We normally travel to family (either my parents or my in-laws) for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but this year for Christmas, we'll have a newborn (I'm due mid-December so if all goes well, baby will be under a month, maybe even just days old). So I'm thinking I won't want to travel...?
What did you do?
pomegranate / 3858 posts
LO was born Dec 5 via c section. It was technically our turn to go to DH's parent's (4 hour flight), but that wasn't going to happen obviously, so we ended up staying home. My parents came and stayed over Christmas Eve and then we went up to my aunt and uncle's for Christmas dinner. We kept it low-key.
squash / 13208 posts
I would probably stay home
The earliest I traveled was when DS was 4 weeks old
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
I'd probably stay home, but we had weird circumstances. My in laws don't celebrate holidays, but my family is all so young that it's still both sets of my grandparents that host. One set is 5 min away, the other about an hour. So we'd likely just stay in our home and have family visit us here or drive the few minutes to my grandparents or my parents house.
But if I didn't feel well, you better believe we'd be staying in. Esp with a toddler AND a newborn. Just a newborn might have been a different story!
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
Stayed at home...my son was born Dec 16 and we came home on the 20th.
My MIL totally dropped the ball, it would have been awesome if she organized a meal for us or something, but nothing, nada. I was disappointed.
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
@Adira: how far would you have to travel?
R was less then 3 weeks for Easter. We drove 45-60 mins to my parents house. She cried the whole time but I felt better getting out of the house and doing something normal.
pomelo / 5524 posts
We hosted Christmas for our family. My mom and SILs brought most of the food (LO was 3 months at that time), but we stayed at our house to make things easiest. LO was able to sleep in his own crib and everyone just stayed to help. My mom even got up with him the day after Christmas so that we could sleep in a bit.
EDIT: LO hated the car at this point as well, so he would scream bloody murder no matter where we went. Far less stressful for us to stay home.
pomelo / 5660 posts
I don't like traveling around the holidays with a toddler. So, we are planning on staying home. Ours would be a 8 - 10 car ride.
blogger / coconut / 8306 posts
Chloe was 4 weeks at thanksgiving. We went to my ILs house for dinner. They live an hour away.
For Xmas, we hosted my ILs Xmas Eve and went to my parents Xmas day. I was exhausted and sore. In hindsight, I wish we'd have stayed home!
nectarine / 2631 posts
I told my family already if they want to see us this year they are coming to our house! 
nectarine / 2521 posts
I had my LO 4 days before Christmas. We traveled 20 minutes to my parents house for a family gathering for dinner and presents.
I made it an hour and then had to leave. PP and just no sleep made it very overwhelming. I would do it again, but make it clear we were only staying a super short time.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
@Smurfette: It's my in-laws turn for Christmas this year, so 1.5 hours. I was hoping to get SIL on board for spending Christmas at our house and having MIL come to us, but SIL already has plans to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with FIL and SMIL at their house. They invited us, but I'm thinking I'm going to need to decline...
honeydew / 7622 posts
Our step sister was due a few days after Christmas. We hosted and MIL dropped off dinner will all the fixings for their family of 3. The baby had not even been born yet and she just wanted to be at home. I think it depends on when the baby comes.
My nephew was born a week or so before Easter and we were out of town, but my MIL went to their house and cooked Easter dinner and cleaned up.
I just depends on your family 
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
@Tanjowen: I think if I only had a 20 minute drive, I MIGHT try it. But... probably not, haha. I didn't venture out of the house with Xander until he was 4 weeks!
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
@youboots: Oh man, that would be awesome! Unfortunately, SIL lives about 45 minutes away and she's between us and the in-laws. She'd have to go out of her way to deliver us food. That'd be so cool though!
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
@Adira: I would probably hold off till when the baby gets here and then decide. Right now tell them you are a maybe, but you would love it they would just come to your house. If not then you will them know once the baby gets here and you know how you are feeling. I wouldn't think they would expect you to bring food anyway.
I wouldn't want to not see family at all over the holidays, but I wouldn't travel 1.5 each way with a week old.
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
Depends on how old the baby was, a few weeks yes I would travel (our destinations would all be within 30 minutes of driving.) If the baby was only a few days old, I would decline or offer to host at our house (if my mother or MIL were willing to help out with food, since I would be recovering from a C-section.) Our LO2 will be about a month old at Easter next year and we are planning on taking baby to church and to family gathering with the understanding of "we may need to bail early."
honeydew / 7622 posts
@adria I don't think that's too much to ask. Just have a chat with her a bit out, then they would be able to see thir nephew and new baby. I do think you should wait and see where you are at when baby comes.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
@Smurfette: I was wondering if I should just make plans with MIL instead (if she's willing to drive to us, which she will be), but I wasn't sure if that would be rude since we were already invited to FIL's?
pineapple / 12566 posts
Stay home. We have an end of November and an end of December. We didn't go anywhere either year.
nectarine / 2521 posts
@Adira: Yeah, I think the driving distance is key! I would only do it again I think because the idea of everyone descending on my house and not having a quiet space freaks me out even now thinking about it! I would just wait and see how you feel if that's an option and explain now to them you might not make it.
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
@Adira: If you really want to stay home and think that it how you are going to feel, then just offer to FIL that they come to your house. If not then offer to MIL.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
@Tanjowen: That's true about having people at our house! Though I could always hide in the bedroom, haha. I kind of want to be like "We probably won't be up for travel, but people are welcome to come to our house (and please bring us food)! And be aware I may be nursing the baby every hour and hiding in the nursery..." Though I'm not sure anyone would want to do that!
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
@Smurfette: That's a good idea. I'll offer to FIL since they already invited us and if they decline, offer to MIL. I'll have to talk to Hubs tonight and see if he likes that idea.
persimmon / 1188 posts
My baby was born on December 1 and we stayed close to our typical schedule which is visiting our parents who are local. I did make it clear before he was born that we would decide at the last minute based on how we all felt. Everyone understood. I would not have made plans to travel out of town but if I had really wanted to I probably could have. I just didn't want any pressure on top of having a newborn!
persimmon / 1420 posts
I had two day old twins on Thanksgiving, but we went to my parents' house, though it's only 30 minutes away.
pomelo / 5621 posts
I would stay home and tell your IL's that they are welcome to come to you. And let them know that they will need to do the cooking too!
I'd go if it was under 30 min, but 1.5 hours seems like a lot.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
We traveled 6 hours away for thanksgiving when LO was 4 and a half weeks. We didn't originally plan to, but I felt OK, LO slept and nursed the whole time, and I was so sad at the thought of missing it and keeping my older son from his cousins.
grapefruit / 4800 posts
This wasn't for a holiday but DH had to travel when LO was 2weeks old to near where my IL live. So we went with him and stayed there. It wasn't bad. I wouldn't have wanted to travel that first week or two and it wasn't 100 percent ideal to travel when we were all getting adjusted. But they took good care if us and so in some ways it was easier than hosting people.
grapefruit / 4441 posts
We drove two hours and stayed with my in-laws over Christmas. LO was born Dec 4th. It worked out fine.
cantaloupe / 6923 posts
1.5 hours isn't bad. Especially for the holidays. We didn't have to travel far but we didn't miss any family get together after birth. And hello, I wanted to show off my baby!
pear / 1610 posts
My DD was born on 12/21 and we spent the late morning/early afternoon at my parents house…. But, it was just my parents and brother & SIL with us and they live 3 minutes away from us. Our DS and DD are the only kids on my side of the family too. It all went well though and was nice to be together.
papaya / 10343 posts
Yea I wouldn't go. Took me 12 wks to get lo to May parents house 2 hrs away to meet my family. Traveling with a baby suuuuuucks.
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
My son was born 12/19. We stayed home for the holidays.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
@ALV91711: That's actually what I ended up doing. I thanked them for the invite but said we probably would be staying home and then invited them over to our house instead but said we'd have no food to serve them, haha! We'll see what they say!
@anonysquire: Normally I wouldn't think 1.5 hours would be too bad, but with Xander, I had to feed him every 2 hours when he was less than 3 weeks, and sometimes nursing would take up to an hour, so it would really be hard to travel anywhere that far with that kind of nursing schedule. I have no idea if I'll have the same schedule with baby #2, but I'm betting for the first couple weeks, I probably will!
@Mae: You just reminded me that some babies HATE the car/car seat. Xander was pretty chill, but I have to assume we won't get so lucky with the next baby! 1.5 hours in the car might not be any fun at that age!!
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