Hi!

My wife and I love to travel and it has been far too long since we've been able to. After a long, hard pregnancy we now have a 2 month old healthy baby girl and we're itching to get somewhere for a 4 to 5 day weekend in June. I'm looking for recos based on the fact that we will be traveling with an infant and wouldn't want to make the travel day difficult (no layovers). That leads me to want to go somewhere to avoid the heat with direct access from San Antonio or Austin.

This leaves us with cities like Chicago, Denver, Seattle, DC, Boston

Having never vacationed with a baby before, what do ya'll think?

Side note we are foodies and usually pretty active but looking for something more relaxing/laid back

Exploring with a child that age wouldnt be fun to me BUT if you can handle it then sound good to stay in a place that you can keep everything somewhat centrally located

That said before I would embark on such a trip I would do a day trip that includes stops that you would do be it in Houston Dallas or wherever you are. See how the girl responds and how you feel after the day is over to see if it works for you

If everything works then I would suggest for you guys Charleston as a foodie destination that can be centrally located

Agreed. Heading to Dallas next weekend!

Love the idea of Charleston. I was worried about the heat but in general we really want to go there at some point.

Fly to salt lake ( or other city) and stay at a resort in park city that has a good pool. Short drive, with lots of food/things to do. If your wife is up for it, you can even hike easily with a baby carrier. We took a 4 month old (and 2 y/o) to Rocky Mountain np and the baby just slept on the hike. It was also April and not busy which was nice, not sure I'd recommend Estes in June.

Flying with a kid is easiest until they crawl and can't sit still, so take advantage of it. Something lazy that's easy to go back and forth to the room is probably best and not having strict specific time plans.

Port Aransas

Don't listen to the naysayers about don't travel with a baby. We took our first born to Europe, costs rica, Detroit, and New Zealand before she was 1. We have some amazing memories from that. Sure you will have to have different expectations than before kids but can still have a good time. One of the things that surprised me was how helpful most people will be to you when you have a baby.

Traveling with a 2 month old should be fine. They still sleep most of the day. They're content if whatever seat/stroller they're in is moving. You need to carpe diem because once they can crawl and get into things (around 9 months) going anywhere is a PITA

First, you are never vacationing with a kid. You are parenting in a different place.

Second, travel as much as you can when they are young and basically just eat and sleep. It gets way more difficult as they get older.

Snipes said:

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Don't listen to the naysayers about don't travel with a baby. We took our first born to Europe, costs rica, Detroit, and New Zealand before she was 1. We have some amazing memories from that. Sure you will have to have different expectations than before kids but can still have a good time. One of the things that surprised me was how helpful most people will be to you when you have a baby.

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This. We were dreading taking our first on a plane. Turns out, most people were super understanding and helpful, even offering to try and help calm her when she was crying.

I know you said you want to get out of the heat, but June in Savannah in Charleston isn't that bad. Both awesome food towns and are great for exploring, strolling for you and the wife pushing a stroller. Tons of history and beautiful homes, parks, etc. Easy flights, and quick cab/uber ride to there downtown area where you wont need a car again. Pick one of the towns and then a hotel with a pool where yall can chill out if yall just want to relax and even let the baby experience the water a tad if inclined.

I'd personally stay away from Boston, Chicago, etc. Too many people, subways, etc. Not how I'd want to travel with a baby personally. Get me in one car ride from airport then let me walk in peace.

We have a 15-month-old, he's been on multiple flights ranging from 2 hours to 4 hours. His first was at 5 months to Big Sky (2 hours). The flight itself was uneventful, about the only issues we've had are 2 blowouts on a flight from DFW to DEN. We typically get the middle and window seat, it gives mom more privacy for breastfeeding. We've done a couple of first class and those are great for the added space + not having to go over another person to exit the row. We are going to Europe this summer, so T&P for two 10 hr flights with a 1.5-year-old.

My biggest issue with traveling with him when he was younger was his sleep schedule. It's hard enough to manage getting them good sleep at home, can't imagine dealing with that on the road. He was already sleeping close to 10 hours at night at 5 months so it wasn't that big of an issue.

My personal experience is that there is a window from about 8 months old to 2.5 years old that traveling on a plane is a living hell with a kid. Outside of that its pretty manageable.

AggieOO said:

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First, you are never vacationing with a kid. You are parenting in a different place.

Second, travel as much as you can when they are young and basically just eat and sleep. It gets way more difficult as they get older.

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I disagree about things getting more difficult as the kids get older. It's not any harder, just different.

The only real problem i remember was in Singapore where it was impossible to get two double beds in a single hotel room so I stuffed 4 of us into a 3 person room. That was not fun.

I'll also add for the overseas, trip of a lifetime types of excursions, they're probably not going to remember much of anything before age 5, once they become adults.

AggieOO said:

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Snipes said:

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Don't listen to the naysayers about don't travel with a baby. We took our first born to Europe, costs rica, Detroit, and New Zealand before she was 1. We have some amazing memories from that. Sure you will have to have different expectations than before kids but can still have a good time. One of the things that surprised me was how helpful most people will be to you when you have a baby.

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This. We were dreading taking our first on a plane. Turns out, most people were super understanding and helpful, even offering to try and help calm her when she was crying.

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You triggered a repressed memory in that one.

Back during the scamdemic when I was living in Los Angeles and they were still playing mask games even after the Federal requirement had been lifted, I started flying out of Ontario.

I was flying from Texas back home to California and I had a young mother and a grandmother sitting across the aisle.

Baby had been fussy off and on for the first two hours but somewhere over Arizona, that kid just started screaming nonstop.

I offered to help and stopped short of demanding they give me the screaming child because it was obvious that the mom didn't have any idea what to do and the grandmother wasn't helping either.

Based on the dynamics, I figured out that the grandmother wasn't her mother but the mother of the baby's father. So she probably didn't want to overstep the baby mom.

And where was the father for all of this? In some other part of the aircraft. Never checked on the screaming kid once. I would have gladly switched seats with him.

That last hour of screaming baby was brutal.

But, that's what I get for flying Southwest out of Ontario. But I was sick of United and LAX by that stage of the virus so I got what I got.

Wife and I have an 18 month old who has been on 8 trips with us. California, Boston/New England, Hawaii, Spain and a few short weekend trips to visit family. We have had some spectacular food/wine experiences at restaurants/vineyards with the kid and some pretty awesome meals on the hotel bathroom floor after the kiddo went to sleep.

Biggest things that come to mind with traveling are

1) what time are the flights, we were able to get overnight flights for our longer trips. Pushed the wake windows a little and bought seats so that we could lay her down to sleep in her car seat. Even if asleep make sure you buckle them in, a 10 month old crawling out of the car seat at 3am over the Atlantic is not something you want to deal with
2) if breast feeding mom and baby being comfortable nursing on the plane or in the airport with just a cover sometimes that is what has to happen. If formula/bottle then baby not getting distracted and eating.
3) have a carrier that the baby is comfortable sleeping in prior to traveling. We bought a "wild bird" carrier and my wife wore the baby in it for a few trips to HEB, walking the neighborhood and around the house so both her and baby were comfortable. If traveling as a lap baby then this is also a great way to keep hands free during the flight.
4) get comfortable setting up both car seat and pack-and-play cribs before traveling. Nothing worse than getting to the rental car when it's 95 degrees in the afternoon and trying to YouTube car seat installation instructions or a hotel room with a baby that's crying and ready to go to sleep and you can't figure out the crib.
5) most Wi-Fi baby cameras do not work when using hotel Wi-Fi. If you plan to use one double check what you have
6) bring extra clothes for both baby and parents in the carry-on bags.
7) buy puppy training pee pads to use for diaper changes on airport floors, back of the car, or for dirty/wet public changing tables (they also come in handy to wrap around the baby when a massive untimely poop explosion happens during turbulence or landing and you can't get out of your seat.
8) dog poop bags come in handy for dirty diapers and soiled clothes.
9) Both mom and I have a 1 gallon ziplock in our backpacks with 2 diapers, wipes, puppy pad, poop bag and diaper cream. For diaper changes we grab that and don't need to worry about bringing the bigger bag into the bathroom.
10) ask flight attendants which bathroom has the changing table when you board the plane
11) take a deep breath and roll with the punches at points it can literally be a S-show but in my mind it's been 100% worth it.

HollywoodBQ said:

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AggieOO said:

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First, you are never vacationing with a kid. You are parenting in a different place.

Second, travel as much as you can when they are young and basically just eat and sleep. It gets way more difficult as they get older.

---

I disagree about things getting more difficult as the kids get older. It's not any harder, just different.

The only real problem i remember was in Singapore where it was impossible to get two double beds in a single hotel room so I stuffed 4 of us into a 3 person room. That was not fun.

I'll also add for the overseas, trip of a lifetime types of excursions, they're probably not going to remember much of anything before age 5, once they become adults.

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I guess you could say it becomes more complicated/involved/whatever. I feel like its harder to travel. Now they have to be entertained. You have to constantly keep on eye on them vs them being in the stroller, etc. We still travel with them, but its pain in the ass. Mine are still young though (6 and 4). I'm sure a lot of the crap I'm complaining about goes away as they get older, but I'm also sure there's new stuff you have to deal with.

AggieOO said:

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HollywoodBQ said:

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AggieOO said:

---

First, you are never vacationing with a kid. You are parenting in a different place.

Second, travel as much as you can when they are young and basically just eat and sleep. It gets way more difficult as they get older.

---

I disagree about things getting more difficult as the kids get older. It's not any harder, just different.

The only real problem i remember was in Singapore where it was impossible to get two double beds in a single hotel room so I stuffed 4 of us into a 3 person room. That was not fun.

I'll also add for the overseas, trip of a lifetime types of excursions, they're probably not going to remember much of anything before age 5, once they become adults.

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I guess you could say it becomes more complicated/involved/whatever. I feel like its harder to travel. Now they have to be entertained. You have to constantly keep on eye on them vs them being in the stroller, etc. We still travel with them, but its pain in the ass. Mine are still young though (6 and 4). I'm sure a lot of the crap I'm complaining about goes away as they get older, but I'm also sure there's new stuff you have to deal with.

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Reminded me of another funny one as the kids got older and entertainment.

In early 2007, I took my family from Los Angeles to Puerto Rico for spring break. We did LAX-FLL-SJU on the way there and had the 8 hour nonstop (which they don't have any longer) from SJU-LAX on the way home.

On the way out to Fort Lauderdale, we watched two movies on the flight - "Rocky Balboa" and "The Island". I didn't really want my youngest (who was 8 at the time) watching the movies but, I was also tired so I fell asleep at some point.

When she got back to school they had to do some sort of writing assignment and she starts writing about Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta and how they're clones who are going to be sacrificed for their body parts. I think we got a call from the teacher after that one.

Later that year when we moved to Australia, the Simpsons Movie was available on the plane. It sounds funny now but Qantas had the 5 inch screens and some form of movies on demand in the seat.

I instructed both of the kids to DO NOT watch the Simpsons Movie because I didn't think it was age appropriate. Well, on a 14 hour flight, you're going to fall asleep so naturally, when I woke up, both kids were watching The Simpsons Movie.

Anyway, I didn't think the youngest would get that much out of "The Island" but she was able to recount in great detail what happened in the movie.

Vegas. Smoking section.

We traveled extensively with our kids when they were young and as a result they became very good travelers at a young age (both air and car).

We have friends who took the "oh, our kids can't handle a 6 hour car ride" approach.....and as a result they can't.

If y'all are a family that will travel a lot then figure out the tricks that you need to do it early, be flexible and adaptable, and keep living your life.

Appreciate everyone's thoughts. We're headed to Park City at the of June!

Heading home from Park City in the morning. Baby did really well on the flight. Had a couple more nights in than planned due to her being tired but overall a really good time!

Thanks for updating us!