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We've had small mini-vacays with LO and then longer "vacations" where we visit our families (both sides live far away). Since DH and I usually are traveling together with LO, the actual travel part is easy enough. Our LO's sleep has always been a challenge and it's always worse in a new environment, so trips are hard for us in that regard.

Our first mini-vacay was when LO was less than 3 months old--we went for a long weekend to Newport, RI. Other than her crap sleep, it was easy enough. My second trip with her was taking her (solo) to my mom's for 2 weeks when Lo was 3 months old. Then we took LO to Canada to see DH's family when she was 6 months old. We also went on long weekend trips to Dallas and New Orleans before LO turned 1. Just recently, we went for a long weekend to Baltimore.

If you and your husband are together, it will be easy-peasy. Just anticipate that a new place might disturb her sleep, and that you will have to sight-see or plan activities based around her nap schedule.

If possible, get a suite so LO can sleep in one room while you and DH are in the other!

@Anagram: We did the same! Long weekend road trip to Newport/Martha's Vineyard from NYC when DS was 4 months. It was actually ok except for the driving since LO wasn't used to the car and screamed in his car seat for 3 hours. He was a terrible sleeper in any case, so it didn't change much on vacation. It was nice to have a change of scenery.

LO2's first trip was also a road trip to Budapest (a 2.5 hour drive from where we live) also at 4 months. Same thing, horrible in the car because she isn't used to a car, but once there, everything was as usual.

For any travel with LOs, you just have to accept that you are going to have to take more breaks and go at a slower pace than you normally would. We usually only planned on one event/attraction per day and structured the rest of LOs naps/eating around that.

We took her to the beach in FL when she was six months old and she did great. She wasn't mobile yet and she could sleep and nurse on the beach so she really just tagged along with us very nicely. The only bummer is that we were stuck in the condo after bedtime.

We took LO to Florida when he was 5 months old. We stayed with my parents at their condo. LO did great! We didn't have a rigid schedule at that time, and he's always been happy to nap on the go in his car seat, which made it pretty easy for him to just tag along.

We also just got back from Mexico a couple weeks ago, LO was 9 months at the time. That went really well too. We went with DH's parents on the trip and MIL stayed with LO in the room for his two naps which gave us time to hang around the pool by ourselves, but I was fully prepared just to hang out on the balcony and read during his naps too. I think this trip would have been slightly more fun for him if he had been walking. We really couldn't let him crawl around on the cement so he spent a lot of time in his stroller.

All in all, both were successful trips, but we had the help of the grandparents both times, which I'm sure made a huge difference.

We did travel to the ILs when she was 7 weeks. Then again at 8 and 9 months (holidays). We took our first family weekend trip around 15 months. It was fine, just had to get back to the hotel for nap and bedtime. Luckily we had two rooms, so DH and I didn't have to sit in the dark while she slept. We took a week long vacation at 18 months. It was ROUGH cause she wouldn't sleep in the PnP for the first couple nights. Lots and lots of crying. But it got better. My Mom came for 4 days and it was a huge help having another hand at the beach.

We took LO to a lakeside resort when she was around 9 months old and had a lot of fun! I actually liked that she napped because we were able to nap as well. We got a room with a balcony that overlooked the lake so DH and I sat and drank wine on the balcony after she was in bed.

We're taking her to NYC in a couple of months when she'll be 21 months and we're really excited. Vacationing with an infant/toddler is definitely a lot different than child-free vacations, but you're still making memories together and getting out of the house/doing fun stuff together.

We have a few little vacations planned over the summer when our baby will be anywhere from 2.5-4 months old. All the places we are going are with family and staying in a big rented cabin/condo so I anticipate it being fine. Even if I am stuck in the condo/ cabin dealing with lots of naps and feedings it will be a great change of scenery from being stuck at home.

We took a long weekend trip to a beach house in northern michigan when DS was 3 months old. It was awesome and relaxing. That was during the brief period when he was sleeping through the night. Since then we have taken vacations to the east coast (at 6 months) and Florida (at 7 monthss) and both have been mostly exhausting and difficult because now DS doesn't sleep when we travel.

We started taking DS on vacas with us when he was 4 months old. Anything less than 9 months was a breeze! He loved being carried in the Ergo so as long as he was strapped to me in it, he didn't care how long he was in it. He'd nap in it and I'd take him out to change, feed, and stretch when we ate, but he tagged along like it was nothing. It was awesome!!

First kid- 2.5 months weekend at the beach- not so fun because he was a horrible sleeper. Hated car seat etc. Went to the beach again at 6 months and it was awesome.
Second kid- 6 weeks to the beach was great. I already had my mom gig together, so if I'm going to be sleep deprived why not spend it at a hotel where someone else is cooking and cleaning for me.

We've taken two vacations with LO and neither one has worked out well but I'm not going to give up.

1st trip at 7 months: A week in Cape Cod in a rented condo with kitchen. The kitchen was critical since I was on a super strict elimination diet. That was the main reason why the trip was hard, we couldn't eat out anywhere and had to plan all meals and snacks ahead of time. LO was still able to sleep in the stroller or ergo at that point and couldn't walk, so she was fine. We did easy things like short hikes and strolls around town centers. We live a couple hours away so travel wasn't a big deal.

2nd trip at 16 months: Week long Caribbean cruise, involved a 3 hr flight. This one sucked because we all got super sick with the flu right at the beginning of our vacation. LO was still on 2 naps so it would have been hard anyway, but it was even harder since she was really sick and needed extra sleep. We meant to use the ship nursery for her naps but couldn't put her in there with a fever. So we basically stayed in the cabin the whole time.

First trip with LO was 2 weeks internationally when she was 3.5-4 months. The first 8 days were hell for me at night because she was completely flipped time zones. Even at that young age, she was already very set to her nighttime routine and slept like a champ at night, BUT very very terrible at naps. So my nights were awful. However, in the daytime, she slept well through all the travel in the carrier or car seat or stroller, so I got to enjoy the sights. I was just exhausted the first week and we started our days pretty late. When we weren't sightseeing, I tried to nap whenever she did. I do think travel was easier at a younger age when she would sleep anywhere. But different. I didn't go with any expectations. Just wanted to get used to traveling with a baby and go on a family trip.

When DS was 13 months old we went to Toronto. We had a pretty sucky time. DS wouldn't sleep. The first morning we were there he tripped in the room and busted his head open and we had to take him to the hospital to get it glued. I was 7 months pregnant. We cut the trip a day short because we just were enjoying ourselves that much.

We haven't gone on any vacations with the kids since that one/#2 was born.

We did our first trips with both kids when they were only 3 months old - they were both completely immobile - couldn't even roll over yet. It was so easy! They slept so much, but they weren't really on any schedule either so it was easy to just take them along wherever we went. Being able to babywear them and nurse (instead of worrying about actual table food) made it nice too.

The first trip we took was around 5-6 months, and we drove 2 hours to a condo on the beach. We decided to drive at night around his bedtime. I was exclusively pumping, and he took a bottle every 3 hours. I had a clogged duct that would not go away, and I was stressed beyond belief about not having enough milk for the weekend. Stupid me. I should have bought formula for the trip, but that didn't even cross my mind.

The actual trip was mostly spent inside the condo. Between naps and long feedings, there wasn't much time for us to gather our stuff and head out to spend time on the beach before it was time to nap again. He also didn't enjoy the beach that much. We did get a chance to relax in the evenings when he went down for the night.

As scary as that first trip was, we have taken a lot of trips with a toddler and baby. It's much easier now than it was preparing for that first trip. The first is the scariest, but it does get easier.

At 4 months, we took a road trip to an Austrian kinderhotel in the mountains. We had a blast, walking around, just being in a different place. At 6 months, we visited the US for 2 weeks. At 8 months, we went to visit family on the beach in the Med coast.

Each time has been different and challenging. I love to travel.

We took several smaller (weekend) trips when he was under four months old, but took our first longer vacation when he was 4 1/2 months old. For us, we really feel like we have to bring grandparents with us. It works so much better when there is an extra two sets of hands. My ILs came on that trip, and it was a blast. There were, of course, some moments that were hectic, but overall it was definitely worth it. I highly suggest rental houses/condos over hotels- even more so once they become mobile.

12 months and no. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't fun per se and DH has sworn off family vacations until she's like 3 lol i was also about 7 weeks pregnant in the back seat of an 8 hour road trip (we drove there and back) and that skews my view a bit. LO wasn't walking, just crawling and was still on 2 naps a day, one night wake up and needed to be in bed promptly at 7. All things my iLS that went with us didn't understand so I'm sure that contributed to it too. my opinion is the younger the baby, the easier the travel part may be but the less relaxing the rest of the trip would be. I'd love to take her somewhere now at 18 months but we would have to make a lot of stops to make sure she gets her energy out

We went to Europe when DS was just under 3 months old. At that point he was still sleeping a lot and would nap in the Ergo. We went to Hawaii when he was 8 months old. Same thing - I would babywear a lot and he would nap when we were out and about. I thought both trips were good timing but some people think I'm nuts!!

I went to FL when she was 2 months old and it was WONDERFUL! She was so easy and portable at that age - she slept anywhere (in the car seat, stroller, sling, etc). We went to an amusement park, to the beach, lots of restaurants, walked her all around the boardwalk, even to a movie theater with her in the sling sleeping the whole time. She slept most of the plane rides and the only real trouble was that she had painful gas a few days, but luckily I had gas drops. She would basically sleep, nurse, stare around and smile a bit, rinse and repeat. She was actually way easier at 2 months than any subsequent trips (she's now 21 months)