Road Trip to Baguio with a Toddler
Hi everyone! Happy New Year! We were away for the holidays that is why there is a lack of post. We went to Baguio for a few days and I have to admit, I was really worried about travelling for 6 hours by bus with a toddler in tow. Turns out, it was pretty painless as I over prepared.
Here are a few tips I’d like to share with you.
1. First, I packed his own backpack which was filled with toys and activities. My husband and I gift wrapped most of the toys so that he can have something to look forward to. Also, kids get a kick out of opening presents.
2. Pack snacks and formula. I packed some cookies, crackers, formula, water, breakfast and lunch. I thought we would arrive in Baguio between 12-12:30 and I know my son would be hungry.
I found these containers with dividers marked down for only Php17 at Rustan’s. I put rice and grapes in them. I cooked some chicken adobo which I put in an airtight container to avoid spills.
We were not able to eat these but they were useful come dinner time.
3. Pack some barf bags. My son has motion sickness like me so I packed a few just in case he (or I) needs to go.
4. Bring his favorite pillow or lovie. It was my son’s first bus ride so I made sure to bring his pillow. I was hoping he would sleep even though it was not his nap time.
5. Take photos and videos. My son loves to watch videos of himself. These are for when we get back to Manila.
What I have learned
1. My son didn’t need the toys while we were on the bus. He slept a few minutes after the bus took off. This is because we left at 6:30 AM and he was up at 4 AM. He woke up when we got to Pampanga. He was pretty excited about the trip as we were already telling him stories about it days before the event. I think this helps build excitement and anticipation in kids so make your trip exciting even before it happens.
2. The barf bags were very useful. He tried to throw up but nothing came out but still I was grateful that I brought some. I am thinking of asking his doctor for meds the next time we travel but I think it’s better if he will just sleep. I don’t know. We’ll see, My heart broke when he was crying because he couldn’t understand what was going on with him.
On the other hand, I too, was experiencing motion sickness. I did not take Bonamine because it leaves me feeling stoned or high. It gives me headaches hours after taking it and I wanted to be awake and alert for my son. I didn’t want to be sleepy the whole day and have a heavy head.
3. The toys were very useful when we got there. My sister was meeting her friend at Rose Bowl resto and we needed to keep my son occupied so the toys were very useful. My sister’s friend, Dana, even commented that she was like me when her kids were still young. She would bring everything whenever they would go out.
4. It is better to over prepare. Whenever we would travel or go on staycations, I would always bring everything. For this trip, I left out my son’s paracetamol, thermometer and fever strips. Big mistake. I should have brought them because my son got a temperature on our first night. Good thing there was a Mercury Drugstore near our hotel. The problem was, my son is used to his forehead thermometer. I also did not know the paracetamol dose which is already written in his baby book which I did not bring so I had to text his doctor. We are going on another staycation this weekend so I am bringing everything!
5. Next time, I will not stress about it. I will learn to relax and trust that my son will be a good boy during the trip. He didn’t give us any problems on our trip back as he was just asleep in his dad’s arms.
6. The regular aircon bus is better for us. On our trip going there, we rode the Victory Liner Deluxe Bus which didn’t have any stopovers. This was a terrible idea for someone who has motion sickness. About halfway through the trip, I was wishing we would get there sooner. We got there at 11 am, just 4.5 hours after leaving Manila.
I have fibromyalgia so it is important for me to stretch my legs. The regular aircon bus for our trip home was great for my legs and for our motion sickness. We were able to breathe in some fresh air, stretch our legs and buy some food. Next time, we will go with this cheaper alternative. The trip took almost 7 hours but it was better than the first one.
Please stay tuned for more of our Baguio adventure!
Here are a few tips I’d like to share with you.
1. First, I packed his own backpack which was filled with toys and activities. My husband and I gift wrapped most of the toys so that he can have something to look forward to. Also, kids get a kick out of opening presents.
2. Pack snacks and formula. I packed some cookies, crackers, formula, water, breakfast and lunch. I thought we would arrive in Baguio between 12-12:30 and I know my son would be hungry.
I found these containers with dividers marked down for only Php17 at Rustan’s. I put rice and grapes in them. I cooked some chicken adobo which I put in an airtight container to avoid spills.
We were not able to eat these but they were useful come dinner time.
3. Pack some barf bags. My son has motion sickness like me so I packed a few just in case he (or I) needs to go.
4. Bring his favorite pillow or lovie. It was my son’s first bus ride so I made sure to bring his pillow. I was hoping he would sleep even though it was not his nap time.
5. Take photos and videos. My son loves to watch videos of himself. These are for when we get back to Manila.
What I have learned
1. My son didn’t need the toys while we were on the bus. He slept a few minutes after the bus took off. This is because we left at 6:30 AM and he was up at 4 AM. He woke up when we got to Pampanga. He was pretty excited about the trip as we were already telling him stories about it days before the event. I think this helps build excitement and anticipation in kids so make your trip exciting even before it happens.
2. The barf bags were very useful. He tried to throw up but nothing came out but still I was grateful that I brought some. I am thinking of asking his doctor for meds the next time we travel but I think it’s better if he will just sleep. I don’t know. We’ll see, My heart broke when he was crying because he couldn’t understand what was going on with him.
On the other hand, I too, was experiencing motion sickness. I did not take Bonamine because it leaves me feeling stoned or high. It gives me headaches hours after taking it and I wanted to be awake and alert for my son. I didn’t want to be sleepy the whole day and have a heavy head.
3. The toys were very useful when we got there. My sister was meeting her friend at Rose Bowl resto and we needed to keep my son occupied so the toys were very useful. My sister’s friend, Dana, even commented that she was like me when her kids were still young. She would bring everything whenever they would go out.
4. It is better to over prepare. Whenever we would travel or go on staycations, I would always bring everything. For this trip, I left out my son’s paracetamol, thermometer and fever strips. Big mistake. I should have brought them because my son got a temperature on our first night. Good thing there was a Mercury Drugstore near our hotel. The problem was, my son is used to his forehead thermometer. I also did not know the paracetamol dose which is already written in his baby book which I did not bring so I had to text his doctor. We are going on another staycation this weekend so I am bringing everything!
5. Next time, I will not stress about it. I will learn to relax and trust that my son will be a good boy during the trip. He didn’t give us any problems on our trip back as he was just asleep in his dad’s arms.
6. The regular aircon bus is better for us. On our trip going there, we rode the Victory Liner Deluxe Bus which didn’t have any stopovers. This was a terrible idea for someone who has motion sickness. About halfway through the trip, I was wishing we would get there sooner. We got there at 11 am, just 4.5 hours after leaving Manila.
I have fibromyalgia so it is important for me to stretch my legs. The regular aircon bus for our trip home was great for my legs and for our motion sickness. We were able to breathe in some fresh air, stretch our legs and buy some food. Next time, we will go with this cheaper alternative. The trip took almost 7 hours but it was better than the first one.
Please stay tuned for more of our Baguio adventure!
Comments
Post a Comment