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London/Paris with a 17-mo old - WWYD?
DH and I have been invited to go to London for 4 nights and Paris for 4 nights this summer. (My adopted-Grandpa regularly sends family members to Europe...it's a long story.) Anyway, I have been on 4 different trips to Europe in the last 10 years, including London and Paris, thanks to him. DH has never been so I really want to go. But I don't want to leave DD at home for over a week and I'm also not sure how much fun it could possibly be toting a 17-month old around in foreign countries. I seriously don't know what to do. I don't want to pass this up but I don't want to be miserable and stressed the whole trip. I am worried about a) the long flight, b) the jet lag/time difference and DD's sleep schedule, and c) keeping DD entertained during the day. Any insight is much appreciated!
Note: I am considering asking him if we can opt to take a shorter, "easier" trip somewhere in the U.S. with DD instead of going to Europe so that we can still have a vacation. He's just such a funny man. Even though a trip like that would be MUCH cheaper for him, if it isn't HIS idea, he's sometimes weird about it.
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Re: London/Paris with a 17-mo old - WWYD?
Having returned from 2.5 week trip to sweden with a 10 month old, I'd say it wouldn't been too bad to take her. It depends on what you want to do at the places. It would be a killer get away from the kiddo too.
We didn't have issues with the time difference (7 hours from texas). and given my travel schedule (12 hours flying 11 in airports) he wasn't grumpy. you know your kiddo. If it's the first time on a plane then prolly not, but if she's flown before and handles it well go for it.
not really helping, but it could be ok to go with her if you really don't want to leave her.
I gotta say... I'd take her!
Granted, it's been 10 years since I was in Paris and I've never been to London but i found Paris to be a very kid-friendly city. Much more than any place I've been in the US actually.
I wouldn't want to miss out on the trip, and I wouldn't leave my baby at home so the only option would be to bring her too. I wouldn't exactly look forward to the plane portion, but we'd deal with it (and get her own seat because that's a long time to have a baby on your lap).
But I also like to experience things as a family and we seem to do a lot of things together that others wouldn't do with their babies/toddlers.
I would totally go and leave her w/ the grandparents. I left my dd when she was almost a year old for 9 days and went to Morocco. The first day was the hardest day and after that it felt so good reconnecting with my dh and just enjoying each other again. DD had a blast and my inlaws kept up with her blog so we got to her little adventures each day.
That said we never could have brought her on that trip the way we were traveling (train in really old cities and hiking in the Atlas Mtns) where as Paris and London would be much easier. I just don't think I could enjoy myself w/ a toddler on a foreign trip.
all and all--I vote to go and leave the kiddo
I agree with m_and_m. 17 months is such an awesome age, too. The plane ride might be tough if she's really active, but it would be worth it IMO.
You don't have to go all out all the time. Just adjust your schedule to accomodate your DD a little. Seeing a few fewer things is better than not going at all.
If you can endure the flight I think you will be fine.
Babies live in those places too and their parents do it in those cities everyday.
I'm not a mom, but I'd take her.
My parents took me on my first trip to Europe when I was about that age. We backpacked and camped (as in sleeping bags and a tent) for a couple of weeks and stayed with a relative in Germany for a few days as well.
My parents took me on my second trip to Europe when I was 3.5 and my sister was about 6 months. We didn't camp that time, just did B&Bs.
I obviously don't remember the 1st trip and only remember a few things about the second trip (climbing stairs to go up the tower of Pisa with my dad, stopping for Coke/Snickers breaks...) but I think it's more about having a family experience like that. I'm so thankful that my parents exposed me to travel from such an early age and always made trips a family affair. So... it's do-able if you want it to be.
BFP 12.20.2010 :: missed m/c 1/2011 around 8 weeks
BFP @ 9dpo 5.24.2011 :: missed m/c 6/2011 around 7 weeks
positive for ANAs (1:40) with a speckled pattern
MTHFR c677t mutation (heterozygous)
*folic acid, baby asprin, Prometrium, acupuncture, Lovenox*
BFP @ 9dpo 2.1.2012 || HCG = 8 : Progesterone = 19.2
2nd HCG @ 11dpo = 40 || 3rd HCG @ 21dpo = over 5000!
Stick, little one, stick! EDD October 15, 2012
I'm pretty sure that on international flights, you would need to buy a seat for her, lap children aren't an option.
I'm another vote for leaving her w/ family. Because you have a limited time there (really, less than a week in each location can be filled in no time flat!), I wouldn't want to plan my days around naps, meals, etc.
Sure, there are toddlers in London and Paris, but those parents aren't experiencing those cities for the first time like your husband would be.
Jon and I went to a wedding on the east coast a few months after Jack turned one. My parents met us at the beach and took Jack there for the week. They all had a BLAST! Jack's grandparents had a chance to get tons of 1 on 1 time w/ their grandson and we got to enjoy catching up w/ old friends, stay out late, sleep in, etc. It was a nice vacation for all!
Another vote for leaving DD with family. If she were 3 or 4 even I would take her if it were an option, they would actually get something out of it at that age. But, at 17 months I can not see them getting much out of it, and like MC said I would hate to plan a trip like that around naps, etc.
well, here is another vote to leave her.
I'm a huge travel-bug, and the last few times I was abroad I was trying to picture myself there w/ a kiddo. I was in Paris a little over a year ago, and I used to live/study there. I LOVE Paris, don't get me wrong, but I would not take a 17 mo old. I also would not take a 17 mo old to NYC for that matter. Yes, there are toddlers and infants in those cities- but they're used to all that hustle and bustle. The subways, language barriers at TIMES, lack of "comfort" food for a baby that small, etc - that's all reason enough for me to not take a baby to Europe. Also, summer is HOT w/ few places having a/c. Take that into account too. It will also be VERY crowded. Plus, on my flight back to the US last time, it was during another fun Air France strike - so I almost got bumped from my flight (for no good reason other than that's how they stupidly do things w/ French airlines) and my flight was FULL - so was the entire airport. We're talking lines out the door of the airport to just check-in, flight so full that during the ENTIRE flight, there was a line no less than 6 people long for any bathroom on the plane - yuck!. Imagine needing to do a diaper change in that scenario!
Not to be a Debbie-Downer, but let's look at a worst-case-scenario type of situation.
I want to take DH to the Louvre because it's the Louvre. I have DD with me, it's HOT, there is a line of about 100 people to get in. She has a leaky diaper, she's hungry, so she's fussy. I've brought some snacks to keep her happy, but they only go so far and we do a 30-minute visit of the Louvre b/c DD is in melt-down mode. We need to go back to the hotel so that she can have a nap. That means getting on the subway w/ a stroller, navigating through all the stairs having to fold and un-fold the stroller several times for the long walks in the stations - oh, and it's wicked hot on those in the summer most of the time. Finally getting to the hotel and getting her to sleep, then re-thinking the schedule for the rest of the day and having to trim down things that we really wanted to see to accommodate DD's mood.
Yes, that is a dramatic example, but it's how I think - and I'd hate to "miss out" on something b/c we had DD with us. I love her dearly and I DO want her to go places like that with us, but jeez- the packing alone for her would stress me out - not to mention the flight, etc. DH and I have decided we would not take DD with us on international trips until she is old enough to appreciate them - like when she's actually learning about some of the places in school or something. If you were having to pay for this trip yourself (if it was not a gift), would you think otherwise?
It would be hard to leave her, but I'd leave her - even if it was for 2 weeks. My parents went to Switzerland and Paris when I was 6 months old and left me for 2 weeks. I always gave them a hard time about it - but putting myself in their position- it was the last chance they had for a European vacation for just the 2 of them for what would be 20 years! They have gone back since, but it was after me and my sister graduated from high school.
I would love to see DD toddling around the streets of Paris eating a pain au chocolate w/ chocolate all over her face like all those adorable French kiddos - but only when we have the luxury of time on our side. Like if we are lucky enough to have a summer home in France or something so that we can leisurly experience the joie de vivre like the french do. If I only have a limited amount of time though - I'm in Travel-Nazi mode and so is DH - trying to do as much as we can with the time we have!
Personally, I would not leave my 17 mo old for 10 days. We took dd last summer when she was 1 year to France for 2 weeks and it was no big deal. We took a night flight over there so she slept pretty much the whole time. Once we were there we never truly got on the new time schedule but it didn't really matter. It was a vacation and we didn't have to be anywhere at a certain time. We stayed up late and woke up late. It probably made the transition home easier! My daughter was younger than yours but we just kept her in the stroller while we went out and let her play when we were at parks.
Our 3 year old daughter did stay with my parents while we were gone and I think it was a little too long for her to be away from us. By the end of the trip my mom said she was constantly asking when we were going to be back and that she wanted us.
Every child is different and only you know what will be best.