holidays! at what age is a good time to take baby on holiday for the first time

[kittenbaby]

hi
its my 30th birthday in september! and to celebrate id like to go on a nice holiday we are just about to have a baby in july due on the 8th
so i think it might be very optimistic to plan and go anywhere this sept baby would only be about 12 weeks old
perhaps we could manage a night away the three of us !
its also our first wedding anniversary on the 19th of august and was thinking of going away for a weekend again the three of us but baby will only be about 6 weeks old then am i mad?

would going somewhere next year, when babys about a year old still be too soon?
i was thinking of some sort of beach holiday when its not too hot maybe in jun or sept ?
thanks xx

I would wait and see how you feel tbh. The first time you go on holiday as a parent it's a bit of a shock. Well, it was for me anyway! Because you can't lie in (unless you take it in turns or take a nanny with you as my sister once did, at my suggestion - they DID get a break that time ); you can't go out without getting a babysitter, or you can if you go somewhere where it's ok to take a new baby,no smoke etc. Also you may be knackered by Sept, depends on how the baby sleeps. But if it sleeps like a newborn baby, that could be not very much at night time

Once your baby's a bit older and maybe sleeping then yes, go where ever you like! But sometimes holidays can be harder work then being at home when they're very small, just smae childcare, different place. That having been said, I've been to some lovely self catering places that provide stuff so you don't have to lug too much equipment with you.

Just read that back and it sounds a bit miserable, sorry, didn't mean to be. We have lovely times away now but I suppose my memories are coloured by trying to go on holiday with friends when dd was about 9 months old (ds was 7) and she hardly slept at all. Every time she woke up she woke up the other 2 littlest children (who were 2 at the time) who woke the whole house up. We were in Wales, there was no heating, no privacy, only 1 bathroom for 5 adults and 7 children, it was hell on earth! But since then we've been to some fab places and dd sleeps so it's all ok and we do have a lovely time.

And otoh small babies are very portable and don't need much entertaining so you might find you can go away and get quite a bit of lovely time with your dh. When dd was small and before she could talk dh and I used to walk in the woods and talk while she was perfectly hpapy in her buggy watchnig the world go by.

We went away when DS2 ws 9 weeks old and it was great-If it is your first child I would wait a little personally as it is quite a culture shock and I personally find the first 6 weeks the hardest (not everyone agrees I know)

i have never really thought about the age od children due when booking holidays lol.

dd1 came away with us when she was 8 weeks old.

dd2, didnt go away overnight for a holiday untill she was 3months old, was ok but not much sleep, but then sher has never slept well.

dd3, her first holiday she was 4months old, was ok she slept well.

Our first holiday with DS was when he was 4 months old, with DD at 5 months old. We are expecting another one in October and plan on going on holiday for New Year as we usually do. She'll be 2.5-3 months old and my only worry this time is that I get organised quickly enough to get her a passport.

I agree that the first holiday with a baby is a bit of a shock as you have to cut back on paraphernalia or trust that you'll find what you need where you go, incredulous that your baby can really adapt to another type of milk, nappies etc. The good news is - it gets easier. We've got into the mindset where we plan holidays for us first (the adults) and the children just come along.

I took my first to greece for a fortnight when she was 3 months old

happy as larry

they just eat sleep and coo at that age, they couldn't care less where they are

but they do spend a lot of time indoors (eating and sleeping) so make sure wherever you go has a nice balcony or somewhere you can sit out and still hear her/him

I think the best time during the first year is, when you feel well enough for the activity (or better said when the baby doesn't wake you up every 2 hours!) and before the baby starts crawling! That's guarantees some adult time when baby goes to sleep at night (even if baby wakes up at midnight) and being able to sit and have lunch peacefully while baby sleeps in the puschair.

We've always moved around quite a lot, even when the dc were small, as we like to go back to Italy to see friends and family whenever it's possible. I think it also depends on the baby's disposition. ds cried the whole time for the first three months, not sure I'd have gone on "holiday" with him. dd was a very good baby, we could have taken her anywhere. Ds flew for the first time when he was 2 months and a half, dd when she was six weeks. It was really easy, but then again, a flight England-Italy takes less than 2 hours. What I find makes things easier for us is going on holiday with good friends with children. Lots of company!
cristina, I didn't know you were pg congratulations!

My dd was born in June and by the time she was 12 weeks old, I'd already had an overnight stop in a hotel (she was 8 weeks old) when I combined visiting an old friend with the Northampton balloon festival and by early september I had a family holiday in the New Forest when she would have been around 12 weeks or so. Interestingly it was also the time when the petrol stations ran dry!! So we had lots of walks and very little driving. I don't see why you can't go somewhere for a few days. Babies this age are more portable in some ways than toddlers although they require more equipment!!

I suddenly felt the need for a holiday after our 2nd baby was born, we went to a remote island (Off the coast of Devon in October so it was a bit wet and windy) when he was 11 weeks old and it was lovely. I think I would wait until your baby has arrived and see how you feel. We had a holiday on the same island a couple of years earlier and my sister brought her 5 week old baby, she coped very well but it was obviously very exhausting.

I took my LOs to Scotland when dd was 6 weeks old. Then went away to Eqypt for Christmas was dd was 8 weeks old. However she wasn't my first baby.

However my advice is wait and see, don't book anything until you have the baby. Don't set yourself up to fail, if you book a holiday in September now and don't feel up to it, you're going to feel crap. However if you don't book it now, when the baby comes you may say "Don't feel up to it in Sept, lets wait and see how I feel in Nov"

Take each day/week as it comes, and even though some of us were "up" to taking a holida a few weeks after birth, doesn't mean you will want to.

Hope that makes sense

the younger the easier i think. When the are very small they just need milk, changing and cuddles. I've just come back from California with my 1yr old- once they are walking, shouting, need toys and books, snacks etc etc, it's much harder!

i'd be tempted to wait until you have the baby, then maybe book a weekend away in the UK?

We took our first holiday when DD was 12 weeks. We rented a cottage in the UK. Year after when DD was 16 months we went to Italy.

TBH if I was doing it again I'd go abroad the first year too. Wouldn't be much more hassle, and at least it wouldn't have rained almost every day!

Italy is fantastic for little ones IME.

We went away with DS when he was about 7 weeks old, but nothing too adventurous. We drove to Scotland and rented a house for a week. With MIL.

He was fine - it was great. Slept in travel cots. I was BF so made things much much easier.

I remember holidays with my DC when they were toddlers and wish I had taken them when they were a bit younger and less mobile! We still had lovely holidays though...

Like everybody says, see how you go and don't put yourself under any pressure as you don't know how you're going to feel.

At three months old my dd had her first long haul flight and she was great, go for a proper holiday

ds was 5 months, we went to a cottage in Devon and it was a very easy age , even if we went a bit overladened ! At 6 months we went on a narrow boat with friends and that was ok if a bit stressful ( several were still single then and only 1 other toddler aboard). 6 weeks I 'd be cautious about, for you rather than the baby, can you leave it late to book, but 12 weeks is perfectly realistic. Once they become mobile it is a whole new ball game, as they need constant watching asyou're more aware of potential hazards, more entertainment and can miss their familiar surroundings and routines. Still fine though ,as long as you adjust your prebaby expectations and plan ahead. hth

If you aren't flying six weeks might be fine for a b&b in the Country

kittenbaby- we moved to cyprus when DS was 8weeks old.. the flight and everything was fine.. and TBH was easier to go down the beaches and pools with him at this age as he slept most of the time.. We had him in the shade, and the pram was covered in a shadeababe which kept him nice and cool. ( brilliant invention.)

Where as when he was 1 and 2 when we were still there going to the pools and beaches was anightmare as you were constantly running after him and stopping him diving into the pools etc..

TBH if money was ok for us we would be going to spain end of August for a bit.. but cant afford it this year.. ( and our lo is due a week after yours.)

You need to see how you feel and how you are coping with your new lo..

thanks for all the replies xx

sounds like quite a lot of you think a holiday might be a good idea
sounds sensible to wait and see how i am after the birth and how well we cope in the first few weeks and months
b4 booking anything
i can see your point that it may be easier to go before baby starts crawling and wanting to be entertained all the time

Haven't read the whole thread, but we booked a cheapo Ryanair flight for when our DD was 5 months, but when the time came to it, we just couldn't face it (our DD was a total screamer for the first 9 months!) We weren't actually brave enought to go anywhere until she was 2 and a half, and then we had a fantastic holiday (2 weeks in France in a campervan!), made even more special by the fact we had to wait so long for it. Basically, wait and see what kind of baby you get, but like others have said, when you go on holiday with a small baby, your work comes with you, so you're not really on holiday at all!

Can I hijack this a little and ask whether people prefer hotels or self catering with a wee one? I hope to go away when LO is 10mths, in school Oct break. Somewhere like Majorca I think. Can't decide if a hotel would be nice to get looked after, or if self catering flexibility would be better?

caz10- personally would rather do hotel.. but make sure they have facilities for you to wash and sterlise bottles..nad kettle in the room. atleast you wont have to do the cooking etc.. Or self catering but go somewhere where eating out is cheap.. so you get a little rest too, fromt he daily chores..

Sorry suppose not much help there was I