Beachgirl86,
We live in Northern California so our flight was only 4-5 hours. The suggestion to stay local is probably a good one.
Family Travlin

I hope you will take your baby to Hawaii, beachgirl, and continue traveling far and wide with him/her. I hate to see people start limiting their travel experiences once they have children because I really don't think you need to. Due to my husband's job, we live overseas a good part of the time. We moved to Thailand when my children were 3 years old and 3 months old. During the 2 1/2 years we lived there, we took the kids to Hong Kong, Singapore (about 3 times), Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. We did not have any family or nannies traveling with us. Although the younger child does not remember much about those days, he loves looking at photos and hearing us talk about our trips. Our travels are a great family bonding experience.

Beachgirl86,
I guess it comes down to knowing yourself and what you want from your vacation. What your kids are like. What you are like. Does taking a one year old to Hawaii with all their energy, excite you or make you feel anxious? Go with your gut. We have a lot of wise counsel on this thread from mothers who have been there! The mom who had the little girl with chronic ear infections has her point of view. The mom who was a world traveler with very little ones has her life experience.
When taking a vacation we invest our time and resources and want the most out of it. It is yours to decide, look at all of the opinions and see where you see yourself!
Aloha,
FamilyTravlin

Eating out with an infant or young child 3 meals/day gets really old really fast - realize that at 4 months baby will not be eating people food, but you will find at least some meals where you will be throwing money on the table as you run from the restaurant with a screaming kid. Or one of you walks the parking lot while the other eats.

Beach time will be limited - most sunblocks are not recommended for infants - but you can always use clothing to cover him up. Sun gets reflected off the sand, so even an umbrella is not enough protection.

Some pools will not allow kids in diapers in pool, even Swimmies or the like.

Get accomodations with a refrigerator and microwave - there will be times when you have interrupted meals or just want take out. And a suite would be ideal unless your baby is a heavy sleeper so you are not creeping around while he sleeps and naps.

Bermuda is wonderful, but too cold in December for what you have in mind.

Congrats beachgirl86. I'll vote for going at 4 months for pretty much all the same reasons listed above.

Obviously, it depends on the temperment of your child. We did have an enjoyable trip to Kauai w/ our 13 month old son a few year's back. However, our DD was not as laid back at 12 months, and a trip to Hawaii would NOT have been fun at the same age.

The islands have baby item rental places, so you don't have to pack it all. www.readyrentals.com is one.

Ask your pediatrician about sunscreen. I too thought that it was not used on babies under 6 months. However, I just pulled out What To Expect The First Year and it says "if adequate shade is not available, use a small amount of baby safe sunscreen ...(now recommended even on babies under six months)."

Happy planning!

Ready Rentlas is only on Kauai. One of my guidebooks list Baby's Away as another option. www.babysaway.com

I've used BabysAway in Florida and new england and have loved them.

Just to clarify- when i suggested bermuda- i didn't mean in december-- but simply that it's a great "sort of like hawaii "trip.

one of the other things to consider, with an infant still in an infant carrier, you can still go to great restaurants while the baby sleeps in the carrier-- something you can't do with an 18 month old. If your infant is a good sleeper, as ours was, we would drive to the restaurant of our choice, she would fall asleep and we'd take her in the carrier, and she'd sleep through the meal. It was wonderful! definitely a plus of going when he's an infant.

Congratulations!

Like everyone else has said -- this decision will be based on what kind of parents you are and what kind of baby you have! Having said that -- I'll offer a different opinion than the ones previously given.

Go at one year. I have a 2 1/2 year old and we traveled with him at 5 months, a trip to L.A. from Seattle. Looking back, I realize how "easy" it was -- but it sure didn't feel like it at the time. It really stressed me out!

At one year we took him to Paris for a week. That was a much better trip. Although, that might just be the difference between L.A. and Paris! But I was more confident as a parent. I knew I wasn't going to break him! We still managed nice dinners, museums, shopping etc. There were some rough spots, but I knew what to do and how to get through them.

My confidence in Paris may have been a result of not breaking him in L.A. -- but either way, it made for a more relaxing vacation for all of us.

May this be the beginning of a lifetime of travel for your little one!

Oh no, no Bermuda in December, but somehow figured you'd know that one :)
plenty of other warm destinations for Dec closer than Hawaii if that's what you end up deciding -

I would agree that 4 months would be better than one year old. At a year old, they want to move all over the place, will not stay in a bassinet, etc.

But, either requires 24/7 care and attention. And, I, personally, would never take a small child on a plane because of inner ear considerations (not to mention consideration to other passengers).

Can you go before the baby arrives? That's the best time to take a vacation!

Thanks again for all the tips and suggestions!

We have been to Bermuda, and liked it very much, although it is very different from Hawaii.

But, yes, one of our options if we decide to go in December (but also decide we want to go somewhere closer than Hawaii) then we will switch the FF tickets to a Caribbean island instead.

Beachgirl,
Like other posters have said, it will depend a lot on your baby. My DH and I are new parents to a five month old baby boy, and he is a very easy baby - sleeps anywhere, never cries, etc. He would have been okay to go @ 4 months, but I guess it depends on how your baby reacts. We are taking our first beach trip in June when he will be 7 months old. It's not so much him I'm worried about on the plane, it's all the gear we'll need to pack! Good luck to you.