Written by Rachel Gorton, our Bleeping Sleep Expert

Earlier this week I wrote a post about our nightmare of a family “vacation” that took place mid-February.

If you haven’t read that yet you should.  Click here and read it. Mainly because it’s entertaining, but also because if you are planning on taking a vacation to New York City with your children, you should re-consider.

NYC With Children

Looking back on it, I’m wondering if my colleagues at work secretly hate me because they all told me things like…

“You’ll love it”

“It will be so much fun with your little ones”

“It is totally family friendly”

Lies.

Total lies.

There seems to be a common thread in my life.  I do something stupid, learn a hard lesson, and then warn others not to do the same.

You’re welcome.

Don’t get me wrong though, I would NEVER tell you NOT to go on vacation.  February in New England is a depressing black hole so inserting a vacation in the middle of our snow burial is quite smart.

You just gotta be a little smarter than me.

How To Survive Vacations With Children

• Plan WAY ahead! When my husband and I sat down at our computer on January 20^th to plan our mid-Feb vacation we thought we were ahead of the game.  We’re just not very smart, ok?  Apparently, you have to plan, like, the summer before and be organized like normal people.  So do that.  Otherwise you end up in New York City.

• Choose a destination that is hot, very hot. When you leave the cold to go to an equally cold climate, it doesn’t feel like much of a vacation.  If your suitcase isn’t filled with bathing suits and sunscreen, you’re doing it wrong.  I hear the Bahamas this time of year is fabulous.

• Don’t go anywhere you have to walk a lot. Trying to keep tabs on a 6 year old in the biggest city in the country was the worst idea ever.  Aside from him complaining every other minute about his legs hurting, the constant trying to keep tabs on him was exhausting.  I think at one point we purposely lost him to scare the crap out of him.  Joking (kind of).

• If it includes a line, skip it. Doing any type of activity that requires standing in line is torture with children.  By the time you reach the front, everyone is crabby, nobody cares about what you’re waiting for anymore, and your child is of course hungry.

• If Grilled Cheese isn’t on the menu, choose a different restaurant. If you’re a parent you should know by now that your needs come last.  So even if you really want that perfectly prepared steak tartar or plate of delicious fresh fish, the entire dining experience will be much more enjoyable if the menu is fitting for a 5 year old.  Otherwise you end up ordering the ONE option on the menu that seems “kid-friendly” and he ends up hating it.

Let’s be real, vacationing with kids is not really vacationing.  But if you’re going to do it, you can at least try to avoid needing to take a vacation from your vacation!

Tell us about your experiences vacation with children.  Comment below or continue the conversation on the Bleeping Motherhood Facebook page.