Mauritius with 2 month old?

[newmum2be101]

Hi all,
I recently found out I am pregnant, expected arrival early September this year. We have a holiday to Mauritius booked for mid-November and I was wondering AIBU to consider taking the baby away with us? They will be around 2 months

I did fly long haul when my dc was that age for a family wedding. I was lucky that I had an easy birth and recovered quickly plus could breastfeed so no worries about formula and bottles. Flying with a newborn was actually relatively easy and so was the time difference (as dc fed every 4hrs regardless). However it was hard work and certainly not a holiday. More childcare with added inconvenience...

I’d go, I took mine to the Far East at 10 weeks. It was wonderful. They don’t get any more portable than that.

Thanks everyone! I'm currently looking at options to change! I think the only dates that really work is end of June/early July so will wait and see what the dating scan says (I think I should be around 27 weeks at that point) and then either change or cancel and book something else!

Does anyone have any idea what the climate is like in Mauritius at that time of year please?

I had an EMCS and flew at 8 weeks the day after jabs. It was all fine no issues.

We took DC1 on a 4.5hr flight at 12 weeks old. With baby jabs we could go swimming and, DC were still small enough to nap well and be content in pram when we went out for dinner at night etc.

However we only booked the holiday after we had registered DC and got first passport.

The weather in June/July is very variable. It won't be scorching hot, but quite pleasant. There can be a lot of rain though.

We took DS to Mauritius when he was 9 months old. That was a good age to take him. Sleeping better, easier to feed and he loved being on the beach and in the sea.

My baby is a month old and I’d happily take him, but we can’t even register him for another month, and then a passport is another 4-6 weeks on top of that… so we wouldn’t be able to, he’ll be at least 3 months when we can travel. He’s also really chilled - not all the babies in my baby group are the same, so it’d be highly baby dependant.

And your baby will be due their 8 week jabs. They won’t do them early - they are aiming to do them as close to 8 weeks as possible to boost immunity during the pandemic. My 6 week postnatal check is not until 8 weeks too; to reduce face to face appointments for the doctor.

Overall I’d say I’d be happy to do it, but it doesn’t seem realistic right now. I’d hope that we’ll have made progress by the end of the year; but as the cold weather plays a part, I’d be nervous to bet on it.

We did two long hauls when my DS2 was 4 and 5 months old, that was harrrd. Lack of sleep combined with jet lag combined with postpartum body on the beach…postpone your holiday.

I would definitely go! At 2 months old it's easier to travel than for example 1 year or older as they are more mobile then.

I did a long haul trip (13h flight) with my first born when she was a similar age and the flight was absolutely fine and she loved being in the warm climate and in the pool (not sure why a previous poster said they can't use a pool at that age). We went for 3 weeks though, so we had a really good break and if we had a rough night, we could just take turns sleeping in the next day as none of us had to work.

I did not have an easy delivery, ended with an emergency c-section, but by 2 months I was definitely able to fly. Also, there is two of you, so you can take turns with the baby on the flight.

Absolutely no way

Passport would be my main worry as other say - despite nasty csection recovery and tough time adjusting baby was dreamy at 8 weeks. You need their birth certificate first and I'm not sure if the covid backlog is cleared yet for more birth registration and passports

In addition, Mauritius is very safe country, no malaria, no scary bugs and the people are very child friendly.

Re-arrange

I flew to tropical long haul when dd was 8 weeks old, had a wonderful time and dd was portable and unperturbed. However being a first she was 3 weeks late, so there’s a good chance your baby would only be a month old, not sure how viable that’d be.

You don't realise how much your life is going to change and probably won't feel like that kind of upheaval so soon after giving birth

DD was born with a disability that had not been identified prior to birth. I had so many appointments in the first year, I couldn't have left the country at any point really.

I went on holiday with a 10 week old, which was great actually, but it was tight in terms of registering the birth and getting a passport. If you’re looking at 6-8 weeks then I’d say it’s risky. Also I was absolutely fine post c section at 10 weeks but at 6 I don’t know how much I would have been up for dragging luggage through the airport. I’d definitely still go but I’d push the trip back by a month.

I would re-schedule either for this summer or next spring. Or perhaps later, depending on the sort of holiday you'd like to have. It was a struggle to just to pack up and go to MIL's for a weekend at 8 weeks with my first. And I was exhausted and dh and I were still up most of the night and I just wanted to sleep a lot of the day. Travelling even with a 3-6 month old would be much easier.

If you are thinking of a beach/pool holiday though (I imagine you will be), I'd skip the time when babies are mobile but not walking confidently. I took my 8 month old (crawling) away for a city break and it was lovely, but when we weren't out and about, he wanted to just be on the floor scooting and crawling. That wouldn't be safe at poolside and wouldn't be at all pleasant on a sandy beach. It's easier when they are walking.

I think it probably depends what sort of a person you are. I think there are quite gung-ho parents who would be absolutely fine, and there are more cautious people who would find it really hard.

I'm planning to take mine on a holiday when she's about three months old, though admittedly it's Italy rather than Mauritius (jealous) and some of my extended family who have had their own kids will be there and help out.

Good point about bottle feeding. I took my 9 month old overseas and she was still having a couple of bottles a day. It was a nightmare trying to deal with the airline liquid requirements, take all the sterilising stuff and make sure we had enough formula to take overseas, as formula changes tended to give her a dodgy tummy. Plus preparing bottles in a hotel room is such a faff.

I would just rearrange.

I'd rearrange. Mauritius is a beautiful, relaxed place to visit but it's a long flight with a baby that small. Plus baby will need a passport, and in some areas there's a real backlog in getting births registered (I had a baby 8 weeks ago).

@Theyweretheworstoftimes

I had an EMCS and flew at 8 weeks the day after jabs. It was all fine no issues.

Nice and hot / warm during the day, a little cooler in the evening.

Best to stay on the West Coast or North June - August as it is windier and cooler on the East coast at that time of year.

Boycott it anyway, look up the Michaela McAreavey case. The government have tried to brush this under the carpet.