tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1452621549434169941.post4400132786741631168..comments2024-03-28T22:21:34.287-07:00Comments on Heart of Light: Traveling with a 16 month oldRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06819528155575569595noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1452621549434169941.post-29585612235206280402020-02-10T01:45:26.047-08:002020-02-10T01:45:26.047-08:00You are awesome parents! So brave and smart! I wou...You are awesome parents! So brave and smart! I would mention that one of the most important thing when traveling with a small baby is to bring a change of clothes (both for your child and yourself). When my little one vomited all over herself and me during the flight, I had absolutely nothing fresh to wear. It was terrible!Sophie van der Lindenhttps://www.best-pack-n-play.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1452621549434169941.post-5902793105699602212020-02-08T20:26:12.421-08:002020-02-08T20:26:12.421-08:00Great post!Great post!Rainbowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09136401771997450792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1452621549434169941.post-48371999911213625682019-08-22T16:46:31.203-07:002019-08-22T16:46:31.203-07:00I have never heard of these and they look so cool!...I have never heard of these and they look so cool! Definitely adding them to my list for future travel, thanks!Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819528155575569595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1452621549434169941.post-91817649871235322682019-08-22T16:44:16.912-07:002019-08-22T16:44:16.912-07:00Oh, fun! I wish I had more recs but we didn't ...Oh, fun! I wish I had more recs but we didn't really do much planning for this trip. Our strategy was just to try to divide each day up a bit. So we'd always spend a few hours doing something the adults wanted to do (museums) and a few hours doing something kid focused (parks/splashpads/bookstores). I wanted to take her to the Sea Glass Carousel since everyone raves about it, but it was really out of the way for us and honestly it would have been for us, not her. <br /><br />But really, at this age they're pretty excited by everything, so it's easy to please them. Adrian loved just being out and about. We did make our museum visits shorter than usual and often one of us would take her out early - not being allowed to run around or touch anything is too challenging for her at this stage. The trickiest part was meals. She was so excited that she had almost no interest in eating while we were out, so we had to take turns walking her around. (This is probably partly our fault - we rarely go out to eat these days so she doesn't have much practice) We did our best to pick restaurants with enclosed outdoor patios, but we usually ended up having to follow her around pretty closely anyways, because we didn't want her to disturb other people or fall into a basement, etc. We didn't do ANY fancy/exciting eating this trip, and just picked neighborhood joints based on location/kid friendliness. <br /><br />Long story short, I'd say to make a list of the things you want to do and then just maintain low key expectations about how many you get to or how long you'll get to stay. And take advantage of all the nice parks if your baby is walking when you visit. We did joke that we took her across the country to basically play at parks, which we could have just done at home. But we were there to see friends, so it was totally worth it. <br /><br />FWIW - we always visit the Met, the Met Breuer and the Whitney in NYC and usually try to see some galleries on the same day we go to the Whitney. I have way less DC experience, so I can't speak to that! Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819528155575569595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1452621549434169941.post-52162065902236464972019-08-22T16:23:35.124-07:002019-08-22T16:23:35.124-07:00Yes, Adrian weaned right around 14.5 months. I sto...Yes, Adrian weaned right around 14.5 months. I stopped pumping at work shortly after she turned one and I think my supply took a big hit and she started gradually losing interest. I added a little paragraph to my "Pumping and working" post as an update but keep meaning to do a full post on weaning. <br /><br />I know it's hard when you have a slow gainer! Adrian didn't really find her weight curve until about 9 months, and it was stressful up until that point. But she's been steady ever since! Some breastfed babies take longer, I've heard. <br /><br />As far as calories go I try not to think about it. As you said, it's impossible to figure out how much they're eating! I offer her good meals, making sure to include foods she likes and I always try to eat with her, so it's more enjoyable. But I have a really firm rule about not coaxing, bribing or praising (I will praise her on dexterity/fork skills but NOT her food intake). If she tries something new I'll ask her if she likes it and engage her that way. The only line I cross is that I sometimes have to insist she take a tiny bite of a new food, because she'll get in moods where she tries to refuse anything new. So I'll ask her to take a tiny bite, tell her she can spit it out if she doesn't like it, ask her again when she refuses. If she takes a tiny bit and doesn't like it, I thank her for trying it and then just offer it to her again a few days or weeks later.<br /><br />I have NO idea if this is the "best" way to do things, but it's very important to me that she have a good relationship with food and with her own body, and I don't want to interfere with her natural appetite. So this is what I'm trying. We'll know if it works in 20 years, ha. <br /><br />Does this mean I don't obsess a little bit privately? Uh, no. I definitely stress about it, but not around her and I have to remind myself frequently that her eating is not under my control. It's hard because I know that if she has a light eating day she's more likely to wake up hungry in the middle of the night and want a bottle (why yes, my 16 month old still sometimes takes a bottle in the middle of the night and I haven't had the energy to tackle it). So I will definitely offer her some extra milk at bedtime to try to stave that off but again, I just offer. <br /><br />That's just my strategy, though, and all babies are so different! And who knows if I'll be able to stick to this when she starts going through more difficult eating phases. My number one goal is just to help her trust her own body (which means I need to trust her too). <br /><br />I've also noticed that she eats more at daycare. I guess eating with her peers is more fun than eating with her mom. Fair.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06819528155575569595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1452621549434169941.post-14192402874325437122019-08-19T19:45:36.896-07:002019-08-19T19:45:36.896-07:00I always love your posts-- they're so honest a...I always love your posts-- they're so honest and practical! I try to keep all your tips tucked in the back of my brain for when I have kids myself, because I know this advice is the real deal. Always love your photography as well :)Megnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1452621549434169941.post-91392842363825394412019-08-18T07:42:15.616-07:002019-08-18T07:42:15.616-07:00Window clings: genius! Glad your trip went well. ...Window clings: genius! Glad your trip went well. We've been traveling with my daughter since she was little and she loves it now and has become an excellent traveler. I think she has more patience than her parents. We do have special snacks while traveling (and she only expects those snacks while traveling) and have also found wikistix helpful while traveling. They can also stick to the wall as well as themselves. Jennifernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1452621549434169941.post-63941957428041697582019-08-16T09:11:40.536-07:002019-08-16T09:11:40.536-07:00I also have a 9-month old, and greatly appreciate ...I also have a 9-month old, and greatly appreciate these posts! They are like a little glimpse into the future, as Adrian and my little girl have followed quite similar sleep/behavior patterns. Did you end up weaning from breastfeeding sometime in the last few months? Any possibility of a post on that? I know that's coming for us and am not quite sure how to navigate it. Specifically, our little lady has always been slow with weight gain, and I've obsessed a bit about her ounces per day, etc. How do you ensure that they are consuming enough calories post milk? It's impossible to tell how much they are eating when feeding themselves! Lindsaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1452621549434169941.post-6580440677630350582019-08-16T03:09:18.933-07:002019-08-16T03:09:18.933-07:00Thank you so much for sharing your insight. I have...Thank you so much for sharing your insight. I have a 9-month-old and am considering an overseas trip with him to NYC and Washington DC next year. Would appreciate any recs you may have of places to eat/hang with a little one in tow (if you have any time for a post!) Thank you :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06472420419437300967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1452621549434169941.post-30872179162175195002019-08-15T16:23:07.244-07:002019-08-15T16:23:07.244-07:00I'm past this stage (my girls are 7.5 and 13!)...I'm past this stage (my girls are 7.5 and 13!) but this post is SO helpful for people with toddlers! I'm impressed with your travel skills, and that's a great family photo. Congrats!Sallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05154093538268627588noreply@blogger.com