We wanted to squeeze in a family trip right before my maternity leave ended the final week of December. So we decided to explore Scottsdale, AZ! We were pleasantly surprised by how kid-friendly everything was, and we really enjoyed being able to stroll around with the baby and our toddler.
Photo: Pinnacle Peak
We stayed at the Arizona Biltmore, which was reasonably priced for winter. There were several other families there, and the property was spacious enough to let our daughter run around outside. We enjoyed breakfast at McArthur’s daily, and the staff was very accommodating to our newborn and toddler. Not to mention that it was decorated so festive for Christmas! This is a mid-century modern gem of a hotel, and I loved how they stayed true to that with their holiday decor!
Here was our itinerary:
Our favorite activity that we did was Christmas at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. I have never seen a better family-friendly Christmas event. The hotel went above and beyond to have almost every inch of the property offering an activity for families to enjoy. From meeting Santa, to carnival rides, “snow” tubing, and a train ride- we never wanted to leave! It was also super easy to stroll around with our 2-month-old and have our toddler still enjoy the activities.
We also really enjoyed going to the Children’s Museum and the Zoo in Phoenix. Their warm December climate made it easy to enjoy outdoor activities! We just needed a light sweater, and sometimes a heavier jacket in the evening.
Here are some pics from our quick hike in Papago Park and then we went to the adjacent Phoenix Zoo for the rest of the morning. As you can see, we got a lot of use out of our Uppa Baby Vista Stroller this trip!
My husband and I are archtetecter appreciators and we really enjoyed doing the audio tour at the Frank Lloyd Wright House, Taliesin West. The audio tour made it where we could go at our own pace with the kids. I wore the baby on my front, and my husband kept up with our toddler. It really was a beautiful home with spectaular views of the Arizona desert. We dressed nice for dinner that night at Isabella’s Kitchen and got some good pics at this home beforehand!
My rule of thumb for traveling with two littles- was just check it! We ended up checking 6 items total as a family! Carseats and strollers check free, so take advantage of it! We brought a carseat for my two-year-old, then brought the infant carrier Uppa Baby Mesa carseat for the baby. That way we could clip it in and out of the rental car and into the stroller. We like the Mesa because you don’t have to have the base to use it. You can simply use a seatbelt to run across it and secure it under the blue tabs.
I also reccomend using these stroller and carseat cover bags from Target to cover all of your car seats and strollers.
Items we checked:
- Toddler Car Seat (We have a spare one for travel, grandparents or nany’s cars, etc.)
- Infant Car Seat (Uppa Baby Mesa)
- Double Stroller (Uppa Baby Vista)
- Mom’s Suitcase
- Dad’s Suitcase
- Kids’ Suitcase
Here are some other pictures from our trip!
Tine Murray 