Flying Babies. What age ..?

[Tigger1]

Daughter is expecting soon. We are taking a last minute trip. New baby will be about 8 weeks. Should we fly baby and parents or 20 hour drive (2 or 3 days).

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Daughter is expecting soon. We are taking a last minute trip. New baby will be about 8 weeks. Should we fly baby and parents or 20 hour drive (2 or 3 days).

first I would ask daughter what she wants to do and go from there

 

[Gracie09]

I personally would fly (with a seat for the baby) but it really is up to your daughter. However there is no way of knowing what kind of traveler the baby will be

 

[mom2rtk]

I don't know. How are her delivery and recovery going to go? Will the baby be on time or 2 weeks late? Will it be an easy baby or a fussy baby?

 

[Dis703]

So many variables with a delivery and baby that young. I wouldn't have even felt up to a trip like that 8 weeks postpartum when I was still getting up to nurse every 90 minutes all night long. That's a factor too. If breastfeeding is she going to be comfortable doing so in an airport and on the plane? I know for myself I didn't get comfortable with that for a good 5 months or so with my first. While driving might be exhausting it will give her more privacy if that's a concern. If the baby is early or late it may effect when he/she has their first set of vaccines at 2 months old so that might also be a consideration. Although I'm not sure if an airport and plane are any more exposure than a busy place like Disney. Really, I'd talk to her and see how she feels about it.

 

[Juliet0778]

I personally wouldn't be up for a vacation at all with an 8 week old, but that's just me.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Add me to the list of those that wouldn't have been up for a vacation 8 weeks after either of my kids was born. I had emergency c/s with general anesthesia both times, and it was just too draining. I had a long recovery both times, and the second one was far worse due to issues with anesthesia. I doubt I would have taken an 8 week old to Disney with all the germs, etc, not to mention nursing, not sleeping through the night...just no.

But to answer the question, I would drive with an 8 week old IF I was going on a trip.

 

[NotUrsula]

Unfortunately, this depends entirely on how things go with the baby and the delivery. If baby is healthy and Mom isn't recovering from a C-section, they would probably be just fine. However, if there are complication, she or the baby might not be up to it.

FWIW, we took DD for her 1st trip at 6 weeks, just before I had to go back to work. Both of us were fine. I carried her (and nursed) in a sling all over the place, and I just rested when I felt tired. This was in early September, so it was hot, but we kept ourselves well-hydrated and used lots of sunshade mechanisms. (DH took an adorable pic of the two of us snoozing in the shade at Blizzard Beach.)

If you want to buy air tickets, I'd advise purchasing them on points on SWA if at all possible, so that you will get a refund if they don't feel up to the trip.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We flew to WDW when our son was just about 5 weeks old and had a great trip. He is our 4th child, and my 3rd c-section, so we knew what to expect as far as recovery. Luckily, all of our kids have been easy babies and he was no different. In fact, we took each of our 4 children for a trip to WDW before my maternity leave was over and never had a bad trip. We drove 2x and flew 2x. Ask her what she'd prefer, flying or driving, and go from there.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I flew with my youngest baby when he was 6 weeks old. I had a C section and I also had my two year old with me. We were in the process of moving cross country (military move, so we had no say in when/where we moved to) and my husband drove with our older two children (ages 4 and 6 at the time) over the course of about a week.
Flying with the 6 week old was actually MUCH easier than the two year old! I purchased a seat for my 6 week old and am very glad I did.

BUT I think vacationing with a 8 week old at Disney could be tough--how soon is "soon?" Will you be in the heat of the summer?

 

[Shanti]

When my son was 8 weeks we wouldn't have exposed him to the germs of recirculated airplane air or Disney World. Or put ourselves through a 2-day cross-country drive. This isn't my trip, of course, & different people have different parenting styles. Just be aware that the parents might back out of the trip after the birth, depending on the baby's health, temperament, the mother's recovery, or their doctor's advice. Blessings to your family and I hope it all goes well.

 

[leebee]

I would fly, for sure!! When I had DD, I separated my pelvis. DH, DD, and I flew from SFO-BOS when she was 6 weeks old and I was still using a walker to get around. It was fine! We took her carseat so we didn't have to hold her the whole way across country. Nursing in the plane wasn't bad, either as DH could kind-of block off our area of the row with his body.