Surviving with a toddler during a move

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At the beginning of 2022, I medically retired from the Air Force. We sold our home in Las Vegas. We were patiently waiting on the arrival of our second son. And we moved across the country to my home state of Florida. And it all happened, minus our son’s birth, in just a few weeks. But the question that we kept asking ourselves was what we needed to bring to entertain Jameson while the rest of our stuff was in storage until we found our new home.

Bea flew with Jameson while I drove to Florida with the dogs, so space was limited to what we could fit into the car/roof box. Since we were staying with my parents, they of course had toys already. They had been preparing for us to stay with them. They ordered a crib for Jameson and set it up in the guest room. As well as buying some toys for him to play with while he was there. I think it’s safe to say they were excited to have their grandson stay with them for a while.

For the upcoming flight, we bought the Britax car seat travel cart from Amazon. It was on the recommendation from Safeintheseat. This cart was a lifesaver for my wife, the car seat fits directly on top of it and straps into place securely. You can also put your child in the car seat and wheel them around the airport. This way you aren’t trying to balance the luggage and carrying your child. Or chasing after them throughout the airport. And once you get to the gate and the car seat strapped in, the cart folds up and fits into the overhead bin for easy storage.

For the plane ride, we downloaded a few free learning games to the iPad. As well as a few episodes of Spidey and his Amazing Friends and Eureka! to entertain Jameson during the flight and while waiting around in the airport. To play with while he was at my parents, we brought a few of his favorite car toys we picked up at Walmart and some cars that he got for his birthday. It wasn’t much, but we made do.

So, what is the key to surviving with a toddler when you are basically on an extended vacation? For us, the key was my amazing parents. My dad would read and play with Jameson whenever he was able. My mom would do the same thing. My dad had so much fun reading to him before bedtime, watching Miss Rachel and singing along with her, and doing whatever else that little one-year had him doing while they were together. Their entertainment was the key to our survival.

My parents helped us out so much during those few months. And I know that I could never repay them. But the memories that were created for Jameson were worth the few months of short tempers, lack of personal space, and constantly tripping over toys and dogs.