Europe with a baby
 

We will be travelling, with our nine month old baby,through Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic in March. I would appreciate some tips and advice regarding travelling with babies and also facilities for babies in these countries.

Welcome to Europe with your baby. <BR>A quick search with "travel with kids" brought those two threads, full of really good ifos and tips, but infortunately laced with rather nasty comments from "kids haters" and other self-righteous people with poor opinion of parents inflicting travel to small kids. <BR> <BR>1. Q for exp. travelers w/small children/babies <BR>87 responses; most recent on 12/21/2000, 04:21 am ET <BR>2. Did your parents take you to Europe?? <BR>43 responses; most recent on 12/07/2000, 18:25 pm ET <BR> <BR> <BR>

Thanks Florence. Had a look at the threads you suggested. I am totally dumbfounded by the negativity in these postings. Being born and raised in Africa, these negative feelings about children are totally foreign to me. In South Africa children are most welcome.

I love children. I don't have any, but enjoy my friends children. What I do not like (and I'm sure my comments here were echoed in those 2 long posts by others) is the fact that people bring babies too young to appreciate Europe. 9 months old? Give me a break! I also don't care for the fact that many so-called responsible adults do not have any concern for other travelers who have paid a lot of money for their trip to Europe (or else where). They think they can bring their kids to restaurants or museums and let their kids scream all night long. In Paris, the dogs are more well behaved than a lot of kids I have seen while traveling. <BR> <BR>Children SHOULD be welcome in certain places and certain times, but not when it negatively affects other travelers. <BR> <BR>Christine, if you do take your baby, please be sensitive to the other travelers around you! If you do, then everyone will be happy. <BR> <BR>And lastly, I'm sure there are many travelers who do bring their babies and small children that ARE responsible. Thanks to all of you!

Why on earth would you take a baby out of your country? I would never do this, and don't understand why anyone would!

Agree. <BR> <BR>Woman should not even take baby out of cave. Those foreigners from faraway Neanderthal valley might see baby with mouth on her - - well, you know. <BR> <BR>

Christine, <BR>9 month old babies are too cute for words. Enjoy her/him at this time! Better yet, they don't walk yet! Crawl around, but can't get too far too fast. My suggestion keep it slow, keep your baby's schedule as best you can. Babies are easier to travel with than toddlers tho. I took my daughter on a trip by train at that age, in desperation for a break asked a porter to watch her for 2 minutes while I used the 'facilities'... came back in 2 minutes to find them laughing and dancing together. Have a great time, enjoy your baby and your trip, ignore obnoxious people!

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with any of the countries you mentioned, but I have traveled extensively with my child. When my son was small, I had a little book called "Take Your Baby and Go," which had some general, helpful ideas on what to bring, etc. I'm sorry I can't provide the author or or ISBN, I gave it away long ago. I also had a book called "Penny Whistle guide to traveling with kids," geared toward small children, but it might also be helpful to you. For constructive advice, these or other books geared toward traveling with children are probably your best bets.Search Amazon or barnesandnobel for more current picks. You may also have better luck picking up printed guides on child-friendly places once you reach your destination, especially if you read German. <BR>If you are accustomed to traveling without your child, be prepared to slow down substantially this time around. One sightseeing activity per day, in the morning when your baby is alert and happy, may be enough. The rest of the day can be used for strolling, sitting in a cafe, finding a park, etc. <BR>Have a great time.

goeie more Christine <BR>As an ex-South African, all I can say is Vertel al die varke te gaan kak in die mielies. <BR>Seriously. I started traveling with my kids when they were very young and as preteens and teens they are great travelers now. They really enjoy sightseeing and touring and endure those long flights to SA much better than I do. They can also sleep anywhere. So go for it and enjoy. <BR> <BR>Make sure your baby drinks during take-off and landing. Ask your paediatrician for a general anitbiotic to take with you just in case your baby picks up anything there. I hate to say it, but it is always a strong possibility. and you don't want to start trying to find doctors in strange countries. Also take with a few over-the-counter medications that your pediatrician recommends like Panado becuuse when they start running a temperature it is always at 3 am. <BR>I would always giftwrap a few inexpensive small toys and when boredom set in on the flight, you have a few tricks up your sleeve. Unwrapping the "present" is half of the fun. <BR> <BR>I can't give your specific advice about the countries you are visiting but at 9 months, it should be pretty easy to take her anywhere (not a concert or opera, obviously) with those backcarriers and a lightweight stroller. <BR>Zoos are always a good idea too. Picnics in parks (if it is not too cold) can be a great break. <BR> <BR>And remember, its not like Europeans don't have babies!!! I can't imagine what all these naysayers are tjanking about. Do they think that Europeans stick their babies in the closet when they go out just because a tourist doesn't want their European vacation spoilt? <BR>Ps. Not my real e-mail address but if you want to contact me directly, post back and I'll email you. I've become a bit leery about posting my real name/

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