Hello! My husband and I are discussing traveling in February of 2003, with our then 5 mth old. (due in sept.) Is this ridiculous or what?<BR><BR>We'd like to go somewhere caribbean. Ideally, he would be able to scuba dive and there would be some fun stuff to do. Zoo, aquarium, pools/beaches. Some shopping. Nothing super fancy, or expensive. 5 days at the most, preferable sat to thursday.<BR><BR>Is it feasible for us to even think we can do this with a 5mth old? My gut says no, wait till 2004. OR, send the babe to grandma's house and just go as a couple. I just wanted to get some advice from those of you who have been there, done that.<BR><BR>Thanks very much for any advice, pro or con.

I wouldn't plan the trip now. I would wait. My daughter who is now 2 1/2 and an excellent traveller, was a very fussy baby. I have friends who had very calm babies and a 5 day vacation was no big deal. That would have been impossible for us. That said, I am a huge fan of taking my daughter on vacation now. We have had some great trips. When she was 5 months old though, we went to Bermuda and she had a great time with her grandparents. If you really want to book now. Do so and just have grandparent back ups incase you want to go alone when the time comes.

Thanks very much. I am really leaning towards leaving the baby with grandma or just not going at all. <BR><BR>I can totally see a trip to Florida to see relatives, or a weekend trip out of town as being no problem. But, out of USA, I just don't see it as working.<BR><BR>Thank you.

No problem. Glad to help. By the way, you may not want to skip it, If you have grandparents willing to watch. I found 5 months a good age for our first trip away. Before that you're too nervous and by then there is somewhat of a schedule. You'll also probably be ready for a breat.

That was "break"

Oh, very good point! I'll keep it in mind. Grandparents are willing, but am I? Who knows?<BR><BR>Thanks!

Lisa,<BR>OK, I'll put my 2 cents worth in. In my experience it's much much easier to travel with a 5 month old than it will be to travel with a 2 year old. Infants are infinitely portable and only require diapers, clothes and you if you're nursing and bottles and formula if you're not nursing. <BR>The older the child, the more "stuff" you'll have to transport with you. Also at the infant stage you don't have to worry about doing "kid stuff" to entertain them. This may be your last trip for awhile where you and your husband get to choose all the activities based on what you want to do. If you choose a good resort that has reliable babysitting, you can get out by yourselves in the evenings also. <BR>I have three children and found the least demanding travelers were always the babes in arms. <BR>That's my experience. Whatever you decide to do, congratulations on your new baby!!!

Don't forget that sunscreen is not recommended for babies under 6 monthes of age. I'd leave the babes with Grandparents, it would do wonders for both you & hubby & also your parents to bond with the baby.

Agree with Mary Beth. It was a lot easier for me to travel with my kid when she was 5 months old than when she got older and learned to walk. Hard to keep her on her seat. Had to entertain her for the whole flight. My opinion, go for it. It would help if you can book a direct flight so it would be easier for you and your baby. If you do decide to go, I have a lot of tips that I can share with you for air travel with a baby. My child is 2 years old and she has flown 10x so far so I guess you can call me an expert on this subject. Anyway, congratulations on your new baby!!!

Lisa,<BR> Must add my opinion! You have no idea what you are going to feel with that baby! At 5 months, they change daily. We rescheduled our trip for a year and a half after #1 came along. Just a thought...do you have parents or friends who could vacation with you? That way, you could have a little time to yourselves, a meal together, etc.and still enjoy the baboo. I suggest another couple with a baby/tot. Go to a nice place where you can be pampered. .....ps- cruising is very easy with babies. Sitting services are available while you party at night. Congrats, good luck and best wishes!

Thank you all very much! I did look into cruises but saw such horrible postings here about people hating infants/kids on cruises. I don't think I'll be taking a cruise soon!<BR><BR>I am really hesitant to travel outside the continental US with a small infant right now. Just me and my own paranoia. I think we will just wait and vacation later in the year.<BR><BR>But thank you all for your advice!

Lisa: I say go for it!!! It really is easy to travel with a five month old, much easier than when they are older. I wish I'd done a lot more when they still could be carried everywhere in the infant seat/snap-n-go or Baby Bjorn. This is the ideal time to go on vacation for you, truly, and I agree with the poster who said that it will be the last time in a long time where you can plan something and just bring the baby along for the ride. I also disagree with the people who said to leave the baby with Grandma. I think you'll find when you do that for a trip longer than a couple of days you'll miss the baby so much you won't be able to enjoy yourself. And if you're breastfeeding you'll have a whole other set of issues (pumping every three-four hours, much easier to just feed the baby!). Seriously reconsider holding off, I think you'll regret not going later when it's harder for you to go. Now we have all kinds of considerations (must be safe place for toddler, must be either back at hotel room or going in stroller at nap time, forget about eating at restaurants for dinner becaue that's the "fussy time", etc.)

I think 5 months is a very portable age as babies usually aren't too mobile then, from what I can remember of my three. When we went to the beach we took a playpen or one of those travel cots and an umbrella for our babies and they loved it.<BR>On the other hand we as parents do love our times together without the kids. But you might find this more as your child grows up!! <BR>Travelling with another family is a good idea, especially one with a baby. You could think about sharing the cost of a villa. One group I met on the beach in Anguilla had rented a villa with a pool where they could relax in the afternoon while the babies slept. they took turns going out and also saved by eating in too.<BR>Why don't you wait until your baby is born before making any plans? You cannot predict how you will feel about travelling with/without before you are new parents. some babies take longer to settle into the world and you don't want to have paid for a trip already if that happens!<BR>Good luck.

We thought after first kid was born we would not miss a step and raise a portable kid. Our son had other ideas - he was a rather hyper-sensitive kid to noise, change, etc. and did not sleep well until he was almost a year old (our daughter, a few years later was just the opposite). We foolishly took him on vacation and were all miserable. <BR><BR>Any chance you can take grandparetns with you - if you all get along and they are willing and all can afford a trip, you get advantage of some time to yourself while they babysit without the almost inevitable worry and concern about leaving him/her at home.<BR><BR>A cruise is a possible option - I have read all posts about kids on cruises and I think people are most concerned about inattentive parents who can not understand that others are not as interested in their baby or child as his/her parents are. So, as long as you are prepared to perhaps eat in informal setting rather than main dining room or leave if baby gets screaming, and realize that dancing until dawn together is probably not going to happen, you can still have a good time without being obnoxious to fellow travelers.

Lisa -<BR>Interesting question.<BR><BR>Every child is different, as are its parents; thus it is difficult to offer advice that is absolutely best for you.<BR><BR>Personally, I don't think that having children means that you can't take vacations any more. It just means that the style, pace and activities need to be altered slightly. I must say though that I agree that vacationing with a 5 month old is easier than a 2-year old.<BR><BR>In our case, we did not hesitate to take vacations with our daughter at a very young age. We took a few extra precautions, have stayed in places a little nicer than we otherwise would have, have slowed our pace somewhat, and include things that are fun for her (now 3 years old). When she naps in her stroller we try to visit museums, when she is awake, we do things that are fun for everyone, like taking a boat ride.<BR><BR>We brought a child into this world so that she could be part of our family...for us, that means going on vacations together. We have taken her to India for a few weeks, she has traveled all over Asia, including China, Vietnam, Laos, etc and now we are exploring Europe with her. Her next big trip will be in September when we go Africa for a few weeks. She has a good temperment, so for us it is a pleasure.<BR>I guess all of this is to say that we recommend traveling with children, but understand that parents have different views and children themselves have different temperments. Whatever your decision, I wish you the best of luck.<BR>Jason