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Practical Tips for Traveling with Babies, Toddlers & Kids |

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San Francisco with a Baby

Post last updated May 2, 2014

5 years ago we took our very first flight as new parents with our daughter.

Instead of heading to a nearby destination in the same time zone (ie. Walt Disney World), we decided to go crazy – or somewhat outside of our comfort zone.

We boarded a plane and headed west to San Francisco. The 5.5 hour flight from Toronto was a piece of cake. No tears, no ear pressure problems and no having to walk up and down the aisles with our 1 year old. We should have gone farther!

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge | KidsOnAPlane.com #familytravel #SFO #USA

For one whole week we did the usual touristy stuff.

We tried to get as close as we could to the Golden Gate Bridge – which really meant stopping at the side of the road to snap a photo.

We tested our driving skills (or rather my husband’s best friend did) down Lombard Street.

San Francisco Top of Lombard Street | KidsOnAPlane.com #travel #SFO #SanFrancisco

Imagine a Ford Flex filled with 4 first time parents, 2 babies, and baby equipment arranged like a bunch of Jenga blocks in the trunk inching down a hill with 8 tight turns.

It took us 45 minutes to get to the very bottom and the babies were screaming at the top of their lungs because dinner time was supposed to start half an hour ago. FUN TIMES!

Of course, I had to snap a photo to prove that we conquered Lombard Street in a minivan.

San Francisco Lombard Street | KidsOnAPlane.com #travel #SanFrancisco #USA

Went to Fisherman’s Wharf, ate a ton of seafood…..

And then there was the time we took the babies to a public beach. Obviously, being Canadian, beach time is somewhat limited with our short summers so Miss L was a bit nervous.

OK, more than a bit nervous. This is what happened when I tried putting Miss L on the sand – tears and screaming.

San Francisco First Time at the Beach | KidsOnAPlane.com #familytravel

Despite the tears and not adjusting to the time change (the kids decided to stick to their schedule at home and start our days at 5AM in the morning – 8AM Toronto time – THE ENTIRE WEEK), we all left our hearts in San Francisco.

It was the trip of many firsts and the one that made us fall in love with traveling with our “mini me”s.

Coming soon… San Francisco with Kids travel reviews! Stay tuned.

Looking for more travel inspiration? Check out the other Friday Postcards posts here.



About Cheryl - Kids On A Plane

Cheryl daydreams about exploring the world with her family often and will travel for good food, lattes and theme park rides that don't require her to go too high in the sky. She's afraid of heights!

Comments

  1. Michele {Malaysian Meanders} says

    May 2, 2014 at 10:18 am

    The image of all of you making your way down Lombard Street had me laughing because so much time has passed that surely those babies no longer have hard feelings about their delayed meal. I visited San Francisco once, and my cousin from LA flew out with her baby to meet me. We accidentally stayed in some park past closing time, and the gates where locked close when we got to them. Thank goodness that we were thin enough to squeeze through the bars, passing the baby from the inside to the outside. Good thing we didn’t have a stroller either.

    • Cheryl says

      May 6, 2014 at 10:55 am

      You’re totally right, Michele. They’ve long forgotten about their late dinner. It’s funny thinking about it now but so stressful when we were stuck in the car with migraines and two wailing children 😉

      Pahahah! That is hilarious! Yes luckily you didn’t have a stroller with you. A visit to the park could have cost hundreds more than what you originally anticipated. Now that would be a great photo collage for a scrapbook!

  2. Elizabeth Matthiesen says

    May 2, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    I too have visited San Francisco and done all the touristy things. I loved it, there was so much to see and do.

  3. Darlene Schuller says

    May 3, 2014 at 10:14 pm

    San Francisco is one city I would soo love to visit!! Travelling with wee ones has its challenges.. especially if feeds are running late they have no issues letting you and the world around you know, Sounds like a great time was had! Looking forward to the review.

  4. Sally@Toddlers on Tour says

    May 3, 2014 at 10:15 pm

    San Francisco was my favourite city along the entire California coast line.
    A great city to walk, or use the famous trams and so much to see!

  5. Terumi says

    May 4, 2014 at 10:28 am

    Oh I love San Francisco! Good for you doing it with really wee ones:) and we have a very similar picture with my guys at the beach for their first time. Must be a Canadian thing;)

    • Cheryl says

      May 6, 2014 at 10:47 am

      HA! It may be a Canadian thing. I just don’t understand how they didn’t get the beach loving gene from me. LOL. They’re crazy! My little Canucks love winter and snow like their Dad 😉

  6. April says

    May 12, 2014 at 2:20 pm

    Wow! What a wonderful experience you just had there? I can’t imagine myself bringing a baby in traveling and to a place like San Francisco. It’s so nice to read your fun experience and I know you learned a lot. I, myself learned a lot too. If I have the courage to bring my baby soon, I would definitely book a flight a right away but right now, I’m just happy to read posts like this and maybe have that wonderful experience too soon. Thanks for sharing!

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