Saturday 20th November 2010
by Francesca Donner
There is talk in the Donner Household of possibly taking a trip.
Not a relaxed, laze-about-on-the-couch trip to visit the grandparents, but rather, a passport trip. An overseas trip. A 10-hours-jammed-into-an-economy-seat trip. A trip to a place we have never been.
In the past, this would never have fazed us. But toting a baby about, the question becomes…
Do we dare?
Frankly, the getting there is the least of it. (Or is it??) I mean, JFK is lousy whichever way you slice it, strollers or no. But there are other, bigger things to consider. For example, will the jetlag tip him over the edge? Will we be able to find our brand of nappies when we run out 50 miles from nowhere? Will the hotels provide babysitters? (And if so, will they be OK?) Will we be lugging August about lolling in the Baby Bjorn until our feet fall off? Can we bring him into restaurants? Will he cry? And will he cry LOUDLY?
Fortunately, our first choice of destination (Argentina — Buenos Aires, Mendoza) bypasses the jetlag problem since it’s more or less on the same longitudinal line as New York (give or take two hours). So that’s good. But the flight remains questionable. I am happy to plonk August down in Michael’s lap for the duration, but is he going to embarrass us and yell from wheels up to wheels down? Good gracious, I am not prepared to be that parent, the one we all hate, the one with the noisy child.
Then there’s the matter of keeping August entertained. He’s only three months now, but at six or seven months, will he be willing to be toted about from winery to winery and restaurant to restaurant? Or is it going to rapidly devolve into a game of hang-with-mummy-in-the-hotel room?
On the other hand, fellow parents tell me there’s no better time to pack your bags for a trip because baby is portable but not independently mobile and throwing food on the floor isn’t a daily thrill — not yet, anyway. Plus, we’ll have a Christmas trip to New Orleans as a test run. Of course, that’s slated to be a laze-about-on-the-couch trip to visit the grandparents. But no matter, travel is travel.
So, what do you think: Argentina here we come?
Daria went to Hawaii with us when she was 6 months (that’s an 11 hour flight!) and to France when she was 11 months. Both turned out fine, although we did do a great deal of planning to make it so. Plus, contrary to what I expected, the first trip was easier than the second. By 11 months, she was a crawling ninja, and staying calmly in a seat for 8 hours was no longer going to happen. Plus, when the baby’s just breastfed, there’s no need to pack all the baby-feeding options and worry about where you’re gonna get pea-and-squash mush. We actually delayed introducing food for a couple weeks until after the first epic trip. As for jetlag: it was way worse for us adults. She didn’t have any issues at all. Nor with ear pain on the plane. Go figure.
Here’s some advice:
– If you can afford it, get August a seat on the plane. It will make the flight a hundred times easier, and also means you can bring the carseat (they’re designed to fit in airplane seats as well.) I know this sounds like a waste of money, but it’s really worth it. If he’s a little guy, you can try to get one of the in-flight bassinets. My Princess Godzilla was always too big.
– Make sure to bring enough stuff onboard for at least 48 hours when you fly. The flight won’t take that long, but afterwards you might need some time to get the energy to shop for diapers. This includes spare clothes for you as well as the baby. Trust me.
– If you’re not comfortable with the baby sleeping in bed with you, you might want to get a travel crib. We have a peapod. Daria doesn’t love it, but it works well and sets up in seconds. Hotel cribs can be less than ideal.
– You can never have too many diapers and wipes.
– If you’re not baby-wearing very much, you might want to do it a bit so he gets used to the sensation.
– Once there, choose activities that are likely to work with the baby. For instance, go for a long walk (baby zonks out) then go to that nice dinner (baby stays zonked.) If there are “uh oh” hints, heed them. Better get a to-go dinner than be the people everyone’s staring at because your baby won’t be quiet.
Anyway, that’s my advice. And, more importantly: go! I really think it’s easier at 6 months than it will be for a while later. So enjoy, take pictures, and prepare for the inevitable conversation in 15 years or so when August says: “You went to Argentina WHEN I COULDN’T REMEMBER?!”
I have an almost 8 month old, and I think he’s be pretty game for getting dragged around on a trip like that. The main thing I’d be concerned about is the baby’s early bedtime. Are you seriously going to let a stranger in a foreign country put your baby to bed while you go out on the town? Only you can answer that question, knowing yourself and your baby, but it would be wise to think it out ahead of time and set the expectations low. I mean, if he cries the entire time you’re gone the first night, you’re probably not going to be going out much after that.
The benefit to waiting another 6 months or so would be you could leave him home with grandparents or something and really enjoy your vacation without all the kid logistics.
Having just lugged a kid to San Francisco and visited BA and Mendoza five years ago, I’d say do a LOT of planning. We found it very beneficial to stay in an apartment – that meant that if Maya wanted to go to sleep at 730, we didn’t have to sit in the dark quietly in the hotel room we shared with her. I bet that’s not the easiest thing to do in Mendoza especially (probably could pull it of in BA) – so then the question becomes can you find an affordable hotel with a suite where you can stash the kid in a separate room. I stayed here and found it fine: http://www.argentino-hotel.com/site.html. You’re also going to want to do extra homework on transportation there – U.S. tourists often just pay a tour company or taxi driver to take them from vineyard to vineyard. Will you want to do that? Will you be able to get a car seat? Or do you rent a car – probably only one w/ manual transmission. All that said, the food and wine in Mendoza is spectacular and Mt. Aconcagua is gorgeous. Also loved BA, think you’d have an easier time getting around with the papoose there. No idea about babysitters, but I’ve got a college friend down there w/ a 2-year-old I could hook you up with who probably could give you some advice on this.