Traveling with a Toddler
It was a crazy day, we were leaving for Switzerland in two
days and my 21-month-old son wakes up with a cough. Immediately I’m panicking
assuming he has the croup. The next morning it’s still there so we landed at
the doctor where they gave me an antibiotic “just in case” it wasn’t gone in a
few days while we were out of the country. The day we left was even crazier,
even though I literally had most our suitcase ready for a week including my
toddler-specific snacks to insure he didn’t starve at the mercy of whatever we
could find in a foreign country (as if they don’t have toddlers and
toddler-friendly snacks). I know, I know, I have a minor, non-medicated case of
OCD and it gets a hold of me sometimes, my husband reminds me, lovingly, that
not all things in life can be prepared for.
I spent weeks researching the best toys for traveling with a
toddler and everything you should pack but I still felt so flustered and
worried that we were totally ruining his life by removing him from his routine,
whisking him off to a foreign country in a very different time zone, feeding
him food he didn’t recognize and may not like, enduring tasks like hiking
thousands upon thousands of feet up and down mountains, and overall disturbing
his “normal” that we spent his whole life to create.
Yes, he has traveled before. He spent a week in Barcelona,
Spain and almost a week in Frankfurt, Germany when he was 9 months old but this
was different. He was so young then, couldn’t walk or talk, or speak of preferences
or desires. Now he was a toddler! A toddler that walks, and runs, and screams
“NO” when he doesn’t want to do something or go somewhere. Now that he’s
started potty training he shouts “GEE GEE” with urgency which means “my poop is
literally about to come out you better get me to the toilet now and hope I
didn’t already go because I’m going to have a nervous breakdown!” He spits
things out and explains (in toddler language) how disgusting things are when he
doesn’t want to eat them. In fact he actually calls it “hot” because he’s
figured out that we call food “hot” when it’s not ready for him to eat yet so
now he calls the most undesirable things on his plate “hot” as if it
rationalizes why he has no care to eat it.
We made it to the airport hours early so we preoccupied our
toddler with eating and walking, and running, so as to exhaust him so that
MAYBE he would sleep on this 10-hour overnight flight. We were leaving at 6:45pm,
which is only an hour from normal bedtime so our hopes were high.
We chose the seats directly behind the bathroom and even
paid a little extra $20/ticket to absolutely insure that we got them. I have to
say that if you are traveling with children that are mobile, AT ALL, you need
to book these seats. There is a solid 18 inches of legroom, which is about
the same as first class (although the seats definitely don’t lay flat like the
ones in First class they still recline). These seats insured two things: an
area to climb on and off my lap as he grew restless and possibly an area where
our I-thrash-while-I-sleep toddler would sleep.
The first part of the flight went ok because most everyone
was awake enjoying the in-flight movies, most new releases, and waiting for the
dinner to be served. Vince is in this new thing where as long as he’s on his
mama and she’s giving him whatever he’s asking for, he’s fine, perfect little
angel. Of course you know that won’t last right? There was a baby sitting next to
us that was 8-9 months old and is behaving PERFECTLY may I add. He literally sat
there with his paci for about 2 hours before laying down and
sleeping the ENTIRE flight. I wanted to throw up. Vince has flown two 9+ hour
flights and eight shorter domestic flights before this one and has ALWAYS been
restless and busy. On a flight to Missouri I was yelled at numerous times for
not controlling him and keeping him out of the aisle, I mean good grief. He’s not
necessarily upset and crying but certainly making noise, talking, laughing,
throwing things, etc. So back to this trip,Vince starts to panic around 3 hours
into the flight when they pull out this bassinet that attaches to the wall for
him and the baby sitting next to us. We tried the bassinet last year and it
was a nightmare, it was like a bed taunting him since he was and has always
been such a big baby he barely fit into it. The walls were right next to his
body when he laid in it so if he flipped over or rolled he would hit the wall
and freak out so he didn’t sleep the last time we tried it, we weren’t even going
to try it this time but they pulled it out and set it up without asking us. So
we tried it. After he stood up in and tried to climb across to the other baby’s
bassinet next to him we knew it wasn’t going to work, he saw it as a toddler
obstacle course and all I saw was him literally jumping/falling 3 feet to the ground
and rolling down the aisle of the plane. No. We took it down which made Vince
LOSE. HIS. MIND. For the next 45 minutes he cried “BED! BED! BED!” pointing to
where it used to attach to the wall. With a lot of rocking and soothing he calmed
down about the bed but now wrestled sleep, which is no picnic either. He
finally fell asleep in my arms at about 5 hours into the flight and slept for
almost 2 hours before waking like he was ready to run a marathon. Where do kids
find this energy?! My husband attempted to rock him back to sleep but it wasn’t
happening. He was up until we landed in Munich for our layover. We had an hour
layover and as soon as this kid got in his stroller he FELL ASLEEP! He slept
through the entire two-hour layover and the entire one-hour flight from Munich
to Zurich, Switzerland. We land in Zurich knowing we have three train transfers
and three more hours in trains before finally reaching the apartment we would
be staying in the “Valley of the Waterfalls,” Lauterbrunnan, Switzerland just
below the Swiss Alps.
The train rides were hectic and challenging for both my
husband and I forcing us to use every toddler-friendly song, dance, and game in
the book. I think we played Peek-a-Boo for around 29 hours throughout the course of the two
week trip.
Finally, 19 hours after leaving our home in North Carolina,
we arrived in Lauterbrunnan, Switzerland. The apartment was just as described.
Perfect. A wonderful 1,300 square feet of space overlooking several waterfalls
and the Swiss Alps with the sound of a nearby river and cowbells off in the
distance.
If we were traveling pre-toddler we would have gladly sat on
the porch for hours until sunset, not worrying with how hungry we were, just
talking and enjoying each other. Instead this time turned into a mad rush to
find something, ANYTHING, for dinner since it was that time by the time we
finally arrived.
At this point I’m seriously questioning why we go through
the trouble we do to travel abroad. I knew how much we had gained as a couple
from traveling before a child but was it really worth it to bring along a
toddler?
The next day, after surviving a night of adjusting to a new
“nighttime,” which meant very little sleep for anyone, we decided to hike to Trummelbach Falls. It was a pretty flat hike
along the valley floor with sites of the Alps like you couldn’t believe. We
caught several base jumpers throwing themselves off the steep cliffs into the
valley we were in and felt the breeze off the cool waters in the stream flowing
from the mountains of melting snow. This easy 45-minute hike to Trummelbach
Falls was one of the most rewarding experiences and made me remember why
traveling like this was so important to me. It is so far from the norm, there’s
no schedule, there’s no way to prepare and plan for what lies ahead because it
is someplace I have never been or anyone I know, there’s so many things out of
my control, and so many surprises. In those moments and unplanned adventures I
can better see who God is. He is majestic and strong. He is powerful and
artistic. He is the only one who knows what’s going to happen next. I hiked the
entire way with Vince on my back, he slept around 30 minutes of it so Chad and
I just got to talk and enjoy holding hands and walking together in one of the
most beautiful places on earth.
When we arrived we waited in line and paid to get in. Once
past the line the ‘crowd’ spreads out throughout the different angles of the
waterfall inside of the mountain so it doesn’t seem that there are that many
people around. I got as close as I could to take pictures and the rush of this
powerful waterfall was almost blowing Vince and I over. It was so exciting.
Something that can never be captured by pictures or even the short videos my
husband was taking. It was unbelievable and beautiful. How amazing that God can
create a way for this water to escape the top of that mountain in the form of
snow and create a deep river that runs for miles. As we hiked back down we
admired the valley below, how vast it seemed and yet so small compared to the
mountains surrounding it.
As we left the falls the same attendant that we paid to
enter yelled at us and upon realizing we spoke English said “the baby is not
allowed!” We were very confused and she said “I did not see this baby when you
came! He is not allowed!” Well it was a gift from God that we were able to
enter the falls! Even though there is no sign posted to say any such thing it
seems that anyone younger than 4 was not supposed to enter the falls. We
certainly didn’t hide him upon entering, and even rode an elevator inside the
mountain (also with an attendant) to get to several of the stopping points of
the falls. You know Vince clapped and laughed but was otherwise super calm on
my back the entire time we hiked through the falls. What a gift on our first
day after everything it took for us to get there. God shielded us from the
disappointment and allowed us to enter the falls and experience it as a family.
The next few days were much of the same beauty in hiking different trails within the mountain towns. We had a few hard
nights of adjusting but apart from those Vince was actually amazing, all things
considered. He was pretty picky about his food throughout the entire trip but I
assured myself he wouldn’t starve himself and he’s been eating great since
getting home. Of course we had quite a few tantrums and breakdowns but for the
most part I felt like Vince understood we wouldn’t put him in harm’s way and
really trusted us, as parents, to help him enjoy himself. He took in the sites
and was often pointing out “sticks” and “flowers,” his favorite things to
collect in our own yard at home and here he was able to do it is Switzerland
while waving and shouting “COW!” every time he saw one.
For days we enjoyed the pure beauty of God’s creation,
enjoying breakfast overlooking waterfalls, mornings and afternoons of hikes and
sightseeing, and dinner back at the apartment cooking just like at home. It
really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The plane ride home was just about as eventful as the plane
ride there but this time he did manage to sleep for about 3 hours across our
laps on a memory foam mattress piece we brought with us (See? My obsessive need
to be prepared does come in handy sometimes!)
I am so proud of my husband and I for embarking on this
journey together. We learned that God is beautiful and perfect. Everything He
makes is for our good. He allows the difficult situations (like a toddler
having a tantrum over literally NOTHING in the most beautiful place on earth)
to teach us to rely on Him and each other. I can’t imagine having missed out on
this trip. The mornings of quiet out on that balcony overlooking that waterfall
knowing that at the beginning God created it all and stood back and said “It is
good.” And now looking at me he is standing back and saying “It is good.”
Knowing that my husband, my little boy, and I are each created by the same God
that created this beautiful place of peace brings me so much closer to Him.
Knowing that God, who knows all things, is the keeper of my destiny and the
maker of my life plans. Knowing that I can’t ever be fully ready for what He
may be calling me to do, but I have to take that leap of faith and trust that
He will not leave me or bring me to a place where I would ever be away from
Him.
Sometimes it’s good to go away somewhere that no one you
know has ever been and can explain. Think about your last vacation, was it
somewhere you’d been before so it was familiar territory? Was it someplace new
for you but that friends had been so you were able to ask for advice and
suggestions? Or was it someplace that you had no way to really prepare for?
Someplace where you had to try new things taking unexpected turns, ask for
advice from strangers or speak a different language even? It may not be for
everyone but I think a vacation is a place of rest and enjoyment, but I like to
make it an event where God gets me away from the norm and makes me see and do
things differently.
It forces you to trust that no matter where you are, or for
how long, God knows all things and makes a way for the things He has in store.
No longer do I worry that we were totally ruining his life
by removing him from his routine, whisking him off to a foreign country in a
very different time zone, feeding him food he didn’t recognize and did not
like, endured tasks like hiking thousands upon thousands of feet up and down
mountains, and overall disturbing his “normal” that we spent his whole life to
create. I believe our traveling has been a gift to my son, a gift that will
ground him in the only thing that does not move, Christ. Everything moves but
Him. He is always the same. I hope that’s what my son eventually understands
from his travels. I know that’s what God has used this trip and others to teach
me. He will always be there as long as I commit my route to His leading.
And yes, I have kept up with baking and giving away goodies every week! I just haven't written about it in a bit! I'll catch you guys up on the recipes and recipients later. Thanks for reading, I hope this encourages you in whatever adventure God has you on right now!
