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Once, for work. I went for three nights to Ottawa, which is less than an hour flight. I talked to them a lot in advance about how I was going to be gone for a few sleeps, that daddy would be here with them and I’d call them every day. It was actually much harder for me than it was for them, I think, they were pretty unphased by it. They were 3.5 and 1.5.

DD is 20 months old, and we have taken a few trips. DH and I have done a couple overnights (starting when she was about 10 months old), and I was away for 4 nights for work when she was 13 months old. Luckily, my mom has been able to watch her, and DD absolutely LOVES these "mini-vacations" at Nana's house. It's definitely been harder for me than it is for her. I think videochatting a few times a day is super important - I even read her a book at bedtime over videochat.

Next week I'm going away for 7 nights for work, with DH joining me for the last 3 nights. That's going to be tough!!! But I know she'll enjoy the time alone with DH and then with Nana.

It's really hard emotionally to be away from her, but I also feel like it helps recharge my batteries to be able to take some time just for myself/DH. I'm a better mother when I get back. Self-care is so important!

We've done mostly separate trips (1-2 nights) so the kids are with the other parent.

Then this summer my best friend got married so my in laws came and stayed at our house with the kids from Friday-Sunday. Everyone did great and having a kid free weekend for the first time in over three years was freaking amazing.
Since then we've done a couple one night trips for other weddings, etc.

My mom would probably watch them for a couple nights. But both time she watched them for one night she had plans the next day we had to rush back for to get the kids. And my in laws did great but they admitted after they thought they were going to die of exhaustion

Yes - a few times. I had three long work trips when DD was 12, 13, and 14 months old. Those were each about a week long and were really tough on me but not her (she was home with DH). Lots of face timing helped me.

DH and I also went on a vacation together for 4 nights when she was 18 months old.

I know a couple that goes on kid-free vacations at least once a year, but that's just not for me at this stage, especially since I nursed lo1 for almost 2 years and am still nursing lo2. Maybe when the baby is about 2.5 and *they* see it as a fun trip to their grandparents too!

I've only been away from lo1 overnight for 2 work trips when she was 21 months (and that was 10 nights internationally, and rough! I was still nursing though didn't pump becasue I thought we would wean...) and then 2 nights when she was 25 months. And then the 3rd time was when I gave birth to lo2, and that was the first time she was away from both dh and 1 (she was 2y10m). We had talked about going on a babymoon before lo2 was born and I think she could have handled it by then, but the timing didn't work out. I still haven't been away from lo2 overnight and she's 11 months.

We went away for 4 nights when DS was 11.5 months. It was domestic, but we were in Hawaii, so still pretty far. All of us handled it better than I thought we would...the grandparents stayed with DS in our home and he continued going to daycare as usual, and DH and I were able to relax and have fun.

We’re going to Europe for a week this spring without DS (he will be 17/18 months) and I’m a little worried he’ll be more aware we’re gone, but he loves spending time with his grandparents.

The one tip I would have is be clear about your expectations on communication...there was a couple hour period after we landed in Hawaii that we couldn’t get a hold of MIL, and it was incredibly stressful and upsetting. Turns out she had left her phone in her car 🙄.

Have a good time! I think it’s so important for parents to be able to get away and reconnect

I told my boss I was not going to travel for work before 12mo. At 14mo I went on my company's annual offsite to Mexico for three nights. It was fine. I had my son spend one of the three nights at my parents' house because I figured he would notice my absence less.

Yes many times. With friends and with DH. He’s 3yo and I’ve been away too many times to count. Actually DH and I have gone away 3 times this year alone and I’ve gone away by myself with friends at least 3 times. Longest was 5 nights.

I think it’s healthy for everyone. It gets me/us much needed adult time. We do regular date nights but a long weekend away really brings us closer and helps us recharge. And I miss DS more.
It’s good for my son because he gets used to being without us so it’s nbd when we are away (or for example when I’m away for 3 nights when I have his brother in March). He gets great quality time with his grandparents. He learns that we will always come back. He sees that his parents have a life besides him and love to spend time together, which I think is very healthy.
I mean, none of this is scientific, it’s just what I’ve come to realize over the years.

First time we left he was 5/6 months. We went on a 5 or 6 night trip in Anguilla. So it was international. Sure I was nervous, but he was with my mom who I trust. And I knew I wanted to be able to travel without him so the sooner we started the better. We also were gifted the trip and had a deadline to take it by! so that helped. That was great because he had no idea we were gone. Too young to miss us. He didn’t skip a beat. That trip and I’d say until 18 months or 2yo we didn’t do anything to prep him.
Once he got old enough to notice more, 18/24 months, I told him a day or so before that mommy was going on a trip for X bedtimes but I’d be back on Y day and I’d have a special treat for him (toy, candy, etc). He has always been fine. Oh and I always say goodbye. Just disappearing isn’t a good idea. So if I’m leaving while he’s asleep I make sure I tell him I’ll be gone when he wakes and say my goodbyes then.
Yes he has a moment each trip where he says he missed me and maybe cried a little. But my mom and MIL said that once he was distracted he was fine. And I don’t think missing me is a bad thing. Just like me missing him makes me appreciate him more.

@MrsADS: I couldn't agree more... I would give anything to have a child free getaway weekend with my husband... Maybe one day...

Yes we’ve done two big trips. One 10 days to a wedding in a third world country plus 5 days in the Greek islands on the way back when LO was 2.5
The first was a trip for me to visit DH when he was working in South America. I was gone for a week. LO was 1 year.
Both were amazing trips but my parents are fantastic and totally on it for tag teaming my kiddo.

@cake2017: I've been away from my kids (now 5.5, 3.5, and 15 months) at LEAST once a year for the past 5 years, and don't regret it one bit. Sometimes I've gone with my husband (longer trips, up to 10 days), sometimes away with a friend (shorter weekend/overnight trips). I thought it would be a lot harder than it was, but I have to say that I really didn't miss them like I expected I would (though it felt great to see them when I got home). Pretty much all of the trips have been international. I think the key is your comfort level with the person watching your LO, and their comfort level in making decisions for the child if necessary. We may be in the minority, but we choose not to Facetime much (or sometimes at all) when we're away - it seems easier for everyone involved that once the kids get into the groove of doing things with their grandparents, we let them roll with it.

We do lots of trips, sometimes just an overnight or weekend, but the longest together was 8 nights. Lo loves his cousins and grandma and so I feel like it’s a win win for everyone. My biggest tip is to start getting kids comfortable with sleeping at relatives’ houses early. We never had an issue because it was normal to him.

The first time I left my son overnight was at 16 months for 2 nights. It was and international trip, but I was living in France at the time and we went to the Netherlands by car. For the past 3 years or so my DH and I have managed to do overnight trips for 2-3 nights at a time maybe 2 times a year and my LOs always stay with my ILs. Last year when we were still living in Austria, my DH took my LOs (then 3 and 6) to France to stay with my ILs for 2 weeks, and he came back after 2 nights. So 2 weeks is the longest I’ve ever been away from them. It was so wierd to have my kids gone for such a long time!

@cake2017: Here’s the thing: your LO most likely will not think that you aren’t coming back. Especially if you talk about it before you go and don’t just disappear (though I think 12 months is too young to explain things like that, and I think that’s to your advantage and why I think he still won’t notice much that you’re gone). However, even if he does think mom is not coming back the only way for him to learn that isn’t true is for you to go and then come back. Does that make sense? So even if he thinks it for a few days, which again is pretty unlikely, you will be back. And that’s how he learns that it’s OK for mommy and daddy to go away. If you don’t go away because you’re afraid that he’ll think you’re not coming back then you’ll never go away and he’ll never learn that it’s OK for you to go away and you’ll always come back.
I hope I making sense I’m doing talk to text as I walk in the freezing cold. Ha ha.

@cake2017: Best tip is to rip the band aid off and do it! As others say, if you don't proved to him that you will come back, and he may even have fun while you're gone, it won't necessarily get easier as he gets older. Because then he'll be like my 5 year old and think he gets to negotiate/have a say in it. As I mentioned above, my then-fourteen month old was mad at me/clingy with my MIL for a good 12-24 hours when I came home after that first trip, but honestly, it was in part just a testament to how well taken care of she was with my in-laws. She got over it quickly and still loves me (and is now pretty ok with me taking these trips, as long as she gets a present, haha).

@cake2017: How far away is "international"? In my case, thus far I probably could have been home within a day if it were a true emergency (5-6 hour flights). We're considering some longer trips (me going with DH for work trips to Asia, where we used to live)...but I wouldn't have wanted to start with those, since it's a full day of travel to get home even in the best case scenario, should that need arise.

Is there any way you can do a practice run to build your confidence?

And just to give you a little bit of an out it certainly is easier on my kids now that they have each other when we're away. But your LO will get loved on so much by his caretakers and do so much fun stuff - it definitely can become a tradition that children look forward to. My girls have told me a few times they want to go to their grandparents summer home and me to go away so they can do xyz (zoo trip, boat rides, etc.) - ha! My only rule has been that the grandparents don't get to do any "firsts" as part of fun activities - like they couldn't give them their first ice cream, or take them to the zoo the first time, or something like that. That way I don't feel like I missed out.