We are always looking for more types of interesting trips to take with our baby, and we’ve definitely gotten better at seeking them out, over time!

To start off, think about what you like doing on a day off, or a weekend. Then, think about how feasible it is to bring your baby with you. At different ages, there’s a lot to consider about what would be a good trip that’s semi-close to home.

Make a list of things you liked doing “pre-baby”

Before having our baby, we liked to go hiking, visit friends, go into the city for sightseeing or take a longer day trip—maybe to a cute town or a coastal destination.

After we had our baby, we realized we could still do these things as short trips or multi-day trips. We could take our baby on hikes or nature walks, and we could certainly visit friends, especially those who had kids and “baby stuff” like bassinets, high chairs or cribs at their houses.

Could you do these things with your baby, or find a way to do them? It’s a start, for the learning curve of travel with a baby.

Ask parent friends in your city

Asking “parent friends” is one of my favorite new past-times when I want to get truthful experiences and opinions about interesting trips to take with our baby. Everyone has their own tastes and styles, so I always get diverse ideas!

While we have taken day trips to places like Philadelphia to visit family, or out to Long Island to go to the beach, other families we know are more interested in hiking trips, city trips or trips focused on “destination dining” or breweries.

It’s helpful to learn from them about the “hacks” or “tips” they’ve found, like if some hours are better for children, or if a place has high chairs (or doesn’t!). These are the things I want to know as a parent, when planning trips that I look forward to taking close to home.

Write a post in a parents Facebook group

I’ve seen LOTS of parents write posts in “parent groups” or local family groups on Facebook, asking for ideal trip destinations for a child of a certain age. This is a good way to get up-to-date ideas and referrals from families who’ve recently traveled.

For example, I’m always seeing parents ask about things to do in NYC with a baby or toddler, or what kinds of activities make sense if the family takes a day trip out to the mountains or nature. I’ve had these questions myself, so I’m always happy to have them answered, and get new ideas.

Read reviews online

For places like theme parks (some water parks can be fun for children 18 months and older), I recommend reading reviews of parents and families who’ve gone. This will help determine if toddlers are welcomed and if there are activities for them.

Additionally, you’ll want to be sure there are amenities like changing tables, family restrooms, picnic areas, breastfeeding privacy rooms and the like. A lot of this can determine the “baby-friendliness” factor of a place. ]

Reviews can also help determine if restaurants, wineries or breweries are family-friendly: you can search reviews for “baby” or “kids” to find out if anyone has mentioned awesome things, or concerns, about having children in that place.

Use Google Maps

If we’ve already chosen a vacation destination, I sometimes just peruse Google Maps for points of interest, short hikes, spots on the water where we could take photos or… playgrounds!

When we first started taking trips with our daughter, a hike during which we could put her in the baby carrier and have her fall asleep was ideal. With a toddler between 18-24 months, having starred playgrounds and parks at the ready is what we need!

There’s no shame in sifting through your destination, or ones nearby, for excursions, as a parent looking for interesting things to do with a baby during travel.

Helpful Tip

You can also use Google Maps to determine when places are busy with the section called “Popular Times.” This means you can figure out an off-hour, if your baby thrives on peace and quiet for a nap in the stroller. Or, maybe your alert 12-month old loves to watch people and action—go during a busy hour!

Meet up with other families

We like to make plans to go hiking, and invite another family who lives nearby, regardless of how old their child is. We’ve gone for day hikes with a family who has a child within 3 months of ours, as well as a child that was more like 2 years older than ours. Either way, it’s fun, and can make traveling outside of your town a bit more interesting!

Another way to travel and find interesting things to do is to meet at a halfway point if you have friends who live 2-3 hours away. If you all drive 1-1.5 hours, you can meet at a place like an apple orchard, a petting zoo, a beach at a lake or a country fair (which would have great things for babies to see!).

If you get creative and branch out in the directions of where other friends live, you’ll broaden your and your baby’s travel horizons.