Ya'll, it's been 5 years since I started writing The Savvy Surgeon's Wife blog!

I cannot believe how the years have flown by. 

To celebrate, I'm sharing the top 40 most popular Savvy Surgeon's Wife blogs on writing, work, parenthood, travel, and being married to medicine. Dig in, it's going to be a fun one!

Travel

​Vacation fun: 44 things you only do when you're on vacation or holiday

Baby/toddler travel guide series: what to pack

Baby/toddler travel guide series: going international

Why travel? 9 reasons I will never stop traveling

Cruise with kids: Entertainment strategies that keep the whole family happy (baby/toddler travel guide series)

Cruise with kids: Travel tips for cruising with toddlers (baby/toddler travel guide series

Your insider Seattle trip planner: lodging (where to stay) and getting around (rental car or no rental car?)
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An insider’s guide to Seattle’s Pike Place Market

Dreaming of a family cruise? You’ve come to the right place.
 
We recently took our first cruise as a family from Seattle to Alaska, and it was spectacular!
 
Since I love to share family travel tips, I’m spilling all our seafaring secrets on the subject.
 
First, check out my advice for nabbing a killer deal and for entertaining your toddler on your cruise. 

Now, here are 20 more secrets to totally nailing your family cruise experience:

Planning your trip
1.  Request a Pack N Play or portable crib for your room, if you need one.

2.  Choose open seating for dinner. Some nights you’ll end up at the buffet, some you will make it to the formal dining room (call ahead for reservations). And other nights you may be seasick and order room service (been there, done that!).

3.  Splurge on a room with a balcony so that you can sit outside and revel while your toddler naps or sleeps for the night (be sure to bring an audio monitor).

4.  Bring your e-reader so that you can read in the dark while your toddler snoozes.

5.  Keep your kiddo’s stuff organized with packing cubes like the ones from Eagle Creek. We use these for every trip for our daughter and for ourselves! Simply throw them in the closet or drawer and you won’t have to worry about piles of clothes forming everywhere.

​6.  Pack a favorite blanket or stuffed animal to help nap and bed time go more smoothly.

7.  Bring a lightweight and compact stroller for excursions and walks around town. We currently use the Chico Liteway stroller and used the Summer Infant 3D Lite stroller when our daughter was younger. The Summer Infant model is perfect for younger, lighter kids but the Chico works better after 18 months or so, and handles better on corners.

Food and milk
8.  The easiest way to get your toddler’s milk is to grab a few cartons from the buffet once or twice a day, and then store them in your in-room fridge. On Holland America Line, they keep the milk out at the breakfast buffet, and then at lunch and dinner you can ask for it at the ice cream station.

9.  You could also order milk via room service (although this generally takes 30-45 minutes).

10.  If you’re grabbing a latte for yourself, you can also get milk from the café.
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11.  Make peace with the fact that your kid is going to consume a ton of sugar, as will you. Just try to avoid it right before sleeping time.

12.  That said, chocolate milk or the chocolates from your nightly turndown service can be your biggest bargaining chips with your toddler!

While on board
13.  Take advantage of toddler nap time by getting some reading or work done, or snooze along with them.

14.  If your child is not yet potty-trained, beware that Holland America Line has zero changing tables in bathrooms, at least on the Oosterdam ship. When it was time for a diaper change, we went back to our room every time.

15.  Don’t expect to catch any of the evening entertainment (8:00 pm or later), unless you have babysitters traveling with you or the cruise line offers babysitting services.

16.  Use the on-board laundry services to pack lighter. For $20 on Holland America Line, you get a fully stuffed bag and each piece is promptly washed, dried and ironed to perfection.

17.  If the dining room is too crowded or you need a change of scenery, plan to eat by the pool.

18.  Your toddler will love the towel animals created by your room stewards. See if they can guess which animal they’ll meet next.

19.  Take family photos on board, but expect some your toddler to make silly faces in them.

20.  Even if you don’t like to go crazy with shopping, you can look for a special book that your child will treasure for years to come, like “Goodnight Alaska”, and you can always find room in your suitcase and budget for magnets. 

All set to go exploring? Me, too! See you on the flip side.
 
*Author’s note: these opinions are my own based on my personal experiences. I have not been paid to endorse any businesses, products or services in this blog

Keeping a toddler entertained. No easy task, without the help of a tablet.
 
Fear not, parents everywhere! You CAN find fun for the whole family on your cruise!
 
Now that you’ve snagged a super deal on your cruise adventure, you’re ready to start planning your itinerary and building your arsenal of things to do.
 
Ideas and Tips for Entertaining a Toddler on a Cruise

Children’s activities and programs vary significantly by cruise line. Disney cruises, for example, offer character experiences, waterslides, themed deck parties, and more. Most other cruise lines are not as kiddo-centric as Disney.
 
We recently took a cruise to Alaska on Holland America Line (HAL). Holland America offers Club HAL, a supervised space for children ages 3-17 with age-appropriate activities and toys. Unfortunately, we could not take advantage of this free offering, since our daughter isn’t yet three. We asked the staff if we could allow our daughter to play in the club space while we watched her, but they said it was against corporate policy. Bummer.
 
Since we couldn’t use the Club HAL space and there was no playground on the ship, we had to get creative to keep our daughter happy and active on board.

What to do when you’re desperate
We don’t allow screen time for our toddler unless she’s on a plane or train, or if it’s a special occasion like a party.
 
But if you’re desperate for a way to calm your toddler, HAL has en-suite smart TVs that feature an impressive selection of kids’ movies, including “Moana”, “Sing”, “Finding Dory”, “Pets”, and more. The interface was incredibly easy to use.
 
You may also want to bring a tablet.
 
Easy as pie, right?

Next Time: Secrets to a Successful Family Cruise with Toddlers.

​In the final installment of this series, I will reveal the remaining de-classified tips for having a blast on your family cruise.
 
*Author’s note: these opinions are my own based on my personal experiences. I have not been paid to endorse any businesses, products or services in this blog

You may also like these blogs by Megan Sharma:
Cruise with kids: Travel tips for cruising with toddlers (baby/toddler travel guide series)
Baby/toddler travel guide series: going international
Baby/toddler travel guide series: what to pack
Baby/toddler travel guide series: the essentials!
Vacation time! Why I’m actually vacationing on my vacation
Vacation fun: 44 things you only do when you're on vacation or holiday
Travel: Insider’s guide to the best Seattle outdoor activities
Your insider Seattle trip planner: lodging (where to stay) and getting around (rental car or no rental car?)
An insider’s guide to Seattle’s Pike Place Market
60 fun and unique date ideas for the young at heart
Parenting: A no-fuss guide to your toddler’s birthday party for Pinterest-fatigued parents
What I never expected about Midwest living
How to be the perfect friend: a guide for the ladies
One year after my major career change from full-time mom to full-time writer: reflections and lessons learned

Ya’ll! We just returned from the most dazzling family vacation: a cruise from Seattle to Alaska!
 
We saw dozens of whales throughout the trip (Humpbacks and Orcas), thousands of jellyfish while kayaking a hidden cove in Sitka, and a handful of majestic Bald Eagles in the wild. The massive Hubbard Glacier was breath-taking. It was all pretty drool-worthy, I must admit. 

As usual, we brought along our toddler, who has already accompanied us to Spain, Ireland and Mexico, but who had yet to board a cruise ship.
 
In this blog series, I’ll share everything I learned from the experience of cruising with a toddler.
 
Cruise with kids: Travel tips for cruising with toddlers

Part 1: Get the Best Cruise Deal

IMPORTANT: Before you book anything, check the age requirements of the cruise line you are considering. Most will only accept children six months and older as of the first day of the cruise. For some itineraries, such as transatlantic, transpacific, Hawaii, or otherwise, children must be at least 12 months of age at the start of the cruise.
 
Also check any passport requirements. If your cruise docks outside of the U.S. or its territories, you and your children will need a passport. See my advice on traveling internationally with your baby or toddler here.
 
Obviously, you’ll want to secure the very best deal for your cruise. I subscribe to Travelzoo, which features Top 20 deals every Wednesday. This is how I found our Alaskan cruise on Holland America for a fantastic price with tons of bonuses, through Prestige Cruises. 

​To be honest, I was initially nervous about booking through Prestige Cruises, since I hadn’t heard of them and the package almost seemed too good to be true. However, I was assured by Travelzoo that all their deals are verified.
 
So, we made out like bandits: upgrade from a balcony to a signature suite, two free beverage packages (normally $700/person), free gratuities, third and fourth guest free (this paid for our toddler), and a whopping $350 in on board credits, which can be used for spa treatments, photography, excursions, and more. Normally, you’d be lucky to get $200 in on board credits.
 
I recommend holding out for that third and fourth guest free promotion, otherwise you will have to pay for your children separately at the same price as an adult.
 
You can also take advantage of Wave Season deals, which typically run between January and March. Last-minute deals can also add immense value to your experience. 

Next Time: Plan Toddler Activities and Entertainment for your Cruise
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Watch for Part 2 of this series, which will outline strategies for keeping your toddler happy and busy on board!

​Americans be travelin’. In 2015, American residents logged 1.7 billion person-trips* for leisure purposes, says the U.S. Travel Association (*person-trip=one person on an overnight trip away from home in paid accommodations, or on a day or overnight trip 50+ miles from home). 

Per me (a very reliable, attractive and expert source), the Sharma family has contributed about half a billion of those leisure trips. Just kidding. We travel a lot, but not that much. That’s why I’ve written a baby/toddler travel guide blog series.
 
I’m so excited to talk about going international with your baby or toddler! With a little preparation, you’ll be well on your way to stamping that baby passport with a smile. 

​Megan’s tips for going international:

• The first thing you will need to do is get that baby a passport! Start here for a passport for children under 16 in the U.S. Read the instructions VERY carefully and make sure you have all your paperwork, proof of identity and proof of parental relationship in order. Typically, you’ll need the child’s social security number, birth certificate, parental ID, photocopies, and your checkbook. Search here for your nearest passport acceptance facility. Save yourself A LOT OF TROUBLE and don’t attempt to take the passport photo yourself. We tried and failed miserably—not surprisingly—with a 10-month-old baby. Most passport acceptance facilities can also take the passport photo for a small fee and it’s 3000% worth every penny, especially since passport photos have downright picky requirements. 

• When you receive the baby’s passport (victory!), make a photocopy or two to travel with you. We always keep our passport photocopies separate from our actual passports while traveling in case they are lost or stolen. This will make it much easier should you need to visit your embassy.

• When the time comes to look at air travel, weigh the ticket costs against the travel time and the squirm factor of your child. As long as your child is under two years of age, they fly free in your lap. We flew from Chicago to Madrid when our daughter was 11 months old, and she did just fine as a lap child. Of course, she wasn't walking yet. When she was a year and a half, we purchased a seat for our flights between Chicago and Dublin, which worked well for us, given her age and her propensity for constant movement and for ripping in-flight magazines to shreds.

• I highly recommend, at the very least, springing for the airline seats with extra legroom (look for a label like “Economy Plus”) on any flight of 7 hours or more. We had extra legroom on the way to Madrid and regular (zero) legroom on the way back, and we kicked ourselves all the way home. Except we couldn’t kick ourselves. Because we didn’t have any legroom.

• When traveling east from the United States, depart around your child’s normal bedtime, so he/she has a fighting chance of sleeping on the flight and waking up oh-so-fresh on the European time zone on arrival. Bring the baby’s car seat for a comfy and familiar place to sleep. On the way back…it’s a total Russian roulette. I always find the jet lag on the return to be far worse than jet lag on arrival, and there’s not much you can do about that. Just try not to pack your child’s schedule full of activities until they’ve had several days to readjust to life at home.

 

• If you have an infant, consider a bulkhead seat and a bassinet. Baby can sleep in a little bassinet and your hands will be free to fiddle on your iPhone and drink cheap wine! Check with individual airlines on how to book. You may have to call. Just remember that the bulkhead seats mean that you can’t store anything under the seats in front of you, because there are no seats in front of you. You’ll have to store your diaper bag, purse, backpack, etc. in the overhead bin, which may not be super convenient with a young baby. Alternatively, a baby carrier and Boppy are awesome sleeping tools! Also, this is fairly obvious, but may not occur to a total newbie: don’t try to sit in an exit row with a baby. They will make you move.

 

• Ask about early boarding if (IF. Snort.) you need extra time to haul your stuff, yourself and your baby onto the plane without the watching, judging eyes of young and single passengers boring into you. For international flights, you automatically get to board ahead of everyone else. When you travel in the United States, however, they no longer give you the courtesy unless you fly on Southwest. The fix for this is easy: simply bring your cute baby to the counter and ask for early boarding. I’ve found this works 100 percent of the time as a mom, and about 80 percent of the time as a dad.

 

• When you arrive at your destination, try to get on the local time zone right away. Walk around and explore your surroundings. Find the nearest convenience store and buy some milk and other essentials. Ask about the nearest playground so your child can drain some energy. Coffee is your friend.

 

• If you have a baby in diapers, get used to changing diapers in strange locations: back seat of the rental car, front seat of the car, trunk of the car, in your lap, on a kitchen table, in a restaurant booth, on the floor, in a tiny airplane bathroom, on the conference room table of an airline lounge, and perhaps a park bench outside the royal palace in Madrid. Yup. We’ve done it all.

 

• Have no fear. Jump in. And take lots of photos and videos!

​My friends and family know all too well that packing is an activity that causes me a great deal of stress.

I get very anxious about forgetting essential items and being unprepared for the weather. I also tend toward overpacking for the ‘in case of’ scenarios in my head.
 
The irony is that packing is a talent of mine. I have developed templates and checklists that keep me (somewhat) sane before venturing out and about.
 
If you’re a parent, you understand that traveling with a baby or toddler means packing everything you own, whether your trip will last one night or one month. They just need so much STUFF, these babies. And woe to the parent who forgets the paci or favorite baby blanket…I don’t wish that on anyone.
 
Thus, this edition of the baby/toddler travel guide series features my packing tips for babies and toddlers. I’ll start first with the general tips, and then you’ll gaze in wonder at my actual packing list templates. Try to contain your excitement as you download your own copies of my cheat sheets. :)
 
Don’t forget to check out last week’s blog on the essentials of keeping your baby fed and happy while traveling. 

​Megan’s tried and true packing tips:

• Diapers, flushable wipes and/or regular wipes, clothes, milk/food, comfort. Pretty much everything you need for your baby falls into one of these categories. Make it your new mantra.

 

• Pack what you can fit, and buy the rest at your destination. This works well for diapers and wipes, especially. You can also ship ahead if you’re visiting a friend or relative’s home (thank you, Amazon Prime!).  

 

• In your carry on, bring extra clothes for your baby, and throw in an extra t-shirt or sweater for yourself. If you have an infant, you don’t want to spend your entire flight covered in spit up, or worse (been there, it's soooo not fun). The extra shirt is your insurance policy.

 

• Consider buying a smaller/lighter car seat just for travel if your everyday car seat is large and heavy. Bonus: the second car seat can go in your partner’s car or the grandparents' car when you’re not traveling. We use these car seats: lightweight but super safe by Graco, and everyday extremely safe but heavy by Chicco. You can compare safety and convenience features on Consumer Reports or via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). I personally would not use any car seat that doesn’t have side impact protection. For super detailed reviews based on child safety expert knowledge, federal ease-of-use ratings, and surveys with hundreds of parents, check out these recommendations for infant car seats and for convertible car seats. 

 

• If you're flying mid-week or another less busy time and your flight is not full, you may consider carrying on your car seat, as you may be able to use it in an empty seat next to you. Ask the airline service representative when you check in how the flight is looking. If the flight is totally booked, go ahead and check the car seat before you go through security, or plan to check it at the gate. If there's room on the flight, carry it on, and you can always gate check it if you need to.

 

• Try a roller for your car seat like this one by Britax to save your back.

 

• Get a car seat cover and stroller cover in case it rains. This helped us in Ireland and Seattle A TON, as well as other cities.  

 

• Purchase a solid and functional umbrella style stroller and carry it on. We use this one. It has a decent size storage basket, is small and light, and can be carried over your shoulder with a strap. We use it every day, in fact. Forget a bulky BOB.

 

• Invest in a baby carrier like a Baby K’Tan or an Ergo if you have a young infant. Note that some flight attendants will ask you to take the baby out of the carrier during takeoff, taxi and landing for "safety. Although I believe this to be total BS and it is applied randomly on every flight, you are legally required to follow crew member instructions, so don't press your luck.

 

• Captain Obvious here: have favorite toys, books and snacks at hand. I like to carry at least one favorite snack and a few new ones. 

 

• Since babies don't wear eye masks but still need to sleep even in the middle of the day, have them sleep in the carrier (Ergo or Baby K'Tan) with a cover or get a floppy hat with a wide brim that will cover their eyes (we swear by the hat method!). Sunglasses are also worth a shot.

 

• Make sure you have a paci (binky, whatever you call it), bottle, or sippy cup—something for the baby to suck on at takeoff and landing, to help with ear pain. You can also plan to nurse your infant for the same result. 

 

• For toddlers, create a "busy bag" with interesting things to touch/play with in plastic sandwich bags. The items don’t even have to come out of the bags to be interesting. The Target dollar section is a gold mine for this stuff. Just make sure you don't buy anything that would be too noisy/annoying for your fellow passengers. Reveal each new item one at a time, to hold your child's attention. 

 

• Pack a lightweight travel crib like the one by Guava Family (SO worth the money. Learn more about Guava Family here), which can also be carried on as a backpack or duffel bag, or arrange ahead of time for a crib at your hotel or Airbnb. Note that you never know what you're going to get when relying on others for a crib--some are old and do not meet current safety standards. Also, be sure to take an extra crib sheet in case there is an accident. Hint: you may also want to ask your host or hotel if they have a high chair available for meal time.

 

• SUPER FAMILY TRAVELER TIPS: On most U.S. airlines you may check baby essentials (car seat and stroller) for FREE. In past years, some airlines would also allow you to check a baby travel crib for free, but this no longer seems to be the case, at least with United Airlines. It's worth asking the airline attendant when you check in, but plan to pay a checked baggage fee for a travel crib. You will also have to pay for the car seat roller (don’t worry, it’s easy to carry on and store in an overhead bin--note that it will count as a carry-on item, and plan your other carry-ons accordingly).

 

• Paci clips help prevent lost pacis! We only use them while we’re flying and never in the car. It never hurts to have a few extra pacis on hand in case some go missing (as they inevitably roll to the back of the plane, never to be seen again).

 

• A baby timer like this one is super helpful to track sleep, diapers, food and medication. We have used it daily since our daughter was born.

 

• Don’t forget sleep essentials like a sound machine or sleep sack. We use the Sleep Sheep and just take the sound box on our trips.

 

• Bring the child’s birth certificate with you. Some airlines ask to verify it if the child is under two years of age (American Airlines usually does).

 
 
And now, without further ado, here are my packing lists for infants and toddlers. Scroll to the bottom of this blog to download your own templates for personal use. Enjoy and happy trails to you!
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Stay tuned next week for part three of the baby/toddler travel guide series: Going international. Please feel free to post your baby/toddler travel questions and experiences in the comments section! I would love to hear from you.
 
*Author’s note: these opinions are my own based on my many travel experiences. I have not been paid to endorse any products or services in this blog
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Download the packing lists for your own use here: