I'm a first time mom trying to decide whether we should join in on an extended family vacation later this summer. My parents are planning on renting a big house in the Outer Banks for a week this July, along with my brother, SIL and their two kids - who will be three and one by then. My son will be almost four months old in July. I'd love to go, but my husband and I aren't sure if travel with such a young baby is a good idea or not. We live in NYC so we could either rent a car and drive down or fly. And we think the actual vacation part would be pretty low key - hanging out at the house, having cookouts, maybe some beach time.

So, folks who have travelled with young babies before - do you think this is a good idea or are we crazy for thinking it will be more fun than stress? Any good tips or advice for vacations with an almost-four-month-old? (And is it even okay to take a baby to the beach? I know you can't put sunscreen on them for the first six months, but is a sun hat and a beach umbrella enough protection or will we need to stay indoors? Man, I wish babies had an instruction manual.)

ETA: the houses they are looking at all come with pack and plays, so we wouldn't need to worry about hauling one down there!