https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 06 May 2026 11:56:22 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-435061 Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:40:52 +0000 Sammyfab 435061@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Everyone has already given great responses but I'd thought I'd share my perspective anyway :).</p> <p>I know that when my LO was 5-7 weeks I probably wouldn't have chosen to go on a vacation at that time because I'm a homebody and I love the comforts of my own home. I also didn't have my head on straight and we were struggling a lot with feeding at that time so I was stressed! BUT, looking back and considering if/when we have a 2nd child, it's definitely something I WOULD do. Like pp have said, babies are really portable at that age and most just eat, sleep and poop. If your family is really helpful and supportive and can help ease the stress (if it happens to be a stressful time), then I think it would be a great vacation for you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-434978 Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:17:45 +0000 Revel 434978@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I guess the answer is I'm just not going to know until LO is here and I see how we're doing. Doesn't go with my planning personality but I know they'll be a lot of these adjustments in the future.</p> <p>@Mrsbells: @yoursilverlining: @rachiecakes: you all really hit on what would be big concerns, and there isn't a way to predict what kind of a time we'll be having. I will wait and see. </p> <p>Thanks everyone for sharing your stories! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433802 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:50:28 +0000 rachiecakes 433802@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Breastfeeding every 2 hours, sometimes more was the hardest thing for me when DS was that young. It was hard to have company or make trips because of that. It was non-stop breastfeeding. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433794 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:45:52 +0000 T.H.O.U. 433794@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Go for it! I took my LO to my parents for a few days. The hardest part was packing everything ip </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433793 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:45:31 +0000 cvbee 433793@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I found baby to be quite portable, predictable and easy at that age, so I think you should be good to go. Since it's something that you could leave if not going well, that's a bonus, as you never really know what it's going to be like. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433789 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:42:48 +0000 Weagle 433789@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would wait and see how your baby is. My LO was/is a super chill baby, and a family vacay at 5-7 weeks would have been so much fun! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433520 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:48:50 +0000 yoursilverlining 433520@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would accept only if you can easily cancel without weird family issues/hurt feelings. My LO had colic and it was pretty bad between 5-7 weeks. I would not have wanted to be outside of my comfort zone (i.e., my own home!) with her while she screamed and cried so much, and having family around offering to help or giving unsolicited opinions would have only stressed me out more. I also would have felt so guilty having a baby potentially wake everyone up multiple times a night while they were trying to enjoy their vacation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433507 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:44:14 +0000 Mrsbells 433507@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I personally wouldnt. At 5 weeks after the birth although I was feeling better, the baby and I were still getting adjusted and I was really tired, sleep deprived and hadnt fully mastered her moods, sleep and feeding. I didnt want to go on long outings with her because then she would be in an even worse mood. It can really fray your nerves to have a baby crying continously especially when other people are there and keep offering opinions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433492 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:38:24 +0000 2PeasinaPod 433492@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would wait and see how your baby is. My mom had all of these grand plans for me right now, and our LO is pretty colicky. I would never have been able to do a vacation with him at 5-7 weeks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433471 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:19:16 +0000 sarac 433471@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah, I'd say make the plans and then just cancel it if you don't feel up to it. I'd have loved something like that at that point. My family lives two hours away, and we'd gone to visit them by then. I was totally in the groove and confident by a month, no problem. And all those women around! You'll probably be able to do as much or as little baby care as you'd like. </p> <p>Just get a moby wrap or something, have a nice comfy hotel room close by, and don't stress. If it gets awful you can just hide out and order room service. No big deal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433460 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:11:51 +0000 Rubies 433460@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is 16 months old and when I think back to when she was 5-7 weeks, I would definitely NOT even consider it. LO was colicky and her newborn phase was a nightmare.</p> <p>I would wait to see how you feel but it would be nice to be surrounded by so much family! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433459 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:10:42 +0000 Kemma 433459@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly I would see how settled both you and your LO are at that age.</p> <p>If you find that LO is pretty chill and feeding and sleeping well then I say go for it and enjoy the break but if you find yourself struggling and that LO is still working everything out you might want to stay home.</p> <p>We took our LO to stay with DH's family a couple of weeks ago (she was five weeks) and it was a little rough as we were away from all LO's familiar surroundings and our "routine" as such got out of whack. In our case we're also still sorting feeding and her first few weeks of life were pretty tough on all of us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433457 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:10:19 +0000 babynumber1 433457@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We went to the beach when LO was 2 months old with no issues. We had a house with my inlaws and I spent a lot of time in our room BF, but I'd do it again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433447 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:03:05 +0000 Revel 433447@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for all the comments! I think keeping it open as an option is probably the best way to go and I don't think there is any reason I can't do things that way. My mom just keeps talking about "the vacation with the baby" and I was like, argh, I have to decide! But I don't.</p> <p>@Foodnerd81: Yes, we would have our own room, in a relatively large house. That would be a dealbreaker for me too!</p> <p>@Bookworm: Ditto! It wasn't so much the travel time that worried me, but more having to figure out how to be a new mom (sleep, bfing, etc.) in front of my entire extended family.</p> <p>@mamabolt: Typically we have great fun on these trips, so I would hate to miss it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433428 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:50:18 +0000 Bookish 433428@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm still preggo, but I have to say how happy I am to read these responses! My and DH's parents are about 2 hours in either direction, and I'm glad that it seems reasonable to do that sort of visit at 6ish weeks! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433425 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:48:29 +0000 mamabolt 433425@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it would be fun! When LO was 9 weeks I drove 2ish hours by myself to my mom's beach house. It was only my mom, LO, and I there, but I wouldn't have minded more company either, and it was nice to have another set of hands to help take care of LO for a few days! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433415 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:41:42 +0000 Foodnerd81 433415@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Will you have your own room and space? I haven't been in the situation, but I just know myself and I would want to make sure I had my own space and privacy, even among family. If you know you will have your own room then I like the idea of keeping both options open. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433398 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:30:18 +0000 LaurenEC 433398@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When my baby was 5.5-6wks old, we drove 12hrs to my parents house/hometown and spent a little over a week there. By that point our help had come and gone and we'd been on our own for 3-4wks. It was nice to have my family there to help for a while and a good way to break up the leave. I would say keep it as an option and if you are a week away and it just doesn't feel right, then don't go. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433390 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:26:38 +0000 LazyLightning 433390@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If it's only 2 hours away and you could leave, no problem! Go for it. Or you can decline if it gets to that point and you don't feel like it. If it were a flight or a big commitment with no 'escape', I'd say no. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-vacation-with-5-7-week-old-baby#post-433385 Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:24:25 +0000 Revel 433385@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Question for the hive on something I've been mulling over. I am due with our first baby June 1. My family has a week long vacation planned for July 20. Travel time without a baby is not more than 2 hours by car. I could always go for part of the trip and come home early if I wanted. My mom, sister, aunts, cousins etc would be there, with varying numbers over the week.</p> <p>The baby could be as young as about 5 weeks if I was very late, or 7 weeks or older if s/he came on or before my due date. </p> <p>My question is, how would you have felt about a vacation like that as a first time mom? I'm wondering if I'll still be trying to sort everything out and will not want to be around all those people, or alternatively if it would be a fun break and a nice way to break up my maternity leave, since I likely won't otherwise have any vacation in 2013.</p> <p>Thanks for any insight you have! </p>