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Two months ago my husband and I decided once and for all to
take our dream vacation. We were very excited about travelling
to Europe but indeed concerned about how we would manage it
all with two small children. My son was just over two years
old and my daughter had turned 7 months old the week before
we left. We had no time to go to a travel agent and look at
brouchers so instead we researched and booked everything online.
I recommend it as it saves you time and money! Our daughter
did not pay but we had to have her on our lap the whole time.
We were going to many destinations through France, Spain and
Italy. In three weeks we took a total of four planes and even
a 3 hour bus ride.
Prior to leaving there was so much to consider, e.g. bottles,
food, diapers, medicine, extra clothes, etc. I brought more
things for my children than for my husband and I! We also
brought all their medical information and benefit insurance
cards in case of illness. I also wasn't sure of the amount
of milk and food I could carry on the plane and placed everything
in clear plastic bags but security was not at all concerned
about the amount we brought for the kids, here and in Europe.
By the end of our trip, I wasn't even showing the amount,
I just simply placed it in the x-ray machine. However, overall
security was tight throughout most of the trip, we even had
to place our stroller through the x-ray machine and they checked
our daughter as I took her out the baby carrier. I didn't
like this too much but understood the reasons why. On all
of our flights, we had our son in between my husband and I
and I held my baby daughter. She faced me and she even had
an infant belt which wrapped around mine in the smaller planes.
The main flights had changers in the washrooms but the smaller
flights within Europe, which were less than 2 hours didn't
so I made sure I changed them right before take-off. The flight
attendants were very helpful with warming up milk, etc. I
was also still nursing my daughter at the time so it was very
convenient. We brought small books/toys for our son to keep
entertained and even invested in a small portable DVD player
as he could watch a few of his favorite cartoons on the plane/hotel
room before he went to bed.
Here's a picture of kids with me in front of the Eiffel
Tower, what a beauty!
As mentioned before, we booked all our hotels online and ordered
a crib ahead of time so everything was ready by the time we
arrived and made sure we had breakfast included in our package
to start the day right. We stayed in all the major downtown
areas of our cities and took the metro instead of taxis. We
found it very convenient to move around this way, even with
the kids. I carried my daughter in a baby carrier/snuggle
and our son was in an 'umbrella' stoller as it was light to
carry (which by the way you can also take all the way into
the plane as then it is placed in the luggage compartment
for you). If my son got restless, then we let him walk with
a harness and placed my daughter in the stroller.
As beautiful as these cities were, I found that there were
not as many facilities that accommodated for parents with
young children, e.g. elevators, escalators, car seats, high
chairs in restaurants or even changers in the washrooms, so
I had to improvise a lot and made the best of it. Let me tell
you after touring the cities and going up and down the stairs
carrying the stoller/baby carrier, it was a real work out!
Nontheless, travelling with two small children wasn't as difficult
as people may think, however, having said this I don't think
it is for just anyone either.
Our last destination was Rome, here just leaving the Colosseum
- it was an incredible experience in person!
Spring in Europe has a much better climate than Canada yet
we still brought extra jackets and blankets as we found France
and Spain a little cool. We saw all the major tourist attractions
and made sure the kids had enough snacks/drinks to carry them
on. We also went to children attractions and they enjoyed
themselves.
To conclude, our trip to Europe was an amazing experience!
Seeing all the major attractions, visiting family (which also
gave me a bit of a break with the kids) and seeing the beauty
of the European culture are memories that will last us a lifetime!
It took a couple of days for the children to get use to the
time change but it all worked out very well. I will say that
by the end of our trip I did feel a little burnt out and was
happy to be home but if I had the chance I would do it all
over again!
Thanks for reading our story.
Sincerely,
Mommy Claudia
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