Though summer is still about six months away, it never hurts to tentatively start planning your vacation, especially if you have young children. Vacationing with babies and toddler can be difficult, but if you plan out the excursion well enough, it can be a fun-filled adventure for your family. The more structured activities the better with toddlers, but it can be a bit more spontaneous with babies providing you have a good place for them to crawl around and have an area they can nap in at some point during the day.

Camping
When I was little, camping was one of the only vacations we ever had during the summer. We did eventually go to Disneyland once when all of us girls were old enough to enjoy the rides, but some of my earliest memories are of building forts in the woods and trying to makes s’mores. Camping is great for both toddlers and babies. Toddlers can roam around, go for walks with their parents, swim, and explore the forest or beach around their campsite.

It’s easy to bring babies camping as well. Just put them in a sling and carry them around with you. When they’re tired or need to crawl around, the tent provides the perfect enclosed area for them to explore. You can even bring along an extra small tent in addition to your sleeping areas to provide a portable playpen.

Beaches
Beaches are considered one of the most family friendly areas for vacations. They usually provide a lot of family friendly activities and have spacious resorts or rental cabins. To save money, you can rent a large vacation house with several other friends or family members. Maybe you have siblings with children the same age as your own. Not only will this make your vacation more exciting, but your children will also have built in playmates and even a babysitter for an evening or two.

Cruises
Cruises might not seem like a family vacation at first, but they really do offer a lot of toddler- and baby-friendly activities all in one fairly small space. Many different ships offer nursery programs for babies and toddlers so you and your spouse can enjoy some of the adult activities aboard. Some ships also offer large family cabins built with children in mind so there’s plenty of space for children to play. 

Wherever you go, remember to take plenty of pictures and don’t stress the small stuff. Chances are your children won’t remember all of the specifics of these family vacations, but they will remember if they had fun, and that’s what counts.

Source: Schretter, N. (n.d.). 10 great vacations for babies and toddlers. The Family Travel Network.