When to go on holiday with baby?

[kwhite1101]

I'm 24wks pg with my 1st and it might sound odd to be thinking of holidays already, but my husband needs to give his holiday dates for the coming 12mths when he signs his new contract in May. As a couple we've always been used to two holidays abroad a year so I definitely want to get something booked but have no idea what's the best age to take a baby on hols??

Also any suggestions on baby friendly places would be gratefully recieved, somewhere not too far

Many thanks

We took our son to Egypt to visit family when he was 5 months old with no problems at all. He was very well behaved on the flight and slept alot of the time. I think it is much easier when their not mobile from a traveling point of view.

My DD is now 4mths and I think this would be a good age - things are settled in with a routine, I am fitter (ie not too knackered to do stuff, DD has more interest in stuff around her, but it is before weaning thus feeding times are easier to deal with and also before she works out to crawl

Are you having a holiday before you give birth? I had one at 26-28wks pregnant and v glad with did

Yup, the not mobile thing is big. We went on honeymoon with ds at just under 5 months, the flight was 'interesting' but bearable and him not being too mobile made lovely but unsafe place we had rented OK. Bear in mind tho that baby will inevitably learn to do something new while you are away (ds learned to roll over) it's still a good idea to go somewhere that has equipment like a cot, or where you can get it - i'd happily plonked ds on an ordinary single bed but we had to get hold of a cot side when he started rolling.

I'd say you'd probably want babe to be at least 3 months but others may well disagree.

Also there's nothing that says you actually have to go anywhere much. Best holiday for us now is a weekend at my mum's...

The smaller the baby the easier! esp if bf - no need to pack food, bottles, sterlisers etc Plus hopefully babe would spend the flight sleeping! And as others have said, with baby not mobile, you'll have a much more relaxing holiday yourself.

On the other hand, for the babies benefit, s/he'd far more enjoy a holiday at say 8,9mths when it would be mobile and enjoy taking in all the new learning experiences. BUT don't expect much rest for yourself. Food wise you could by then just have a few emergency jars packed, but give food from restaurants mainly.

I think you need two holidays! one of you, one for baby.

We took DS to Greece when he was 9 weeks. It was perfect. He was bf, so no worries about access to sterilising facilities, he was v portable, in Greece the tavernas are outside (no smoke), we just put him in his pushchair while we had a leisurely dinner and watched the sun go down, or I would be feeding him...I think anywhere where restaurants / cafes are informal and outdoors is good. I swam and lazed on beach while DP sat under a tree in a beachside bar about 5m away, holding DS and reading. We went on medium length walks with DS in a sling.
Also took DS to Mauritius when he was 8 months, also v easy (apart from flight) but extreme heat isn't really ideal.
Nightmare hols: remote villa in Andalucia when Ds was 15 months - couldn't take him out in eves v easily, long drive down track, was a nightmare keeping him away from the pool, trying to work our day out round his more complex feeding needs, him getting tetchy if we drove far. Also Paris in a hotel when he was a bit younger....feeding, going out, the fact that you can't go on any grass in any parks - not a fact a small toddler can understand.

Oh, we went to Broadstairs for 3 days when he was 2.5 weeks - brilliant!

Yes agree with pinkmagic, definitely when they're not mobile is best - no running up and down the aisles and attacking the trays on the seats in front of them!

We first took ds away when he was 5 months, and he would have been younger but dh couldn't get the time off. If you're breastfeeding it's even easier as you don't have to worry about milk powder/bottles quite so much, but even if not (ds was bottlefed) it's still quite easy. In fact I'd say the worst time (and this is from a lugging things around point of view) was when ds was @ 7-10mths and was weaning so we'd taken relatively heavy jars away with us. Once they can eat finger food it's fine again.

Most places abroad love kids, and so long as they know there's a baby in the party they can also provide cots/highchairs if required.

Took ds2 away to Corsica when he was just under 5months with ds1 just under 2, and we had a great time. Would highly recommend the bf part for least hassle, once the weaning thing started there was always the concern of being able to get hold of suitable food. (I hate jars and always cook my own, but thats just a me thing). Flights were ok, I just bf on take off/landing to avoid ear probs.
Took ds1 away at 12weeks for a hotel break, but I did find it all fairly stressful, not knowing if he'd sleep through dinner without being called back to the room etc but I was a stressy 1st time mum, I'm much more relaxed about things now!! We're off to Greece soon with dd for the 1st time and she will be just 6months. (ds1=4.5 and ds2=3)I'm more worried about what trouble the older ones will get themselves into with 150acres to run around in surrounding the villa!

Thanks so much for all your helpful advice. I plan to bf so about 4mths before weaning and crawling sounds like a good plan, I would never have thought of things like that.

It'll be nice to get something booked up to look forward to.

The sluglet undertook her first piece of internation travel aged 3 months. Dh discovered that walking around Barcelona with a baby in the baby bjorn carrier instantly turned him into a babe magnet.

We took ds when he was 11 weeks and it worked brilliantly. I was breastfeeding so didn't need to take anything for bab apart from my boobs! And the Greeks seemed to love babies as they were all over ds, and he loved it! In the evenings we would put him to sleep in the pushchair with a mosquito netty thing over it, and stroll to a taverna for a meal. So we had time with baby and time for us . Must admit holidays have got harder the older ds gets-age 2 was the worst. Now he is almost four it is much more fun!

Any age is fine I would say.

Took ours at 3 weeks, 2 months, 5 months and to a ski resort at 11 months. all great. its quite easy with babies as cute so everyone will hold while you get your cases and stuff.

I took her camping a couple of times too on my own, also fine.

don't worry. Just book something you fancy. most places baby friendly if they are people friendly

We took Ds to spain when he was 5mths and if anything was easier than it would be now at 18mths. I think when they are less mobile so happier to spend time in pram they are great to take away..lol

DH & I are due in about 2.5 weeks and already we are planning on baby's 1st holiday abroard (Prob when aged 4-6 mths). We aim to BF but as this is our first the end result may be to bottle feed baby. Has anyone had experience of bottle feeding a baby abroard? I have read that Avent do sterilising bags that insert into special avent bottles but I haven't seen any to buy or to look at. Apparently these bags are sterilised already and come in a roll of approx 20 bags that you throw away after? I have also seen steri (?) bottles that are for single use but not sure if these are bulky to take abroard?
Also does anyone know if there is an age limit of taking baby abroad/flying due to their ears being undeveloped?
Sorry to crash kwhite1101 but it seems I may get my question answered on this thread

Sorry don't think the disposable botles are avent...think they are playtex (???). Anyone have any experience of these?
Thanks

best age is before they are weaned and before they are moving... I still think back wistfully to my last holiday with DS when he could not move -- we stuck him between us on a towel in the shade and relaxed for 2 whole weeks... can not imagine that happening again EVER!!

we found the disposbale bottles quite fragile and broke more than we used... but they did the job...

Shhh I have used the steribottles - great in an emergency and I plan to take some on hols just in case the steriliser doesn't fit in the microwave (my brother had this problem - I am not a girl guide in disguise !). However, we are staying in this country and taking the car so taking a big pack of these bottles isn't a problem but think they would be bulky to take on a plane especially as you'd need loads if you used them all the time ! Don't know about the steriliser bags but mothercare do self sterilising bottles but you would need a microwave for these too.

shhh we used sterilising tablets and bottled water for ds while abroad when he was 5mths. We also took our tobs of milk he was one as he tended to be sick when his milk changed.

We wnet camping when dd was 6 1/2mnths and I just used the steralised bags that you can get for breast milk and incerted these into a normal bottle and added the milk (used cartons of ready made milk). I sterilised the teats and tops in a saucepan of boiling water fro 5mins. Had no probs at all with it.

Thanks for your advice, gives us info to go away and think about....Maybe hard to take a microwave steriliser away but suppose it will be lighter than boxes of steri bottles LOL.!! Will need to check where we go if they have a microwave. Sterilising tablets are a good idea and something I never thought about. Also just done a google search on the playtex bottles and Babies R us sell them..looks like a trip there is due before we go away !!! Thanks again.

Avent used to do a holder into which you could insert the presterilised bags - also used to store/freeze expressed breastmilk. You needed special tinted teats for it , not the normal clear Avent ones, or it leaked. They seem to now do the Via disposable system now which can be resterilised too.

You can get premeasured cold water travel sterilising bags from Tomee Tippee or Mothercare or Lindam reusable steam sterilising bags if you have access to a microwave - both shown here .

LIZS thanks for the links. I have already bought the VIA containers (don't ask me why! Probably tring to be to prepared before baby arrives !!)
Didn't think these could be used abroard, don't ask my why.! The steriliser bags look handy as well and quite compact for holidays.
Thanks for the tips.