When I had to go to Budapest I had so many things to do. It wasn’t a planned trip, something came up and had to go home. I was extra lucky, I was able to ask for daycare for Pixie so my husband was able to pick her up after school. And I only had to go to Hungary with Manny, who was 15 months old at the time.
The flight itself was pretty easy. Running around the town and dealing with stuff was much more difficult.
But I think it was the easiest age possible. He wasn’t baby anymore. So he doesn’t require that much attention and he was able to entertain himself for a while when I was giving him new toys or books. He wasn’t in his shy phase yet, so it was easier with relatives. No, he is so cute when being shy. He just hides between my legs and doesn’t dare to look up. A few months ago I could ask his uncle to look after him for a while and he was happy to read a book with him.
My father was amazed how long could he stand in the living room with the vacuum cleaner in his hands and just having fun with that while mummy was trying to find some papers which took ages.
And off course, trying to get official things done could be easier if you have a small kid with you. I was lucky enough when people spotted me in the queue with a kid they told me to go in front.
I was also surprised how considerate people were in Budapest compared with other cities. Whenever I got on the bus multiple people offered me their seats. It was almost disturbing. Manny is in the baby carrier so I can stand with him if needed but even old ladies insisted that I should take their seats. If you think about New York, nobody offered me a place and I was standing on the subway for ages.
My tips for getting things done with a kid would be not to be shy and ask for priority whenever possible. And entertain him with books he never saw before or anything (like a vacuum cleaner) if you need to get something done.
I was very surprised how much stuff I was able to do during basically 3 days.
And I managed to meet friends, go into restaurants and cafes. It was a busy trip but a very successful one!