If you have kids, they probably have their favorite blanket. Nothing else will do, and no substitute will ever measure up. Here is the one a friend made for my daughter. Let me tell you, after 7 years it’s falling apart in a worst possible way. I don’t know how much longer we can patch it up.
My son probably got 15 new blankets from various family members when he was born. But the blanket he selected as the “one” was an old kind from a yard sale. It was made by Disney and has little bears and Mickey Mouse on it.
He is a huge Disney fan and keeps begging me to take him to Magic Kingdom. I’m sure it’s the blanket that got him hooked. Oh, Disney, you evil machine!
Here he is, sleeping in his Baby Bjorn crib on his very first cruise. The problem is, when we went places, he would drag it on the floor. Of course, at night he wanted to sleep with it, and there was no way to wash and dry it in time. So, I had to find a decoy. Unfortunately, Disney stopped making it and I couldn’t find the darn thing anywhere.
I started stalking Ebay and to my delight, an identical blanket eventually appeared for sale. Except there were two problems: It had a stain on it and the seller wanted $35 (plus shipping). Say what? Talk about chutzpah. I mean, this blanket wouldn’t even cost $2 at a yard sale. A law of supply vs. demand working its magic.
I had a dilemma on my hands: To give in to this highway robbery or just let my son sleep with a disgusting, filled-with-germs blanket during our vacations. I bought the darn thing. It was one of the best/worst purchases I’ve ever made. We used the decoy so many times, and he had no clue that we tricked him. This is the kind of stupid stuff you do as a parent.
Most of my posts focus on accumulating and redeeming miles and points for family travel. However, equally important is preparation that includes making sure you have all the right gadgets and stuff to make your trip easier. Favorite blanket is my number one item on kids’ packing list. After all, who cares what CPP or CPM value is if your kids end up having MOAM (mother of all meltdowns).
I liked this post on Trips With Tykes blog listing some things that can make your trip a little less stressful. Nope, I didn’t say stress-free. All items are under $20, so they won’t break your budget. My favorite is the duck tub. We dragged that thing into so many hotels. In fact, my daughter’s very first word was “guck” with a “g” in it.
Seems like it was yesterday, and now my kid has her own iPhone. I don’t even have my own iPhone! Let’s face it: Travel with kids is stressful. It requires more money, more stuff, more patience, more… everything! But it’s worth it.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
Been there done that. As we speak, I am trying to find a certain “poofy” dress on Ebay that my daughter loves so much, she needs a second one. She wants to wear it from the time she wakes up until she goes to bed.
Jennifer, Ebay is a wonderful thing, for sure! You can find anything you want: Stained blankets, poofy dresses, you name it.
Your daughter has an iPhone???
Shoesinks, well, it’s a long story! 🙂 Basically, my sister-in-law got it for my girl and has her on the plan. It’s a way for them to text and call each other. So, we don’t pay for it or anything. We do monitor it, of course. I know, it’s nuts, but somehow she convinced my husband and I to go along with this absurdity.
My son insists he’s the only 4th grader without an iPhone. We’re holding out. 🙂
Shoesinks, I’m with you on that one! As I said, I really didn’t think it was a great idea. But my sister-in-law is veeeery persistent. I would never spend my own money on it, though. Plus, it’s an extra thing to monitor and worry about.
No judgment from me. 🙂 I’m pretty sure most of the kids in our neighborhood have one. We just had a 6th grader in our neighborhood hack another kid’s instagram account and threaten the school with photos and words. Police got involved and he was expelled! I’m not looking forward to the monitoring part.
@Shoesinks We live in a crazy world, don’t we? It’s hard to believe the stuff our kids have to deal with nowadays.