advice
Anonymous User
8 months ago
Traveling *without* kiddo
I’m going solo on a couple work trips later this month where I’ll be gone for two to five days at a time. I’ve only done this once before and that was a year ago—now she’s 19mos and has been showing more separation anxiety and clinging to me in general. She’ll have her dad (my spouse), extended family, usual daycare and all, but what tips (and encouragement?!) do you all have? Is FaceTiming worth it for either of us? What are some ways before I leave to set the whole family up for slightly less painful transitions? Thanks in advance!
Anonymous
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8 months ago
Hey@MP Diaz-Frasene! This is a big milestone. I’m not doing much work travel these days but my wife does it a lot. Some of the things that she does when she travels that work well: she leaves little Easter eggs around the house for our kids. So in our son’s toy bus she might have a little note that says “I love you”. Our son loves finding those. The other thing I’ve found is that FaceTime can be tough but sending little video notes throughout the day describing what you are doing, especially if it’s something your daughter likes can be sweet. So my wife will take the train, or a plane or taxi and capture parts of the experience which he absolutely loves. And his favorite part is when momma makes a cameo in the videos with a little message for him. Last thing: I keep the same routine for our kids so things don’t feel too disruptive. Every kid is different, but you might find that this won’t be nearly as painful as you expect it to be! Let us know how it goes. And GOOD LUCK!
Anonymous
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8 months ago
Hi@MP Diaz-Frasene! This is still tough for me and I have 3 little ones at home (8, 6, 9mos). We’ll try to have FaceTime calls at school pickup, before dinner and when the kids wake up. I try not to call too close to bedtime as this can sometimes mess up the bedtime routine. As far as the transition, the routines really help. Any type of prep can also help out a ton (meals prepped, etc).
Anonymous
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7 months ago
Thank you both for this so much! I really took it to heart. We have one trip down, two to go! We did do our best to maintain routines and have some meals ready ahead. She was apparently totally unstressed but we had lots of hugs when I came back! Such a win! We did a lot to tell my kiddo that “Mama is going away on an airplane and will come back soon” before and whenever I was gone and she said Mama, and she could repeat back the key words. Now when Dad leaves for work she’ll even say “go away, bicycle, back soon” and it has helped us with other transitions in our daily lives, too. Thanks so much for the ideas and support!!!
Anonymous
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7 months ago
@MP Diaz-Frasene
- Amazing! Sometimes kids are just so much more mature than we think. Hope this makes the next few trips less stressful.