When did you first take baby abroad

[Snappysnap84]

Just that really. I’m wondering when people first took their children/ babies abroad and you could see that the child was enjoying it and getting something from it?

Mine was 11 weeks, we went to a wedding in Dubrovnik (my best friend). It was very easy, she was an easy baby and I used a dummy.

We never then went abroad until she was over 2 so she had her own seat.

Dd flew at 7 weeks because we were moving overseas. For the first few years (and I means years) holidays are for you not your child, they would get just as much from playing in a sandpit in a park or on a British beach because they need to have fun with their family that’s all - but you as parents can think about where you would like to visit and then adapt it to accommodate your child eg more breaks, trips to play parks etc

Oh and I never struggled for help on planes when flying alone, as soon as you board you notice people (generally women of grandparent age) making eye contact with the dc, smiling etc and once the seatbelt sign goes off every time I’ve had someone (sometimes quite a few) offers of a lap and book being read, see also cabin crew once the meal was out the way, dd1 got taken to the cockpit and has a photo with the captain on a 747 aged 1! (Pre 911)

DC1 was nearly three for their first plane ride. I remember tears on take-off, but then they were happy with stickers and snacks.
We had done a trip to France at about 18 months, but on the Eurostar. No tears, had a lovely time, but of course has no recollection now.

DC2 traveled by plane a lot - at 6 weeks, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years…
Often DH wasn’t there and it was just me and two kids - I don’t remember any tears or particular stress, they tended to enjoy it and find it exciting. It’s no more bother than train travel really.

DD was 4 months old the first time we went away, and it was long haul. Everyone said we were mad, but she was good as gold and it was breezy! Like you I worried about the flight but we had a bassinet thing on the plane and she slept in that, played a bit, we walked around in turns etc. She was breastfed so that part was easy. We went out for long leisurely dinners almost every night, and she just slept next to us in her pram bassinet with the mosquito net over it.

We then did a trip to Greece when she was almost 2 and it nearly fucking broke me. She screamed every single minute on the flight, refused to eat or sleep and spent 10 days either having tantrums or trying to throw herself down various concrete steps.

Get a holiday in when they're tiny and portable!

The week after she turned 1 I took her to Indonesia for 10 weeks on my own.
We had a fabulous time.

A couple of weeks before he turned 2 but only because of COVID and then him recovering from major surgery. However next year we’ll be taking our daughter (and 5 year old DS away) and she’ll be around 5 months old :)

Although it’s worth saying my son was 3 when we went backpacking around a few countries in SE Asia and it was incredible (albeit difficult at times) he still talks about it now at 5 years old and loves looking back on the pics. I’d say that’s when holidays started become very enjoyable as he truly loved the experiences

As a pp says they will enjoy holidays as much as they enjoy anything as babies. If you're looking for them actually remembering a holiday I would keep your expectations low - DD1 reckons she doesn't remember California a couple of years ago and she was 10yo!

When they were 10 and 13!

We had fabulous UK holidays up to that point, and I have a DH who doesn't want to travel and doesn't have a passport.

I promised that if the eldest got to go on the French high school trip that included a day in Disneyland Paris, that I'd take them both there for a holiday. Which is what happened. I waited until they were good company on a trip rather than someone to have to really be vigilant at looking after every minute.

Worked for us. And we've been away somewhere different every year since then.

We didn’t go abroad until youngest was 5. Younger than that, and I wasn’t prepared to put other passengers through the hassle for the sake of just a holiday. We did a short hop to Scotland when the eldest was 1, but that was in the days when you could buy medicines that made them drowsy.

6 year old When he was a good sleeper and easy to entertain wouldn’t want to inflict my screaming child on the whole flight

hotels can be noisy at night
I’d worry about the crying at night and disturbing everyone who’s saved up for a relaxing week and my child gives them broken sleep and ruins there holiday

also you look around at night on holiday most of them either very young kids look bored stressed tired and pissed off

I'm took DC1 abroad at 9 weeks, straight after the first vaccinations.. They were no real trouble but obviously didn't particularly benefit from the holiday.

Witb a baby, it's obviously much easier if you are breastfeeding but I would still take a bottle-fed baby. It's much easier if you have a house or apartment to stay in so you can put the child to bed and still have another room to go to.