What is the best age to take a baby on a ski holiay?

[asampras]

I am currently 38 weeks pregnant and the group of family and friends i go skiing with every year are looking at booking the ski holiay for February 2008 when my baby will be 11 months old. My sister is expecting in August and her baby would be 6 months and another member of the group is expecting in June and her baby would be 8 months. We usually ski the Three Valleys most likely Tigne this time. I am worried the stress of taking a baby on the one hour coach ride to Gatwick at 3am, then the plane to France, and then the 3 hour coach ride to the resort. Wondering what others experiences were taking their babies skiing at similar ages?

Ds's first "ski" trip was when he was 5 months - and that was all the way to Canada - and then again at 7 months (driving to the Alps). In both cases, most of the way he just slept - both cars and planes seem to send them to sleep, and buses/coaches the same: just make very sure that you've got a seat booked for then on the transfer coach - otherwise you will be very uncomfortable.

Is there any way you can defer booking until you've had the baby? I'm guessing it's your first? Not putting a dampener on things but maybe unless any of your group have already taken babies along for this holiday in the past and it's been ok, I (personally) would see how you felt when you've had the baby. Is it a family-geared tour operator/resort?

But obviously my post isn't very helpful, so feel free to completely ignore me!

We took ds at almost 1 and it was hard as he wasn't quite walking and didn't enjoy the texture of snow at all. We hired a toboggan with a baby seat which helped ferry him around. Took my parents who baby sat him while we skied and met us for lunch but they felt fairly restricted to the hotel and nearby so he could nap properly and we found hotel mealtimes were stressful as by then he was overtired.

A younger, less mobile baby is much easier as they are happier to stay put in the pushchair or toboggan. However dd really felt the cold as a baby/toddler and was quiet unhappy a lot of the time. As to the journey and transfer bear in mind under 2's won't be allocated a seat either on the plane or transfer bus(so no car seats) nor have a baggage allowance. Babies will generally sleep at least some of the way and the flights are often fairly antisocial with early departures which make this more likely. If you can I'd suggest clubbing together for a private minibus transfer or hiring a car yourselves or even taking the train from the airport,and choose a resort with the shortest transfer time and family friendly accommodation. Your priorities are about to change !

I havn't taken mine skiing, i leave them behind with DH (who hates skiing anyway), and have a short 3-4 day trip with friends. That gives me my snow fix and a nice relaxing break at the same time Maybe you could suggest a separate girls only trip and a men only trip?

If you're looking for a blunt answer, then 'don't do it!'

I don't think we took our kids on a ski holiday until the youngest was at least 2 - that way they can enjoy the snow a bit more.

What were you thinking about in terms of childcare? Were some of the family going to childmind, or were you planning to go with a tour operator with nannies/ creche etc.

If the former, then what LIZS says is very true - there is very little to do in resort for non-skiing adults with really tiny babies, and you wouldn't have access to the toys and facilities that a creche would.

Even when my youngest was 2 I'm not sure I enjoyed the skiing that much. I certainly didn't like the feeling of being miles away up the mountain, having left him with a relative stranger (often rather unsettled in the first few days too).

Skiing with young family is soooooooooooooooooo completely different to skiing before kids. I actually found it stressful rather than enjoyable in the first few years. AND expensive if you're going down the childcare route.
Sorry if this is not what you want to hear, but can't you persuade everyone to have a more family-friendly holiday until the babies are a bit older?

we went for the first time when DS1 was 13 months and DD1 was 3. Although he had never been left in childcare before he wasn't too bothered (some were) and the nannies never had to ring me up to fetch him. Looking back he did enjoy the next year a lot more as he could do more in the way of wandering about outside - seem to remember we did take them both sledging a couple of times but I still had a great time skiing. We used Esprit and we will be going again next year with a LO (I am currently 31 weeks pregnant), children are now 6 and 4.

Choose a resort with a short transfer time and day time flights if you can (maybe look at Austria or Italy for this reason) We did Chambery to La Plagne which is about 2.5 hrs and fairly stressful plus involves a ridiculously early start to Gatwick. Also the Austrian buses definitely have seat belts - French ones didn't last time I went but may have now.

We took ds3 for the first time when he was 6 months (to Canada) (ds1 was 5 and ds2 was 3). He hadn't really been left but was small enough not to mind. I had to stay near enough to go back a feed him but he was well bundled up when outside and slept in a pram or a sled. The next year when he was 18 months was hardest as he didn't like to be left, was still feeding a bit and didn't really settle even though I think the staff were really great. This year he could understand what was happening and didn't even cry on drop off after the first few days.

We drive to the airport (meet and greet so don't even go to a car park) and get a hire car. Most of the coaches/transfer minibuses don't do car seats so I wont even consider them.

I'm afraid I'm in the "don't bother" camp, it's simply too much effort .

We took DS on a "snowy" holiday when he was 2 and that was fine but simply because I only did a bit of cross country skiing and DH did none.

Returned today from our first proper ski holiday with DS (...he is 4.5). It was great and he has progressed beyond belief in one week...but still DH & I did not really ski (in the pre child sense). My advice is to put the skiing on hold for a few years or accept it will be a "snowy" holiday but you may not ski.

By the way, we went to a great "Kinderhotel" and will post seperately about it.

We took DS1 on a Mark Warner ski holiday when he was 9 months and it was a BIG success. Hadn't expected to be able to ski all day but he was so happy in the creche I did so without a twinge of guilt. He was used to being at nursery 3 days a week so I guess it might not be so easy with a baby who isn't used to being left. Would think that more DIY childcare would be a nightmare - there's not much for babies to do in a ski resort and would be difficult to entertain them in a chalet or hotel room. We went to Meribel, the coach transfer was long but doable.

asampras - I took DD first time when she was 11 mo old, we always ski 3 valleys (usually courchevel or Tignes) but when we went with DD we decided on Val Thorens because, in the centre of Val Thorens there is a huge indoor soft play area, ball pitts, little slides etc etc for babies and toddlers, with an indoor pool also. So if the weather is foggy, too cold etc then we had somewhere to go and amuse DD either for the moring or the afternoon.
the flights will be fine dont worry, kids adapt VERY easily. If all else fails give your little one a spoonful of medised before bedtime on the night you intend to fly I flew to Oz last nov with DD (20 mo old at the time) and honestly, all the things you could possible worry about on transfers and flights often never happen.

Ive taken ds (now 15 mths) 3 times, twice when he was 3 months old and once 3 weeks ago. Was no trouble, if you are planning to ski yourself then make sure the resort you are going to does creche for the right age. Minimum ages vary, Avoraiz in France takes babies from 3 months old.

First time we went was to US, no problem with travelling itself, if they are still int he babyseat then is easy enough to swap between coach, airport etc.

I only left him for 2-3 hours max first time and this year i had one day off and took him swimming, also we tended to head up the mountain later and head down earlier than pre-baby.

I would say book now before you have baby as then you will go. If you wait til after birth then you will prob always find a reason not to go iyswim (let alone the time to book!!))

I was nervous first time but as it was paid for we went anyway and was fine.

We took ds at 4 months to Meribel. Drove there from Scotland and ds slept most of the time. Had a nanny in the chalet who was very good. Ds was still fully breast fed, so I left plenty of EBM (as already used to expressing extra). I looked on it as a trail run for the following week when I was starting back at work f/t.

It didn't bother me beign away skiing - but it did help that we were sharing a chalet with my best frined, who is also my "guru" re paretning matters, with 4 kids herself (and both she and her dh are GPs).

Wetn the following year when ds was 17 months old. Again had a nanny in the chalet. Was a wee bit more difficult, as ds had only just tarted walking, so didn't like the different feel of snow underfoot. But apart from that, there were no problems.

At 2 we put him into the creche in Meribel which again wasnt a problem.
We left him behind the following year. At 4 we put him into ski school for tinies in the morning and then the ESF "jardin de p'tits loups" (now called the club piou piou) in the afternoon (where they also do a wee bit of low key intruction - more so in the second year) - which we repeated again the following year. These were the years where our skiing was porbably most curtailed, as you can't go far in two hours (a bit better in the afternoon, when we had 3 hours). Alo the "skiing" with him at lunchtime was bit fraught, even to get to the ESF, let alone have some lunch.

This year (ds now 6) was the break through year: not only was he in ski shchool for a whole 4 hours in the mronings, but there were alo two days when he was away the whole day!! And by the end of the week, we were able to take him down a(n easy) red run

It very much depends on your attitudes. I am a mum who is confident to be away from her child - who is himself a very confident wee bouy. I also have a very involved, hands on dh - hwo is equally keen on skiing! So we make sure it works!

We awere alo very concisous of not pushing ds too quickly - hence he did not go on skis until he was 4 and even then, oly after our ski insutructor friends had a look at him and made a judgement as to whether he was ready.

.....but all of that is well in the future for you!

lapserunner, which kinderhotel did u go to? Looking forward to hearing about it..

I wouldn't do it. I left my daughter (16 months) with my mother for 11 days last year to go ski-ing with my partner and stepsons and stayed in a hotel. This year I'm taking her along BUT we have rented a fully catered chalet with another family of five so that there is plenty of indoor playing space. I'd actually prefer not to take her but my mother can't have her this year.