When did you first take your baby abroad on holiday?

[crazycatlady82]

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

We travelled a whole heap with DD1 and 2. With DD1 we went to South Africa at 8 weeks, New York and 16 weeks, Dubai at 8 months, Toronto at 11 months, South Africa again at 13 months and Australia at 16 months when I was 28week pregnant with DD2. DD2 went to South Africa at 17 Days, New York at 3 months, Rome at 6 moths, Paris at a year and then 6 monthly to South Africa. They are now 5 and 7 and both travel well. The most difficult trips were between 9 months (when they both started walking) until 2 as they were too little for much entertainment/movies.

We took twins aged 7 months to Toronto. It's only as hard as you make it and small babies are so portable. Plan ahead, bring toys books favourite blanket etc and it's easier (note: not easy but not utterly horrid either)
We learned tips like booking hotels with self service laundry and bringing spare clothes (for kids and adults) onboard. Plus hide spare nappies everywhere! Bring pushchair that you are not precious about. Travel is very hard on pushchairs!!
Bring Calpol/Neurofen.
Read Tripadvisor and get recommendations from like minded families.
Don't make too many plans for day 1...let it play out calmly...everyone will be off schedule so be kind to yourself.
It's utterly doable esp if you are heading from UK to Spain/Portugal.

13.5 months to Spain. Taking a baby is very easy - though the flight with an almost toddler was painful. The following year was much easier flying because they have their own seat and wasn't kicking the chair in front. I wish we'd taken him away before he turned one. This year we'll be joined by our 8mth old

Took Dd1 to Greece aged 9 weeks.... No problem. Flight to Athens, night in hotel, taxi to port, ferry to Island. I would say it's easier if you are breast feeding, because you don't have milk or bottles to carry or sterilisation to worry about.

It was more difficult, but still perfectly possible when Dd2 was 9 months and dd1 2 years and 9 months. At those ages, you need to carry toys etc and you prob need to plan in naps at your hotel. I 'm making it sound hard and I suppose it is, but it's better than staying at home.

I've taken my two DDs on LONG journeys since birth and they are used to it. When I say long, I mean 12 hour flights, 2 days of driving to Switzerland.

Should add, but never thought of it before reading others replies, that I deliberately kept up the breastfeeding to make this holiday easier - no bottles, no need for sterilising or a fridge for milk etc.

We first took DD away at 3 months, then 6 months, 9 months, nearly a year and on and on. We all like travelling. We go abroad at least twice a year, sometimes up to four times. We don't miss out on the familiarity thing because two of those holidays (the ones that are every year) will be to family homes in foreign countries and have the fun of being away and the loveliness of familiarity and learning more about the place each time. I did breastfeed so that made it a lot easier in terms of plane logistics.

I'm assuming the foreign holidays are for your benefit , not any perecieved benefit for the children?

This seems just really odd. How is it not for the benefit of the children if they get to experience another country/language/food/way of being? Even countries quite close to us can be v different in terms of social norms and I think it's enormously beneficial for young children to start learning to communicate in any other language at all before they get self-conscious about it.

Taking DD on planes early and often has definitely had benefits. She has been perfectly able to amuse herself on a flight from about 18 months onwards (we have been complimented a few times by other passengers who didn't realise a child was sitting in front of them until they stood up).

The worst age for plane travel was about 12-18 months. Just the awfulness of the child not wanting to sit down and having to. DD did know the drill, though, and we have had only one flight where I wanted to run away and pretend she wasn't mine.

I'd also highly recommend a holiday in a house or camping rather than a hotel. It's lovely when you have a small baby to have a living room or terrace or somewhere that doesn't contain your kid where you can take yourself and DH/DP and a bottle of wine and just chill out together.

We flew to Australia with short stop off in Bangkok when DD1 was 15 months old (24 hours travelling). She was amazing and when we got up to get off the plane in Sydney the people behind us actually said they hadn't realised there was a child in front of them. Took her to dubai a few weeks later (7hrs), also great holiday as she napped for 2 hours in day so got reading/sunbathing done then.
Obviously very different holidays but you can still have chill out time and play time.
Took both to Vegas when DD2 was 13 months and DD2 was 3 and half, Fab trip, there's actually loads for kids to do. Have since travelled long haul to Utah twice, Florida once and several European trips. The girls are great at travelling now (now aged 4 and 6 and half) we even drive to Scotland every year (9hrs in a car) and I whine the most.
Top tip is just fill hand luggage with snacks, drinks, colouring, games, puzzles etc. We do have DVD players in the car for the Scotland drive.
The main difference with current holidays is that we don't lay in the sun so much and we have to get up earlier than we would have done previously.

Agree with Woolyheads, own apartment is a must. Even a 1 bed where you can put kids to sleep while you relax.

3 months. To italy. By plane.

We took our first born to France for a week on the train when he was 5 weeks old. The hardest part was getting passport photos that met the criteria.
Extended family came too & we had a very easy baby.

It was a breeze, we had a fab time. Go for it.

Took M to italy at 9 months. It was a doddle. We did BLW so he just ate what we did - we took a portable highchair, pushchair and sling. He loved pasta, veg and pizza! I remember he had a bit of a paddy being strapped to me on the plane awaiting take off but was fine and had a bf once we got going. Took him again at 14m. All good :)

Much easier the younger they are in all honesty - flew back and forth dr btwn here and London (transatlantic) multiple times from when DS1 was about 10 weeks once we got passport - he nursed and slept, I drank wine.

Far harder once theyre moving around more and need more to entertain them. Heading back to London for a trip in september, DS 1 will be 4 then and DS 2 will be 18 months. I drink think I'll get time to drink wine this time around!!

We went skiing to France w dd when she was 4 months old. It was v easy

Drove to France from Newcastle when pfb was 5mo. Took 3 days as hard to ensure breaks out of car seat. But it was fine, we had a great holiday. Then did it again when ds1 was 3 and ds2 was 6mo.

Lots of great advice on here and having young kids absolutely shouldn't stop you travelling internationally; we did it with both our DS's from 3 months up. The youngest we took either of them long-haul was 5 months and I would say that the less stressed you get about it, the better the kids behave.

The one thing I would add (and I haven't had the chance to read all the comments, so apologies if you've already heard this), is that if you're flying - even on a short trip - make sure you keep a feed back to give your baby during the descent, if at all possible. Young babies - obviously - don't know how to equalise the air pressure in their ears, but if they're feeding, it happens naturally. Saves a LOT of crying and pain for the children, I promise. (And some crying and pain for the parents too, now I come to think of it!). For older kids (toddlers and pre-schoolers), sippy cups work just as well - as long as you can get them to start drinking from them before the pressure kicks in.

2.0

3hr flight

Went in autumn so it wasn't as hot.

Only stayed a week.

Didn't venture far- mostly pool/beach.

Kept him up late to enjoy evenings.

Went to resort that was family friendly.

Are at places with'familar' food. (He had a week of sausages & chips)

Took a super lightweight umbrella buggy.

Had a 2 bedroom self catering apartment in complex with own playground.

Took lots of swim trunks/all in one cover ups/hats/multiple sandals/loads of top quality high factor sunscreen.

we went when DC1 was 18mo and I was 6m pregnant with DC2. just once while the toddler was still free.

It was fabulous but all hols since have been in the UK and will be until they are a bit older.

I did loads of travel when PG, including our summer holidays to Cuba at 11 weeks pg (booked before BFP) and numerous trips around the EU for work. I last flew 3 days after the official "do not fly" date, back from a 2 week trip to 2 capital cities.

We travelled abroad with DD when she was almost 9 months old, and she decided that that fortnight would be a fantastic one to learn to walk rather than crawl (in a non-babyproofable apartment with tiled floors and big wooden furniture).

Other than that, it worked fine. I had still been doing a dreamfeed and early morning BF, so was able to BF on plane journeys. We were already using microwave sterilizing bags for bottles and knew apartment had a micro. Jars of food in France were a bit different but actually really nice (we brought home a load of salmon and green beans ones, and a few plum deserts we couldn't get here). It all worked grand and we enjoyed having fun on the beach with her.

We took DD to Sydney at 2 years (she had her birthday over there) which was about a four hour flight from NZ. Biggest issue was the 3 hour drive to the airport trying to keep her occupied, she had a fun over there and was defiantly able to the activities like swim at the beach, visit the zoo etc.

It's SO MUCH EASIER they younger they are!!!

My family live a 9-10 hour flight away, so we go 2-3 times a year, plus a few shorter flights.

DS1 went at 6 weeks - easy. For him, not so much for me

DS2 went at 3 weeks - easy. DS1 was 1.1y - reasonably easy, but was walking and wanted to move, so more tiring.

At 1 and 2, that got a lot harder. Both wanted to move, neither could sit and watch the movies.

The nearly 2yo DS2 and nearly 3yo DS1 was the worst flight. DS2 didn't have a seat because he was under 2, hated sitting in our laps, neither wanted to sit and neither slept.

They are 3 and 4 now and it's getting easier. They're happy to watch TV shows and movies and can sit and draw and they both have seats. They love going on airplanes and on holiday.

We have a lot more trouble driving because they are confined to their seats. We don't have a car ourselves, though, so they're not used to it.

There are a lot of threads about how to do flights with toddlers. And people love giving advice about particular destinations with toddlers and babies.

Flew alone with ds when he was 6 months old. Then, at 10 months, we did Christmas with family in a country which is a 10 hour drive away. Then following summer, at 16 months, a proper seaside holiday, again a 10 hour drive.
Absolutely no problem whatsoever. Mainly because I never expected it to be a problem, I think. I travelled with my parents all the time, they never seemed to think it would be a problem and they were right.

6 weeks to Ireland for my brothers wedding. We then rented a cottage a couple of hours away for a few days and had an amazing time. Easier then taking a young toddler , she slept all the time on the journey and didn't ask for snacks or peppa pig...