Travelling with a toddler

Travelling with a toddler is very, very hard. It is immensely stressful dealing with Bucky when he doesn't sleep during journeys and when he reacts badly to the lack of sleep the next day. It is also very difficult for us to get around and see the sights, as we have to fit everything around his sleeps and attention span. But for all the difficulties we have, it is that much harder for Bucky himself. We try to get out to parks as much as we can, but he still spends so much of the day in his stroller or cooped up inside the apartments we are staying in. The dramatic changes in routine and surroundings have also clearly affected him, and I am sure he is missing Playspace and all the other fun things in Wellington. For the first few days in Moscow he was quite short tempered and was seriously off his food. I felt really terrible and worried for him.

He did get his appetite back, thankfully. His mood has also greatly improved. He is dealing with things really well, all things considered. He is finding a lot of fun in the new places we are taking him to, particularly the apartment in St Petersburg, which is a treasure trove of interesting knick-knacks for him to play with. His language is also developing in leaps and bounds, just like Corina said it would. He is picking up so many new words and is much better at copying what we are saying. He is even developing an understanding of grammar – he corrected himself when he said "me turn" to "my turn".

So while it is tough for all us, it is very, very rewarding.