Tips for traveling with a 2 year old

When I researched this topic, I really didn't find the answers I was looking for. I mean, we all know to pack enough diapers and outfits and all that, but I was looking for some mommy secrets. You know, like how no one tells you how much childbirth hurts or how desperate you are for sleep and how afraid you are that you're losing your mind after 2 months of living with a newborn- those kinds of things. The info no one gives you until after you've suffered through a particularly unpleasant experience. Those little tidbits that you'd rather know ahead of time so you can make an informed decision to run screaming in the other direction and choose to do the opposite of what you'd planned to do in the first place. So here it is. The good, the bad and the ugly- from a mom who's done it and lived to tell about it. (cue dramatic pause)

I'm making it sound much worse than it actually is. In fact, our vacation was wonderful. There are just a few things that I wish I had known or done differently. Our vacation was a hodge podge- we visited an amusement park, a city and a museum and drove for 7 hours there and back.

General Tips
1. Learn to diaper your kid standing up- I know this is a pain, but it saved me so much trouble. Most bathrooms have a changing station. But you have no idea what kinds of nastiness might be lurking. On our trip (and truthfully, often at home) she was changed standing up. The only part of her body that touches the changing station is the bottom of her shoes, so the rest of her stays germ free. Plus, I could put a container of wipes and diapers in my bag and didn't have to think about a changing pad and how disgusting that would be after who knows how many diaper changes.
2. Know when enough is enough- Yes, I know those amusement park tickets are expensive, but 2 year olds have limits, as do mommies and daddies. Sometimes, you have to know when to call it a day. When everyone (or just a particular someone) reaches the edge, sometimes you pack it in and go home. Especially on hot summer days. One of our best nights was when we came home early due to cranky toddlers and had takeout in our hotel room and played on the hotel playground. Be flexible.
3. Stay at a child friendly hotel- We stayed in 2 hotels on our trip- 1 child friendly, 1 not so much. The child friendly hotel had a playground, cheerios and fruit loops for breakfast, cartoon network, thick walls and a locked down building. You couldn't get in or out without a key. The other hotel (which shall not be named) had thin walls, grapefruit and coffee for the complimentary breakfast, and only locked their doors from midnight to 5 a.m. I feel horrible for our neighbors on either side of us- Meg's 5 p.m. meltdown must have sounded horrible. As I'm sure you can guess, we enjoyed the child friendly hotel much, much more. It really makes a difference.
4. Know where you're going- Use GPS, use mapquest, whatever, but know where you're going so you're not screaming "DO I TURN LEFT HERE OR AT THE LIGHT???" while the toddler is yelling in the backseat. Not like this happened to us or anything....
5. For all that is holy, honor naptime!- My toddler needs a nap like she needs oxygen. If she doesn't get that nap, well, lets just say that you should duck and find cover under the nearest earthquake proof structure. I'm not kidding. I don't think it matters where nap takes place (Meg and I cuddled on a lawn chair under an umbrella one day) but just taking that little nap recharges little batteries- and big batteries too.

Tips for the car
1. A goodie bag- mine had some extra birthday presents that I had stashed away, new crayons and coloring books, an Ariel doll with plastic clothing (a bear to get on and off, but whatever) a magna doodle and a new puzzle, plus assorted little toys found in the dollar bins of Target
2. A travel tray- I mentioned this earlier, but I found a soft travel tray at onestepahead.com and it made all the difference. Meg could color, read her books, play with her toys, all on a space that was flat and right in front of her. Even though I'm sure they aren't made for this, I used the strap and strapped it around her car seat. It was perfect.
3. Toys from home- I let Meg pack her own little backpack with toys of her choice. We packed it right before she left, so she could choose the toys she's been playing with the most. We pulled these out in the hotel quite a bit.
4. Snacks and a cooler that opens up to the backseat- apparently, being in a car for long periods makes a toddler really hungry. Meg went through 2 containers of Gerber Graduates Cheese Puffs on the trips, but it was well worth it.
5. DVD player- with all her favorite movies. When boredom sets in, she was thrilled to see Buzz & Woody. I know people will scream about too much tv time, but for the sanity of all involved, it was a neccessary evil.
6. Shaking out the sillies- that's what we call stretching our legs. Michael and I are so used to just driving, stopping to eat and pee and getting back in the car that it was hard for us to remember that our little one needed to get her sillies out too. At rest stops, we encouraged her to run, jump, etc. before we got back in the car. She was more willing after she got her sillies out!

For the amusement park-
1. Look into perks- At Sesame Place, we rented a cabana. It was perfect. It was just a 10 x 10 space with curtains, some patio chairs, a table, a mini fridge and a locked drawer. It was heaven and well worth the 169.00. (We split it with the family friends who went with us, so it only cost $85 each) Not only was it a great place to relax, recharge and take naps, but it allowed us to bring food instead of buying it at the park and it entitled us to VIP status at Sesame Place, so we got to meet the characters before the parade and take lots of fun photos. The locked drawer was great too... some place to put the keys, cell phones, etc. If you can afford it, it's well worth it.
2. Pack your own meals- As much as possible. The first day at Sesame Place, we spent $25.00 at lunch for food that was in no way worth the $25.00 we spent on it. That evening, I went to a Super Walmart, bought salami, cheese and mustard for about $4.50 and we brought our lunch the next day. And honestly, those salami sandwiches were so much better than my $9.00 chicken fingers.
3. Buy a giant souvineer cup- Michael drank the soda, but after that, we filled our "Abby Cadabby" cup with water and Meg and I used it to keep hydrated. I liked it because it held a lot. Meg liked it because it had Abby on it!

For the city-
1. Pack light- I have a 2 year old pack rat- she carries around at least 6 of whatever it is she's into- stuffed animals, Toy Story figurines, whatever. On our trip into the actual city of Philadelphia, we picked up her kitty, her Tigger, her bug and her glow worm about 12 dozen times as she dropped them on the filthy city streets. Next time, I'll put up with the tantrum in order to leave them in the car!
2. Shop Farmer's Markets- We packed a lot of food for this trip, but about half way through the trip we needed to restock. We incoporated a trip to the Italian Market in Philadelphia in order to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies. And we found them! Gorgeous red peppers and cherries, strawberries and peaches.... it was great. Most cities have these farmers markets and they can be a great place for an easy and healthy meal.

For Mamas-
1. Pack one bag- I used an LL Bean carryall for my purse, diaper bag, map holder, juice boxes, toys, etc. It was small enough to be a shoulder bag but didn't hold enough to pull my shoulder out of joint. Everything necessary was in that bag and it was so easy just to grab the green bag out of the car and head out to wherever we were going. Necessities inside the bag were
   a. my wallet
   b. diapers and wipes
   c. small first aid kit- band aids, tylenol, neosporin, etc.
   d. maps and directions
   e. change of clothes and shoes for Meg
   f. snack sized bags of crackers
   g. 3 juice boxes in a plastic bag
   h. coloring book and crayons
   i. Mini magna doodle
   j. Empty sippy cup

2. Do laundry at least once- We have a dirty clothes bag which we toss all the dirty clothes in. I did laundry one night while we were gone and I'll tell you, it was worth the $3.00 in quarters. I brought some laundry detergent from home and it was great to get some of my laundry done before hand.
3. Pack stuff from home that you've never thought to pack before- like...
    a. dishwashing detergent to wash sippy cups, cereal bowls, etc.
    b. Ziplock bags of assorted sizes- always helpful!
    c. A sheet- good for picnic, a play area on a yucky hotel floor, to make a tent out of. I bought one that is bright pink at Toys R Us and it's great.
   

Any other ideas, anyone?