What was your favorite vacation spot with your SN's child?

[rafiki]

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[Dobela]

We have found with our kids that the location is nicer if we have more space 'at home'. We need a condo or multiple bedrooms so after the days experiences we can spread out and do what is needed for recovery - have quiet retreats from each other, be able to cook better foods, and so on.

[Guest]

This is not a location but a pattern semi-structure that worked really well when dd was young, and it fits with what dobela was saying.

 

We rented a very small apartment (actually in Germany where dd was working for the summer) about five blocks from the North Sea. It was in a small town, so very walkable. The best thing about it was that unlike B and B's or hotels, we could physically spread out our stuff -- not a sense of living out of suitcases -- cook, and most importantly, come home during the middle of the day and just rest and recharge. Dd could read, draw, play with small toys we'd brought, tie rope and yarn around all the chairs, make tents, etc.

 

We had a "life" routine rather than a "vacation" routine, in that we did very few touristy things. We walked to the beach and playgrounds a lot, found a swimming pool. Our main extravagance was a number of meals out, and ice cream cones on the beach. We had incredibly cheap zoo passes and went there often -- the German zoos are lovely, like huge parks with some animal exhibits in them, lots of activities set up specifically for children to do and play with, and playgrounds scattered around.

 

As dd got older she liked to get out and do more different things; but we still do best if we have a larger place to spread out in as dobela said, can unpack and not bump into each other every time we move around, can do some normal activities as well as special ones. A week at a B and B or hotel can be incredibly stressful in comparison. Dd is often physically exhausted by midafternoon and needs to recharge if we are going to do anything whatever in the evenings.

 

When we do stay at hotels, I try to plump for ones that have restaurants on site or in the same block. Otherwise it's just too much to have to go out all the time and find someplace that satisfies dd's rather limited repertoire of acceptable foods (although this, too, is getting much better as she gets older).

 

P.S. Please write and tell us all about your vacation. You notice my examples are mostly from when dd was little; I have had exactly five days of vacation in the past six years and am really getting to the point where physically I am need to get away... but we can't afford it. Boo hoo. So I enjoy all my friends' vacations vicariously.

[Wendi]

As far as attractions, my son has always loved going to zoos. The best experience we had at a theme park when ds was younger was at Legoland California. They even have a fabulous playground that could have been designed by an OT! Most of the rides are outside, so the child can see the ride before getting on, and it's not as overwhelming as an indoor ride with lights and sound effects.

 

The beach is also great for my son; at 14 he still likes to dig holes in the sand.

 

Wendi

[peacefully]

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[chiguirre]

We go to the beach and usually rent an apartment. If it's too short a stay for a vacation rental, we try to get a suite so that we can separate the boys and give each his own space.

[Murmer]

So not in the North East but I want to say that DisneyWorld was AMAZING for my special daughter. With the accomadations that they (and we) did it was as if she was normal. Food was a breeze (and she is food allergic) and with the stroller as wheelchair and GAC she was able to enjoy the 3 hours we spent each evening at the park just as if she was a normal child just without having to wait as long in line or be in huge groups of people.

[merry gardens]

I second the idea of renting a condo or vacation home. ... I usually try to keep as many of our routines intact as possible—same bedtime routine, same policies regarding electronics, same rhythm of an active morning and a quieter afternoon. ...

Another alternative to this: Vacations can also become a "semi-routine" of their own, if you go back to the same spot year-after-year. That provides enough of a switch from the regular household routine to be refreshing, while offering enough familiarity to be comfortable. We've been to the same vacation condo for three years now, and the vacations there keep getting better!

 

Vacations have often been stressful for me because they disrupt the routines that help me manage life with children. It threw the household off-balance for days--and sometimes much longer, especially on babies' sleep schedules.:glare: On top of that...dh won't follow my routines.:tongue_smilie: That's not neccesarily a bad thing--there are significant ot benefits to the many of activities that dh loves to do! :lol: But still...

 

Going back to a familiar place helped establish *my* vacation routine, which made this vacation easier and therefore more enjoyable for me and everyone else. I knew were to buy groceries and where to shop for what. We knew how to get from point A to point B, so the "fear factor" of getting lost was gone. We'd done several of the local activities in years past, so we didn't feel like we were missing out when we couldn't "do it all." There's even a washer and dryer where we stay, so I could keep up my routine wash and not return home to piles of laundry. Even packing and unpacking was easier this year. Because the vacation itself has become somewhat routine, our regular routines can be somewhat more flexible without causing great disturbance.

 

We traveled with our toddler, who has no special needs that we know of--but still--she has a mental age of under two. I brought along a cd developed by an ot to help her get to sleep, (that we had started using at home shortly before our trip.) It worked great! We all got some much needed rest.

 

Vacationing somewhere familiar helped me relax and enjoy vacations again.

[prairiewindmomma]

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Edited November 10, 2021 by prairiewindmomma