How to Vacay with a Toddler (Part II)

A few posts ago, I shared part of my list to help you successfully vacation with your toddler (well, at least it helped me on our trip). You can check it out here.

I’m equally excited to publish the second half of this list for your viewing pleasure.

Keep in mind that clicking on an image below will send you to the appropriate retailer’s site.

Without further ado, here are a few more items to add to your packing list.

1. Rash Guard Bathing Suit

In the past we have always dressed E in super cute, frilly bathing suits. However, I always wondered why parents would put their littles in short sleeve or long sleeve swim suits when there are so many other adorable options for swimwear. I debated about trying a rash guard suit, but since we were heading closer to the equator and I stumbled across the most adorable ruffled outfit, I gave it a shot. This suit fit true to size, had no zippers, claimed a high sun protection and was very attractive in bright colors with a pineapple print and ruffles. You can never go wrong with ruffles. After a few days at the beach, the hubs and I agreed that E should wear it for the remainder of our trip, if only to put our minds at ease. The sun is deadly, yall.

 

 2. Allergy Meds

While food allergies do not run in our family history, J and I took appropriate steps exposing E to seafood prior to leaving for the beach. #responsibleparenting Although she seemed fine after eating shrimp and fish ahead of time, I still brought allergy medicine just in case. Making a long story short, E developed a cough, J freaked out and took her to the CVS minute clinic. I passed on that field trip since I assumed it was nothing serious. J should have realized since I, of all people, wasn’t freaking out that it probably was not a big deal, but better safe than sorry I suppose. In the end, the doctor said all E needed was allergy medicine. Mom for the win! Even if you think you won’t need the meds, pack them. Anything could happen and you don’t want to run around an unfamiliar town in the middle of the night if it can be avoided.

3. New Hair Styles

This is geared more towards little girls than boys, but have an idea what will work best for hair control on vacation. E was blessed with insanely awesome hair. It’s long, decently thick and always in her face. In preparation for our wet and sandy days, I figured pony tails would be sufficient. Was I wrong! Pony tails did not fit well under her hat and the water (I’m guessing) would break her hair bands. #highponyfail I started experimenting with French braids and fishtails. Both were much better options and had the potential to be super cute if I had practiced beforehand. I love this assortment of hair ties and suggest putting Mickey Mouse on while you work your magic. How do parents get anything accomplished without Toodles and the gang? It’s like crack. #saycrackagain

4. Over-sized Beach Bag

Everyone will tell you how much more luggage you will have when taking a family trip. Even my mother said they made two trips from the condo to the beach the first time they took me on vacation. After hearing this multiple times, I began my search for an oversized beach bag. As always, Amazon delivered the most perfect beach tote at an affordable price. Plus, it adorned a navy chevron pattern. #winning Some reviews complained about the handle breaking, but we had zero issues. It was ginormous and every day it lugged three large, beach towels, five containers of sunscreen, beach toys, books, phones, wallets and E’s puddle jumper float to the beach. It could not have been a more ideal solution. This bag and our cooler tote were the only items we needed to carry.

5. Grandparents

When I polled the Facebook faithful about what I needed to bring to Florida, the cleverest reply was “grandparents.” Congrats to Flag who is 110% correct. If you have the option to bring a few extra hands, why not do it? While the time spent with the three of us was an absolute dream, I am looking forward to next year as we will have grandparents, aunts and uncles joining us. The more hands on deck, the merrier!

For those of you who still have a summer vacation to look forward to, I am green with envy. If you have a little munchkin (or two) traveling with you, my wish is that these items and the previous list will prove useful to you.

Have anything else to add? Please share! Like I said, we are already preparing for next year!