People chastising me for skipping vacation with 7 month old

[Anonymous]

Stop talking to people about it. No plans for travel this summer will suffice.

[Anonymous]

Who are these people? Have you been invited somewhere and gave your regrets? Honestly, no one cares if you go on vacation or not. You don’t need to tell anyone the reason you are staying home.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not crazy. Very sane! Baby comes first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who are these people? Have you been invited somewhere and gave your regrets? Honestly, no one cares if you go on vacation or not. You don’t need to tell anyone the reason you are staying home.

Given that OP mentions relatives several times, it seems as though her own family members, or IL's have asked them to come visit or join them on a family vacation. Obviously, it's 100% OP's choice (unless her spouse is one of the people who wants to go), but people do care. We take a family beach vacation, and one thing I am excited about is spending more time with the newest family member! If her parents decided not to come, I would not chastise, but I would absolutely care.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t find it difficult to travel with my daughter when she was a baby (though also accelerated certain vaccines) but I would 100% not traveled more because someone was “chastising” me. That seems extremely entitled to chastise any adult for refusing to travel, regardless of whether they had a baby…

[Anonymous]

Do what you enjoy. I liked traveling with my DCs when they were very young, but in many ways it was a lot of planning and pacing just to do mostly the same s*** in a different place. That's not always a bad thing, but it's okay if it's not your thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do whatever you want. You don't need to talk all about why you're not traveling. Just "we don't have any vacation plans for this summer. What about you?"

+2

[Anonymous]

I didn’t do anything but car trips to family and beach house rentals when my kids were babies and toddlers. It was a pain to haul them and their stuff and they didn’t get anything out of it. We were fortunate to have family members willing and able to watch them so we could take some trips without them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do whatever you want. You don't need to talk all about why you're not traveling. Just "we don't have any vacation plans for this summer. What about you?"

+1. There are many good reasons not to travel with a baby. It’s fine; just don’t give others an opening.

[Anonymous]

People are so rude and annoying to people with infants. It sucks, OP, you just have to get used to it and ignore them.

They may have btdt but they don't know your baby and probably don't remember the baby days as well as they think. Idiots.

[Anonymous]

1) You need to grow thicker mom skin. Traveling with a baby isn’t for you. Great. That’s all you have to say.

2) Watch out to not have your responses be judgmental of other choices. “The baby’s needs come first” - no. The baby doesn’t need to travel or not travel. That decision is about the parents, either way.

3) I happen to agree with you. I have three kids. The oldest was born during covid. I traveled when my second was a baby and it was a huge mistake, in hindsight. I hated it. I learned my lesson, and with number 3, refused to travel or even spend a single night away from my bed for the first six months. So much better. I do find that traveling with an older baby is just fine, but YMMV.

On the other hand, I know someone who didn’t travel when their first was a newborn and really regretted it, and then took like a two month world tour basically when their 2nd was born. Sounded like torture to me but they had a wonderful time.

Know thyself.

4) Again, everyone is different, but there are people who find traveling with babies way easier than traveling with toddlers. Me, I’d rather take a two year old on four different ambitious trips than take a newborn an hour away for a single overnight, but that’s not a universal opinion. For me, traveling consistently gets better but some find you’re in a sweet spot now for travel and it will get worse once she’s mobile. So just make sure you’re thinking that through and aren’t missing your actual preferred travel window. (Though in my experience, everyone finds traveling with a 5+ to be easier than basically any stage before that).

[Anonymous]

You do you. Currently on a vacation with my 4 month old and 2.5 year old and all my siblings, their kids, my parents, cousins, etc. In only do road trips to avoid illness. Packing is a pain but all feels worth it to watch my kids play with their cousins and my oldest frequently references memories from last years trip ( she doesn't remember her first time). It isn't relaxing and I get why it's not your thing. But my 4 month old is by far easier than my 2.5 year old

[Anonymous]

Travelling with a baby is so much easier than with a toddler. But do what's best for your family.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous] I’m thinking maybe next summer when she’s older. I know it still won’t be perfect but it should be just a bit easier. [/quote]

I think you should do what works with you, but if this is your logic I will let you know that right now is the easiest travel will be until about 4. Next year will be the hardest for travel except for the very earliest weeks.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous] I’m thinking maybe next summer when she’s older. I know it still won’t be perfect but it should be just a bit easier. [/quote]

I think you should do what works with you, but if this is your logic I will let you know that right now is the easiest travel will be until about 4. Next year will be the hardest for travel except for the very earliest weeks.
[/quote]

+1

I think you should do what works for you, and you don’t need to apologize to anyone. That said, this age is the easiest it will be for travel until your child is 3 or 4 (depends on the kid)- with toddlers being the most challenging. Just something to keep in mind.