What is your budget? At this age I took my toddler to NYC for a 3 days trip. It was lovely - we went to the children's museum, toy stores, had tea at AG, central park zoo and walked (stroller) a lot. It was truly a great time!!

When my toddler was 2 we went o SF and it was also lovely! We had tons of fun exploring the city together, BUT I must confess that the prior trips and the ones after were easier. At just turned 2 my toddler LOVED to play the game of running away from me, what was challenging while dealing with a stroller (didn't want to use the stroller much).

Anyway, I would go to an urban area because there are tons of kids friendly activities but you can also have fun trying different foods, seeing people and places too. I would NOT, NEVER, EVER, go to a amusement park alone with my child if I don't "need" too (if I were a single mother I would suck it up, but it is not the case).

I have also gone alone with my child to Europe (Madrid, Seville, Granada) and we had a fantastic time. My toddler was 2.5 then.

Have fun and don't be scared. Experiment!

I wouldn't do the staycation the whole time just because you can do all of that stuff on weekends anyway. The point (for me) would be to go to places that are a little too far to drive to in a day. Of course I'd miss DH so probably would not go the whole time. And I would want to stay somewhere comfortable so the food prep, dirty diaper and laundry aspect of it wouldn't be too daunting. Visit friends and family, pref. with a house near someplace cool...beach, mountains? Go places YOU want to go (within reason) that will be expanding for DD. Just don't expect her to really remember any of it. My youngest DD is 4 and she doesn't remember going to the Baltimore Aquarium dolphin show when she was 2 (although she does remember the Wiggles concert and does a pretty eery recreation of the noises dolphins make.)

At 18 mo., your child won't know or appreciate the cost and effort into coordinating a trip. Going to the beach (car drive and requires money) or going to the DC zoo (close to home and cheap - hec take metro to eliminate the car ride) is still a change of scenery and still a fun time with mommy. So, go with a stay-cation.

Now maybe if your child was a 3 year old that would be different, but at 18 months I wouldn't bother w a formal trip.

OP, it is nice that you want to go on vacation with your child, but if I were you I would keep at least some of this month off to yourself! You don't have to ditch town and leave your husband to single-parent for days on end, but you can keep your daughter in daycare for part of the time and have solo fun in DC during the day. Here are my suggestions: nap from 9-11, go eat brunch while reading US Weekly, see a movie, go to yoga, get a pedicure, go for a hike, try your hand at baking bread or knitting or something, maybe go to a museum if you feel the need to edify yourself. I want a month off between jobs!

I second the recommendation for a short train trip....take a look at the routes and see which destination most appeals to you. Stay in a nice hotel within walking distance of restaurants, parks, museums, and a hotel with a pool for mommy/baby dips at the end of day. Only plan to do one big activity each day. Try to maintain the normal sleep/nap routines (and take naps yourself!). Eat in your room if eating out is too painful. I actually think you really might enjoy that time alone with your child, especially if you keep your expectations reasonable and make sure that you both get enough sleep.

Here's what I do when I'm in your shoes: I go somewhere that has interesting things to do AND has family nearby. Either we stay with the family and do daytrips to interesting things, so that I have someone to talk and drink wine with after 7:30, or we have family meet us at some location in between.

Examples: I have an aunt in NJ. My daughter and I stay at her house, go in to Philadelphia during the day (or the Camden aquarium, or some nice park/ nature center) and go back to NJ for dinner and bed. We once met my parents, who live in NC, for two days in Colonial Williamsburg. It's a vacation for me to have two extra doting adults, AND we do something fun.

As for all the crying in the car: Amtrak. Back when my kid was in the fussy squirmy phase, we took the train a LOT.

What about a few nights downtown in a hotel in DC that will make the museums and zoo accessible, then it will be easy to come home if you need to. Not sure where you live. Also, if you are outdoorsy, you could rent a cabin perhaps at a state park and spend time exploring nature and playing at the playground. We stayed at Douthat State park and had a great time. It's in VA.

OP, in case you don't have family to visit or just feel like a short trip with just you and DC (which is such a cute idea!), how about Philadelphia? The Please Touch Museum is great, and the zoo is awesome. And right over in Camden is the aquarium. You could do a Duck Tour or just stroll around the neighborhoods. It's a 2-2.5 hour car trip, so not bad at all.

Have fun and let us know what you decide!

Anonymous wrote:I would either do a stay-cation or go visit family. For the stay-cation, I would pick a new spot every day to try out - kids' museum, Baltimore aquarium, take fun kid's class, etc. For the visit family, I would go not only because kids grow up so fast, but if you don't live close to your family, it's easy for your family to miss the whole baby/toddler window. Plus, presumably, your family will help you take care of your toddler and maybe free up an afternoon where you can go pamper yourself. Besides, when i visit my parents, they really take care of me (preparing meals, planning outings, etc.) and after taking care of little ones all the time, it's nice to have someone take care of you for a few days.

I second this if you enjoy spending time with your family. My parens take great care of me when I visit and it is really relaxing to take the kids there. They also have a blast with the kids and the kids really enjoy spending time with the grandparents.

I also vote for a staycation. So much of being with a toddler is drudgery -- i.e. bedtimes -- so you might as well be home for that. And there's so much to explore here. Some of my favorites at that age are the building museum, the nature center at brooksode gardens (and if it's warm enough, just running around there), botanical gardens (and childrens garden if it's warm -- bring a change of clothes), the trains at cabin john and wheaton. See kidfriendlydc.com for mre ideas.

I would either do a stay-cation or go visit family. For the stay-cation, I would pick a new spot every day to try out - kids' museum, Baltimore aquarium, take fun kid's class, etc. For the visit family, I would go not only because kids grow up so fast, but if you don't live close to your family, it's easy for your family to miss the whole baby/toddler window. Plus, presumably, your family will help you take care of your toddler and maybe free up an afternoon where you can go pamper yourself. Besides, when i visit my parents, they really take care of me (preparing meals, planning outings, etc.) and after taking care of little ones all the time, it's nice to have someone take care of you for a few days.

The beach sounds nice to me. Boardwalk, ice cream, playing in the sand and reading/relaxing. Maybe a city on the beach that has kids stuff? Charleston, Wilmington, somewhere in Fla?

Sesame Place?

I took my DD to NYC at 22 months. We had a blast.

I have a month between my old job and my new one, and I want to make the most of it. DH can't get away from work and it doesn't make sense for me to leave DD with him while I go off on my own. My friends are either working or not able to get away for other reasons, so I am considering a little solo trip with my 18 month old DD. Am I crazy? She is definitely in the tantrum stage, and cries aLOT in the car. Has anyone done this? Any thoughts about what might be actually fun?