Summer vacation

ballinbaby15

As a ftm I am not sure what to expect the first few months- besides the obvious. My husband and I are considering going to the beach this summer with our daughter- she will be 3 months. We are obviously going to talk to the prediatrician- but I thought I'd ask to see if anyone was planning on going on a vacation with their little one this summer.

kjuryfl

Sure am! We started traveling again when my daughter was 6wks old (air travel wasn't until 12wks though). We plan to do the same with this little guy. Traveling is SO easy with a small baby. Once they become toddlers things get complicated. 

Sharon&Paul

Sure. We went on a beach vacation when our first was 2 months old. They are so easy to travel at the age. Try not to over pack for them. We did and felt silly afterward.

NagaWater

We might go somewhere in June depending on when this LO is born (if she's early or not).
I have a family reunion that's a 4 hour drive so we shall see

niesp

@kjuryfl‌ do you purchase them their own ticket so you have an extra seat? And if you do/don't how long are your typical flights?

I ask because we are considering traveling to Mexico in November (6 months-ish) and can't decide if it is worth an extra seat or if we should wait until they can walk etc.

Honestly I appreciate any opinion..

Modalyn

We have our beach trip planned for July. The flight is only about 45min so hopefully it'll be a breeze. We can't wait! We registered for a little tent for the beach for baby.

kjuryfl

niesp said:

@kjuryfl‌ do you purchase them their own ticket so you have an extra seat? And if you do/don't how long are your typical flights?

I ask because we are considering traveling to Mexico in November (6 months-ish) and can't decide if it is worth an extra seat or if we should wait until they can walk etc.

Honestly I appreciate any opinion..

We didn't purchase a seat for her until she was 2. After 2 she was way too feisty to sit on my lap, so it was nice being able to strap her into her car seat on the plane. We've flown all over with her, both cross country and to Europe. It is a pain in the butt bringing a car seat on the plane though so I would try and get away with lap holding as long as you can. From 12wks to 1yr flying was so easy for us! I would just nurse her on take off/landing and she was content.

niesp

kjuryfl said:

niesp said:

@kjuryfl‌ do you purchase them their own ticket so you have an extra seat? And if you do/don't how long are your typical flights?

I ask because we are considering traveling to Mexico in November (6 months-ish) and can't decide if it is worth an extra seat or if we should wait until they can walk etc.

Honestly I appreciate any opinion..

We didn't purchase a seat for her until she was 2. After 2 she was way too feisty to sit on my lap, so it was nice being able to strap her into her car seat on the plane. We've flown all over with her, both cross country and to Europe. It is a pain in the butt bringing a car seat on the plane though so I would try and get away with lap holding as long as you can. From 12wks to 1yr flying was so easy for us! I would just nurse her on take off/landing and she was content.

Thank you!!!

kjones115

We're traveling to the shore for Memorial Day which is about a 2 hour drive. Baby will be just shy of two months. At the very end of June we're traveling to the shore again for a week. That drive is a bit longer at 3 hours but I'm hoping we can schedule it around nap time.

keifekm

We are going on a trip in mid July. A beach trip in NC with my best friends and their kiddos. Then we will head to MI to see my DH's family.

I never purchased a seat for DD until she was 2. A lot of time the airlines would throw us a bone and give us a row that had an extra seat to give us more space. This is dependent upon the airline, if the person working the ticketing is in a good mood and of course whether or not the flight was full.

tigerlily25

We will be doing an over night trip on Boston probably in June (we live about 2 hrs away). No plans for any plane rides in the near future but I would probably be comfortable with that around 3 months.

Blergbot

We will probably take baby's first flight in August to visit my in-laws. Then we will go on a beach trip in September so baby is a little older (5 1/2 months) and can enjoy it a little. I don't want to fork over the extra money for a seat for the baby, but given PP's link above and the need for a carseat on the other end, it looks like that's what we'll do.

keifekm

Blergbot said:

We will probably take baby's first flight in August to visit my in-laws. Then we will go on a beach trip in September so baby is a little older (5 1/2 months) and can enjoy it a little. I don't want to fork over the extra money for a seat for the baby, but given PP's link above and the need for a carseat on the other end, it looks like that's what we'll do.

Most airlines will let you check car seats and strollers for free... Check the policy to be 100% sure but I want to say pretty much all of them do.

Blergbot

keifekm said:

We will probably take baby's first flight in August to visit my in-laws. Then we will go on a beach trip in September so baby is a little older (5 1/2 months) and can enjoy it a little. I don't want to fork over the extra money for a seat for the baby, but given PP's link above and the need for a carseat on the other end, it looks like that's what we'll do.

Most airlines will let you check car seats and strollers for free... Check the policy to be 100% sure but I want to say pretty much all of them do.

Follow the link from @erinkaym. It outlines the problems both with flying with a baby on your lap and checking a car seat.

erinkaym said:

@kjuryfl‌ do you purchase them their own ticket so you have an extra seat?... Honestly I appreciate any opinion..

Please make sure you are well-informed about air travel safety before you decide whether or not to buy your LO a ticket.

https://csftl.org/leaving-on-a-jet-plane-the-csftl-guide-to-safe-air-travel-with-children/

ejz98ric02

Domestic travel is with baby on your lap and it's free until 2 years old for every airline that I can recall. International travel is very different!

kjuryfl

We've never had a damage issue when checking our car seat or stroller and travel often. We've also never been charged for these items either. As with many other things in parenting there will be differing opinions regarding holding your child on your lap/checking your car seat during air travel.

Pix3lle

Anyone had experience traveling states with a 4/5 month old? (i think 6-8 hour flight) Any tips?

My SO's family is planning a trip to the gold coast and invited us along, having never been myself I'm hoping it wouldn't be too hard with a baby that age!

kjuryfl

Pix3lle said:

Anyone had experience traveling states with a 4/5 month old? (i think 6-8 hour flight) Any tips?

My SO's family is planning a trip to the gold coast and invited us along, having never been myself I'm hoping it wouldn't be too hard with a baby that age!

I loved flying with my daughter when she was that age. I nursed at take off/landing to help her ears. If she wasn't hungry I would offer a pacifier. She was pretty content playing with a couple rattles and nursing. She slept a lot on the plane since the vibration and movement mimicked a car.

Pix3lle

@kjuryfl That's reassuring thanks