Note: This is the sixth article in our series around our travel philosophy, Be F.L.E.X.I.B.L.E. In this article, we breakdown what I in Be F.L.E.X.I.B.L.E. stands for. If you want to first get an overview on Be F.L.E.X.I.B.L.E. itself, please click here.
There are friends who stick to strict schedules for their children but sometimes, those schedules could cause you to miss out on things, or doesn’t always work. We are big believers in improvisation: Improvise and go with the flow with eating habits, eating times, sleep schedules and nap schedules.
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Going with the flow helped us enjoy late-night dinners in Spain, manage jet lag and naps while being on the move, and joining in on those aforementioned tours. Initially, we tried to stick to schedules and worried about what could go wrong, but we quickly realized two things: We were missing out and our child was having a hard time keeping a schedule and it wasn’t his fault.
Our photo album (and this blog) is filled with photos of Aarav asleep in his stroller. We took advantage of his nap times to enjoy the places and things that bored him, like historical tours, museums and even bars so we could enjoy a glass of wine together. We adjusted our travels so that when he was awake and energetic, we found parks and activities we could enjoy with him. If he was awake and raring to go at 10 a.m. when we had wanted to do a tour, we bumped back our tour time. Improvising saved us from stress and anxiety and we had a lot more fun!
Still, we did find ways to manage schedules. We feature an entire chapter on Sleeping Nightmares, which includes a sleeping checklist, managing afternoon naps, and even ways to readjust to a sleep schedule once you return home from your trip. In our Food Diaries chapter, we help you enjoy eating out while on the road with a young child who may be too finicky to sample some of the foreign dishes, as well as how to introduce new foods to a young stomach.
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