First abroad holiday 10month old

[Itonlytakesone]

Hi

Iv got a 3 month old baby and I'm thinking of taking her on a long haul holiday abroad with my husband when she's 10 months old in January 2020. Any tips / advice from anyone that's done this... wanted to ask advice before i book something? I'd rather know now if it's going to be a total disaster and if i should just go somewhere in the U.K. 🙈 thanks

Sorry to share a bad experience but we did a long haul trip with dd at 6 months and it was a dream, no issues with flights or any other aspect of the holiday (road trip in california), so merrily set off on a short break in Spain at 10 months and it was hideous. Needed occupying the whole flight (mercifully short) which involved standing and jiggling the whole time, really unsettled every night so disturbed the whole apartment with crying and we were up for long periods settling her every night so were tired and grumpy in the day, too hot and sunny to do much outside, too young to be interested in much but old enough to need constant attention while awake. Rubbish and would never take a baby on holiday again in the 6-12 month period. If you can go while they are younger I'd highly recommend that, small babies are much less trouble! Or delay for a few months until they are old enough to be entertained by an ipad during the flight and to get something out of the activities available at the destination.

@katonic

Oooh right thank you so much, I'd rather know because otherwise I'd never know. I'm sorry you had a bad time though but glad you've shared your experience 🙈 I will look at maybe going earlier or later than 10 months. I've not booked anything just yet so I'll bear your advice in mind 👍🏻

I took my 8 month old to Spain (by myself) and it was great, but I would say it was the upper edges of when it would be okay (until older). Where are you thinking of going? The time change and what you plan to do there will make a huge difference.

A long haul flight with a crawling baby would be a miserable experience. It’s much easier when they are too little and will sleep the whole way, or old enough to be entertained by a film or colouring or games. In the middle, you will spend 10 hours carrying a screaming child up and down the aisle. Also depends what you’ll be doing when you get there. Pool/beach stuff is awful at the age and not relaxing, they can’t do adventure activities, can only tolerate being in the pushchair for so long and then will need to crawl around. If you are going to visit family, it’s okay. If you are planning to spend the day going to museums, it will be hard.

And then just be mindful of the time difference. We took our eldest to the west coast of the US when she was 3, and it took about 5 days for her to adjust. The first 5 days she woke up at 2:30am!

I would aim for something short haul instead and earlier if you can do it. 6-8 months might be easier.

@mindutopia

Thank you so much. You're advice is so helpful. I was thinking of a Barbados beach holiday 🙈 but now you've both said the same i think I'll have to rethink. Iv obviously not thought this through.. it could be (probably would be) more stress than enjoyment and after all the expense and travelling this would just ruin things.

We just went away a couple of weeks ago to a lodge this went absolutely fine. My husband is craving a beach holiday though so i was trying to think where to go and what age to take her, looks like we need to start from square one again 😅 want it to be enjoyable for all 3 of us 🌴

With a Barbados beach holiday you’ll do precisely zero lying on the beach with a 10 month old...

I really wouldn’t with a 10 month old. They will be mobile to some degree which is a nightmare away from home. Too many hazards. The flight will also be a nightmare as you will spend it up and down the aisle jiggling a baby unsettled by their ears popping and wanting to be off. There will be judged looks off some other passengers which will also make it more stressful.
I would definitely stay in the uk. Sorry

It is a bit difficult in this age because they are usually just mobile, meaning everything has to be babyproofed (and a holiday apartment or hotel probably won't be) but they aren't walking yet or not well enough to let them loose outside, that's better once they are 18m+.

Beach holiday would be a nightmare as they have no sense, will crawl off blankets constantly, try to eat sand, they aren't really old enough to placate with ice cream etc though. And you have the worry about keeping them safe from the sun.

That said we did take DS1 on holiday to the Isle of Wight when he was 11mo and had fun. Didn't really have to worry about sunburn. Did a lot of visiting (ex's) family. Yes I think the point about visiting family is a good one.

Wasn’t a long haul flight but took our 10month old to Tenerife last year and she slept on both flights- way easier than taking her to Italy at 20months. It will better if they aren’t mobile yet!

We took our 10 month old to Majorca and it was fine. Loved it. Had his bottle and laughed his head off as the plane took off and then went to sleep. Took him to Japan at 1 and the states at 18months. It's fine, it's not the relaxing long haul flight you are used to but it's not the tenth circle of hell for ten hours straight.

There will be tough moments but that's the same as home. You just get on with it and get there and have a lovely time. I feel that the more relaxed and positive you are about it the the more likely you are to cope if it gets a bit stressful.

Have the holidays and make the memories. The pay off is worth it.

Took ours at 5 months which was a doddle, then again at 14 months which was harder work but she was walking at that point which was much better than if she'd been crawling. However it's not relaxing at all of course! We still have fun though. I think the crawling phase would be the hardest. Go before 6 months if you can as they're so much easier when not mobile!

We did a 2 and a half trip to Portugal and couldn’t do anymore. Although our DD is a very active, never sits still type baby. We had to constantly walk up and down the isles with her and let her crawl around! The way out was better though because we got a night flight and she slept most of it:

Would never do long haul though. But it depends how laidback your baby is.

We took 10 month old to Bali. No issues at all. Had plenty of toys to play with in the footwell as well as books and they still sleep loads. Was well worth it.

Oh and took the first to Caribbean at 10 months. Again no issues at all. It was all fine. Depends on the temperament of your DC.

I came to say the same as katonic I’m afraid, I think 6-12 months is a really hard time to fly. If you could do any earlier maybe 4 months, or if not it may be better to wait a bit in my experience.

We flew to Australia when DS was 4 mths old. People thought we were mad, but the whole experience was really not too bad at all. He dipped in and out of sleep, breastfed, was easily settled in the bassinet, was much easier to entertain, and easy to be carried around in the sling at the airports and for the transfer. In Aus, I mainly kept him in the shade, he didn’t pull off his Sunday, didn’t have to worry about what he would be eating (he wasn’t on solids yet) and he was happy enough in the sling where he mostly slept, he wasn’t but in a particular routine so fitted in with whatever.

We did another, slight shorter flight (6hrs) when DS was 9/10 mths. Longest 6 hrs of my life. He was crawling and teething by then, and much more fidgety and wriggly on the plane. He wouldn’t entertain the idea of the bassinet at all, he was unsettled with his ears popping and his teeth bothering him, I could hear the tuts and signs from people around me on the plane.
When we reached our destination, again in was a bit more tricky, he wanted to crawl and cruise everywhere and was frustrated being in the sling for long periods, it was more difficult to sort out his eating, he kept pulling off his sun hat even when it was fastened so I was always worried about him being exposed to the sun, he was in more of a routine than he had been at 4 months so evenings were more limited with what we could do.

We avoided doing a longhaul flight again until he was 2 1/2, so, as Pp have said, at least he could watch the IPad then!

*Didn’t pull off his sunhat

Took our daughter to Tuscany at 7 months for 5 nights which was a nightmare - first flight and she struggled with that (2 hours) and then we stupidly had only one room so all naps were spent in silence as we didn't even have a balcony 😂

In a week we go for our annual Algarve holiday and cannot wait - short flight, staying in a villa so she can be asleep in our room while we sunbathe/have dinner etc, going with my mum, sister and brother so more babysitters on tap, and we are hiring a full cot (travelcot for an active sleeper is hideous).

Holidays have always been my thing but after Tuscany I will stick to 'home from home' holidays for a few years - DD was not happy about being bundled into the car anytime we wanted to go somewhere.

Barbados is a lovely idea but you will spend the whole time under the umbrella. Dubai is popular with friends with babies around that age?

YY if you do go, defo book an apartment with separate bedroom, rather than hotel room where you're stuck all together in silence.

I wouldn’t do long haul. We went to Greece on a package holiday with ours at ten months. It was fine. But we weren’t planning on doing much. We did self catering, and spent days around the pool. Didn’t go to the beach. We took turns to be in and out of the pool etc. In the evenings we would give the baby her meal in the apartment and then we would eat at a restaurant, taking the sleeping baby along in her pushchair.

Yes maybe wait 4/5 months and do a short haul holiday when she will be easier and enjoy it more

We took DS away at 7 months fine 10 months was tricky (restaurants significantly harder etc) then again at 19 months and was fine

We did a holiday in Greece at that age and it wasn't too bad. We had an apartment rather than hotel so we could put her to bed. The flights were ok. Certainly a lot easier than a year later when I arrived feeling like I had been beaten up - a wriggly toddler on your lap for a flight is brutal. She loved bobbing around in the pool and visiting the local aquarium, her first paddle in the sea, etc. I think a long haul flight would have been hard work though.

We went to New York with a 10 month old (and a 4 year old) and it was fine. On the flight the baby fed a lot, slept a lot, ate a lot of snacks and played with a few toys. I didn't have to do any walking up and down with him. But I agree with pps that a beach holiday won't be very relaxing as you'll spend the whole time trying to keep them out of the sun/from eating the sand/drowning in the sea etc.

Lord don’t wait 4/5 months- either do it now or wait until they are old enough to understand bribes- 2hrs on a ryanair flight with a 20month old I would rather give birth again!

I took my dd twice, at 8 and 9 mo, we did a 3 hr flight and a 4hr flight.

Fly overnight if you can as my dd slept much longer on that flight as it was naturally bed time to her. Day time flight she just napped.

Airport is easy with pushchair.

10mo will require entertaining for the whole flight, maybe make sure she likes watching tv shows etc on a tablet as that can fill some time easily

We went on holiday at a similar age and it was dreadful - nearly booked early flights to leave half way through!! I think we didn't give enough thought to what our DD would need and just went for our normal type of holiday. If we did it again we'd find somewhere close to a town, lots of baby friendly activities to do, and stay in an apartment rather than hotel. You can do it you just have to adjust your expectations and make sure you give some proper thought to what you'll be doing while you're there!

Did it regularly due to circumstances and it was fine. I co slept and breastfed, by 10 months it was mostly food off my plate to eat.