vacation with a 9 month old??

jannv11

My husband is pressuring me to book a trip to Cancun Mexico in December when DD will be 9 months.  I want to wait till she is at least 1 thinking it will be a little easier with her eating more foods and probably walking.  We took DS when he was 1 and I was still in a FTM dream state....tired and nervous.  I don't feel that way this time but afraid DD won't sleep at night and it would be hard for all of us in 1 room.  Anyone with experience with traveling at that age??

kcphilly

Perhaps it's just me, but I don't think any vacation with a child will be enjoyable until they can feed and dress themselves.  If you really want to get away, do it.  Just don't expect a relaxing vacation unless you're leaving him at home with grandmom!

NicoleWI

We have done family vacations with a baby at a lake cottage resort, but Cancun with a 9 month old does not sound fun to me. Personally, I would wait until 1 year plus so the baby will be down to one nap and will be a little more manageable. Sitting in the condo or hotel while baby naps sounds crappy to me in Cancun. It's just not a super kid-friendly vacation to start with. 

LSU628

We just got back from the beach with DS and I will never again take a crawling infant to the beach. He was picking up and trying to eat seashells, crawling in the sand, at one point fell face first into the sand- not enjoyable. He did have a blast splashing in the water, but like PP mentioned, he did nap twice a day. ALso, the amount of gear I had to drag along with us was a bit overwhelming. I needed a vacation from our vacation once we got home.

kerbear135

We're taking DD to Disney World next month (she'll be 10 months then). I think whether or not you'll have a good time with a child that age depends on you, and your baby. We know that DD is easy going and will have no problem napping in the stroller or wherever we happen to be when she's tired and that she loves to ride around and people watch, so she shouldn't have a problem at the parks (we've been taking her to the local amusement park to see how she does so we have some idea of what to expect). She sometimes takes 1 nap, sometimes 2, and sometimes cat naps so have no idea of knowing what schedule she'll choose each day. We also are fully prepared to stop what we're doing and take her back to the hotel should she get cranky...
You know your child better than us- if your child is pretty easy going and adaptable, I say go for it. However, if your child prefers a more rigid schedule and doesn't do well with deviations, I say you wait.

Beth.1212

I'm on vacation with my 9 month old now, so I definitely think it's doable to vacation with a LO. We're at a condo in VT, though, where there is a kitchen for us to make meals at, a separate room for LO, and a mini golf course, frisbee golf, walks, hikes, and an indoor pool around the corner for entertainment.

I wouldn't want to share a hotel room in Cancun with my little guy. I'd wait till he was older for that vacation.

jannv11

Thanks for all the ideas and things to think about.  I do co-sleep at least for the last few hours of sleep if not more.  Hanging at the pool and sitting on the balcony staring at the ocean while she naps isn't the worst thing in the world.  Having a 4 year old and since we've taken him on 4 trips similar to this already I know that it isn't relaxing with kids but I would make the best of it and enjoy the sunshine!! 

dufferoo

If your husband really wants to go to Cancun, why not stay at an all-inclusive like Club Med, which is practically designed around babies? We stayed at the Club Med in Ixtapa when DS was about 6 months, and it was surprisingly relaxing. They have full-time daycare, but you can really just drop in and out whenever you want. We started out just leaving him there for an hour or so and worked our way up to a few hours by the end of the week. You can pop in and out to nurse him if you want, and they will totally work around your schedule, so if you are able to nurse him down to a nap and then lay him in a crib at the BabyClub, you are free to leave and enjoy the sun with your hubby. Meals are easy because they have a huge selection (including babyfood and other simple baby fare) and you can eat whenever you want. I could go on and on but I would just start to sound like a brochure. But, seriously, this is the way to go! PS They have tons of really fun supervised camp activities for bigger kids too. You can also drop in and out of these if you feel guilty leaving the kids all day long!

ktcurtis09

My husband and I took our 8 month old daughter on vacation last month to Panama City Beach for 3 days, driving all the way from KY, and she is exclusively BF, as I am a FTM, then travelled to New Orleans for 3 days, then drove back home. Whew. It's rough, but totally doable. And we had fun! And we co-sleep; easier to feed and everyone get sleep. Stay positive and have fun! Keep a good mindset and don't think about the negatives.

ObLaDi

NicoleWI said:

We have done family vacations with a baby at a lake cottage resort, but Cancun with a 9 month old does not sound fun to me. Personally, I would wait until 1 year plus so the baby will be down to one nap and will be a little more manageable. Sitting in the condo or hotel while baby naps sounds crappy to me in Cancun. It's just not a super kid-friendly vacation to start with. 

This. I don't even want to travel to the next state with my 9 month old.

I'd wait till baby's older.

mamato3girls

I always found them easier to vacation with the younger they are. We have done several trips with 9 month olds, although not cancun. But we did Disney world, the beach at least once with each of ours, NYC, Washington DC, mountain getaways. My kids are pretty flexible though. We cosleep so they sleep anywhere I am, they napped on the beach or in the carrier on my back and they nursed when they were hungry. Honestly vacations with a mobile and running around toddler have always been much more difficult.

Meagan0528

We took DS to Anna Maria Island, Florida this past summer when he was 6 months old for a family reunion vacation, and it went fine.  He got slightly off schedule, but honestly it was fun taking him to the beach and watching him explore.  We also took him to Busch Gardens and he loved the Swamp Stomp area in Sesame Place.  Now that being said, it was definitely a "different" type of vacation.  You won't be able to lay on the Beach and sip tropical drinks all day.  So that would be something to take into consideration.... if I were going to a resort or something, I would think twice about it I think.

this decaf life

We've traveled a lot with DD. I think she's only going to get more difficult to travel with once she starts walking. I was able to pack some jars of baby food no problems and she fell asleep and we could turn the TV on once she was down. I blogged about traveling with her when she was 8 months old.