I was glad my wife convinced me to take the trip to Italy. I was pleasantly surprised that it went so smooth and best of all our daughter enjoyed herself nearly the entire time. My wife's parents planned the trip and they made accommodations for our daughter each step of the way which I believe helped greatly. The trip gave us some good ideas for traveling with our daughter in the future such as the following:
Lodging
I should go without saying, but planning ahead is always a good idea. Good accommodations for a young child will allow enough room for the child to spread out and not feel cramped or stressed. We chose to stay in an apartment rather than a hotel not only for the larger rooms but also so we could prepare our own meals and have our morning coffee in our room. Also consider if you will have your own car and, if not, try to stay close to public transportation. Look for a playground nearby or plan activities that your child will enjoy during downtime. Children are quick to get restless when adults get tired.
How much time to stay
Space out your trip to avoid a hectic pace. In our second week, we went to Florence, Venice, then Rome which was too much travel for us compared to the first week. We should have left with my wife's parents before the second week. Choose a city with a slow pace and a good atmosphere for children by talking to people who have been there. Venice was cool enough and not too hot in May. The people were relaxed and easy going. However, Florence was too loud and too hot and it was difficult to feel safe with all those Vespa's racing around.
What to bring
Don't bring too much. Before I pack, I take out everything I believe I will need, then I put away half. A backpack or roll-up pack is great for being on the go and chasing after a little one. I try not to take too many clothes for my daughter since she can wear the same outfit multiple days, but I wanted a few extra clothes in case of dribbles during meals or a few falling down accidents. I didn't want her to look homely without clean clothes after a mishap. Remember sun screen for babies over 6 months, a hat for shade and some warm clothes even if the weather is warm most of the time.
A backpack or carrier for our daughter would have been good if we were hiking, but the stroller we had with an umbrella was great for our trip. We rolled it up to to the gate where where it easily folded and was stowed by the flight attendant. The attendant then unfolded it for us when we arrived so that we could push the stroller when we left the plane.
Be sure to take some of your child's favorite toys, but try not to over do it. Our daughter can think of most anything as a toy. We brought a few of her favorite things, but she spent much of the time playing in our suitcases with our clothes.
A trip well worth the expense
We have many great pictures and great memories of our trip. It was our best vacation as a family. We met a woman in Venice who said that she remembers a trip to Venice with her parents when she was a girl and the trip helped to develop her outlook. I hope our daughter will look back through the pictures years from now with good thoughts and memories.
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