Travel with 6 mo. old: Two weeks in Barcelona, are we crazy?
 

Hello,

My husband and I are hoping to take our 6 month old baby on a 2 week trip to Barcelona at the end of August/early Sept. We usually like to rent an apt and soak in the culture. Maybe an overnight to somewhere along the coast. This would be our first trip to Spain.

Our other choice is a roadtrip from NYC to Nova Scotia.

Yay or nay?

We could really use some advice from seasoned travelers since we are'nt parents yet!

Thanks,
S

Are you home from the hospital yet?

If you search for 'travel with baby' there are a ton of threads. I remember a few with great tips.

A road trip from NYC to Nova Scotia might be nice. I recently roadtripped from Toronto to Nova Scotia; but taking the route through the US so probably a similar route that you would take. It's a beautiful drive, but it's a LONG drive with kids (I had a 4 + 10 + 12 year old with us)...Especially a baby!
I personally would go for Barcelona --- I've never been [hoping to go this summer!] just because it doesn't involve 3 days (Each way) in a car, and it'd be a warmer, more relaxing beach holiday.

One thing you might want to watch out for when deciding is whether or not you will have fully shaded areas while in either location. Being as its a fairly-newborn baby, their skin is very sensitive to the sun, so exposure needs to be super limited.
Either way, it'll be a sweet trip! Good luck :)

Two weeks in Spain with a 6month does not sound good to me; however if you decide thats what you want to do consider not going in August with the crowds and heat and go in September when the water is still nice...crowds have subsided and it is much more enjoyable. Also I would look at splitting your stay between Barcelona and somewhere on the Costa Brava.

Spain in the summer can be hellishly hot - and August wil be mad with tourists. If you want to do Spain with an infant I would do San Sebastian versus Barcelona to get human weather - or do one week in each. Having a really cranky unhappy baby for 2 weeks doesn;t sound like a fun idea and I think that's what you would have in Barcelona.

Nay to both. Sorry...you asked!

Honestly I would wait until after you become parents and adjust to the experience before making vacation reservations for a trip in August. 2 weeks in a car, or 2 weeks in hot southern Europe, well, could be a long two weeks. My 2 cents. I was so sleep deprived 6 months into parenthood that the idea of a long plane ride, plus jet lag, was not even possible. Babies are transportable, how about a week's vacation at a beach/lake/mountain a half day's drive from home?

Unfortunately my answer is no. At about 6 mo. the cumulative effects of sleep deprivation and new parenthood is overwhelming.

The best and easiest holiday we ever took with our little one was when she was 7 months old, we went to Italy. At that age she had her patterns that we could work around to give us all a reasonably relaxing holiday (e.g. we knew that if we ate at a certain time, we could leave her in the stroller and she would sleep right through while we had lunch / dinner).

As she got older, things became more difficult as naps were harder to predict and long flights became more of a "no-no" as she would not have been content to simply eat and sleep. Now she is 5 and we can start to think about long flights again, but I would go for it now when you can.

Of course, wait and see first... make sure all is going fine with your little one and with you before you book anything.

Frankly, I would not recommend planning much more than a beach vacation with a little one, and one that isn't that far from your home. OR take Grandma along with you so you can actually go out for a nice meal once in a while.

Being a parent involves sacrifices and changes in lifestyle. I'm sure you have a list of "must see" places closer to home. Take the opportunity to see those places for now. Part of experiencing Spain is the night life which you will probably miss taking care of the baby. Having a lot of stuff adds to the stress level when on trains and airplanes - diaper bag, toys, bottles, formula, stroller/car seat, portable high chair, etc.

Thank you all! We will wait to book until after the baby arrives and all is well :)

I was leaning towards Europe in September so I'm glad to hear that is the general consensus here too..

Will post more questions after we have made up our mind..

Thanks again!