KTDontheGO: Have Baby, Will Travel (All Over Alaska!)

THE WORLD HAS changed, and we parents have changed along with it. Whereas our mothers sheltered us for the first several months of our tender young lives, today’s mama is out and about doing everything she used to do before Baby showed up, and that includes traveling.

“Our lives won’t change when we have a baby,” today’s almost-moms and dads enthuse, and from a travel perspective, they might be right. Perhaps not since pioneer women delivered babies in swaying wagons along the Oregon Trail have so many infants been of the globetrotting ilk, and with a healthy backing from the travel industry, too.

Websites like DeliciousBaby and HaveBabyWillTravel pave the way for parents to shoulder the diaper bag, check the stroller at the gate, and zoom off to destinations worldwide. Nothing is overlooked; from parks to playdates, parents of infants can rest assured their wee one will not only be welcomed, but cooed and cuddled practically to death. And that includes Alaska.

I’ve worked hard these past few years to unearth the most family-friendly destinations within the 49th state, including those that provide opportunities for the littlest of visitors. As is the trend nation- and world-wide, traveling babies are a growing demographic that cannot be ignored. Today’s parents are savvy consumers who demand the same stellar service for their kids as they do for themselves, and they will race off to social media sites to either exclaim in glee or cry in horror for those that meet (or don’t) their high expectations.

Where can the parent of an infant or toddler work out the willies, allow a little free playtime, or hike a not-so-steep trail? Here are just a few of our favorites, by city:

ANCHORAGE: The Anchorage Museum offers a great infant/toddler play space in their Imaginarium Discovery Center/Tote Kids’ Space. From blocks to a waterbed, it’s all baby, all the time.

Anchorage Outdoor Family Network. Get connected to outdoor activities in the greater Anchorage area. Not just for residents, this group will help visitors find the safest, closest, and most beautiful outdoor opportunities for parents passing through.

HOMER: The Alaska Center for Coastal Studies offers family-friendly hiking options, touch-and-feel classes for little ones, and a gorgeous view to boot.

Bishops Beach is a lovely spot where little ones can feel the sand, seaweed, and water of the ocean in a kid-friendly environment. Flat and easily accessible, the beach also connects to the popular Islands and Ocean Visitor Center up the hill, where babies will enjoy the puppet box and toddlers the look-and-find displays.

SEWARD: After showing babies and toddlers the fish and fowl at the Alaska Sea Life Center, head downtown to the beautiful playground and tot lot, built by the community in 2008.

JUNEAU: Bundle baby in the backpack and head out to Mendenhall glacier where many accessible trails await your little family. Try the Trail of Time, an easy, half-mile trail winding through a spruce forest and offering great views of the glacier. Interpretive signs make it fun for parents, while flat tread makes it fun for new walkers.

The Alaska Marine Highway System provides parents of little ones ample crawling, climbing, and walking options on their ferries criss-crossing the Inside Passage. Staff are extremely helpful to parents for everything from warming up baby food to making sure the play areas are spic and span.

FAIRBANKS: Take a family walk across the shimmering meadow at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge and watch the flittering swallows or squawking cranes do their courtship dance. Perfect for families, the refuge offers flat trails and a farmhouse visitor center where children are made to feel at home. Year-round, Creamer’s field is a lovely spot to wind down a day.

Pioneer Park is a free park with both resident and visitor appeal. Play on the playground, ride the train, or wander the little Alaskan village. Whatever the activity, parents can be sure small children will be provided plenty of eye-candy.