First Time Dad Experiences: Vacation

So after some hard work we decided that we needed a small vacation.  It would be the first real vacation that our little family of three would take.  I wondered how it would be when we had our little 6 month old baby with us.  So here is the list telling you what I learned:


1. Family Friendly helps but isn't necessary
I never liked the term family friendly because as Jim Gaffigan once said it usually sucks.   But I wanted to pick a location that I thought would be used to kids being around or crying.  This doesn't mean you can only vacation in places that have kids, but it does help.  I wouldn't bring my child to some ritzy high class 5 star hotel (first I wouldn't want to pay for something like that) and then not have anything for her.  The location had really cool kid stuff for Karis (esp. when she is a toddler) but when planning we made sure there were things for her to do.

2.  Make sure you have everything that makes home like home.
Our daughter needs a couple things to make her feel like she is at home base.  So we take her favorite stuffed kitty and her blanket, snacks all so that she feels like she's home.   Home is where the heart is....or at least where Miss Kitty and Blankie are.

3.  Request a crib...but don't be surprised if it sucks
So before we arrived at our destination we requested a crib.  It's important because where else is she going to sleep?  Not with us, I get beat down enough from my wife hogging space (let's just say I sleep vampire style so I don't take too much room).  Unfortunately the crib looked like it was out of the show Call the Midwife (oh gosh I'm spending way too much time watching shows with my wife) or out of WWII.  Had metal bars with white paint and a tiny mattress ants wouldn't be comfortable on.

4.  If you get sick on vacation...it sucks for the healthy person.
So I ended up getting sick on the second day of vacation with a really bad sinus infection.  I was dead to the world and in pain.  My wife was already awesome before this, but she really knocked it out of the park.  Cause even when your home it stinks, but when you are vacation and you get really sick its even worse.  You want to be home, your body hurts and someone else has to occupy the little one all day.


Being a dad is life in constant transition.  My girl is growing up so fast and I love every minute of it. So next time you go on vacation: plan and make sure you have all that you need and be prepared for almost anything!
The End~