vacation suggestions with an infant?

united

this is a happy problem, i know, but we can't decide where to go on vacation with our DD.  it seems like vacationing with an infant is so limiting...any suggestions for places or types of trips that work well with little ones?

Sofka

how old is she and what do you guys like?

do you want to drive or fly?

 

VAJuneBride07

We went to the Outer Banks with DD this summer.  It was the perfect vacation for her.  Whatever you do, I suggest something where you have the option of cooking unless your DD is younger than 6 months.  DD (almost a year) doesn't sit still in restaurants right now, so being able to eat at the rental house was really nice.

united

she is almost 3 months now and will be 4 when we travel.  we just did the beach and it was a bomb!  too much time anticipating her schedule, etc. (I'm nursing) and not very much time at the beach at all, maybe 30 mins!  she did do great in the car...but we will probably fly, unless there is a great driving option.  we like lots of things so are open to all suggestions.  thanks!

LMH1209

I don't have any specific suggestions for locations, but we've learned to choose destinations for vacations where simply being there feels like a vacation -- where it doesn't matter whether or not we actually get to do anything in particular. The beach actually worked pretty well for us because we could at least look at the ocean from our balcony while DS was sleeping and relax a bit. Our old vacation style of driving a lot, eating out a lot, and generally going all day just doesn't work for us right now. Basically, we've lowered our expectations quite a bit for the outings and meals portion of our vacations for the next few years

One other suggestion is to consider taking someone with you who can watch the baby occasionally or even traveling with another couple with a baby so you can trade off hanging out in the hotel during naps. We went to the Cayman Islands when DS was about eight months old, and one of the reasons it went well was that we took my SIL and her boyfriend with us. We didn't expect them to babysit per se, but just having them do things like carry DS off for a long walk on the beach gave us a few minutes to relax at the same time, which is quite a luxury with a little one around.

We also got two connecting rooms so that we could eat dinner in the second room (SIL and boyfriend's room) after DS went to bed each night. If you can't get two rooms, I'd look at condos or at least a suite where you have some separate space so you don't have to sit in the dark between LO's bedtime and hours.

hsbbride

When we were in Turks and Caicos last year there were a lot of families with young children/infants. Most of the loding in T&C is condos, so most units have a small kitchenette at the very least, which I think attracts a lot of families.

WinesNot Whines

Babies are so portable at that age that I think you can go almost anywhere. I'd go somewhere you want to go and just figure the baby is along for the ride. Try to plan 1-2 activities a day, but keep your plans flexible so you can work around the baby's schedule. Our vacations have worked best when we planned to be semi-active, as opposed to trying to relax. It's pretty much impossible to relax with a baby! I also recommend renting a house or condo, or at the very least a hotel suite instead of a regular hotel room. Having more space is really nice.