Michael -- for your trip to Barbados: did you buy a ticket for Lucas or travel infant-in-arms?
My wife and I just had our first, and in November will be traveling to Tokyo for Thanksgiving. We're a little daunted by the idea of traveling internationally with a 4-month old, but the family's kind of far-flung and none of the aunts/uncles/cousins have met her yet. I've traveled a fair amount and have been to Japan a handful times...but never with a baby.
If it were domestic, I wouldn't hesitate to go the infant-in-arms route and save the money. But on a 12-hour transpac flight that might be too ambitious. I realize Barbados isn't quite as far, but from Brooklyn that's still a decent haul. What did you do?