Dianaa

My husband thinks it'll be too much stress and work to take a vacation with our 2 year old this year. He says we'll have to wait till she's at least 4 or 5 before we can really dare a travel vacation. Sure, she's your essential toddler-- sweet, smart, and funny much of the time--and, okay, she also has a love of flinging food (and, uh, plates) cave-girl style, a penchant for meltdowns and tantrums when over-tired, and the attention span of a sand flea. That said, Mama's got the travel bug and I am hankering to get the heck out of dodge for a week (or two?) Can you help me convince my sweetie that we could still have a great time with our little wild and crazy darling along? Where would you go on vacation with a toddler? Dada is especially partial to tropical places and not too keen on the traditional family spots-- Grand Canyon, Disney, etc. Do you have any hints or tips for ways that might make it easier on all of us? Oh, please don't say stay home!

john123

Tell your husband to stop being such a wimp. My wife and I have 7 year old triplets. We took them on their first airplane vacation when they were 5 months old (and no, we did not take a nanny/babysitter with us) and have taken them on at least two such vacations each year since. It is no big deal. Taking care of your daughter on vacation is no different than taking care of her at home.

otto

we were in aruba for the second time last year, and stayed at the boardwalk aruba (villa/apartment style place)
i thought it was a wonderful place to go on vacation with young ones, because they had a full kitchen, dvd's to borrow, a small pool, hammocks, grill if you want, and of course the aruba beaches. the price was right too. i would suggest renting a car if you go for this option though.

qwovadis

www.runawayhill.com

Beautiful tropical vibe pink sand beach

great with a toddler for a laid back experience.

www.maho.org for a bit more adventure

Happy Journey,

Dianaa

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions! Aruba hadn't occurred to me, but an apartment is smart. And will definitely check out runaway hill.

I think being able to point to lovely spots like this might make it seem more real (and tempting) to him!

kellybeaches

Hi Dianaa,
We've been traveling w/our kids to the islands for 5 years now. We prefer to rent villas rather than stay at hotels. It allows us to spread out more and just fits our travel style more than going the hotel route. It's also usually less expensive than staying in a hotel, and we do most of our meals at "home" which helps on cutting costs and dealing w/small kids in restaurants issues.

If you have the time to read through and check out the photos you'll see our travel tips w/kids and recommendations. (going from most recent back)

St. Martin: '10
http://www.fodors.com/community/cari...-7-15-long.cfm

Long Island, Bahamas: '09
http://www.fodors.com/community/cari...ort-223-32.cfm

St. John: '07
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...hotos-_-Sharee

We've also rented a villa on Mahoe Bay in Virgin Gorda '06 (our daughter was about 8 mos old on that trip). -photos here:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...hotos-_-Sharee

And we're renting a villa in Turks and Caicos this August. Good luck! I find it's easy traveling w/our kids. It would be hard leaving them at home. Hope this helps!

kellybeaches

Hm. For whatever reason kodakgallery isn't cooperating.

try these links-these should work:

St. John: '07:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...hotos-_-Sharer

Virgin Gorda '06:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...hotos-_-Sharer

Weadles

When our kids were little ( now 23 and 20) we visited Grand Cayman all the time. It IS an expensive island for food etc., but I think the amenities and ease of a vacation there make up for some of that.

We stayed at VILLAS OF THE GALLEON ( next to the Westin) on Seven Mile Beach in a two-bed, lovely condo apartment with a full kitchen and beautiful views of the sea. Villas was associated with a wonderful babysitting agency, and almost directly across the street from a huge American-style supermarket, which meant we didn't have to lug too much along on the trip. It was an easy, very laid-back, family-friendly vacation.

allisonjames

Have you considered a cruise? There are some (Disney probably, and perhaps others) that will take toddlers in their kids club and then you and Dad can get a well-deserved break. We took our first cruise when our youngest was 5 and he loved the kids club, the activities and being around other children. We have found that it really is the best way to travel with young children and actually get a break to get some adult time. We love beach resorts and tried kids clubs there but often we didn't leave him for the few hours because he was the only one there. Also look at Turks & Caicos, gorgeous, gentle beach perfect for a toddler and lots of beachfront condo resorts. FYI, we were one of those crazy people who took our daughter to Disney when she was 2 1/2. I never thought I would do that, but we had a wedding in the area and wanted a family vacation. I thought it would be a misery but it was a very successful trip because we planned carefully and chose the right accomodations -- stayed at the Polynesian which was only a monorial or boat ride from the Magic Kingdom, we were able to go back to the hotel every afternoon for lunch and naps, then return to the park early evening. It was great because we went at her pace, did what she wanted to do (even if it meant the Lion King show twice) and got lots of rest. It can be done, but I wouldn't try it without staying at a Disney resort with easy access to the Magic Kingdom. Our daughter still claims she remembers it and I will never forget the look on her face when she saw Cinderella.