By the end of this month, our 23 month old will have clocked 7 AIRBNB stays in her lifetime between the US, Italy, France, and Portugal. Just writing that brings a smile to my face because I have always wanted to share my love of travel with her and I am so grateful we are actually doing it! I have definitely learned a few things about AIRBNB’ing with a toddler, so I thought I would put together some helpful tips and learnings from our last two years of adventuring.

Why AIRBNB?

Obviously having the space is amazing (more often than not, a multi-bedroom AIRBNB is the same price as a hotel room) but the MVP is having a kitchen. Not sure about your babe, but my daughter is constantly eating. Being able to cook for her and having a decent refrigerator to store food in is a must. It takes the stress out of figuring out the next meal especially in a foreign country when restaurants might not be open (looking at you, Italian Siesta!). At this age I feel like EVERYTHING revolves around food and alleviating that stress is really game changing for our overall travel experience.

And back to the space: there’s nothing better than having a living room and a backyard to enjoy while your babe naps, amiright? With AIRBNB you feel way less tied to your “room” during nap time and bedtime than you would at a hotel.

HOW TO FIND A Toddler approved AIRBNB:

Sort of a loaded Q because there are a lot of variables but a few things I always like to have on my radar -

• crib/cot available - currently you cannot filter by this option but sometimes you can filter by “family”

• high chair available - from what I’ve found, most “superhosts” seem to have all the baby essentials

• if there is a pool - ensuring it is behind a locked fence or not attached to the main living area

• blackout shades

• AC/Heat

• read reviews about street noise

• proximity to daily activities ie: walks around town, sightseeing, parks, etc.

Don’t forget, you can always message the host to ask Qs. IE: maybe they don’t list crib availability but they actually have one (this happened to us in Lisbon).

TODDLER TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

Items we never leave home without:

• Slumperpod is LIFE - it creates a dark, comfortable environment for babe

• Hatch Sound Machine - they make a mini version too!

• Doona Trike - we gave up strollers at 12 months and never looked back.

• Gobe Snack Container

• Nanit with travel stand and case

traveling Toddler Grocery List

These are the items I grab as soon as we land (even sometimes travel with) because I know I can create easy, nutrient packed snacks and meals for her in a crunch:

• eggs

• bananas

• peanut butter

• berries

• cheese: typically mozzarella and/or ricotta

• bread

• avocado

• spinach

• apples

• chicken

• pasta

• marinara sauce

Our favorite AIRBNBs to-date:

• PARIS, FRANCE - the perfect location. Streets noise is a little loud but nothing a sound machine won’t drown out.

• SICILY, ITALY - walking distance from the ocean and a gorge rooftop deck! Our daughter was in heaven.

• MIAMI, FLORIDA - we spent a month here in the fall and already booked it again for this fall!

Did I miss anything? Let me know if you have any Qs about AIRBNB’ing with your FAM. You can always comment below or send me a DM on insta. Beyond happy to help! xo Ash