I'm sure I will get many non parent responses about how awful of a parent I am for traveling with a baby but...and I did do a search for traveling with baby but didn't find too much info, especially for this age. How has it been for those of you that have done this? I don't want to get there and regret it. My daughter is now one of the most layed back children I have ever met (I am a research phychologist who works with kids) But I know that can change (she really is, it is not a delusion of mine, I used to wonder if something was wrong with her because she was so good...has slept through the night since she was 5 days old) We would go for 2 weeks and stay at 2 different apartments for a week at a time. We like to tour around in the morning, eat lunch then go back where we are staying and relax and enjoy the amenities that are there. We realize that we will have to be very flexible. We will bring her car seat and a light weight stroller (but not too light weight b/o cobble stone streets)and buy diapers etc...there (bring a few of course) We have been away for a week at a time with her to her grandmothers who she has only met those times and she adjusted really well, though she was only 8 months at the time. Suggestions? Advice? Thanks!

Dawn, if you and your husband want to take your daughter to Europe, by all means do it. However, there are a few things that you will need to consider. Is your daughter going to tie you down? Will you get to do everything you want to do while on vacation? Will you arrange for a sitter when you go out to dinner or a show late in the evening? Would you worry even more if you left her with strangers? If you aren't late night people, then don't worry about it as you will take your daughter where ever you go. But, it would be inappropriate to bring your daughter, say, to the Moulin Rouge to see the show -- because of the noise (not your daughter crying) and the smoke. What will you do if your daughter gets sick? If you're renting an apartment and going to the beach, you will all have a wonderful time, as your vacation will be laid back. <BR><BR>If it's not possible to leave your daughter with family or friends (I can understand you not wanting to leave her), you're going to have to be prepared that you may not be able to go everywhere or do everything that you want to do on vacation.<BR><BR>I don't know where you live, but possibly you would want to try a weekend away in a hotel and see what happens. Maybe a trip to Montreal, which is affordable right now as a test.

Go for it. The more you travel with your kids, the better travelers they become, especially if your daughter is laid back. I have traveled with my kids since infancy and as teenagers now, they are wonderful and appreciative travelers . <BR><BR>You obviously realise that you will be doing it in a different way than how you would do it alone and will tailor your expectations accordingly. Your daily plan sounds really levelheaded to me.<BR><BR>Just take with a supply of OTC medications, like Childrens Tylenol, Benadryl, pediatrician-approved child medication, Pedialyte etc. Kids always tend to get sick in the middle of the night when you can't get to a pharmacy.(And they always get sick!)Also ask your pediatrician to prescribe a general antibiotic to take with in case she comes down with an ear infection or whatever else she is susceptible to.<BR>Try to stay in am efficiency or apt so you can have access to snacks.<BR><BR>Take lots of photos of her in front of landmarks. You will treasure them.<BR><BR>It is also good "quality time" for you as a family, especially as you it looks like you don't plan to do everything in as short a time as possible.

We traveled through Europe with a 20-month old. It was a lovely trip, but not the standard museum/shopping/elegant restaurant tour we might have done without him. <BR>The first problem is getting a sitter. Your child is just barely verbal, and at the age when they suffer stranger anxiety so a sitter is just not a happy experience for them. Also, an 18-month old is into everything, and has not developed much common sense, so many dangers develop such as stairs, disgusting things on the street, parent not being able to watch the child and figure out a strange place, etc. What we did was to plan very little time in the cities, eat outdoors whenever possible and do the kinds of things europeans do with their kids - toy sailboating, puppet shows, beaches and playgrounds. <BR>If you want to have a fuller vacation, then pay for Grandma or a young adult who will be willing to watch the baby and give you some time off.

I forgot to tell everyone that we are going to Germany. I posted this on many of the different country boards since it is a general question. The apartments all have stove, fridges etc... 1 is on a farm and the other in Rothenburg. We are not night people at all (at least I'm not) I like the idea about staying at a place with a restaurant there as well (which the Rothenburg one has) so if my hubby wants to go down and have a beer. I also contacted them about a baby sitter for one night. If she is asleep I'm not really fussy about it. Germany also seems to cater to families which is one of the reasons why we chose it. When we were in Italy last we toured in the am, ate lunch then spent the remainder of the day at the water (our hotel was on the water) then headed out for dinner at 9pm but with an apt we figure on making dinner there some nights and eating downstairs at restaurant on good nights for my daughter. We like the culture, food, shopping and overall atmosphere of Europe. Great suggestion about the meds, I was going to ask the dr for amoxicillin just in case! Great idea about getting away for a weekend. We live in CT and miss going to VT so maybe we will this summer to see how things go. Thanks again!!!

Dawn,<BR>I'm envious--you're going to have a great time! We have traveled to the UK twice with our son--once at 6.5 months and once (just this fall) at 20 months--to visit my husband's family. I have about a million tips to share with you if you want to hear them. Here are a few. If you want more, just e-mail me directly so I don't bore everyone to tears.<BR>1. Find a bunch of fun stuff for the plane. Hit the dollar store. Big hits--small bottle of bubbles, lollipops, little Sesame Street figures, anything weird to keep their attention, and favorite books. I packed them all in a cute kids backpack that was "his".<BR>2. Talk to your pediatrician about a mild sedative for the plane and being in a new place (we used Benadryl very successfully). I know it sounds terrible.<BR>3. Take plenty of juice and milk on the plane and order a child's meal in advance.<BR>4. Ditto the advice given about taking your own medicine/first aid kit.<BR>5. Take some comfort foods for desperate situations. We took instant Mac N Cheese for when he needed a dose of home or meals were going to be delayed.<BR>6. Be prepared for a definite change in pace! We were very on the go travelers before baby. Now we schedule around lunch stops and naps. It's very different, but still so much fun.<BR>7. Don't worry about the time change. Our first trip our son didn't sleep well at night, the second trip he did. We just tried to adhere to a similar schedule as at home and it seemed to work the second time. But we had a good time both trips regardless--we were just a little tired after the first one!<BR><BR>Don't know what to tell you about babysitters. We are always visiting family so we have built in, familiar people to watch him if we go out, but quite frankly, we take him almost everywhere--he's very flexible that way. We're lucky that so far he's a laid back kid. We don't do museums with him, but he has toured castles, done walking tours, ridden the London Eye, etc. without incident so far! We drive during naps and try to give him some runaround time. You will have a GREAT time. It sounds like you know that flexibility is the key!

Well, Dawn, it sounds as if you've gotten some really good advice. I've traveled a TON with my 20 month old, but never overseas. I would think that you should have no trouble lining-up a few babysitters through the hotel to sit after your babe has gone down for the night, since it sounds like she is such a good sleeper. I would say also to have a plan the night before as to what you want to get accomplished in the am, before naptime. That way you can hit the ground running in the morning and save valuable time. Think twice about the Amoxycillan since it has to be refridgerated- and if your child develops an illness while you're over there you would want to find an MD and have it diagnosed before giving meds anyway. Also- as a precaution, you might get some of that Purell no water/soap hand cleanser and be fairly anal about using it on your daughter's hands a couple days before you go and while you are over there. (Especially if she touches exhibits that millions of tourists have touched before her...) GOOD that you are bringing your own car seat and you may want to put it rear-facing in the plane, even though she no longer sits that way in the car. That way she can't kick the seat in front of her. Better yet- request the bulkhead! As long as you and your spouse have realistic expectations about what you can accomplish during a day, you'll be great! Have a great time!! Let us know how it goes!

Dawn, We travelled with our 20 month old to Singapore (we live in HongKong)over Christmas, to Italy when she was 15 months and to Tokyo when she was 12 months. All three trips were great and we didn't regret any of them, even though she was quite sick in Italy, but that could happen any where. It was very useful for us to have our mobile phones that worked everywhere and we were able to call her pediatrician here almost everyday when she was sick. I think its great that you will be staying in an apartment and will be able to cook her food there. I would advise aganist the child eating out a lot.Also, carry along any cooking implements that you may need. We stayed in a villa for the second week in Italy and all they had were huge sized pots and pans and I was glad I had carried her small cooking pan to boil vegies, make rice or pasta. Also, our villa did not have any soap in the washrooms or washing detergent (for dishes or clothes)which was something we needed immediately on arriving. Other than that, while child-proofing the rooms, check if all the windows have secure latches (we had quite a scary experience in our hotel room in Singapore - Four Seasons!). Hope you have a wonderful trip.

Dawn-I am topping a thread about traveling with your parents as children for you~

About an antibiotic: Liquid antibiotics actually are powdered, the pharmacist adds water. The trick is to tell the ped. and the pharmacist that you need them to dispense just the powder in the bottle, and to put detailed mixing instructions on the label. This way you only need a cooling source if the child actually does get sick, in which case you are not going to be going out much, anyway.<BR><BR>My other note to Americans travelling with a baby is about applesauce. Most US babies eat lots of applesauce, but in some parts of Europe it is essentially unavailable. You should be able to get it in Germany, however, as Germans do eat it. After our first UK trip, I learned to bring a couple of (plastic) jars in the luggage. Many children develop constipation problems when travelling, and for mine, at least, applesauce w/ breakfast everyday is a sure cure.<BR><BR>(Though my cousins always think I'm really strange when I turn down offers of soft-boiled eggs for the baby; they can't believe that American kids usually don't eat soft-boiled eggs everyday!)

I went to Italy with my husband and 17-month old -- and it is definitely worth doing, as long as you have reasonable expectations for your itinerary and your child. We stayed in a villa and also a hotel, and I will never stay in a hotel with a small child again! The convenience of a kitchen was priceless. <BR><BR>We mostly ate at home, but when we were out, we found that the less touristy restaurants were more kid-friendly and less expensive. You might want to bring some pre-packaged foods (like mix & eat oatmeal, or the applesauce as suggested earlier) for your child, as mine, who is not usually a picky eater, wasn't keen on the Italian versions of her otherwise favorite foods.<BR><BR>Before you go, if you are planning on buying diapers there, know your child's weight in kilograms ahead of time-- it saves a bit of guesswork in the market. Also, we found that at every cafe we could get a warm bottle of milk -- and it was very sweet to watch the usually burly guys behind the bar mixing with great care and concern to be sure the temperature was just right.<BR><BR>Have fun!

Dawn,<BR>We have a five year old and an eight year old. Our children have travelled with us everywhere since they were babies. They have both been to Europe on numerous occasions. - Good for you to have the courage that most don't with regards to travelling with a baby! In my opinion, because our children are so used to travelling with us, they are great, happy travellers! To make the vacation enjoyable for all, we did hire babysitters on some nights. The key to our success with this has been to stay at really good hotels with good reputations. I always specified that I wanted someone who was very experienced with ---- whatever their ages were at the time. I would also call way in advance and request their most seasoned person. The beauty of a hotel, is you can always do little &quot;spot&quot; checks and just run up to the room, listen by the doorway, or even walk in the room if need be.<BR><BR>In Europe, children LOVE going on the trains and we have found it to be a very enjoyable way to get around. They love the pastries! They also love visiting zoos of the major cities. The Berlin zoo, for example is fantastic! Some times you have to do things by trial and error and be willing to be flexible. For example, when we visited the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, my son kept the guards busy by setting off the sensors that were in front of the paintings. Oh well, we are still glad we went! My children have also gotten sick in many different cities. The major hotels can always call a doctor at a moments notice. I have found it key to bring all of my own diapers, only because we tend to be wed to the type our babies use. Make sure to bring the best light weight stroller with a sun shade available. At the time, we had a little Combi 7 lb stroller that was perfect! It worked fine on the cobblestones. To fight jet lag, when we arrived with our son in Italy (when he was about the same age as your baby) we checked in early and dumped off the baggage, got a quick shower and got out in the daylight all day walking and pushing the stoller to see the city(he slept) until about 5pm. Got an early dinner, and then went early to bed. My children have rarely had jet lag problems because of this method we have found to work for everyone. <BR> <BR>My children know about all the major sites in Europe. Who says children don't remember? It is truly the best gift we could ever give them! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!! <BR><BR>

We took our then 12 month old to Europe in September and he was fine. We stayed in 4 locations and he adjusted perfectly fine to each one. As he got to spend more time with my wife and I than he would at home, I think that deflected any problems of unfamiliarity.<BR><BR>We did plan ahead of time, though. We purchased a few new toys and gave them to him over the course of the 2 weeks. (We also brought a few familiar toys with us.)<BR><BR>Personally, I think kids are much more adaptable than people give them credit for. The parent's continually making an issue of their happiness and saying, allegedly reassuring things like &quot;it's ok if you are unhappy&quot; probably go along way towards suggesting they &quot;should&quot; be unhappy with new surroundings.