BootsnAll Travel Community

My husband and I are travelling to Canada (St John’s, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver) from Australia for 5 weeks in August for a wedding.

Our son will be 22 months old and, as we have never travelled long-distance with him before I am desperate need of practical advice from those who have done similar. Our accommodation arrangements will be mostly mid-price hotels. I am not sure whether to bring my own travel cot or make arrangements at each place we stay. I am sure the availability is not an issue but I am trying to decide what would be most practical and whether it will worthwhile lugging our own cot around for the entire time.

Also in terms of sleeping arrangements – what have people done with regards to where their toddler sleeps? It seems excessive (& much too expensive) to book 2 bedroom apartments everywhere we go so he can have his own room, but I have concerns about our son actually getting to sleep whilst we are in the same room?

In terms of air travel we have decided to purchase him a seat and I have heard that people bring their car seats along with them? Is this necessary as I was planning on hiring car seats when we hire our car? Thanks in advance for taking the time to read & respond to my post – it is greatly appreciated

hey matjen,
welcome and how exciting to take such a great adventure with your little one.
ok-when it comes to lugging around your own cot...i think you should save the hassle and enjoy the common practice in hotels now to carry the portable child crib or an actual full-on crib. everywhere carries them now, you just need to ask. and i would not deal with an extra piece of luggage while you already have your hands full with your little one. (though i might suggest bringing at least an umbrella stroller, as it's much easier to carry and can give you an extra hand by giving your little guy a safe place to sit belted in while you manage other things).
now as far as the extra room goes, we never did that. we just tried to quiet things down and try to stick to most of our bedtime routines and since with travel, sometimes naps get off course, often there was fluctuation in actual fall-asleep time. but i wouldn't feel the need to book 2 room suites everywhere.
as far as the flight goes....only you know how well your little guy will sit in just a lap belt. sometimes it seems children are more comfortable in the secure feeling of a carseat. and if they are feeling the need for a tantrum (not suggesting yours would)it could be hard to handle without the ability to put them in a carseat. but since he's under 2, you have the right to hold him in your lap for takeoff/landing/flight anyway. so i would go for whatever you think he would be more comfortable (ie sleeping) on such a long flight.
have fun!
b

I would not bring the cot either. Our child has always slept with us, so that makes things really easy.Once she was in a deep sleep, we had no problem getting up and doing things at that age...or laying in bed with her and watching a little telly or reading.

We really love the travel vest and it might be something you could look into as it is FABULOUS for travel and works well at home too. I am pretty sure it just goes on weight, so it will depend on how much your child weighs.

Ours only weighed 30lb at 5, so we had no choice, but to use it on our RTW and it has been one of our smartest buys.

At that age, they like to move, move, move, so the long flight will probably be your biggest challenge. I don't usually like TV and little kids, but I would get a small dvd player as they work wonders when they are confined for long periods.

The hotel room thing will be easy and they all have cots if you should want that.Don't carry any more than you have to.Might even get your child his/her own rolling luggage to carry snacks and toys in. Here are a few links, google some more as there is a ton of info on this topic in cyberspace.

http://www.travelwithyourkids.com/

http://www.familytravelfiles.com/ezine/articles/589.asp

http://pregnantexec.wordpress.com/2007/08/31/secrets-an...with-young-children/

http://realtravel.com/the_world-journals-j4881539.html

http://www.slowtrav.com/europe/kw_children.htm


Have fun!!

It's not uncommon for hotels here to offer a crib or cot of some kind, but you never know.

We often carried a very small camping mattress and blanket, and just let our daughter sleep on the floor in the hotel room. She loved it, and usually fell asleep quite easily after an exciting day in a new place.

Failing that, we'd just get extra blankets from the hotel, and make bed on the floor. It was an easy way to travel without carting a lot of extra stuff around, and she was safe, happy, and comfortable.

We've shared hotel rooms with our children and it is a bit restrictive, but not too bad. We normally put them to bed as if it was their own bedroom, ie, turn off lights etc, then sit out of their eye line until they settle - sometimes it can take a bit longer than at home, but persevere! Once they are asleep, we usually read by the bathroom light and can also talk quietly without disturbing them. When we've travelled with just one child, it's been easier to settle them than when we've had two or more sharing. At home our children each have their own room, so for them, sharing is so exciting that bedtimes can be a bit of a challenge! Having said that, it usually only takes us a few days to settle into a new routine. Have fun!