Got Quads?

‘Tis the season to pack up the car and head over the river and through the woods for Christmas celebrations. Traveling with children, especially young ones can throw a wrench in to things. I’ve taken four long trips in the car since my daughters were born. Each time I learn something new.

The first trip we took my girls were about seven months old. Not knowing how the journey would go we packed pretty much anything and everything we might need: two swings, two bouncy seats, four pack-n-plays, two double strollers, the Diaper Champ, two days worth of bottles in case we didn’t have access to a dishwasher… and that’s just the beginning of the list. I don’t recommend traveling this way. Every time we stopped for a feeding we had to unpack half our Suburban just to get our daughters out of the car. The thing we did right was skipping restaurants and making our feeding stops at rest areas. This allowed us to get out, stretch our legs, get fresh air and even have a bit of privacy. We were fortunate enough to be traveling during the spring.

Our subsequent trips have involved less “stuff.” We’ve never taken the strollers on another trip. We’ve been lucky to always be visiting family and have had enough people around that there’s always been someone to hold each of the girls when we venture out. Now that they’re older we just need “hand-holders” to help us keep track of everyone.

We’ve also learned to ask around and see if people at our destination have things to loan us. During our last trip we knew we wanted to take our daughters to the nearby zoo. A friend loaned us their wagon for the day, making our zoo visit a lot more enjoyable and a little less expensive since we didn’t have to rent a stroller or wagon. I’ve heard of companies that will actually rent pack-n-plays and other baby gear. We’ve never been in a situation where that’s feasible because many of our trips have involved an overnight stay before reaching our destination.

Before you go, ask yourself this: what do I REALLY need? In other words, what are you going to be kicking yourself over if you forgot it? Pack-n-plays? Yep, that could be a big one that you don’t want to forget, although we realized last trip is probably the final one involving pack-n-plays. Our girls are old enough to either sleep on the floor or share “big girl beds.” Diapers? There’s a good chance wherever you’re going will have a store, right? It won’t be the end of the world if you have to buy more diapers or wipes during your travels.

There’s no right or wrong way to travel with multiples. You have to take what works for your family. But in most situations the point of your trip will be to visit, relax and have fun. So make a list, check it twice and don’t sweat the small things that you accidentally leave home on the counter.

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