From one mother to another.

This is a letter Andrea sent to me regarding my upcoming trip. I found it very helpful and comforting. Although I am terribly excited for our trip, I must admit I have been a bit stressed about traveling with a two year old and fearful of not having our creature comforts readily available. Below is the letter.

Dear April,

From one mother to another: As you get ready for your big trip to Asia next month I wanted to send you some friendly advice mother to mother. For the last two weeks we have been in Vietnam and it has reminded me that traveling can be hard work and traveling with kids can be downright exhausting. Here are some helpful tips that have made this trip go smoother for us and that I wanted to pass on to you, they are in no particular order…

1. Start giving Gavin rice with at least one meal a day. My life and traveling with my kids has been made so much easier because they are always happy with rice. It fills them up and while it might not be the most nutritional food in the world, it is great when they are tired, cranky and just need something in their stomach. Rice is always available and can be at the table fast. If we’re running late for a meal I will often ask for the rice as soon as we sit down so the kids have something to snack on while we order.
2. Take something with you from home. This trip I brought a jar of Marmite with me because Callie will always eat crackers or toast if I put Marmite on it. Peanut Butter and Jelly would be another option. You can always get bread, and this means you can always make a comfort meal for him.
3. Don’t be afraid of room service. Kids can get wiped out traveling and some nights it is good to just stay in, eat dinner and have an early night.
4. Bring some treats with you. Callie gets gum on the plane and we have M&Ms in the car, it makes them look forward to the not-so-fun times.
5. Everyone is going to touch your baby, it can be tiring, but it is part of the culture. There are a few ways to handle it. When I have a kid asleep in the stroller one of us pushes and ones runs interference (walks next to the stroller and heads off would be cheek pinchers). I also have told Callie to just say, “Please don’t touch me”, at least it gives her a way to ask nicely and has cut down on the screaming. You can be firm, when my kids are tired or just not in the mood I have them walk next to me and just tell people no if they come in for the grab, people look at you like you’re crazy, but the kids get a break. When my kids are happy though they really like the attention and I will let them go and play with waitresses and security guards and other random strangers. I like to keep them in sight, but it’s nice to have a break.
6. Asia is grubby, bring hand sanitizer and wet wipes.
7. A portable DVD player can be a lifesaver. I travel with my computer so we watch a lot of movies on that, but having a way to watch DVDs in the car or on the plane, or when it’s bed time, it helps bring them down a notch. They are worth the money!
8. Fast food is not a sell-out! We ate KFC tonight and it was great. There are McDonalds in Thailand and trust me, you will have enough Thai food and Cambodian food to feel like you did your duty and a night of familiar food can be really good for them.
9. Take mental health breaks. I get up early in the morning with the kids and let Brandon rest and then later Brandon takes them to breakfast so I can have some time to myself, this way we both get our time.
10. Have fun and don’t stress the small stuff.

Can’t wait to see you in Cambodia!

Andrea