(Lighthearted) who is BU, DH or me? Holidaying with a baby.

[Umlauf]

Please help us settle an argument! DH and I are expecting our first baby in September. I really want to go on holiday the following Easter for a number of reasons, to get some sun, to relax as a family, to have something to aim my exercise/post baby weight loss towards, to explore a new place.

(Due to wanting sunshine we would go long haul (currently in Granada and its bloody freezing) and we would be careful with money so probably not stay in a mark Warner childcare type resort). We thought of Mexico pre-pregnancy...

DH thinks:
-plane journey will be too long
-too hot for a baby to be comfortable
-not worth the money considering dropping to 1 income when baby's born

I think:
-long journey better with baby than toddler
-babies live in hot places, not a problem if sensible with shade/sun cream
-worth the money to have something amazing to do together

Neither of us has had a baby before so we are blissfully ignorant as to how much our lives will change. Who is BU, DH or me?!

[oldnewmummy]

We did our first flight (Singapore to Australia) when our son was 7 weeks - fabulous, slept all the way. First flight long-haul (Singapore to UK) was at 5 months - again, very easy. Since then he's flown long-haul twice a year and short-haul many times and now, at 6, is fantastic on planes. I think the low point was 18months (too big to sit still, to young to enjoy the in-flight entertainment).

[rootypig]

Flying with a baby can be fairly straightforward. Just make sure you fly an airline that has cots and lets you reserve seats at the bulkhead on booking, so you know you'll get one. We are taking DD to Caribbean to see family this June, she will be 8 months. I can confirm that babies do indeed live (happily) in hot countries!

[JassyRadlett]

I took my September baby to Australia and back at 6 months. Relatively straightforward flight; I'm about to do a repeat now that he's 19 months and dreading it a bit - so much easier when they're littler!

Yes, eminently doable and while you'll not exactly be putting your feet up you will have to plan your day around them less that when they're toddlers.

[Idocrazythings]

I agree with the breastfeeding definitely makes life easier- esp. If you are going somewhere where water may be questionable and makes plane trips much easier. Also invest in a really good baby carrier like an ergo- they are more expensive but so worth it. I carried DS at age 2 1/2 up the Eiffel Tower in mine on my back! (He is a small child though!)

[MrsTerryPratchett]

I wouldn't go anywhere malarial or where you need jabs. 6 months is too young for that. Yes, DC live there but malaria or dengue is really horrible (I have had dengue).

DD who is 2 has done about 16 flights, half transatlantic, so I know what I'm talking about. I flew alone with her when she was 3 months. It is MUCH easier if you BF so that is a consideration. If you have a big baby, 9 hours on your lap is a lot. I might go nearer and get a third seat. DD is a good flyer. If you get one that has ear issues or hates it, you and all the plane will wish you chose somewhere nearer.

Good luck.

[Primafacie]

I travelled a lot with babies: DD had been to Portugal, France (twice) and Canada (twice) before 7 months. I had the worst flight of my life on a long haul when she was 6 months and she cried (screamed) for hours. Passengers complained. Flight attendants complained. DH was thrown up on from head to toe. We argued. I nearly cried. We survived. It was never as bad either before or since, but I still shudder at the thought.

We then had DS, preemie, with reflux, and he was and still is a much better traveller than DD. Go figure.

My advice: forget about your Spanish. Forget about beaches, your baby will just eat fistfuls of sand. Don't travel over Easter or during school holidays unless you must.

Go to Marrakech in March, Greece in May, the French Riviera in April to June. Pm for details, I can recommend places - with childcare, without, self catering, hotels.

PS I swear I'm not a travel agent or earn commission :)

Congrats on your baby btw

[Misty9]

We did Dubrovnik for a short break when ds was 6mo. He was fine on the flight (club class thanks to air miles) and made lots of business men friends by landing! Bf made things easier re taking fluids etc, and I fed him on takeoff and landing. We had started weaning (BLW) before we left but postponed in the end for a few days (wasn't that interested anyway).

Stayed sc as easier on budget and somewhere separate for baby to sleep while you chill out in the evenings (ds was not a night owl and needed his routine even at that age).

Flew with him again at 10mo. Much harder, despite still not being mobile at that age. In our experience, holidays with a baby are more a change of scenery than a break! Can't wait for our splash out trip to malta in September though, the last possible week before he turns two

[DevlinMaccabee]

How about Cape Verde Islands if they're a possibility from where you are.

Temperatures are similar to the Caribbean and not such a long flight. I recommend the Riu Touareg hotel, it's amazing.

[justabigdisco]

Oh yeah and she was a non sleeper to boot. Was still fine! Planning planning and more planning, plenty of time when you're on mat leave! Oh and if you're going somewhere tropical, babies hardly need any clothes! Just nappies and sun cream!

[QuintessentialShallots]

Sri Lanka and India were fab when ds was 18-24 months old. When they are walking, they can entertain themselves with sand and water and play on the beach, and splash about in pools. Much more fun than holidaying with a baby.

I have such fond memories of jumping in the waves (on a nice and shallow beach) in Sri Lanka when ds was 22 months old

[justabigdisco]

We did long haul with a 3 month old. It was fine! In fact, it was easier than going short haul when she was 9mo. Younger babies do not need to be constantly entertained, and if you're bf then no need to worry about food etc.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Your DH is closer to the mark I think.

We prefer driving than flying with the boys while they are still little, because we are on our own timetable and have all their stuff where we need it.
There are so many places to see, and we will go further afield when they are older.

[badguider]

Mexico is a looooong flight. I was half-dead even without a baby in tow. Same with Peru. Having said that, both amazing experiences - but IMO only worth the agony of the travel and jetlag if you can stay at least 3 weeks.

Personally I'd wait till May/June and go somewhere a bit closer to home (canaries? greece? turkey?)

[5Foot5]

Don't know anything about Mexico but I can tell you travel will be easier with a portable 6 month old than it will be with a wriggly, tantrumming, opinionated 2 year old. Just bear in mind that you will need at least as much luggage for the baby as you will for the two of you.

Neither of us has had a baby before so we are blissfully ignorant as to how much our lives will change
In the very early days after we became parents when we were naively wondering when things would "get back to normal" I remember someone older and wiser telling us that actually you never "get back to normal" you just "create a new normal"

[WilsonFrickett]

Good plan, save up and see how you go. But if you're going to go anywhere, go before baby crawls. Still have the horrors about Majorca - Majorca! Hardly the back end of beyond - with it's open staircase, deep pool, baby who decided he didn't like sand, etc etc etc. I would never travel with a crawler again.

::lies down in darkened room::

[Umlauf]

Thanks everyone this has been really helpful for us. We've decided based on lots of advice here to start putting a little bit of money away, and then when the baby is about 2 months ish decide whether and where to go then. That way we will hopefully have a little more idea what to expect!

Lottie by doing something amazing together I just mean exploring a new place - like we are doing now in Andalucia (although the weather is ruining it a bit!) and ideally we wanted to go to Latin America as we have both recently started learning Spanish.

[lottiegarbanzo]

Wondering what your definition of 'doing something amazing together' is and how active you imagine that holiday to be. You'll be spending a lot of time feeding your baby, one way or another, and won't easily be able to head off for busy day trips. Short excursions form a comfortable base is more like it.

[cantspel]

I only valid reason for not traveling on a long haul holiday with a baby is financial.

But if you have the spare money then there is no reason why you shouldn't.

[LiegeAndLief]

I have done the Middle East (so medium haul) several times with the following ages: just a 6 month old, just an 18 month old, an 8 mo and a 3yo, and am here at the moment with a 3 and 6yo. Easiest by far has been this latest trip!

However, if you don't want to wait 3 years, 6mo was fairly easy, especially if bfing. Take a sling and they are easily transportable as well. We had no problem with the heat,just used shade, sun cream and airconditioning.

[AThingInYourLife]

I think your husband is less wrong than you are.

But really, just wait until nearer the time.

My (Mexican) SIL and I had plans while we were pregnant with our first babies for a trip to Mexico after the babies were born.

We laugh about it now :o

That said, travelling with one baby is quite easy.

But long flights and strong sun will make a holiday unnecessarily difficult.

My main tip would be to go and visit friends. The first few months can be kind of isolating.

[babybythesea]

Well, we had two holidays in the first year my dd was born.

One down to the south of France when she was 8 months.
We drove for two days to get there. It was fine - we arranged the car so I could hop in the back with ehr if she got fretful. We stopped fairly frequently and stayed in motels for a couple of nights on the way. She wasn't walking anyway so didn't notice that she was confined to the car seat.
It was hot. We stayed in the shade, took a cover for the buggy, lots of suncream, carried loads of water round with us.
We were staying with my parents which helped a bit (they'd hired a house with a pool which was also great for cooling off!) and they told us not to worry paying for the house rent, just money towards food, so the cost didn't really factor too much.

The second one was to new Zealand, as DH is from there and all his family is there and they wanted to meet DD. We went two weeks before she turned one.
That long haul flight wasn't the best - mainly because she had just figured out how to walk and so wasn't content just to sit on our laps but wanted to walk the whole time. It also involved a lot of planning, working out restrictions on fluids etc and which ones did or didn't apply to babies, to ensure we had enough milk and also enough food for her (those squeezy packets of fruit etc were a god send especially on the second leg from Singapore to NZ). My hand luggage shrunk to a book I think which I didn't open anyway. The rest was spare clothes (for me and her - always have spare stuff for you as well as them in case any explosions from whichever orrifice end up covering you!), toys, bottles and cartons of milk, etc etc etc.
It wasn't the best time because of the newly found mobility but we managed. We had one of those cribs that attach to the wall although she was really a bit big for it, but it gave us somewhere to put her that wasn't our laps! We also timed the flights (London to Singapore on the way out, Auckland to Singapore on the way home) to start late at night and kept her going as long as possible that day so that she was tired, and then when we got on the plane she crashed out - that worked quite well and only really made the second leg of the flight a challenge.

It's more than do-able. You just need to plan and organise a bit more than normal!

[lottiegarbanzo]

Six months is a good time for a holiday, as your baby is fairly portable, probably not yet crawling (mine started on hol at 6.5) and you've had time to get used to them. They might be sleeping well, then again they might not.

Think about feeding. You'll probably be in the early stages of weaning, or could wait til after the hol. We started just before and used it as time when we could both get involved in the process.

And yes, illness happens, so committing lots of money up front is a bad idea.

As for where to go, I'd have thought southern Spain should be warm-ish by then, so for warmer, morocco, canaries, turkey?

[EggsEggSplat]

I'd say don't book until the baby is a couple of months old, but apart fom that, 6/7 months is the easiest age to do long-haul travel, specially if you are breast feeding.

Admittedly, sitting on a beach for long periods with a baby is unlikely to work, but if you choose a resort-style place with childcare, you might be able to leave the baby with a sitter for an hour or two a day while you swim, have a massage or whatever. I managed to do that on trips to Australia with my two DCs, both at around 4 months, even though they were both bottle-refusers.

I'd also agree that apartment-style resorts are better than hotel rooms.

[Marmotte3]

Personally, I think Crete would be a much better compromise. We went to Majorca when DS1 was 8 months, I was breast feeding and the flights were fine. Enjoyed the holiday even though it was mixed weather, we had him in a baby backpack so we got to lots of hiking with him. We rented a small villa there, less restrictive than a hotel. I wouldn't be keen on longer flights with babies/toddlers but that's just me.

[melonribena]

I've just been on a short haul flight and city break with our just turned 8mth old. We had a great time!

The flight was fine, he actually dozed off during the landing and was chirpy throughout. I wouldn't have liked to have spent much longer on the plane though, it was very cramped and not very comfortable.

I agree that self catering is the way to go. The main issue we had was fitting all of his stuff in our suitcases. I literally had three outfits and a small toiletry bag for myself! (Thank god for a house with a washing machine!)

I'm breastfeeding so could give him a quick feed on the plane. I'm not sure how much formula/ baby food etc you are allowed to take on the plane, but that's definitely a consideration