Baby-friendly vacation destinations?

[Beauchamp]

What are some baby-friendly vacation spots? I mean places we can take our baby along with us...it seems like everything I Google brings up places where you can put your LO in a daycare situation while the parents do stuff, and that is not what we're looking for.

DH and I have been thinking that we *really* need a vacation. Of course, we have an 8 mo old, so all of the places we would normally think of are not really an option.

Ideas?

[To-Fu]

I'll be watching the answers to this one with great interest! Thanks for posting.

[Bokonon]

San Diego

I take my 9mo to the zoo, SeaWorld, and Disneyland all the time. Plus there is the beach, lots of shopping, and historical sites.

We are planning a Disneyland mini-vacation for her 1st birthday! Of course she won't remember any of it, but that doesn't mean we can't all enjoy it in the moment!

[maptome]

I have a 7 month old and want to vacation this year. I was thinking camping. Good National Parks? Is that crazy? Subbing...

[allical1284]

We are also trying to come up with a good vacation spot, but I also have had no luck when searching the web. You are so right! Everything about traveling with a baby involves being able to locate formula (if traveling overseas) and putting your kid in daycare the whole time your on vacation

Pearl H: Camping sounds fun!!!! I see your in Austin-area, you could do a trial run almost in your own backyard; there are so many beautiful places to camp in the hill country!

[Ruthie's momma]

I am not sure if I understand your question. But, here goes...

We have vacationed with DD quite a bit since she was born. To be honest, it never occurred to me to not simply bring her along to where ever we wanted to visit. To me, most kids are super portable. DD has accompanied us on both short (out of state) and long journeys (out of the country). Of course, we have modified our method of traveling. We make sure to take plenty of breaks for naps, snacks and to simply hang out. We make sure to get back to our hotel or inn with plenty of time for DD's bedtime (we often bring along a special treat that we have purchased that day for our dinner). DH and I like to pack light. Therefore, we pack for DD in a similar manner. I figure we can almost always find a place to wash or purchase clothes, if needed.

The following has made traveling with a child quite simple...

*Breastfeeding (Most mommas don't have to bring anything along in order to BF-I would bring along my SNS-FF mommas know just what to bring)
*Babyled weaning (Once baby is eating solids, baby can simply eat bits of what you are eating)
*Cosleeping
*Diapering (Although DD was cloth diapered, I would use sposies while on vacation. I would pack enough for the "journey" and purchase more upon our arrival)
*Babywearing (Bring along a car seat and/or stroller, if needed/desired)

[hakeber]

Depends on the budget and time of year. We were living in Argentina and we took DS on a camping trip in Patagonia. We started in Las Grutas. they have really nice camp grounds and the town is just super baby friendly, then we went to Punta Tomba and saw the penguins which was awesome. Then we headed over to Esquiel and did some hiking with him the back pack and we camped on the lake shores.

We have also been to Pinamar which is really nice because the restaurants are super kid and baby friendly. There are at least two where IF you want to eat a meal in peace with your spouse you CAN have one of the assistants in the kids room look after the baby for you for as long or short as you want. But they are perfectly happy to have a happy squealing baby in the main dining room as well.

I LOVED Argentina for that, and they are in the end of their summer right now.

I must say Costa Rica is pretty cool for the baby friendly thing as well. They just love babies in Latin America! They are welcome everywhere.

[christophersmom]

We love to travel and alays bring the kid along. With my DS I took him to Aruba at 7 weeks and they are very baby friendly. Really, you can go anywhere except couples resorts and have a nice family vacation. Now that DS is older I do like resorts that have an option of kid activities, but most restrict them to 3 and up anyway so that wouldn't even be an option for our little girl.
We are going to FL in March. The resort has some stuf for older one to do but really we will play on beach with them and be home in time for little girl (6 months) to sleep.
Our absolute fave vacation was Hawaii when DS was 2. We basically played on the beach or at the pool for 8 days. We stayed at a condo so there wasn't resort amenities, but in Hawaii we didn't need that.

[texaspeach]

Originally Posted by Pearl H

I have a 7 month old and want to vacation this year. I was thinking camping. Good National Parks? Is that crazy? Subbing...

we are going to a state park next week. ds is 6 month old. they have cabins with full kitchens, fireplaces, beds, etc., so it isn't really camping. we can still go hiking or bbq but don't have to sleep on the ground (dh is not a fan of camping). we've been doing this same trip for 3 years and aren't going to let having a baby stop us from going again this year

as it is now, ds goes every where with me, vacation is no different. we go out to dinner with him, to museums, where ever and it hasn't been an issue.

[Mosaic]

Originally Posted by Beauchamp

Of course, we have an 8 mo old, so all of the places we would normally think of are not really an option.

What would you normally want to do? I bet you'd be surprised all you can do with a LO!

We have also traveled a LOT with DD... her first trip was out of the countyr at 3 months, and we haven't quit since!

We've taken her everywhere, and younger was easier than older. Art and history museums are easier before they're mobile because you can wear them and they don't get into anything, plus you can plan things around sleeping. Once DD got too noisy/rambunctious for historic homes, etc., we'd switch to larger/noisier natural history or science museums, monuments and national parks, botanical gardens, beaches, zoos, etc. Now that she's 3.5yo, it's worth working in some of the kid-specific stuff (honestly, before then it wasn't worth going to great, pricey children's museums because she was still too young).

We've also cruised with her twice, and that's better as she gets older. We're not huge on night life, but we do like nice dinners and the vegas-style shows. When she was very young and would sleep through dinner (like at the resort in Mexico), it was fabulous; but again, once they're mobile or have cranky times or whatever, the long, luxurious dinners were over.

[sewaneecook]

Big trips, we've done a Disney Caribbean Cruise with a 2.5 year old that was GREAT. This past January we did Disney World with a 3.5 year old and 6 month old and both really enjoyed the trip.

Other small getaways we've done: Weekend at an indoor water park, weekend away to cities that are only a few hours away and done all the parks, zoos, child friendly museums, etc.

You can really go anywhere, just make sure there are lots of breaks for little ones and be sure to balance things that aren't as fun for young ones with trips to fun things like parks and zoos.

Because of food allergies, we typically bring a lot of our food, but it's fairly easy to find child friendly restaurants too (just bring activities to keep them occupied).

[BetsyS]

We are boring people with a tight budget, so our ideas might not appeal to you:

a cabin in the mountains
a hotel in a touristy mountain town (indoor pool as a big plus!)
visits to family for a wedding
a stay-cation at home where we did fun stuff every day for a week


We have fairly routine driven children who seem to not be the most flexible. So, for us, short vacations are the way to go. By about the 3rd night, there are many tears related to bedtime and not sleeping and not eating normally. It's just time to go home at that point.

Kids that are more flexible will have an easier time, of course. And, it's not like vacation is the first time my oldest showed his non-flexible nature.

[Beauchamp]

Betsy, we must be boring too because a cabin is something DH would love.

My LO is pretty high needs so simple is good for us.

[vrclay]

I love this travel blog. The latest entry about cabins on the coast of Northern California sounds fabulous.

http://www.deliciousbaby.com/

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by Mosaic

What would you normally want to do? I bet you'd be surprised all you can do with a LO!

Maybe I should have specified that DD is pretty intense and high needs. Or else I am a clueless/incompetent mama, which feels like the truth sometimes. She is crawling/cruising, into EVERYTHING, won't sit long, won't be in the carrier for too long, likes to shout and make a lot of noise, can be happy and upbeat one minute and screaming the next minute for a nap she just realized she wanted. Naps and feeding are totally unscheduled and random still. So for these reasons. I don't leave the house with her very often even at home, and usually we rush to get out the moment she wakes up, knowing we have 3 hours MAX before she will melt down and be done with being out. She's not exactly portable. Oh, and she hates her car seat quite a bit. Better now that she's older, i.e. no constant screaming, tears streaming down a red face...so road trips are OUT.

ETA we do like zoos, aquariums, etc, hiking, beaches, sight seeing, etc. But I can't really take my eyes of DD for very long to appreciate anything!

[Pwrh4]

Opossum kingdom is AWESOME!  There are facilities their that provide "adiquite" hygiene concerns.  As a new father, I would say that this place might be a good place to go if you are willing to venture out of the norm.   I want to take my family there for my vacation and our baby is only 3 months.  Check it out, the lake is super cool plus awesome ammenities are offered at the camp grounds (Gazebos, fire pits, cheap rentals, etc.)  Don't know if you like fishing, but there is a dam about 10 miles away from the camp grounds that harbors a trout hatchery,  pretty stellar for novice fishers.  Just an idea!  

P

[Alison375]

I know of a very special baby/toddler/pet-friendly vacation beach cottage located in beautiful Litchfield/Pawleys Island, SC. The adorable home is close to the beach and has everything you need and more including a big play yard and play room for the kiddos. Check it out! www.ShackNLB.com.