Is RV life suitable for toddlers?

When my patients and their families find out I am a travel nurse, they often assume I travel without my family, but that's just not the case.

I chose travel nursing as a way to afford a life of adventure with my family. It just wouldn't be worth it to me if I had to leave them behind.

Of course, this topic often gets into questions about how many kids do you have, how old are they, how do they handle traveling, etc.

People seem amazed that I have a husband, toddler, and rambunctious dog living in less than 200 sq ft with me.

They imply that my life is hectic, full of madness, and unfit for a child to grow up in.

So as a RV mom living this life, I am here to give the honest, unvarnished truth about what it is really like to live in a RV full-time with a family, including a hyper, destructive toddler.

Is he socialized?

As a parent, I want to do everything I can to make a well-rounded child. I want him to be able to express his feelings and be able to hold a conversation with other children his age, so socializing him with his peers is important to me. I think I was most worried about this part, especially with the pandemic, as we haven't been able to really get out and socialize. However, children learn by the 'monkey see, monkey do' method. Having the opportunity to watch you socialize with other members of the family, video chatting with peers or family members, and socializing when out in public can greatly enhance this part of their lifestyle education. It would probably also be greatly enhanced by having siblings, but our son is an only child so we can't give him that opportunity at this time. Instead, we make sure to include him in our conversation, even though he isn’t talking at this time, and instruct him on how to socialize with others.

I don’t feel like living in a RV limits his socialization in any way. If I or my husband was a stay at home parent in a sticks and bricks home, I feel like Declan would have even less opportunity to socialize than he does now.

Does he get along with other children?

Declan tends to be more on the shy side. It can take him a bit to warm up to people and let his little personality shine, and so as we planned a trip home to visit family, I worried how he would be around all the other children. They all have been growing up together and play together often, and it has been almost a year since they have seen Declan in person.

However, my fears were completely unfounded.

Declan jumped in and started playing with them right away. He would get a little overwhelmed when he was tired, but he would just come to me or his dad and chill out for a bit. He took much longer to warm up to the adults around him, but I completely expected that.

Both his dad and I are introverts to an extent. Once we really get to know someone we are completely comfortable with being around them, but it takes a while for us to get to that point. On top of that, I get overwhelmed with lots of people, who are loud, and in a small space. It is just who we are and one of the reasons living this traveling lifestyle is so great for us.

While it was great to visit family and friends for a week, I think all 3 humans and the pup Chance were more than ready to get back to our RV where we feel most at home.

House or RV for a toddler?

Before moving into the RV, I thought having a toddler in a RV would be absolute madness. I just imagined pulling my hair out and crying in a corner from frustration as my child repeatedly pulled his toys out and ran throughout the house screaming like a banshee.

I was half right.

He absolutely loves to dump his toy box out into the middle of the floor and runs throughout the house screaming like a banshee, but I have yet to cry in a corner or pull my hair out since moving into the RV a year ago.

We did go spend a week in my sister's house, so I got to experience life with Declan in a house, and I am here to say I DO NOT LIKE IT. 

Oh. My.  Goodness.

How do toddler moms survive in a house?

I felt like I was constantly chasing him throughout the house or yelling to see where he was at. How do you just let him be a kid in a house without being right on top of him?

I don't get it.

I felt stressed the whole time.

It is not like I had to be super worried about him messing anything up, because his Aunt Morgan and Aunt Heather would never have held it against him or us if he had broken or damaged anything. They love children and are the house that kids tend to congregate at, so they are completely used to putting anything important up out of reach of little hands.

But instead, I just could not relax when I could not hear him playing in the next room. It just seemed unnatural to me.

In our RV, he's right there all the time. Even if he is in his own room, it's right there. I can hear him. I can look around the corner and see him. I don't have to chase him or hunt him down. I always know where he is at. I know the windows can’t be opened by him, and I can keep my eyes on the two outside doors at all times, so I know he is completely safe.

I did not even realize how much easier it is in a RV until we were back in a house for a bit.

While we do plan on settling down again one day, I do not plan for our home to ever be huge again. I just want to keep things small and simple. It makes parenting life so much more enjoyable when you can focus on your child more and material possessions less.

We have spent his first birthday in our RV, we will spend his 2nd birthday in our RV, and I have no regrets about it. It was the best move for our family.