I took my toddler on my babymoon. It wasn't always relaxing or fun but I cherished our last vacation as a family of 3.

• Before having my second daughter in 2023, my husband and I went on a babymoon in Mexico.
• We decided to bring our toddler, which meant the trip wasn't a typical relaxing babymoon.
• We made small tweaks to ensure a good time, and I cherished our last trip as a family of three.

When my first daughter was born in 2020, it was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I rarely left the house, and the big trip my husband and I envisioned before our baby arrived — island hopping in Greece — was canceled and never rescheduled.

So when I was pregnant with my second daughter in 2023, I knew I wanted to go on a babymoon.

And we did — with our 2.5-year-old toddler in tow.

While I considered leaving her at home with family, it wasn't a realistic possibility.

Rather than resent a babymoon with my child, I shifted my mindset

One of the major reasons I decided to book this trip wasn't just to get away before our new baby arrived.

I realized this would be our last trip and memories made as a family of three. I was excited to expand our family, but wanted to fixate my attention on my older daughter while I could.

We booked a trip to Punta de Mita, Mexico, and I prioritized a few factors to ensure the trip would be fun for my husband and I, and our daughter.

I only considered luxury hotels — with a kid-friendly touch

In recent years, I've splurged more on luxury travel. I don't travel as often as when I was younger, and I want to feel pampered when I take time off of work.

If I was bringing my toddler on my babymoon, I wanted the destination to also appeal to me, i.e., not a loud, chaotic resort.

I've also learned through travel that we guarantee the best experience if we do what our child likes as opposed to what we want to do.

For example, while I'd love to sleep in, lounge on a beach, and enjoy a leisurely dinner, my daughter would never have the attention span, or desire, for such things.

So when I looked at places to book, I selected Conrad Punta de Mita.

It had gorgeous pools, including a zero-entry family pool that meant my daughter could happily sit in the shallow end without me fearing she'd fall off a step into deep water.

I also looked for splash features, my daughter's favorite type of water play at the time. She loved running around the splash pad and interacted with other children whose parents I enjoyed chatting with.

Additionally, I booked a suite so my husband and I didn't have to sit silently in the dark when she slept. Instead, we had actual conversations in another room, or, better yet, slipped outside onto the patio for child-free lounging.

And when the hotel heard we were on a babymoon, they upgraded our suite to include a private plunge pool, which we used whenever she was asleep. Those moments were divine, and helped me feel restored.

Our luxury hotel offered other kid-friendly perks. Children ate for free, so we never paid for our daughter's picked-over meals. They also supplied beach and pool toys, and had fun play areas like cornhole.

I'd be lying if I said it was totally relaxing, but I'm still glad we did it

No matter what, traveling with a toddler is hard.

My daughter didn't want to sit for meals. We never left the resort because it was too difficult to fit her heavy car seat into local taxi vans, and then we'd have to cart it around.

Just as I settled into a pool chair, she needed a diaper change, wanted to do something else, and refused to go in the ocean, which meant neither could I.

Usually my husband or I dined alone as the other accompanied her around the hotel, and it took her forever to fall asleep in unfamiliar surroundings.

Still, I'm glad we took a babymoon with our toddler.

She'll always be my first baby, and I'll never regret spending time together or making memories.