Mini-vacations without LO's...

nurseratched

Anyone been away without their LO?

For Christmas, FIL got all of his kids a 4 day mini-vacation that's about 4 hours away from home. The first thing DH asked was, "are we taking DS?" My initial reaction was, "Of course he's going, why wouldn't we take him?". But then I got to thinking....

This is probably our last opportunity to get away before baby #2 comes. We will have 4 days of adult time to do what we please without catering to nap time and all of that baby stuff (It won't necessarily be 'alone time' because all of BIL's, SIL's, FIL, grandparents, etc will also be there).

 So we have arranged for MIL to watch DS for those days. She is the only one I trust to watch him for that length of time, and I'm very comfortable with him staying there. However, I just don't know if I can do it. How am I going to leave my baby for 4 days?? I keep going back and forth on whether or not to take him.

ETA: To clarify, MIL and FIL are divorced. Which is why one will be on the trip and one will be home with LO. I realized that might have been a little confusing.

What would you guys do? Anybody been away on a trip without LO? How was your experience?

Sorry this came out much longer than I intended it to.

dannie2011

I'm weird so don't take me as someone normal. Anyways I always took my kids with me, exept when they were much older. I'm talking about they could stay home on their own, so much older. But I never had anyone I fully trusted to take my 4 for more then a night. It was a down side of having 4.

But you mentioned you wouldn't get alone time since the whole family will be there too. For me I would then take my LO, but you do have someone who you trust to take care of your LO.

So you need to figure out if you would actually get some alone time or would you be thinking the entire time I should of just brought DS since everyone is here and asking about him/theres so much that we could with DS type. Since I don't know what type of trip you are going on it really is hard to say.

Sorry for typos I suck at spelling and I'm not at my computer.

valigrl21

When I read the title I was going to say "go for it!' Adult time is always good. And as hard as it is, I think time away from kids is good for the parents and kids.

But after reading it, I actually think if I were you I would bring DD. It sounds like a family vacation and kids are part of the family too. LO will probably love to get to see Aunts and Uncles and Grandpa. And they would probably love to see LO. Maybe someone would even want to take LO for a few hours or for an evening to do something fun, so you and hubby could have some time just for the 2 of you.

3Girls3xsTheFun

H and I just came back from a 3 night trip to Orlando without our girls and it was great -- mostly because the the reasons you mentioned! We could stay out as late as we wanted, have late dinners, skip early breakfasts, visit places without a stroller... It was really nice.

We go away for a long weekend (3 nights) about two times a year. We went to Vegas in April. For us, it's great. We know the girls are fine with their grandparents (our parents split babysitting duties) and we really like having 4 days to just hang out with eachother.

So, I say go for it. It only gets harder once you add another kid in the mix. It was much easier finding an overnight sitter for 1 kid....3? Not so much!

  

Sunidaze

I am counting down the days until our cruise in April without the Peanut.  I cannot wait!  We (DH and I) desparately need this vacation, this 'alone' time for us...we haven't had a vacation together (outside of trips to Atlanta for family functions) since before our engagement and we will have been married 5 years in August.

If I were you, I wouldn't feel any hesitation at all.

nurseratched

I guess the main perk of not taking him is that we can roam freely without the stroller, diaper bag, etc. We're going to Gatlinburg, TN...don't know if you've ever heard of it but it's mostly a lot of shopping, a lot of touristy attractions, dinner shows, and it sits on the mountains so there's that. Some things that might interest LO, but not a whole lot. Also, DH is kind of an ass when it comes to sharing the responsibilities of LO, especiallly when he is around his brothers. So I forsee myself getting stuck in the hotel alone for several hours a day while everyone else is out having fun.

But....taking him wouldn't ruin the trip it would just make it a little more complicated. And I'm worried that I'll miss him so much that I won't have fun.

I think I know what the right answer is here, I'm just have trouble coming to terms with leaving DS.

magnoliablossom00

I have been to Gatlinburg.

I would definitely go with you and DH, and leave LO with MIL (if you completely trust her). Now that I have 2, babysitters are far more limited! You have plenty of time with LO, but not plenty of time alone with DH. Go! Enjoy yourselves! Who knows when you can go away again!

mrs mosby

We went away for 4 days in June and left DD with my parents. We figured it would be the last time for awhile since baby 2 was due in August. It was wonderful and I don't regret leaving her at all. But by the fourth day I was ready to come home.
I say you go for it.

lbursey

We're going away soon on a ski vacation in vermont for 4 nights without LO.  We're meeting friends from our optometry school that we havent' seen in a couple of years.  I've been back and forth on whether or not to take him but I think we've decided not to!!!  We need some "mommy and daddy" time to stay up late, go out to dinner, sleep in past 5:30, etc etc.  

I'd say go for it!!! 

J9melissa

We went to the East coast (From Indiana) for a wedding and then extended our stay for a "mini" vacation. A stayed back with the IL's for the first part of the trip and then switched to my parents for the second half. In all, we were gone for 10 night.

I missed him like crazy, but we were able to talk with him daily with Facetime.

 The reunion was so sweet.

Anyways, I'd do it again in a heart beat!

Good luck deciding!

alm0309

Go for it!  DH and I are going away for 4 nights next month on an adult only trip with my cousins.  My older sister will watch DS and I trust her greatly.  We planned this trip to be our last horrah before we start trying for number 2.  Like you, we know this will be our last opportunity for a real "vacation" for a long, long time.  Kelly Ripa said when you have kids there is no such thing as a vacation, but instead a "trip", and I could not agree more!  I think you should go, have fun, stay up late, sleep in, and enjoy yourself!

Turtle143

Everyone is different on how comfortable they are leaving their LOs with a family member.

  The first time we did have a one-night mini getaway without LO was when she was 13 months old. DH and I were both nervous, ok....I was more anxious than he was but I was more worried about her getting her nap and sleeping "on schedule." My ILs stayed at our house because Liv only naps/sleeps in her crib and MIL was very understanding of that, in fact she suggested it. It went well for them while we were gone but honestly DH and I found ourselves somewhat lost....like what do we do now? haha

So a couple of months later, we had another mini getaway and we felt so much more at ease and less anxious. ILs stayed at our house to take care of Liv there. It was so much fun. We'd do it again except ILs also have to take care of their aging mom so I feel bad imposing on them though they are willing to do it again. We'll probably ask again in the spring time when the weather is nicer. 

 So anyways....I think it's very important for parents to have time to themselves too so I'm all for you and your DH going on a 4-day trip without the LO if you have people you trust. 

I would love to if MIL were available more often! 

We're going to Maui this month for a couple of weeks and decided to take LO with us because we think it will also be fun for her. 

GL with your decision!

kayjay10

We've done several of each.  We've taken long weekends without DD and we've been on two long vacations with DD.  I trust my mom to watch her completely, so there is no worry in her being with my mom, but DD is a handful and I don't want to completely exhaust my mom (she watches her during the week while we work also).  It's good to have alone time with DH to reconnect, but it's also good to have family vacations.  We live about 2 hours from Gatlinburg and while there is a lot for kids to do (we just bought season passes to Dollywood theme park), I would leave LO with your MIL if you feel comfortable with it.  There is really good outlet shopping and hiking and things you may not want to drag LO to.  Have fun whatever you decide!