Best vacation destination with a baby
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Anonymous
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I’ll dissent from the group here. I have one 3 year old and another baby. With our oldest, we’ve done multiple international trips, have traveled with and without our nanny, and it’s always been completely worth it. Baby wearing for the flight is helpful as is booking business class if you can swing it. I haven’t done it in coach, but I would recommend getting a separate seat and putting baby in the car seat for the flight if that’s more aligned with your speed.
They’re fairly easy at that age and should hopefully be sleeping okay. I would absolutely do this! We are planning big trips with our two for this spring and summer. I don’t think you’re crazy at all. Why don’t you rent someplace in Italy with a pool and have your nanny stay with the baby while you guys check into a hotel for a night or two? Bring a wearable pump and you can pump in the car between activities. If you’re easy going and your baby is too, it will be a ton of fun! |
Anonymous
| I would only caution against going to the Mediterranean at a time when it’s really hot. My baby hated the heat so we would’ve been miserable heading to the Amalfi Coast in July or August for instance. Otherwise hope you have the best time! I think it’ll be great. We loved traveling with ours at any age. We started at 5 months. |
Anonymous
| Don't listen to the naysayers who are jealous of your "wealth," but I think it makes sense to take "baby steps." Maybe take a shorter domestic trip in a rental home for your first time away with your baby. We found that our crying colicky child became an adorable Gerber baby at about 5 months. While it's nice that you have a nanny to help out, I found that the family only trips were good opportunities for bonding. Having a baby with you will necessitate some changes in content and pacing of your trip, but becoming a parent is a life-changing event no matter what support you have (or don't have). |
Anonymous
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My kid has loved to travel since he was tiny but not everyone does -- and you won't know what kid you have until you meet your kid.
I would not book something this ambitious until closer to the time. Maybe book a shorter (2 hour flight, 3-4 days) trip when the baby is about 3 months old to test out your travel wings again? Then if you find it smooth sailing you can go ahead and book the longer trip. |
Anonymous
| I went to Italy with a nine month old and would not repeat! Not my first child so I knew but it was a family occasion. Very tiring. I was desperately wishing they’d just booked a beach house stateside. |
Anonymous
| Staycation next to your backyard pool. |
Anonymous
| I think people saying "go" have extremely easy babies. You just don't get to enjoy museums, historical sites, etc with a baby. Just, no thanks. |
Anonymous
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This trip is totally doable (and enjoyable), depending on your baby’s temperament. We took our nine month old to Europe last September. I planned to feel disappointed that our activities were so limited, but I needn’t have worried — we were able to do so much, and we didn’t even bring a nanny with us. As it turns out, caring for a baby while traveling in Europe was only marginally more difficult than caring for a baby at home in the US.
We also preferred a destination with top notch medical care, and one that wouldn’t be too hot. We spent a week in Belgium, staying in Ghent as a home base and then taking day trips to Antwerp, Brussels, Lille France, and Bruges (each about a one hour drive away). The baby took his morning nap in the car on the way, and it worked great. We also spent some time in Amsterdam and in Germany. We rented a car — something we wouldn’t typically do while traveling pre-kids — and it ended up being the right call. (Trying to shlep all our stuff on trains would have been difficult, not to mention the discomfort of the baby crying in that environment.) We enjoyed these destinations because they are more about the atmosphere and don’t have many giant tourist attractions that could be crowded and stressful with the baby. I breastfed him and it worked out great. We skipped fine dining, but enjoyed plenty of good meals al fresco. Overall a wonderful trip, but our baby is very adaptable — he can fall asleep without precise conditions, and as long as there’s action around him, he’s pretty content. With a more demanding baby, it wouldn’t have been as fun. |
Anonymous
This. First time moms (who are pregnant and not yet with baby in tow) are hilarious. OP, you'll figure it out after baby arrives. Then come back and post with what your wants and needs are. It's a different world. I traveled overseas with my 5 month old. We went to the Middle East because my DH is from there. It was a long flight and I was still nursing. 5 months is quite small but we went to see grandparents and had a ton of help at destination. I've flown overseas every year with infants, toddlers and all ages since. It's doable but just keep in mind that it is not going to be the "wine tasting" extravaganza that you hoped. My advice is to wait until baby arrives. Open your eyes in the world of motherhood and then make a decision. A lovely beach resort will likely be your best bet. |
Anonymous
This. We've traveled a lot with kids and only rented houses that allowed for separate rooms to maintain 6:30PM bedtime, which meant to dinners out and everyone at home pretty early. My kids were not happy campers outside of sleep schedules and I wasn't about to subject myself (or others) to screaming babies at a nice dinner after hours. Who does that? |
Anonymous
| I don’t think you should rule it out. I agree with some others of doing a short trip at about 3 months and see how it goes. Maybe plan it but make sure it’s all refundable if you need to make a change. Also, I would pick one central location so you can settle in and do a slow trip but with day trips here and there. |
Anonymous
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That is actually a great age to travel. A 6 month old isn’t walking, is only eating solid foods for fun, and still naps multiple times a day. I would go wherever you want and just bring a comfortable baby carrier.
When we traveled with babies/toddlers, we did not bring a stroller— just a carrier. We coslept, I breastfed, & we fed the baby off our plates. It’s really an easier age to travel than, say age 2 or 3, but you have to be flexible, not be uptight about nap location & schedule, etc. Be willing to go with the flow, and you can have a great time! |
Anonymous
| I don’t know why people are being so negative. A baby that age will easily nap in the stroller or a carrier. BF in public will happen whether you’re doing things in DC or abroad. OP has enough money to pay for the baby to get its own airplane seat, which is safer. Travel now, while the baby is content to people watch at a restaurant and vineyard. Once they become toddlers, your vacations will revolve around playgrounds. |
Anonymous
I’m sure some babies are extra difficult, but I disagree with you. Some of us have a higher tolerance for inconvenience than others. I had one easy baby & one not-so-easy. It was harder, but we still kept traveling and were able to see museums, historic sites, etc. A lot of it is about a mindset/attitude/expectations (there are exceptions, of course). |
Anonymous
| I’m sorry but OP sounds absolutely insufferable. |