San Diego Zoo or Wildlife park. A friend of mine suggested those places because she and her daughter had a blast at each of them and her daughter is four.

What a great question! Thanks for asking!

We travel quite often with our kids – now 1 and 4 years old. We started while our son was about 6 months old. I have to say every place has something to offer for them. Our vacation is of course different with our kids - we try to do activities around the nap time, and do a lot of kid oriented stuff - ZOOs, children’s museums, aquariums. Every city has at least something – before we take off, I check the internet for options. We love taking kids with us – it allows us to be more with them and to do fun activities as a family. We try to stay in suits, so nap time is easier. Staying in single hotel room is difficult. Also is you have a little kitchenette, that is a big help too, you can fix breakfast easier etc. I am sure the time “ vacation without kids” will come again, but for now I am so happy we could be together. Bottom line: taking small kids on vacation may be challenging a little, but definitely worth it.

A Disney Cruise. They are very kid friendly, obviously, they have tons of kids activities and the kids have their own centers where they can go without mom and dad and be aroundother kids and do all sorts of fun stuff while mom and dad go do adult stuff. I took my 4 year old on one year before last and she had so much fun in the Oceaneer club that she never wanted to be around mom and dad.

Hi! Your son might be a bit too young for DisneyWorld still, but by the time he's 3, he would probably LOVE it. Also, in the Philadelphia area, there's all the historical stuff (which will bore him now), but about 1/2 hour away, there's Sesame Place (a theme park based on Sesame Street). I've never actually been there, but whenever we visit relatives in Philly, my kids beg us to take them there...maybe on our next trip we'll actually go. Or you could take a beach vacation (our kids absolutely loved playing in the sand). Or Monterrey, CA where there's the awesome aquarium (and stuff for adults, too). Most hotel concierges can arrange for a babysitter once you get to your destination. Just doublecheck with the hotel about childcare before you book. We've used hotel-recommended babysitters in San Francisco with great success. I think most big cities have very child-friendly places. The trick is to avoid spending every evening stuck in the hotel because your baby has to go to sleep. I would definitely suggest getting used to the idea of using hotel babysitters so you grownups can have your time, too. Have fun!!

The Beaches resorts in the Caribbean have some resorts that have Sesame Street themes and have kids programs and daycare. Beaches is all inclusive and lots of fun. My husband and I went to a Sandals(like Beaches, but for couples) for our honeymoon and it was awesome.

http://www.beaches.com/general/sesame.cfm

Hi, Our nephew and his 2 young ones just came back from So. CA. and they had fun at Legoland. Other ideas might be somewhere where you can play on a beach (well supervised of course)Great America in Santa Clara is a fun place, as is Toontown at Disneyland. I must say your mom and dad are truly blessed to be able to watch your son. My grankids are in WA. and their other grandparents live near them, and don't take every opportunity to be with them, they won't even watch them for money. Shame Shame. Anyway, I hope this helps you decide to take your little guy with you.

Love,
C.

You should stop feeling guilty and the two of you should just have some mom and dad time together, especially if your child will be with your parents. If you just can't leave him,I would suggest a Disneycruise.
Recently my husband and I went to Maui and there were quite a few parents with children, although we left our little one with grandma. There are some beaches with reefs that guard against the ocean, making the water really calm and low. It is so warm and beautiful this time of year. I think it is just as important to have adult, spouse time to get close again. Good luck and have a fun vacation.

My husband and I were big travelers also and when we decided to adopt we had no intentions on stopping our travels. Nathan was born in June 2005 he had his passport at 4 weeks old and he has not stopped moving! His first flight was when he was 6 weeks old from Albuquerque to Philadelphia and he flys about every 4 months now. As for vacations, we take lots of small vacations and then take one big vacation every other year. My husbands parents have offered several times to watch him while we go on vacation but I feel like we are a family now and we take family vacations! Not to say that we wont take them up on a romantic weekend now and then! In late November 2005 Nathan was just 5 months old and we took a trip to Florida and then onto a 7 night Disney cruise. As you can tell by his age this trip was really for us but he had a fantastic time also! The cruise is a great way to go because Disney goes out of its way to make you feel safe! They have a day care called flounders reef that the little ones go into so you can have dinner at Palo or just some alone time with your husband. But you don’t have to use the reef. EVERYTHING on the ship is family friendly and even the babies are welcome to go! Nathan enjoyed the colors of the shows. And our waiters were wonderful with him. We are planning on a 15 night cruise thru the Panama Canal with Disney again. They might not be the cheapest cruise around but I will tell you, they are the best when you have kids! If you have any questions please let me know! Good Luck!

How does you son do on an airplane? I have a few suggestions that are driving and others that are flying.