stanman1990

Hi everyone,

we are due to have our first child in november, and I have 6 months time off work while my wife is also on maternity leave.

Usually it is difficult for me to get long periods of time off, so we are hoping to take the baby to Australia from Toronto when it is 4 months old or so.

Are we insane for thinking this? is it better to do it in one long trip or try to stagger it and take stops along the way to make more of a trip out of it.

We won't book anything until we know the baby is healthy/normal but I want to get back while my grandmother is still in a good state and this seems like a good chance to do that.

Bogwoppit

Great age to do this at. The first few, and often more challenging, months of newborn life will be past. Baby will have a routine, and baby will still be exclusively breast/bottle fed. Baby will be tiny, light and very portable. Baby will happily sleep on mom or dad, or in anyones arms. If you were ever going to do it, it would be the best age. Baby will also fit in bassinets, and on change tables on the loos.

Take onboard at least twice as much clothing and diapers than you think you will need. Bags for dirty clothes, bags for wipes, bags for everything. Take extra outfits for both of you. Babies turn into some weird liquid form in the air, changing is needed more often.

stanman1990

ok that makes me feel much more confident about it - thanks for the response!

CDTraveler

First kid, right?

My question is how will the baby's mother feel at 4 months postpartum? Exhausted from lack of sleep, struggling with her own recovery and breastfeeding, or feeling okay, only moderately tired from the 2 am feedings? It's what, between 24 and 30 hours travel time Toronto to Sydney? If you decide to do the trip, I'd include at least 2 stop-overs where you get a night in a real bed, and baby's ears get a rest from pressure changes.

Your baby may be a little angel who sleeps soundly and feeds easily, or a challenging child who can only sleep in certain conditions and has colic from hell, or a combo of the two. I understand wanting your grandmother to see your child, but IMO, it's way too soon to make major plans.

Jaimito Cartero

It’s been a decade or more since I flew with a 4 month old, but I’ve done it a few times over the last 30 years. I don’t think breaking the trips up into shorter really makes sense. I definitely wouldn’t try flying any longhaul flights before the kid is three months old.

Unless there is a direct flight, I’d try for a 3-4 hour layover on the west coast, to collect yourself, get some real food for the parents, and regroup for the last leg. If your child is breastfeeding, I find this helps to lessen any sort of ear pain, if they can nurse when taking off, or after you reach 10k feet altitude.

CDTraveler

It makes a lot of sense if you stop to consider that at 4 months of age, infants need to be fed every 3 to 4 hours, which means at least one parent is going to be chronically tired and sleep deprived before ~ 26 hours travel time and a 14 hour time difference, and then trying catch up with sleep on arrival when there's excited family to entertain. Getting one night in a real bed, in a quiet, dark room without 300 strangers glaring every time your baby whimpers, and with an actual bathroom, along the way makes a world of difference to a nursing mother. It's not just the baby's welfare that needs to be considered.

yno

I would definitely do the trip. 4 months is a super easy age to travel. Lots of sleeping, many naps. My youngest travelled the first time at 2 months old on a transatlantic flight. Just have a good stroller, that’s all :-) Makes it also easy for the kid to sleep when walking around / in restaurants etc. Enjoy the travel!

stanman1990

thanks everyone, we wouldn't book anything until we know how my wife is feeling etc, going to try rack up some points and maybe do some legs in business class if we can

erik123

We did 2 long hauls at 1 month and it was very easy. Several trips after before the age of one also extremely easy. When they start walking it starts to get a bit harder. 2 and up can be a pain. With an infant you will almost always be treated very well around the world.

willoL

Also consider always booking a seat for your child and bringing your car seat on board. Its far safer for your infant (turbulence in flight, plus on arrival in rental car, plus removes risk of baggage handlers damaging this life-preserving equipment), it means your family usually has an entire row to itself, and you always have a clean, convenient place to set the child down while rummaging in bags, etc. As your infant grows up, that well known child safety seat is also a comforting, common environment (home) brought on board, making travel a less stressful experience for him/her.

Carrying the seat aboard is the only negative to booking the seat; pre-board helps, and going as a couple also makes that better.

Totally agree that the toddling ages (learning to walk through preschool) are the HARDEST era for flights. We took Amtrak cross country those years instead!

GUWonder

As unusual as it is, some children even start walk running in their 8th or 9th month. That is no fun as they are truly a danger to themselves even in familiar surroundings. The crawler and early walking stage is when it gets hard on flights, and toddlers and kids up to 3-4 can really have attitude nowadays on flights. First few months of child travel is about as easy as it gets until they become reliable IFE/BYO IFE addicts.

CDTraveler

Agree completely on buying the child her/his own seat and using a safety seat on the plane.

It depends on the kid. Mine's first international trip was at 4 months, and it was the hardest trip we ever had with him. Every night 2 feedings in an unfamiliar place without a full kitchen, unfamiliar crib in which he didn't sleep well, me too tired to really enjoy the trip, etc. - and that was with no time zone change. His second International trip at 9 months was a breeze compared to the first one, and that factors in that he started walking the week before we left and he managed to cut his forehead open at the departure gate 5 minutes before boarding our flight. When he was 2, he and I flew SFO-BNA-AMS a week ahead of his Dad joining us, and it was as easy as you could possibly imagine.

kajonesbu

We took our son to Hawaii from Chicago non-stop at about 5 months and it was our easiest trip we’ve done with him (he’s almost 2 now).

Looking back 5 to 6 months is really a sweet spot when the baby is probably sleeping decent however not yet mobile.

We took our son all over Italy at 11 months and that was a bit more difficult but still enjoyable. From about 5 months on we got him his own seat for all flights. Definitely adds to the cost but worth it.

Overall if you like to travel best to just dive in. You’ll have some hiccups and meltdowns but you’ll find kids are very adaptable and the trips can still be enjoyable and rewarding.