While no two babies are the same, the parenthood journey definitely comes with some shared experiences. And one of the big milestones is going on that first family 'holiday' with your baby.
I've put 'holiday' in quotation marks because anyone with kids will know that holidays don't really... exist — it just becomes parenting in a different location. But when is the right time to head off on a vacation with a baby? Well, as previously mentioned, each cute, loveable gremlin comes with their own unique set of needs. But it turns out, after surveying 23 mums who've holidays with small humans, there's a lot of consensus around the best age to take your baby travelling — and there may even be a 'sweet spot' for taking that first family trip.
Here's what they had to say.
Watch: Anna Chlumsky talks about travelling with kids. Story continues below.
"Before six months. They can’t crawl and no solids yet. Things get harder after that." — Jessie.
"Between two months and eight months, when they're just a potato! As soon as they want to be on the move all the time it is tricky, until they can be distracted by a screen from about two years old." — Ele.
"Before four months or after two years. Before four months they just sleep, and after two is so easy to entertain." — Christie.
"Before they start solids. They can go anywhere while they are just on milk. Plus, they are still having lots of day sleeps where you can just put them in the carrier and go do your sightseeing." — Andrea.
"Under two. Cheaper to travel, as you don't have to purchase a seat, don't have to worry about potty training accidents if they're still in nappies during transit, and they can nap on you if you bring a carrier everywhere." — Lorie.
"We took a 22-month-old (and a four-year-old) to Malaysia and rural China, travelling independently. It was different to pre-kids but totally doable. I think it's more about your planning and expectations rather than a specific age." — Joanne.
"We travelled when my daughter was three months old and she pretty much just slept. The guy behind didn't even realise there was a baby on the plane!" — Hanna.
"Before three months or after three years if travelling long haul." — Clare.
"I took my nine-month-old on a five-hour flight, followed by a five-hour drive, and had my mum (her grandma) with me. It was totally fine. I think if you are travelling with two adults, it make a big difference!" — Sarah.
"Newborn to four months — sleep, feed, cuddle and happy bub. Bottle/boob means not on other food, not moving, hopefully not teething." — Christine.
"Five months, because they are old enough to not cry all the time like a newborn, but young enough to sleep in the pram and not need to eat solid, so there's one less thing to think about." — Kayla.
"The sweet spot varies between four to eight months. You're experienced enough that you're confident out and about, but they are potato enough that they'll happily tag along anywhere/sleep most anywhere and not run off." — Chanell.
"Between one and five months, when they are potatoes who sleep regularly and are happy to be on your lap/chest. Definitely not when they can crawl or are on solids. I travelled from Sydney to the Maldives when my daughter was 10 months old and it was horrific!" — Katie.
"We went to Palm Cove at five months and it was the perfect age. Not crawling or on solids yet and slept the whole way on the plane." — Kim.
"After 'fourth trimester' and before rolling." — Kate.
"I did Australia to UK solo with my 12-week-old and it was so easy. Same trip again when she was 18 months with the rest of the family and it was pretty awful." — Rach.
"Four months. I took my daughter on a family holiday to New Zealand when she was just shy of four months and it was a dream. I was out of the hellish haze of the first couple of newborn months, I'd gotten breast-feeding down pat, and she was more than happy to snooze in the pram while we ate out at restaurants." — Lisa.
"Before five months. After that, it gets tricky logistically with starting solids." — Megan.
"We took our daughter to Japan at 18 months with no seat for her. I'm honestly so traumatised from it I could happily never get on a plane again." — Sarah.
"Had a great time with my 13-month-old. She couldn't walk yet but loved asking 'dis?' at everything." — Jemma.
"It was only last month we felt like we could take a flight with our daughter. She was 18 months at the time. She did awesome and slept most of it, and was such a trooper." — Stephanie.
"Before nine months! Between nine months and two-and-a-half-years they are under house arrest." — Mel.
"I travelled on a lot of plane rides with my first when she was less than one. They sleep on the plane easily in bassinet seat. Happy to sit in pram/easy in baby carrier or on play mat when out and about or relaxing! And bonus — if they're breastfeeding and not on solids, you don't need to worry about food." — Jess.
The consensus.
Looking at the snapshot of responses from mums who have travelled with their babies it's clear there's a wide range of experiences. However, there are definitely some trends that might help us narrow down which age is best to travel with a baby.
Many say travelling before your baby starts solids is the winner — and for many, that's around six months.
"We went travelling with our baby when he was starting solids so everything on the other end was tough," said mum-of-one Chelsea. "I had to take a mini blender and always needed to know where a local supermarket was in order to know I could access food to make."
Another popular stage to take babies travelling seems to be when they're still doing lengthy naps throughout the day. Around four months seems to be a sweet spot here because your baby is still fairly portable and will quite happily take naps in prams or carriers. Plus, they're not likely to be crawling yet at this age, so you don't have to worry about containment!
The general consensus seems to be that a baby aged between four and six months makes for the best travel buddy thanks to their feeding, sleeping and mobility habits.
And overwhelmingly mums said to steer clear of the ~hot zone~ between 10 months and two years, unless you low-key want to have a breakdown on your holiday. If that does happen? Just know that it's happy hour wherever you're headed.
Feature Image: Supplied, Lisa Hamilton.
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