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Original poster

When did you first take your baby abroad on holiday?

98 replies

crazycatlady82 · 06/03/2015 17:19

Hi,

Being all of 7+5 pregnant... I LOVE going away on holiday. So, because I overthink things I was wondering the following:

When did you first take your baby abroad?

How did you travel?

How long was the journey?

How did the baby cope?

Any tips to make trips easy?

Also, husband says trips abroad are a thing of the past until the child is 2 years! Please tell me that's not true!

Thanks ladies

OP posts:
Sophieelmer · 06/03/2015 17:56

Couldn't you have Wadge the baby grow in the sink?

Sophieelmer · 06/03/2015 17:57

*washed

Artandco · 06/03/2015 18:00

I also would have washed babygrow in sink. For free.

juneau · 06/03/2015 18:00

OP it is entirely possible to travel with DC - particularly with the first one. And while your DH says 'Not until s/he's two' I would argue that a two-year-old is far more trouble to travel with than a baby! However, there are ways to travel with DC at any age. The more mobile and uncontrollable they are though, the harder it makes things like plane trips and you may decide to keep these short and infrequent while you go through the toddler years.

As for us, I took DS1 across the Atlantic on my own when he was four months old. It was stressful, but actually easier than I'd imagined it would be as he was so small and portable and just drinking breast milk. I flew him back and forth between the UK and USA five times before he was two and then we moved back here.

DS2 we've done more driving trips in the UK and over to France, although he went on a plane for the first time at 10 months when he went skiing.

Travelling with DC is more about your mindset than anything else. If you want to do it and its important enough to you, you can do it. You might need to adjust your travelling habits a bit to take your DC into account, but there is no need for your travelling life to grind to a halt!

juneau · 06/03/2015 18:01

that should say 'when WE went skiing'. A 10-month-old doesn't usually ski Grin

Longshorttall · 06/03/2015 18:03

Took DS skiing when he was 10 weeks old. we drove to the Alps. He didn't do much skiing but I find it easier when they're really little. Now he's 6 and his sister is 2, far more difficult as they both express wants and desires.

countessmarkyabitch · 06/03/2015 18:03

About 4 months, for a week in Italy. It was great, no problems at all.

Lordofmyflies · 06/03/2015 18:09

We took Dc1 to Vancouver when he was 6 months. It was great. We had extra leg room on the flight as we required the bulkhead for the bassinet, he was still breast fed and had a bit of food from our plates so a lot cheaper too. Really portable as he could go in a sling. It was probably one of the easiest holidays we had!

ScaryMaryHinge · 06/03/2015 18:11

Took DD to the U.S. to see her grandparents when she was ten weeks old.

It was a nine hour flight and the biggest problem was with bottles. I wasn't BF so taking enought sterilised bottles for the whole journey was a pain. In fact we travelled an awful lot with her when she was a baby and the biggest hassle was always sterilising.

As others have said, you need to work out how many nappies and outfits you think you'll need for the journey, then double it. There's really no traveling light with a baby, and you just have to accept that. Always check ahead to see how mich hand luggage you can take on the plane as it varies so much, also find out where you can pick the buggy up from at the end of the flight, if it's after passport control its worth taking a sling or you'll be stuck lugging a baby plus all your hand luggage through the airport.

It's also worth checking what kinds of brands of baby supplies are avalible where you're going. Even simple things like nappy sizing can vary from country to country and its worth doing your homework.

Traveling with a baby can be fine, and you can still enjoy holidays, but don't expect to be able to be as free and spontaneous as you used to be.

YvesJutteau · 06/03/2015 18:11

DC1 3 months (short-haul flight + hotel). It was fine; flight out he didn't utter a peep, flight back he got a bit grumpy but was easily mollified by being jiggled about in front of the shiny coffee pots in the galley.

DC2 5.5 months (drive, ferry + self-catering). Also fine, much the same as going on holiday in UK.

DC3 10 months (long-haul flight + mixture of hotel and self-catering). Also fine; we scheduled night flights so that she'd sleep a lot and it worked.

TBH it's when they are babies that it's easy. It's the 2(ish) to 5(ish) years when they bore easily but aren't yet so good at entertaining themselves and can't just be stuck in a sling any more that can be a nightmare and leave me not wanting to go abroad.

itsonlysubterfuge · 06/03/2015 18:12

DD was 5 months and we took her to Utah to see my family. We flew on an airplane from Manchester to Las Vegas, I think it was a 7 hour flight? She was amazing. Several people, stewardess included, commented they didn't even realize we had a baby with us. My biggest tip is after it's booked, call and request bulkhead seats, then a day or two before your trip call again and verify your bulkhead seats and then when you arrive at the desk to receive your tickets, make sure you have got the bulkhead seats. They give you loads of space and in the plane we were in I could stand up straight and jiggle the baby around. We even had room to sit on the floor in front of our seats.

MehsMum · 06/03/2015 18:19

Holiday? When DC1 was about 2mo old. Flew, one connection, total about 5 hrs I think. Dead easy: tot needed very little kit, slept a lot.

By that time we already had a non-holiday flight under out belts, flying to join DH who was working overseas.Believe me, a 3 week old baby is MUCH easier on a plane than a 15mo old toddler.

I look back now and wonder what I was on. WHY did I do that? It must have been the pregnancy hormones messing with my brain that made me agree to the whole plan, but we all survived it very well.

nancy75 · 06/03/2015 18:26

Went to spain at 3 months and Australia at 7 months. Both were surprisingly ok. After doing the Australia trip other flights just feel like s bus trip!

HeyMicky · 06/03/2015 18:27

Went to Norway on my own when DD was 4 months to stay with friends for 4 days

6 weeks in Australia when she was 5 months old to see family. Went out with DH and came back on my own.

Drove to France with DH's extended family when she was 11 months.

Of course you can go abroad!

FortyFacedFuckers · 06/03/2015 18:29

DS was 15 months we went to tenerife, flight 4.5 hours. It was absolutely fine. I would have done it quicker the only reason we didn't was finances due to house move and no maternity pay. One of my friends took her DS when he was 6 weeks and all was fine. I honestly think it's easier before they are walking, crawling ect.

ReallyBadParty · 06/03/2015 18:37

4 months to South of France. We flew. It was brilliant.

The thing to remember, is that they have babies in other countries Grin so if you forget something and don't want to take barrow loads of stuff it will be fine.

somewhatavoidant · 06/03/2015 18:37

10 weeks. We flew to Spain with a nanny and I was still absolutely shitting a brickSmile. Took me a few months before I could go out with any confidence. Not sure if I was particularly wimpy. Felt very inadequate most of the time!
Doesn't make any odds to a smallie where they are so you've got to decide if YOU want to go and if the answer is yes, then go for it. Every trip gets easier. Currently away with ds who is 4.5 and pretty well travelled. Actually read a book this trip, delighted with myself. Best of luck with the next few months and your first travels!

ReallyBadParty · 06/03/2015 18:38

Just noticed what your dh thinks- it's much easier before they are two! Downhill all,the way then...Smile

SoMuchForSubtlety · 06/03/2015 18:38

We took DD to Australia when she was 4 months old. I wouldn't call it an easy trip but it was a lot easier for us (DD was still breastfeeding and slept a lot of the way) than for the other families on the flights with toddlers, some of whom had screaming children the whole way.

Between the age of mobility and the age of "able to sit still in front of a movie for a few hours" there is no way I'd go long haul. Short haul, meh, whatever - I agree with the PP who said that if you're used to the flight to Australia everything else feels like a bus trip.

FrChewieLouie · 06/03/2015 18:42

We went to Menorca when dd1 was 8 m.o. Most boring holiday ever. I was paranoid about her getting overheated and spent most of the time lurking in the apartment or hassling the rep about the soft play room being locked all the time. Ah, those PFB days...

Original poster
crazycatlady82 · 06/03/2015 18:43

Thanks ladies!

I really appreciate your honesty.

Emailed thread to dh for comment... Grin

OP posts:
HollyAndIvyTime · 06/03/2015 18:50

Ds1 we took to Italy on our honeymoon at 9 months old. Then to France at 11 months. Both involved flying. Both fine. He slept or b/f or was happy looking out the window etc and neither are long flights. And he his most definitely not a placid child!

Ds2 I took to Canada at 5 months old. It was a breeze. He slept through most of the flight.

I think it's actually much easier going away when they are tiny. Then it gets harder from around when they can walk until three or so, when it gets easier again (more able to be occupied by sitting in one place).

SooticaTheWitchesCat · 06/03/2015 19:10

I took my eldest DD to Turkey when she was 8 weeks old and my youngest went first at 6 months. They were fine with everything, the flight, the heat etc.
I was BF which made things easy and we bought nappies and stuff out there. It is much easier to take a small baby than a toddler.

wigglesrock · 06/03/2015 19:10

Dd1 was 11 months, dd2 was 8 months and dd3 was 14 weeks on each of their first trips.

We go to Ibiza usually, with my first two we hired a villa with other family members, we had a great time but I'm not one for villas or self catering at all on holiday. Since then and for my dd3 first time away we went AI. It suited us with the older kids and we were able to just mooch about swimming and eating. The flights, transfers etc were absolutely no bother at all. Although we went AI all the rooms we stayed in had a fridge and microwave so we were able to sterilise bottles etc, I formula fed mine.

PatriciaHolm · 06/03/2015 19:28

DD: paris at 6 weeks, Caribbean at 4 months and again at 2.5, France at 9 months, Australia 2 years
DD: France at 3 months, Caribbean at 11 months, Australia at 8 months

Plus lots from then on!