I’m baaccckk….
It’s been a while, I know. I have a good excuse: we took the kids to Brussels and Paris. Though I thought I might need to get my head checked as we were planning the trip, my opinion has drastically changed. I highly recommend traveling with kids. Yes, I said it. They were amazing. I don’t know if it was because they got 100% of our attention, or because we were doing something every second of every day, or just because I was on vacation and therefore more patient, but the children were SO well behaved. The flight over was a little tough (note to self: try out the effects of Benadryl BEFORE using it to help your kid sleep on a plane)…the kids slept only about 3 hours each, I slept not at all. BUT it was fine. Brussels is gorgeous, our family were the best hosts imaginable, and the kids loved eating mussels and fries, wandering through a Medieval Fortress, and taking a ride through the canals of Ghent. Paris was equally as wonderful- I was so amazed with C’s knowledge of art, and her observations of the Raphaels in the Louvre were as astute as an art-history professors. Me Too just loved running around in open spaces and watching the world go by as she was pushed through the streets of Paris in her stroller. And we visited FOUR, yes, FOUR carousels…it was quite a trip!
Things I recommend when traveling with children:
1) Rent an apartment- we rented a furnished apartment through a service (google them) and it made all the difference. We had a home base, we could shop for breakfast foods and snacks and so didn’t have to go to a restaurant all the time.
2) Plan only one or two outings a day, and have lots of play time in between. We visited playgrounds in both places, and it made all the difference for their attention.
3) Pack lots of snacks. Sometimes the service is just slow (as in Paris- oh, and you can’t get a highchair anywhere in Paris. Brussels was great about that) and the kids need to snack. No big deal. A great opportunity to try out what local kids eat for snacks (no fishie crackers anywhere, but we found these neat pretzel-like sticks that came with cream cheese for a dip.)
4) Try to keep to routine if you can, but be willing to throw it out the window. On our trip, the sun didn’t set until almost 11 pm, which meant when we tried to put the kids down at 8:00 we were met with serious objections. So we just let them stay up until 10 or so, or until we were about to collapse ourselves, and then let them sleep in if necessary.
5) Secure a babysitter for at least one night- we didn’t do this, and regretted it. We really could have used some “grownup time,” if nothing but to sit at a cafe and have a drink without worrying a kid was going to run into the middle of the street.
All in all, an amazing trip. We are glad to be home, but are already planning our trip for next year!
Tags: canal, carousels, Paris, traveling with kids
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