Staycation Tips with Little Kids
As a mommy of little ones, I am a big advocate for 24 hours away on staycation just so you can pee, bathe, and sleep on your own and not hear, “Mommy, mommy, mommy.” Even if your “staycation” is just to get work done, it’s super amazing to take a quick break by yourself for just 24 hours.
But, if you want to take your kids with you, here’s what I discovered when I did since the kids always wondered where I go when I leave for 24 hours (Prince Waikiki)! And so I decided to take them for their first sleepover with me.
Not sure if I recommend this because now they know my secret spot and always want to come! :p But honestly, it was soooooo much fun to watch their reaction to be included! Especially because I was surprised with a suite upgrade, I had to share the moment with them! The only downside is they got the taste of the sweet suite life which is totally not my norm! :p
If you have never traveled with kids, I think this is an excellent way to practice to help relieve some of the anxiety you may have. Especially because you’re right on island so if you forget anything, just go back home and get it. If they get sick, leave and take them to the doctor here. It’s the most stress-free way to “travel” and also have them practice your travel expectations.
This was good practice for me too to make a packing list and make sure I had what they need like a mini kids’ tooth paste, their medications/vitamins, the appropriate clothes, slippers, etc.
And for a staycation, I made a list that will be helpful hopefully of more specific things to pack:
1. Their Best Friend - A stuffed animal not only for comfort, but to share this experience with who they can talk to about it for a while
2. Food - Saimin or mac and cheese bowls (no microwaves in room, but there’s always hot water), mini cereal bowls, mini milk, snacks like grapes, cucumber, cheese, yogurt, Choco le`a chocolates :p and whatever else you can store in a hotel mini refrigerator and make with just hot water. Also, don’t forget the disposable utensils and napkins! But if all else fails, room service is an option too!
3. Bath Toys - If you don’t have a bath tub at home, the kids will love this time to play with little plastic ocean animals, the cups in the hotel room, and if you have a bath bomb, even more fun! Plus this will keep them busy while you read a book next to the tub so you can still get a little R&R! :p
4. Books - Pack something lightweight with lots of words and photos that they can look at it for a long time. I packed non-fiction animal and ocean books that my son can look at forever.
5. Games - Creative and lightweight portable stuff that can keep them busy for a long time. (Eg: Brain Flakes)
6. School Stuff - Because yup we went on a school night so packed our pencils, eraser, crayons, etc so they could still get their homework done and their water bottles to refill with ice and water for the next day.
7. Camera - You’re going to want to take pics of their faces and capture the moment!
The cutest thing was their happiness that I packed their best friend (“Baby Eagle”) to come to the hotel and he was waiting for them when they arrived. It brought a sense of comfort and they shared the experience with him and when they came home, they would keep talking to him about the time they stayed at the hotel. “Remember that Baby Eagle?”
They honestly didn’t play games and didn’t need their books because they had so much fun watching the boats from the window, seeing the sunset, jumping from the couch to the bed repeatedly, exploring all the light switches and buttons in the room, and living it up in the air conditioning! 😂
And the biggest tip I found helpful was having our morning and night routines down. This was the test and I was so happy to see the kids could transfer their routines to a different location like a hotel and still knew what they needed to do. We went to bed on time and got up on time and made it to school on time!!! Yes, we stayed on a school night! But its’ thanks to the routines we had set in place prior that the night and morning still ran smoothly.
Since we don’t go anywhere now-a-days (not traveling due to COVID), I highly recommend a staycation, taking advantage of the very sweet deals happening for kama`aina since the industry needs our support, and truthfully, I feel very safe in my room. And we don’t even leave the room! 😂 It’s a quick get-away, without actually getting away, but it does refresh my spirit and makes me happy that I can share something different and exciting with the kids too!
