Babies: 9 - 12 Months
snookums2013
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Vacationing with baby
snookums2013
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We are planning to do a 3 week vacation (flying across the country) in a rental house or condo when my daughter is 11 months old. She is much younger than that right now so I'm having a hard time figuring out what she'll be into at that point. Can you tell me what toys your child liked/ likes at that age, what they are able to do physically, and what gear you would take on that long of a trip? What would you bring on the plane and what would you ship instead? If your baby already sleeps in their own room, would you make sure to have a separate room for them to sleep in on vacation? Would you trust a crib provided by the rental property or would you bring a pack n play? What kind of activities would you do - would they like the zoo, swimming pool, beach? Would they understand characters at an amusement park type place? Thanks!
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Re: Vacationing with baby
We are heading to FL in 2 weeks with our 11 mo, it's a 3.5 hr flight. TBH, I'm really dreading it but DH wanted to go and we are traveling with 3 other families with older kids. We found a baby gear rental company in the area and we're renting a pack n play and stroller. They have lots of other gear available including toys and books. We are bringing our own carseat and checking it at the gate.
We're renting a house with the other families so we'll have to share a room with DS, I'm thinking about bringing our white noise machine from home. As for activities, DS still takes 2 naps a day so we'll have to see how everything plays out. The other kids are older so I'm sure DH will want to try to do everything they do and DS will miss some naps, hopefully it won't be the disaster I imagine.
eta the rental house has 1 pack n play which one of us will use and a bunch of beach toys.
My son has always slept in his room but we share a room when we go on vacation. He just sleeps in a pack and play. If it is just a standard crib then I would trust it.(I would not trust a drop side crib.) At 11 months he was walking so I would get a spring gate if there are stairs. You will find what toys she will like as she gets older.
Activities: you can do pretty much anything you want with her in tow. Bring or rent a stroller at the zoo. Make sure she had plenty of sunblock and sun protection at the pool and beach.
I would say that my almost 2 year old is just now getting into characters so I would say an 11 month old won't get it. But if it is something you want to do, then do it. They will be free admission so it wouldn't cost you any extra.
https://www.thecarseatlady.com/airplanes/airplanes.html
Also, isn't checking the carseat a no-no too?
Also, isn't checking the carseat a no-no too?
Yes it is.
I agree. The reason is, usually, that flying is safer than driving and they'd rather people choose that because traveling is expensive. Or something like that.
I'm not going to debate the holding on lap, carseat thing. I'm just going to tell you what my experiences have been. You need to decide what's right for you.
What I would bring for an 11 month old:
A stroller
Carseat of course (I check mine and hold baby up to a yearish, but if she's very mobile, you may just want to get her a seat. The closer they are to walking the more difficult it is to keep them on your lap.)
A pack n play if no crib available from the rental company. A lot of times they are just a PNP, ask if your worried.
I would not worry about baby sleeping in the same room as you. I think if the extra room isn't available in the house you are renting, I wouldn't spend the extra $$ to make sure baby had her own room. It's nice to have, but not necessary.
If the house is large, or you'll be outside a lot when baby is sleeping, then I'd bring a monitor.
As for what an 11 month old will be into, I don't think you can pre-plan that, just take a selection of smallish toys and some books. For the flight, same thing plus lots of snacks (my son ate way more snacks than he normally world, so double up!). They probably won't care too much about characters or sightseeing, but they will enjoy the ride and sights in their stroller. If they are walking or crawling a lot, you'll have to plan for breaks for them to get out of the stroller and move around. I would definitely take them to the zoo, pool, or beach, etc. Just bring lots of sunscreen and a few hats (we lose them regularly).
FWIW - I baggage checked three carseats and two strollers on my last trip cross-country with three kids and my DH. On the way home, I wished I had the stroller (Double SNG) and carseats to gate check for the girls, only because we were delayed for hours due to weather, but they were small enough I could lay them down in an airport chair together to give my back a rest. (We carried them in Ergo's).
If you do decide to check the carseat, order a nice carseat cover because they will get scratched up and dirty if you don't. I as well as the Britax convertible. I also travelled with the infant carrier if the baby is still within the height/weight limit of the seat rather than the convertible if I can. My son still fit his when he was 14 months old. Barely, but he fit.
You'll be fine
I wouldn't bother shipping stuff, just know you will have a lot of stuff, and the airport part will be challenging, but it'll work out.
TTC since May 2006. After 3 failed Clomid cycles, 2 failed Injectibles/IUIs, 2 failed IVFs and 1 failed FET, we moved on to adoption!
Last ditch FET resulted in BFP, and identical twin girls!