Child’s Age: 2 Years old
Location: New York City
Fun Fact About You: I’m a Fixed Income Trader
What has one of your biggest parenting hurdles been?
Carsickness was a major struggle for our son as soon as he started eating solids. Our first family trip to the beach started with projectile vomit all over me, the car, in every crevice of the car seat, and of course all over our son. The smell, the mess, and the thought of it happening every time we got in the car was certainly enough to not want to go places. I read as many blogs, guides, and mom group posts about this topic and this is what has worked for us:
- Most important- Absolutely zero dairy on travel days (we live in NYC so daily car rides aren’t part of our equation) … any time I have deviated from this (even a small amount of yogurt in the morning when we are getting in the car in the afternoon) is disaster. Eggs & bananas are also car sickness triggers for many kids.
- Travel during nap time
- Emesis Bags – requires a parent sitting in the back seat but saves a lot of clean up
- Large bib/beach towel to cover up most of the child/car seat
- Front facing when appropriate
What has one of your proudest parenting moments been?
It’s cliche but the first steps my son took really took my breath away. Watching his development in the first year and being a part of it from birth to walking made me feel really proud to be a mom. Sharing the moment with my husband and watching our son really “grow” in that moment is a memory I’ll cherish forever.
What’s the parenting advice you wish you got?
The best parenting advice I got long before I had kids was to be very strict about creating good, independent sleep habits and routines. This has (admittedly selfishly) made our lives as parents a lot easier and I’m glad we stuck with our methods even when it was hard!
What’s a perfect parenting product you used?
Cornerstones of our sleep routines!
Sound machine – Love that this Hatch one can be controlled from your phone and you can set to many different modes, including wake lights when they’re older!
And
What new things are happening in your child’s life this month?
Both sides of our family are an airplane ride away, our 23-month-old has been on over 30 flights and my best tips for no screentime <2yo success when traveling are to bring lots of snacks and very few small/limited piece activities (I’ve learned the hard way you don’t want markers flying all over the place and you don’t want too much stuff).
I know a lot of people like to board early to get settled but I have found limiting the amount of time on the plane with a toddler is the best practice. If you have an extra set of hands have your travel partner board the plane first with the “gear” and let your toddler run around and get energy out. If you’re traveling solo and worried about over head space ask the gate agents if they can save room for your carry ons. An extra seat for the toddler always makes life easier but if it’s not economical and you have a lap child always ask the gate agent if there is an extra seat available.
Keep organized with pouches, or gallon ziplocks. I think a tote bag is better than a backpack. Have an individual pouches with diapers/wipes, extra set of clothes, snacks, games etc. so you can easily access just what you need. Best space efficient idea for young toddlers is something like this “busy board” and a small fidget popper.