CSAH . . .

I called Air Canada already to check on the availability of bulkhead seats. No luck, all booked. And there isn't a guarantee that the plane would have the bassinette according to the reservation person I spoke with. So. . . we'll start practicing our lap sleeping!!

Kellie,

We used a stroller for nine months while living in Florence and couldn't have done without it! It carried all of our stuff when it wasn't carrying the baby. It was not an umbrella stroller, but a large Graco stroller.

We bought our pack n play in Italy and then donated it when we left. It cost about $50 and was worth the $ not to have to drag it to and from Italy. We found ours at a baby store--look for a lettino da viaggio or lettino da campeggio. If you are driving from Rome, you may be able to stop along the way to get the crib. I'm sure posters on this board could help you with finding a place to go shopping. Here are some examples of cribs:
http://shopping.kelkoo.it/b/a/ss_let...campeggio.html

Good luck.

We just returned from abroad with our 10 month old. The Baby Bjorn was an absolute dream! The stroller wheels actually broke half-way into our trip-the streets of some of those Tuscan towns-Florence in particular seem to be original to the 1500's. If you are planning on museums, the elevators are few and far between for stroller access. Many places have wonderful baby beds that put our pack and plays to shame; you can see if they have one for rent. Don't worry about bringing too much baby food. It is great quality and my little one loved it. The IberKoop grocery store has anything you forget if there is one near you. The airlines didn't give us a hard time at all about the extra baby gear. We also went to Rome and found that the pharmacies were great...binkies and wipees galore!

Kellie,

We used to be light packers until we started traveling with our son, who is now 2. We have traveled extensively with him, and even to Germany at 18 mos.

Some of my recommendations would be:

1) Take a stroller. Our MacLauren Volo stroller did amazingly well, even on cobblestones and was essential as our son would nap and we would stroll around a museum while he napped. It is very lightweight, but sturdier than an real cheapo umbrella stroller.

2) I would take your Baby Bjorn for quick trips. It won't take my space and it can be very handy.

3) We also took a backpack with an internal frame from a German company called Deuter. You can see it on the REI or babystyle website. The great thing about this backpack was that it doubled as a regular backpack/carry on for my husband and then we could unzip it for a baby backpack.

4)I would take a portable booster seat, even if it is just for the villa. It is difficult to feed a 10 month old without some sort of holding device. There is a great one from First Years that is a blow up booster seat that used all over Europe and still use it today when restaurants don't have children's seats.

5) Regarding the baby monitor, I would probably not take it, but if it is the type of monitor that can be used with only batteries, I might take it as you can be relaxing outside the villa on the pergola while the baby sleeps inside.

6) Bring lots of extra diapers as sometimes you don't have time right when you arrive to get to the store.

We have enjoyed traveling with our son so much. I'm sure you will have a lovely time.

We took our son to Portugal when he was 11 months old.

For the flight, we put blankets on our two folded-down trays and he slept across both of them. (He was a small baby). It sounds crazy, but it worked great & even if he rolled off by accident, it would have been right onto our laps.

I highly recommend bringing the pack-n-play. You can check it in as one of your baggage allowances. It will be a "familiar" space for him to sleep while he is in a strange place. You can also bring it into the villa's yard to keep him from wandering away. (If there is a pool, it won't be gated!)

Bringing your own carseat is a MUST! I cannot stress this enough. I know there have been suggestions to leave it at home...

First of all, there is no guarantee that the car rental co. will have one waiting when you arrive, even though you re-confirm. If it's not there, you're screwed.

Second, there is no guarantee as to the quality of the carseat. Maybe it's even one that's been recalled. You must have a safe carseat when driving in Europe. It's a speeders delight over there.

Finally, who knows how clean this seat will be? I'm sure a lot of babies have slobbered & sucked on them. Yuk.

The baby stores even sell a bag to carry the car seat that can be worn on your back. We stuffed the empty areas with lightweight extras like diapers.

You'll check in the carseat, the playpen, and 2 suitcases, and you can take the stroller (if you're bringing one) to the door of the plane where they'll stash it until you get off. We brought our stroller but it wasn't worth it for us- the wheels were too small for the cobblestones. A baby carrier would have been much better.

Good luck with your travels!

I second the car seat advice. Definitely bring your own. You can request the bulkhead from your airline. Ours offered bassinets that hooked onto the bulkhead seats as well.