This past month, we had the luxury of joining my husband on a business trip to San Diego, California. As we were taking our two young children with us (ages 2.5 & 3.5), I thought I should look in to activities we could do while we were there.
After some internet research, I discovered
LEGOLAND California. I can’t say that I’d actually ever heard of
LEGOLAND, but my son is at an age where he is IN LOVE with his little ‘Megablock Man’ ,as he calls it. (These are little, and I mean tiny – maybe an inch tall, Lego people, that his Gramma introduced him to. She actually still had one of his Daddy’s old childhood Lego men, and lets the grandkids play with them.) So when I saw
LEGOLAND, I raised my eyebrows and gave it some attention.
The park is located in Carlsbad, California (only 25 minutes from San Diego). It boasts 3 parks:
LEGOLAND,
LEGOLAND Water Park and
SEA LIFE Carlsbad Aquarium. It appeared to have rides, shows, and other age-appropriate activities for my kids, so I looked at pricing. Regular admission for the park was $69 adults (13+), $59 for my son (3-12), and under age 3 was free. You could upgrade to the extra two parks or buy a Park Hopper ticket, best value at $89 & $79, respectively. I lucked out into 5-day Park Hopper tickets for the price of 1-day. I looked high and low on the internet and couldn’t find a better deal than that, so I grabbed it. Pre-purchasing the tickets saves you having to stand in line at the park. I printed my tickets and we were ready to go.
We found a Sheraton property right at the resort and spent our night there. The property had its own private
LEGOLAND entrance where we could walk right into the park. It took us in the ‘back door’ and the kids immediately found the Hideaway, which was a multi-level play structure where they could run around, climb ropes, slide, etc.
They didn’t want to leave the Hideaway; they would have been happy there all day, but we had a whole park to discover and we needed to go find a stroller, or we’d never make it through the day. So we sat down and looked at the map. Ugh! Stroller Rentals were at the main entrance! And we were all the way at the back of the park L. So we wandered towards the front of the park. In hindsight, it’s probably not really that far, it just seemed like it the first time we walked it with 2 kids.
When finally at ‘The Beginning’, as they call it, we found the stroller rentals. We grabbed a double for $14 (plus $2 deposit). They weren’t brand name or fancy strollers; it was a double-wide molded plastic seat with a canopy (not quite a wagon), that they could just climb in and out of. They did have a seatbelt, but they didn’t have any brakes. They served a purpose – my daughter even slept in it sideways, but brakes would have been nice (she rolled away once or twice).
Then off we were to explore the park. Most of the rides had a 36” or 40” height requirement. Some of them had an age requirement of 4, which saddened my son. He was tall enough, but when the man asked him how old he was, he held up 3 fingers. Sorry Buddy, telling the truth is the right thing to do, but doesn’t always get you what you want.
There were lots of rides, and things made out of Lego everywhere! We went on a Safari Jeep ride, and all the animals were made of Lego. Giraffes turned their heads, elephants even sprayed water! It was quite something to see. The lineups weren’t awful; I think the longest we waited was in excess of an hour (horrible with toddlers), but that wasn’t average. And the lines that tended to be longer, all had little Lego play areas where the kids could build while their parents waited in line. Once you were near the front of the line, there was a gate for the children to re-join you. What a great idea!
We wandered around the different areas of the park. Each area had its own unique offerings. Duplo Village had a splash area where little ones could squirt water guns or run in sprinklers or play musical fountains. Duplo Playtown was another popular area for my kids. It was a town of little houses and buildings where they could just run around and have playtime. (They didn’t want to leave this area either.)
In FunTown, my son got to drive a car and get his very own little
LEGOLAND Driver’s license. The ride was nicely broken out into a course for ages 3-5 and 6-13, so the little ones weren’t getting pummeled by big kids.
LEGOLAND is sponsored by Volvo, so all of the vehicles were branded Volvo. (On this note, Volvo vehicles get premium parking in the lot at entry). There is even a life-sized Volvo XC90 on display, built on an actual chassis, made entirely of Lego!
We toured the Lego factory, and ended up in the store (of course). However, in that store was a table there for kids to build their own little ‘Megablock Men’. Mix & match bottoms, tops, heads, hair/hats and accessories. My kids were in heaven. Every combination you could imagine. And there was a promotion to buy a set of three and get the second set free, so we came home with 6 spanking-new Lego people. (Try keeping track of those in a hotel room).
There were so many other areas to see. Miniland USA had several little villages, mock-ups of cities (New York, New Orleans, Vegas) – everything made of Lego! New this month was the Star Wars exhibit. All episodes represented with miniature Lego displays, quite intricate, from battle ships to life-sized characters.
We saw as much as we could and called it a day and returned for naps. Unfortunately, returning the stroller meant heading back to ‘The Beginning’ and then walking back to the back-door to return to our hotel.
The next day, we found out that the hotel had a shuttle that would take us to and from the front entrance, so we didn’t have to walk to the stroller rental. So after breakfast, we checked out and did that. It was a different experience this way. Photographers waited for visitors at the entrance to snap pictures for later viewing (and purchase). The main entrance was also flashier than the subtle back entrance. You experience more of the ‘feel’ of what the park had to offer.
More tomorrow on Day 2.
When our son was five-months-old, we took him to England, to meet his Great Grandma. There was so much we didn’t know about travelling with an infant.
We had high hopes that the baby would sleep for much of the overnight flight but we were so inexperienced, we didn’t realise we could have requested a bassinet. Instead, we swaddled him and laid him across the tray-tables to sleep.
If only we’d known, many airlines offer bassinets to parents traveling with children, particularly on long haul flights. The style, size and weight restrictions of bassinets vary from air carrier to air carrier. They typically attach to bulkheads and can only be used with certain seats in certain rows. Airlines have limited quantities so, if you want a bassinet, it is important to request it, when you book the flight.
Be sure to enquire about the size and weight restrictions of the model the airline is supplying. Bassinets are suitable for infants under six-months, but some can accommodate children beyond one-year. Be aware that your seat assignment will be dictated by the bassinet’s compatibility with the seat configuration on the airplane.
Parents, with the savvy to request a bassinet, seem to find them very helpful and the baby is probably far more comfortable than he would be stretched across the fold-down trays.
Whether your infant is going to spend the flight snoozing in a bassinet or sitting on your lap, she will have to be secured during takeoff and landing. This is done with the use of a belt extension. An adult’s safety belt goes through a loop on the belt extension, which is clipped, securely, around the baby. Flight attendants will show you how to do this correctly. Be sure to ask for assistance if you’re encountering any difficulties.
Beyond their second birthday, children are required to have their own seat. Kiss the days of three people flying for the price of two, goodbye. Many parents, ourselves included, bring their child’s car seat, for use on the plane. It’s a comfortable way for the child to fly and it saves you from the hassles of checking the car seat into the baggage hold, for use at your destination.
Sometimes this works well, and sometimes it doesn’t. Infant car seats don’t always fit properly in an airline seat. Also, be aware that the seat must be approved by the FAA. If the seat doesn’t specifically say that it is approved for use on an airplane, it may end up spending the flight in the overhead compartment, or being gate-checked, while your child swims in the gigantic airplane seat, unaided.
There are harness-type restraint systems that can be purchased for air travel. They are approved for aircraft but not automobiles. These systems are designed for use with children weighing between 22 and 44 pounds and improve a child’s safety and comfort in flight.
It is important to realise that, while a child seat isn’t required on an airplane, it is safer for your child if you use one.
The best advice for parents planning to fly with an infant or toddler is, make inquiries when you book. Don’t save your questions for the check-in counter at the airport. By then, it may be too late.
Ask if bassinets available? What seats on the plane can use them? Which seats on the plane will be off limits to you with a child on your lap? (NB adults traveling with a child on their lap are not permitted to sit in an exit row.) Asking lots of questions and making your requests right up front, vastly improves your chances of having pleasant, problem free flight. – Jen R, Staff Writer
A few airlines that offer bassinets or Carrycots on some of their aircrafts are:
Bassinet photo Via Erie Aviation 
