Big Bear with Otis // Toddler Tips for a Snow Weekend

Welcome to 2020! It’s been a wonderful holiday season for us and an amazing winter break for our family. We started the new year this past weekend with a fun family trip to Big Bear Lake to a friends cabin. So many people asked if this was an airbnb but sadly it’s not for rent.

We have been up to Big Bear a handful of times and it’s always a great weekend getaway to relax and be lazy, cook dinners with friends and have some adult time at night playing games. We played this game and now we are obsessed. Blake already ordered it on amazon. We did spend much of our time indoors since that is always easy with a toddler. The weather was actually amazing and not too cold so we played in the snow and went into town one day for a walk.

We split up the food responsibilities and had a different couple cook each meal. Blake and I love to do slow cooker dishes so we don’t have to cook much and get to spend our time hanging out. We packed a TON of snacks for the kids and really just had the best time relaxing. It’s always easier (in my opinion) to bring all your food up with you so you don’t have to waste time going to the grocery store when you are on vacation. In terms of what we brought and used, I wanted to share my essentials below along with some tips for making your cabin weekend a good one. I can not wait to go back up!

Cabin Toddler Essentials

babybjorn travel crib light: This crib is a travel essential. We have used it since Otis was a newborn and it’s legit something you need to run and add to your baby registry. It folds up super small and sets up in basically seconds. You just pop the frame open and then place the mattress inside. It’s a pricey piece but I love how the air ventilates through and they won’t grow out of it due to weight limit just when they are able to climb out. Honestly love this thing so much if you are looking for a travel crib.

halo fleece sleepsack: We have been using this sleep sack for the colder winter months and it was essential for a cabin weekend. I have used the halo brand for Otis since we put him in his crib (also have this light weight cotton muslin version and this swaddle transition version) and have loved them. Since Otis has figured out zippers, we put his sleep sack on backwards. Just a little mom tip from me to you if you have a clever little toddler. Why do we use the sleep sack? I love that it’s a safe wearable blanket and it also slows his mobility down a bit so hopefully it deters him from trying to climb out of his crib. We joked with our friends this weekend that our kids will be wearing sleep sacks until they are 16. Only half kidding.

double sound machines: Let me explain. We travel with our Hatch Rest + Sound machine. We use it in Otis’ nursery and it’s a combo sound machine, night light, time to rise etc etc. What I love about this model is that if the power goes out, there is reserve battery in it so it will stay one while not connected to power. GENIUS. Especially when headed somewhere where there can be a lot of winter storms and power outages make sure you have a sound machine backup if your little one is using it. Since we obviously stay awake and hang out after the kids go to sleep (essential adult time!) we hung our travel Marpac Hushh portable sound machine on the door knob as an extra layer of white noise to drown out any loud things happening while we were awake and hanging out. If you follow me on instagram, you see me talk about our double sound machine we use in our own home too. I swear this combo really works and both of these machines get very loud. Blake once tried to order a cheap travel sound machine on amazon and ended up sending it back and ordering another one of the Hushh ones because it’s really that good. I know these 2 machines aren’t the most spend friendly but I am telling you, they are both worth the investment.

Tommee Tippee GroAnywhere Portable Travel Baby Blackout Blind: This is a new little traveling hack for making your toddlers room dark when traveling. It folds up super tiny and has suction cups for you to stick on window, wall, anywhere! There is nothing worse than trying to put your kid to bed in a bright room when they are used to your at home blackout shades. I actually need to buy a second one so I can have 2 with me for traveling in case we are in a larger room with 2 windows. This thing is a great little tool for a toddler sleep.

baby aquaphor: We use this regularly in our home but this is especially important when we go to a colder climate. Since we know skin can be more sensitive in the cold, before every nap and every night time sleep, we would slather this on Otis’ cheeks, lips, and face. Honestly it’s a miracle product and Otis didn’t get dry skin while up there. I also use it for myself on my lips because they always get chapped up there.

toddler snow gear: If you can learn from my mistake, the second you know you are traveling to a snow destination and need gear, ORDER IT ASAP. What I found is that zero places stock toddler winter boots and other gear so ordering online is essential. I had Otis wear this jacket from old navy for the majority of our trip and it worked great. I didn’t have time to properly prep for our trip with online shopping but lucked out finding a REI snowsuit (not sold anymore) in size 12 months on facebook market place. I did order these waterproof gloves on amazon but Otis did NOT love wearing gloves. They were great though since the cuff part is huge so they really can’t take it off once you put the jacket over top of it. We borrowed snow boots from a friend but they ended up being too small so we put Otis in the ugg boots we had for him. They are not proper snow boots but they did the job! I tried to find these sorel boots but had no luck in store. Suits I would have ordered if I had the time: this, this, this, or this if you want to splurge. I heard great things about these target snow pants also! These boots are also great for smaller babies!

toys: Since we were headed to a place where they would have a few toys, I brought Otis’ mega bloks with us since they pack up easily in the container they came in and he is VERY into them right now. Yes they are a pain to clean up and keep track of but worth it since Otis loves them so much right now. We also brought this toy in the car. We call him “mr. buckles” and Otis is obsessed with snapping and unsnapping it. Great toy to keep him busy.

inglesina clip on high chair: When traveling with kids, you have to plan ahead with feeding essentials. Our friends actually had an extra clip on chair (because we have misplaced ours!!) so we were able to leave it set up and use it for Otis for his meals. We LOVE this chair because it easily clips onto most tables and bars etc. We also brought our other favorite travel chair but didn’t end up using it. I also brought Otis’ plate and fork.

On Kim // sweater: naked cashmere (similar) / turtleneck: equipment
jeans: jbrand / hat: inverni (similar) / boots: ugg + ugg / jacket: patagonia / sunglasses: rayban

On Otis // hat: beau hudson / sweater: zara kids
jeans: h&m kids / boots: ugg / gloves: snowstoppers
jacket: old navy / sweater: jenni kayne

On Blake // jacket: kenneth cole / sweater: jcrew / sunglasses: rayban

Other items // inglesina clip on high chair / oxo sippy cup
otis clover baby kids pajamas / real shades sunglasses

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  • January 7, 2020 - 1:58 pm

    ilysa Lapides - What a fun weekend for ALL. Packing can be a hassle but great to have all these things with you to make life easy.ReplyCancel

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