Traveling with small children and babies

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jun 4, 2008, 05:57:

i travelled Ecuador when my boy was 9 month old, i don't think he can't remember anything, we stayed in hotels some were good other not so quite depend the town, we drove all the way from Bogota to Ecuador we even took him to PUYA this is part of the jungle and the car had a flat tired in the middle of nowhere in this place, my husband and father went to fixed it and let my mother me baby and younger brother alone, with car suspended on a jack. they came back late and were in the dark with just a lantern and praying there were not dangerous animal around, but he was as jolly as can be and very good He adapted very well to everything including food, i gave him lots bottle water, he never had any special diet with him, he tried all the local food specially some kind of soup which i hated it but he seemed to love it and he never had any stomach problems, the other country is Colombia, they have been traveling up and down Colombia since they were little, i don't have much pictures but i do have lot of videos, they enjoyed the little towns, walking freely around and seeing "unusual animal" like Iguanas, papagayos ect, the same never had special meals with them they eat the same thing as us. the good thing is they good used to traveling long distance in a car and as they grew up it become easier.

the rest have been all around Europe.

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bufalo says on Jun 4, 2008, 14:31:

We haven't stopped travelling since before my wife was pregnant. Heck we've moved every 6 months since we met, usually less time than that - and I don't mean changing apartments rather countries. Instead of my daughter doing the same BS other kids do she's:

played with kids from several indigenous tribes (ticuna, yagua, huitoto)
swam (well, held onto my back as I swam) in the Amazon
as well as the lakes with the Piranahs
been all over Barcelona (best friend living there was a baby gorrilla)
seen maaaaany cultural events in NYC
Eje Cafetero? What mountain haven't we been up? or river not in? (we killed a scorpion last week in our cabin!)

lot's more too - don't be afraid to get them dirty. You can always get a good night's sleep when the year's over - until then go nuts.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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Peter (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 5, 2008, 05:04:

bufalo says on Jun 5, 2008, 07:38:

Only one for now. She just turned 5. 4 was Efe Cafetero, biking and horsback. Most of 2-3 were Efe and the Amazon, 1-2 was Barcelona, NY, and Eje. 8 months pregnant was St. Andres, 6months Cuba/Panama, 4 Brazil, and were not sure whether it was Uruguay or Argentina when everything started..... These last 2 years we have finally been in the same apartment, but my wife and her are gone. They're waiting for me in NY where we are moving to yet again. I have to sit in an almost empty apartment with her old toys staring at me all day...

How old is your little one? We want another, but we need to get careers that actually make money to support a family first.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Jun 5, 2008, 11:29:

you have done lots of traveling with her bufalo, and i think is great, they get used to everything and they adapt to anything as long as you don't cocoon them.

I took my son around Europe when he was 18 month i was 6 month pregnant with my second one, we camp all around Europe including countries like Poland, Slovakia the czech republic, east Germany and this was when the iron curtain just fell down, we couldn't find milk in some places so i used to buy cream cakes and spoon out the cream and make something jejej, he was good as gold and he even helped us to do the tent everytime, he played with the locals kids and he was very good in the car, considering all that driving.

when i took him all the way to Ecuador and back, we rest for a week and the next week we took him all the way to the coast, stopping in every little town to explore, when my daughter was born we did the same trip.

i never had a problem with them they became easy travelers even on the planes, while other kids cry and were restless, mine were very well behaved . another thing all those trips to Colombia helped.them to improve their Spanish.

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Peter (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 5, 2008, 11:51:

bufalo says on Jun 5, 2008, 13:34:

Would've loved to have taken a trip like that when the Iron Curtain fell Kat. One thing that bugs me about moving to NYC is my daughter's Spanish. Sure plenty of people in NY speak it, but really badly and mixed with English - they sound really dopey. Even on the radio and TV too. We're going to try to help her out as much as possible, don't want her becoming a gringa too much. Want to keep English as English and Spanish as Spanish. I think after a year or two enroll her in another language, me too.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 6, 2008, 02:57:

Peter I have a question for you regarding languages: you said that the baby hears Spanish spoken by her parents. I understand that her mum speaks Spanish to her but do you as well? What about Belgian (err..sorry...Flamish or French?) Or English? Do you have an accent on your Spanish?

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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bufalo says on Jun 6, 2008, 07:37:

Peter, if you do speak spanish as a second language, like myself and it isn't the best in the world, don't feel goofy speaking to your daughter in it. I've known too many people that don't and when the kids get older, they aren't accustomed to speak to their parents in the other language. Thats why the first two-three years I spoke mostly spanish to my daughter, this way she knows "papa" can too and feels very comfy speaking both with me.

"....but is it worth the hassle?" - YOU STARTED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PAGES ON TRAVELLING TO COLOMBIA AND YOU ASK THIS ABOUT TRAVELLING WITH KIDS????!!!!!" - of course it's worth the hassle. Most people I know have several packages of their yearly trips to Disney, and that's it. Not for me.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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Peter (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 6, 2008, 09:29:

Peter (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 6, 2008, 09:30:

Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 6, 2008, 13:54:

I was pretty sure my kids would turn out speaking Spanish with an acccent since we only spoke Spanish to them when they were little. (I have a slight accent too). I wasn't that far off...

Anyway, I'm trying to insist my daughter only speak English to her baby. Dad's Swedish and the little boy (20 months now) is going to all-Swedish day care, besides the Swedish grandma and great-granny, grandfather and his wife, uncles etc, speak only Swedish to him. The only people who speak English to the baby are his Mum (but she is not consistent!), my son and myslef and I have noticed that it does not seem to be enough. The baby is learning to speak, yes, but this far only in Swedish! (My kids speak English with each other and with me).

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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bufalo says on Jun 6, 2008, 15:29:

That could be a problem long term. I spoke only spanish, but knew I was going to cut that off at 2-3 then be 100% English. Once we're in the states a year or so I'll go back to Spanish again. Tell her to be consistent!!!!

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Jun 6, 2008, 15:39:

I wish there'd be somebody this girl would listen to....but yes, I'll talk to her husband...he's the only one she listens to.

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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