nj4876

Hi

Just wanted to get some opinion on a possible trip with a 2-year old baby ?

Looking for a trip in Mar or in May/Jun from EWR.

Montreal/Quebec (probably not good in Mar because of Cold)
Bahamas (not sure how much of activities are there)
Hawaii (seems too far with a small child)

Let me know if someone has any other suggestions or experience of a trip with baby.

I have starwood points, continental miles and CO elite status.

Thanks

entropy

Make sure you keep the baby quiet.

I'm afraid there isn't much to do with a small child anywhere you go other than maybe Disneyland.

cjermain

We took our then-2YO son (birthday: early Jan) to India for a 2-week vacation back in March.

Then we took him to Italy for this last New Year, just before his 3rd birthday.

Both trips were great. India was probably more "fun" for him, because (a) he was younger, and so he had less free will (you have to work harder to make sightseeing fun for an almost-3YO than a just-turned-2YO), and (b) the craziness/sensory overload of India can be a total blast for someone that age. Just riding in an autorickshaw with the horns beeping all around is a great time for a little boy.

My overall point is not that you should go to India or Italy, but that there is no inherent reason you can't go anywhere with your 2YO that you would have without him/her. A 2YO can find great fun anywhere, as long as you are flexible: chasing pigeons in front of St. Peter's in Rome was more fun for our son than anything he did at Disney the week before.

Edited to add: this might make more sense in the "traveling with kids" forum.

dinoscool3

I myself was taken to Japan when I was 2 and Norway when I was 3. I apperently enjoyed both (mainly the aqurium in Nagoya), but I don't know how I acted

dagezi

I'd just like to second what cjermain said; we've taken our now two year old (who for the most part loves flying and does it quietly) to Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland in the last 12 months (as well as to and from CA on multiple occasions). Southern Europe is particularly good to go to with kids, because they are baby *crazy* (Italians, yes, but Portuguese grandmas take the cake). Good luck. One tip, we have found it easier to do more shorter flights (e.g. SYR-CLE-IAH-SJC rather than SYR-EWR-SFO) kids will only sit still for so long; so would advise against HI nonstop from EWR.

walkerci

Make sure you bring Dramamine. Little ones can get motion sickness and even if they don't it helps them sleep.

c1ue1ess88

Just a friendly reminder:

Some parents feel like changing diapers in their seats, and not in the bathroom. This is ridiculous. It stinks up the whole damn plane. Please don't do this.

Unfortunately this happened to me on 1/5 so maybe I'm just bitter. lol

MarkXS

With a baby just hitting 2 years old, I'd think this trip is much more a vacation for YOU than for the baby. Though still totally dependent, the child is much more self-sufficient (e.g. sit strapped into the car/air seat or baby-pack carrier) rather than needing constant holding.

Thus I'd suggest focusing on what it is you've been wishing you could go see. Whether that be laying on the beach, seeing the sights of Europe (I've seen plenty of baby backpacks there), going to the Grand Canyon, or whatever. I don't think an "action/adventure" vacation would work (no dude ranches, ski trips, rock climbing) but you do have a lot of options. Tell us what you like, where you wish you'd gone, where you hope to go someday.

In a year or two, you'll be stuck with mostly "child-oriented" vacations. Plenty of time for Disney then. A 2-year-old isn't going to appreciate Disney anymore than she'd appreciate the Louvre or Bryce National Park. A 5-year-old will, though I personally would encourage raising Disney-free children :-)

Remember, the clock is ticking down to the "Terrible Twos" - find somewhere fun for you, FAST!

KebaNYC

I agree with cjermain and MarkXS about the trip being for YOU. My son just turned 7 and he has traveled with us to the places where my wife and I want to go and still does. At 18 months we went to Mexico City and Oaxaca with him which was a great trip but also around that time we went to San Diego and Buenos Aires.

As he keeps getting older it does require a little more work to find things that interest him as his needs and wants are constantly changing. At 18 months the trip itself will be the attraction for him. Airplanes, airport vehicles, trains, busses, stairs, pigeons. Everything new is exciting and I would try hard to avoid the "Disney is the only place to take a kid" trap.

The other thing I want to add is that in my experience a beach type resort with an 18 month old is way more work for the parents because you have to watch the kid very closely 100% of the time and they will never just want to lay back and relax as you will. In a city there is constant movement and stimulation so we always found those trips to be easier.

Your trips will not be the same as they were pre-kid and you will have to adapt but there is no reason that you can't take him anywhere that you want to go.

Keba

Harry IAH

... Baby Dramamine and Baby Tylenol and Baby NyQuil ...

... Steerage will thank you ...

wpr8e

I just did a trip to CDG with a 20month old, and Madrid when she was around 17 months. Both times in J class as a lap child.

I echo other comments on here (and ignoring one in particular), you paid for your seat, your entitled to fly with your child on your lap, and as parents we all try hard to entertain our kids on flights. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Some parents (including myself) will use a little liquid help when needed, but I'm a big advocate of the more times kids are exposed to flying, the better they'll be.

The best part of going to Europe with kids is keeping them on NY time so you can also enjoy dinner out, or other nighttime activities. Sure you'll get looks, but most people we spoke to understood. You might wake around 10/11am but there's still plenty of time to see things.

Europe is great because they're mostly walkable, there are some great parks with playgrounds, and museums provide some indoor relief when the weather is bad. It is more slow going with kids for sure. So don't expect to hit lots of sights. Also our daughter was great napping in her stroller and sitting at restaurants in a chair (high chairs are rare). One other issue we had in Dublin when she was 6 months, children weren't allowed in restaurants after 9pm. We didn't have this problem outside Dublin, but it caused a few issues with our typical late night eating.

One last suggestion, go nonstop if possible. We connected in MUC on our flight to MAD and the extra three hours was the hardest part of the journey.

Enjoy

nj4876

Thank you to all.

nrlopso

My daughter is 2 years old today. She has been out of the country 5 times already and is gearing up for a vacation to France in April. We've never had any problems with her on a flight, and the person who said to keep the baby quiet is a grouch. Our key to happiness on the flight is a portable dvd player with some Dora dvds. A little Benadryl never hurts, but it isn't necessary. For 2 years old, any place works. They love just being in the stroller and pushed around. Enjoy any trip you take with them.

hughw

Most people have already said it here. Go somewhere that you'll enjoy whether it be Italy, San Francisco, or Tahiti. Go to casual restaurants, avoid long guided tours, travel by car or by train, perhaps find a local zoo, but there's every chance your 18 month old will be as excited by seeing a duck on a pond in a park than anything at Disneyland. This trip is for you. Just keep it stress free and your kid will be OK and you can do whatever sightseeing and eating, etc. that you want. Obviously, you can't really plan a night out at the Paris opera but you could go to the Eiffel tower at night which will probably blow the mind of an 18 month old with it's flashing strobe lights.

buzz4fly

IMHO the success of your vacation depends on how easy going your child is and how intense your vacation is. Some kids are very fussy when it comes to food (having food certain temperature, for instance). Some sleep well just about anywhere, some don't. Some kids have a lot of energy and some don't.