Am I mad to consider this with a newborn?

We’ve done longer than 3 hours with twin babies. They sleep a lot when little so a good time to travel. One of us sat in the back between the babies to make sure they were ok. Much more difficult when they became toddlers.

Oh god! You’ve just given me flashbacks to the dreaded “witching hour”

Depends on you and your baby but I would've been fine. I took my firstborn camping when he was a month old and did many weekends away before he was 6 months. My new baby is 8 weeks old and weve just done a glamping pod for a few days with no issues whatsoever. Then again I've seen other mums who have had such a rough time they haven't really left the house for weeks after the birth. There's no way to tell which camp you'll fall into so whatever you choose, make sure it's either quite cheap or refundable!

You just won't know until the baby comes. You won't know if the baby sleeps through or cries a lot or whatever. I would take a chance and book but check the cancellation policy just in case you decide it's going to be too much.

I've had 3 kids. All very different. However ALL had 2 really bad crying weeks week 5/6. I think if you look it up, week 6 is the week a baby cries and cluster feeds most. So honestly, I'd possibly book, refundable and make a last-minute decision. My first child would have been fine and we did do a 2.5 hour journey stopping several times.

Sure why not? And why would you have to stop? Your baby will probably sleep through most of the drive.
I flew to Spain with my son when he was six weeks. No issues.

Honestly, that sounds lovely. Newborn babies are very straightforward IMO in terms of needs, and it's a very special magical time. There's no schedule/naptime and your baby will just be happy to be on you in a sling or in a pram. Would imagine absolutely lovely memories.

The thing I would consider though is, is everything gonna go to plan. If you have a straightforward birth you'll be up and about by then, but if not, then you may need further rest and travel may absolutely be on the cards. How much would you definitely need to spend before you have to go, like paying for accommodation etc? That would be my main consideration, not so much the trip itself.

6 stops? Depends on which NHS trust you read the info from. SOME say 30 mins and others say 2 hours.

I personally don't know anyone who has stopped every bloody 30 mins to disturb a baby

Personally I’d keep an open mind and see how you go. If you have an easy delivery and you heal well, baby feeds well at then do it (yes lots of stops, yes you’ll have a car full of gear). With my first we traveled to a wedding when she was 5 weeks. With my second I had an emergency c section 7 weeks early, he was very poorly for a long time and I could barely dress myself let alone pack for a trip away! So it really just depends how things go for you! Can you get something with free cancellation?

A train should be fine btw

If you are going to book anything, I'd make sure you have late cancellation options.

My newborn shrieked blue murder after ten minutes in the car. Every time. A 20 minute drive was hideous . I wouldn’t have done it. Depends on your newborn

I’d just wait and see how you feel, you’ll easily be able to book accommodation. Personally I’d fly or take the train, as the car trip sounds the most arduous bit. Most hotels will be able to give you something for baby to sleep in, or just cosleep for those nights (put partner on sofa bed if needed). We were kn holiday recently in Greece and there was a couple there with a 6 week old (god knows how they got the passport)so some people certainly don’t find travelling with baby tricky

Agree depends on good health all round.. also I’d be sure to have medical info to hand as at that age there’s quite a lot of guessing. If everything goes fine at birth and feeding etc then fine but if you have any issues it would be tricky at best. I wouldn’t commit!

Our baby hated the car for quite a long time, constant screaming is hard to take especially if you are the driver! Newborn baby crying especially evokes a kind of visceral stress reaction which doesn't go well with concentrating on driving!

So many variables - it's impossible to predict. Wait and see how you're both doing post birth and think about booking then. No need to book so early.

Did you have a lie flat car seat/carrycot?
Many on here must be ignoring safe sleeping/travelling.
People having colds etc could be an issue. The Christmas markets sound ok, until you get people carrying hot drinks/alcohol over the pram. A sling would work unless the temperature drops too low, I've touched unlucky and it's been -5 in November. Visiting and not having to worry about cleaning and cooking would be great if you can make the other bits work. A three hour drive means at least six stops without a lie flat seat to allow the baby's oxygen levels to recover.

I wouldn’t.

It’s entirely possible you’ll have a magical birth and an easy baby from day one. But in the event you don’t having to cancel everything and manage people’s expectations if just a load of stress you absolutely don’t need.

I agree with others that I would look into taking the train (make sure to get an extra seat) BUT would want to either rent a car or borrow one from a relative for the duration of the stay. I wouldn't want to be depending on local public transport or cobbled together lifts from family through the stay.

The second month was about the time I was really going stir crazy and getting out was vital for my mental health, so it was worth some work for me. Every family (by which I mean mother, baby, second parent, and other family support) is different in both the value of getting away from home and the amount of struggle it will be, so include flexibility in any plans and manage everyone's expectations.

When ds2 was 5 weeks old, and ds1 was 2, we went from Essex to Aberdeen for a wedding, and whilst it was hard work, it went just fine. We travelled up by train, which made it easier, I think.

With my first 2 we went away for the weekend at 3/4 days old. With my 4th we went to France for 10 days at 10 weeks old, and a weekend away at about 3/4 weeks old. They are so portable at that age 😍

How busy are the markets? The ones in my city are massive and rammed, and I'd have found it too much to be there 5 weeks postpartum. If it's something quieter and more civilised where you could be assured of a chair if you need one, that would be easier to cope with.

Id rather be somewhere else if I had been stuck indoors for 5 or 6 weeks tbh

Every two hours, all day and all night. I’m not talking exclusively about the drive. I’m talking about if you never get more than two hours sleep at a time, would you really want to be away from home, socialising etc. or would you rather be at home and comfortable?

As others say, just make sure your hotel is cancellable and see how you feel. With my first, I wouldn’t have found this easy (her temperament!) but, with my second, this would’ve been a breeze. They were just very different babies and the second was far more easy going!