Vacation Wih a One Year Old

Door county Wisconsin is nice! As far as napping and sleeping, yeah, it may be a little challenging, but hopefully all the fresh air will help wear him out!

O., you have posted almost solely sleep questions about your baby. And now you're trying to plan a vacation with his sleep pattern in mind?

I recommend you start rethinking your priorities regarding who's sleep is most important on a vacation. I would never plan a vacation with max car rides and max airplane rides with my kids sleep as the main determining factor.

I have taken plane rides from SoCalif to NY with a 6 week old, and have taken 1 year olds all over our lovely country. They go with the flow and sleep when they need to. The only magic to getting kids to sleep at home or on vacations is to wear them out and make them tired. After playing hard, they sleep hard.

So plan a vacation with lots of pools for swimming, parks for jumping and trails for running.

I have bad sleepers, so I understand where you are coming from. Accept that sleep may be hard that week, and just go somewhere where you will have quick and easy access to your hotel room. I like hotels or cabins where there is more than one "space", like a separate living room, so during nap time, the baby can be in a dark quiet room, and yuo don't have to tiptoe around.
Love that some people have "sleepers", and then they think that they actually had something to do with it! Ha! Wait til they get a "non-sleeper"...the tune will change.

My favorite with that drive is to go to the shores of Lake Michigan on the Michigan side - Saugatuck/ Douglas area, or Grand Haven/Muskegon. Lots of shops, restaurants, beaches, state parks, hiking, winery tours, blueberry picking. What do you like to do? A plane ride of 2-2.5 hours is going to included 1- 1.5 hours sitting in the airport ahead of time - don't forget that.

We love St. Joseph michigan . Its about an hour from you . Maybe you could take a day trip and see how it goes. They have a huge splash pad (Whirlpool Fountain),Carousel,2 Childrens museums, and Silver Beach .

We love going to st. Joes Michigan. Lots to do, great beaches, lots of fun.. It's a short drive, about 1.5-2 hours.

My oldest would not sleep well when we traveled. My son was great. He just needs his lovely and he can sleep anywhere. I really think this has to so with me making him sleep on the go...so, please don't worry about sleep. It's important, but it shouldn't be the dominate factor in things.

With the sleep issues you have had, I am not sure I would go anywhere. If you go so e where, and he does not sleep, your week will be miserable. You could put him in to nap in a pack and play at home and see how it goes. You have plenty of time to get him used to it. See how that goes and then decide if you want to go away for a week.

Not sure if your little one walks yet, and how well he does with sitting in a stroller, and how well he comports himself in a restaurant.

Regardless of where you go, I think a house keeping cottage type of set up, or alternatively, an all inclusive with some casual buffet type dining might be your best bet. Some indoor/ outdoor space is a plus too with your accommodation. So if your kid doesn't nap well in a stroller or on the march, and you are confined to your hotel room, at least you can sit on the balcony/ veranda/ porch etc.

good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

*start him sleeping at least nap or night in the pack and play at least a week in advance
DRIVING TIPS
*if you drive do not stop unless you NEED to eat or use the potty. They do NOT need to get up and stretch except for these times, it's better to just get to your destination sooner
*if he has a paci or lovie do a visual check for all such items before you start the car EVERY time, even if he didn't get out of the car. There is nothing like driving an hour after a bathroom stop to discover that he tossed it out of your door while you were not looking and then having to add that extra 2 hours to retrieve said item. It's even worse when it's 3 hours before you notice.
*bring a cooler with ice in it and put milk and a snack in there. Pack extras of these. A car accident on an expressway that blocks off any means of escape for a few hours is torture if you don't have food/drink
FLYING
*bring YOUR car seat on the plane and buy him a seat. It's worth the extra whatever it costs. Unless your kid can cuddle on your lap for 2 hours you are not going to do well otherwise. Strap him into the carseat after you have attached it to the airplane seat. He is used to the carseat so it will make life easier, plus you need it when you land for the ride to whereever you are going.
IN GENERAL RULES
*Go to Target and buy those candy toys that do something when you push the button. Remove the candy and eat that yourself for energy, but give him the toy - like there are some that are airplanes and when you push the button the propeller spins or it lights up, that type of toy. The under 3 set can not get enough of this type of toy.
*pack extra clothes and diapers then what you think you will need.

A rented lake cabin in WI or MN could work well, if you like the outdoors. They may even come with the option of a crib.

If you haven't traveled much with him and are unsure of how he will do, I would recommend driving...that way you can cut your vacation short if he's not doing well.

I've only been to Michigan for business since I live in the NY metro area - but we love upstate NY - the mountains and lakes. Most areas like this have small cabins to rent and have shallow lake beaches which are great for little ones. So I have to assume the Great Lakes area of Michigan and other areas north of Chicago have similar spots.

While some moms don't understand kids who don't sleep well, I perfectly understand your concerns. One of my kids was a great sleeper and we could do anything without concern for his nap schedule, where he'd sleep, etc. However, our other child was a horrible sleeper and if we wanted to be happy we had to make sure her sleep schedule was OK. Yes, we planned our road trips around her sleep otherwise she'd scream and it did not make for pleasant trips.

Not sure how long a drive Michigan is for you but I've attached a link that might be helpful. Are there no ferries from the Chicago area? My kids always liked and still do taking ferries as opposed to the car as they could walk around, look out the window, etc.

http://family.go.com/travel/vacations/michigan/western--m...