Florida with a 2 month old?
April 19, 2015 6:58 PM   Subscribe

My wife and I are considering flying to Florida for a few days of rest and relaxation. With our 2 month old baby. Would love any thoughts on this.

We need a break and are thinking of going to Miami for a few days of sleeping in, laying by the pool, and basically being out of our house. Right now our baby is 6 weeks old but would be 8-9 weeks old during the trip. Of course we'd still be taking care of him around the clock, so it it worth the trouble to fly to Florida and take care of him in a hotel room? Does that leave us enough time to relax and feel like we're on vacation? Or is it so much work we might as well stay home?

We're not so worried about the flights - we're more worried about ending up spending all day in the hotel room trying to get him to sleep and thinking we should have just stayed home.

Going out to eat is a challenge - we have to find the right time when he's just eaten and will sleep for a few hours - so we only do it 1-2 times a week. On vacation we'd be doing it 2-3 meals a day. Impossible?

We have a car seat and a snap-n-go stroller that we'd use for the airport. I assume we'd have to bring a car seat base?

I would be working at least 3-4 hours each day in the hotel room, so the baby can stay with me for a few hours while my wife lays out at the pool. Is it realistic to think we could then bring a 2 month old to the pool or beach and just keep him in the shade? Would we bring him in his car seat and just put him under an umbrella?

What else are we not thinking of? Thanks!
posted by kdern to Travel & Transportation (20 answers total)
 
I think it's do-able as long as your expectations are low. Babies do not understand the concept of "vacation"; they still do all the usual things they otherwise do. How often is baby waking up at night? Will it be cool waking up all together if you're all in the same standard hotel room? Can you do lots of room service if you're uncomfortable eating out when the baby might get fussy? All in all, I think you should go for it. Travel with small child will get harder before it gets easier so you might as well try it now.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:06 PM on April 19, 2015


It is the lack of a kitchen and laundry that worries me. Also recall that you will be in one room (I assume) so when you put him down you will not really be alone per se. 2 months as I recall is young enough for baby to sleep with TV on but ymmv.
posted by k8t at 7:07 PM on April 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


See if you can get a condo or at least somewhere with a kitchenette and room service. That way you can still fix or order a simple meal if the baby's timing is off. Some of them also have in-suite laundry which might be helpful!
posted by barnone at 7:21 PM on April 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


Pick a hotel room that is quiet or isolated from other guests -- you'll be up with a crying baby in the middle of the night.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 7:24 PM on April 19, 2015 [2 favorites]


As I recall a 2 month old would need more sun protection than an umbrella. You'd probably want some sort of UV protection thingamabob.

posted by k8t at 7:25 PM on April 19, 2015


We traveled with our 9 week old son via train to stay in Seattle for a couple of days. We had a glorious time, and I think you will have a equally great time in Florida. You don't actually need a car seat base, at least if your car seat is anything like ours. You can buckle it directly into the car, and directions should be in the manual. Do be sure to have extra diapers, clothing, and pacifiers/bottles if needed for travel, and pack your own changing pad (we found the changing tables on the train to be gross, and it was nice to have it in restaurants and such). Try not to set too high of expectations. When we went, we ate out or ordered room service as needed. We went for lots of walks and enjoyed sightseeing, and kept our schedule pretty open. It turned out to be very relaxing, and we even got to take baby to his first Mariners game. :-). It can seem pretty overwhelming traveling with one tiny person, and it's often hard to predict how things will go, but it's been a good experience for us (and now we are preparing to travel with 4, and oh how I wish for the easy days of traveling with just one little guy!).
posted by I_love_the_rain at 7:30 PM on April 19, 2015


Vacationing with a little kid has been really only been possible for us when we stay at a place with a kitchen. Go for a condo or similar, not a hotel.
posted by gnutron at 7:44 PM on April 19, 2015


Yeah, expectations are key:

I would be working at least 3-4 hours each day in the hotel room, so the baby can stay with me for a few hours

I wouldn't plan on working while also looking after the baby. (It could happen, I just wouldn't optimistically plan for it). If you are planning on the baby sleeping that means more "awake" time you guys will have later. Your wife is probably going to have a pretty heavy sleep debt by that point (as will you!). Right now if the baby is fussy in the middle of the night you probably spot each other off and leave one of you sleeping (relatively) undisturbed. In just a hotel room the baby will be keeping both of you up each time. And you won't want to leave the room with a crying baby. So,n'thing a condo with maid service. Don't plan on restaurant meals and instead get take out to minimise stress.

Do you know of any responsible teenagers who could come along and "spot" the two of you, giving everyone a bit of a break?
posted by saucysault at 7:46 PM on April 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


I would not bring a 2 month old by the pool in Miami, no. I live in South Florida and I've been sunburned many times before even under an umbrella, and I'm far more tan than a newborn. The sun here is seriously intense. I didn't start bringing my son on very short beach visits until he was 1 year, and we only have pool time after 4pm when the sun is less intense. I say this as a serious beachgoer who pre-baby went every single weekend and still mourns the lifestyle change. I worry that baby will be burned or that you'll feel trapped in the room.

Where in Miami? I was in South Beach this weekend and some people were pushing strollers around and it looked absolutely hellish. Given the baby id think south beach would be a better bet than most of Miami since it's highly pedestrian, but it just isn't geared toward families. Sidewalks are overflowing with drunk people at every restaurant along Ocean all hours of the day, and it's blazingly hot already. Food service is almost uniformly slow and terrible and prices are expensive. Everywhere is on Miami time where it's assumed you are on vacation and therefore want to relax and have very leisurely meals. This is obviously problematic for sneaking out between naps.

I'd definitely travel SOMEWHERE now if I were you, I'm just not sure Miami is the right choice. Maybe a resort where you can stay on the property to eat, with more room service choices, and where you can pop in and out of your room easily? Or the condo suggestion with the kitchen is a good one.
posted by gatorae at 7:49 PM on April 19, 2015 [2 favorites]


Oh, and babies get very sweaty in their carseats, so no it is not realistic to leave them in it, even if you found a perfectly shadey spot to park him. He would be drenched and miserable in the heat and humidity. I'd be worried about them getting dangerously overheated.
posted by gatorae at 7:58 PM on April 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


Ok, I'll be the one to say it. I don't think you should go, at all. I'm the parent of a 3 month old and just reading your description of the vacation you envision sent my stomach into knots. Maybe you have one of those chill babies that sleeps 20 hours a day? But even if you do, that could all change by 2 months.

You really can't bring a baby out into the blazing sun without some serious sun protection - and even with sun protection the baby might be too hot (particularly in the car seat) - and having a hotel room close to others with a crying baby would be stressful - and eating out 3 meals a day would be a challenge. Best case scenario I think you'd be looking at taking turns going out to relax on the beach, powering through some crying jags brought on by changes in your schedule, both of you getting up at night together with the baby. Why not do a day trip close to home, and then travel when the baby's a bit older and is more interested in the world?
posted by leitmotif at 8:10 PM on April 19, 2015 [8 favorites]


I'm all for traveling with a baby if that's what you want to do, but I don't think you're going to get the super relaxing, sleeping-in experience you are craving. Why not put the money you'd spend on travel toward some childcare for a few days? I know you might not want to leave a two-month old home with a sitter, but you could have the sitter come and be there while you and your wife are also home but getting some downtime...do a feeding and let her take the kid out for a long walk/nap in the stroller, let someone come over early so the two of you can go back to bed for 2-3 hours after a feeding, etc. Or have her come in during whatever time of afternoon/evening the baby is super fussy, and let her take over the rocking/bouncing shushing. As a parent of two, including a just-turned-toddler, I'm on the fence about how good of a suggestion this is, but I think it's at least a viable alternative to the Florida vacation you are considering.
posted by handful of rain at 8:14 PM on April 19, 2015 [2 favorites]


OK I have a pretty relaxed 7mo old and I will nth what leitmotif says. This sounds super stressful. Also what gatorae says.... I dunno, I'm wary. You could go, but I don't think it will be the experience you want.

You know what WAS super relaxing? A long weekend at grandma's house. Two extra people to hold and play with baby, someone else's house (so no thinking gee I should doing dishes! or laundry! or...), and someone else to cook. I nursed and napped the whole time without feeling compelled to try to "do" anything more. It was so good. If you have any relatives who you could replicate this with, I'd recommend doing that. Or maybe a quiet BnB or Air BnB place where you'd be happy staying on site and just chilling. Being "away" does help, but I'm not sure a Miami hotel would be my pick and I definitely think you need to manage expectations a bit.

(Also, Grandma's wasn't overstimulating - grandma was about as much novelty as he could handle. Plus, they have a kitchen, washer-dryer, an extra deep bathtub, and effectively no internet. YMMV.)

Yeah: If you don't sleep in and can't eat out at home, you're not going to be able to in Miami either. Nothing is going to magically make eating out 2x a day possible if you're only managing 2x week. Plan on doing exactly what you're doing now, and change the scenery.
posted by jrobin276 at 8:27 PM on April 19, 2015 [3 favorites]


I don't know anything about traveling with babies, but as an adult who grew up in South Florida, I would personally not want to visit the area for a beach vacation in May. I have been told it is already hot. If it's not very warm on any given day, that's probably due to rainstorms. Of course, sensitivities vary. I would just suggest reading the weather report and historical averages with an awareness that whatever the temperature, the humidity is likely to be 80 to 90 percent.
posted by reren at 8:58 PM on April 19, 2015


I'm going to totally disagree with almost everyone (sorry!) and say I think this is a GREAT idea! But - I think this really depends on your baby and you.

We have a mellow baby, who pretty much sleeps through the night, and did so from an early age. We took our 2 month old to Long Beach - I was working, the hubb hung out with the baby. We got an AirBnB with a kitchen, went to the grocery store and stocked up on foods. We didn't have laundry on-site, but just ran to the laundromat once or twice, and brought tons of clothing and blankets. Laundry on-site might have been better. We all had tons of fun. Don't be afraid to pack a giant duffel of baby clothing, diapers etc. Just check it. You can gate check the stroller. When we travel with the LO we just bring tons o' stuff - you can check it, and better to have 20 pairs of pants than run out.

It sounds a little bit like you might have some different challenges if you are planning on spending your time trying to get the LO to take a nap in the hotel room at a specified time. What would happen if you brought the babe to the pool, he sat in the shade and took a nap there? Are you completely against that idea? What if he breastfed at the pool - would that be completely out of the question? If so, then maybe a trip is a bad idea - these sorts of things are a little easier if everyone can be flexible about everything (napping, sleeping, eating). If you are going to stress about schedules, then it's not really a vacation.

Two cents.
posted by Toddles at 9:54 PM on April 19, 2015


I don't think you should go either, sorry. I'm the mom of a well-traveled two year old and a Florida native. This sounds like it has huge potential to be really stressful.

If nothing else, you should be aware that I got a sunburn bad enough to blister when I was about 6 months old, even though my mom kept me in full shade and we weren't near water. (She still feels horrible about it, poor lady.)
posted by Specklet at 10:22 PM on April 19, 2015 [1 favorite]


We had a trip when our kid was 3 months old, but it wasn't really a vacation like you're talking about, and we had lots of help, weren't staying in a hotel, etc, so I can't comment on most of your question. I will say however that taking a base is not totally necessary. Securing our car seat (Chicco Keyfit 30) with just the belt is actually pretty easy. Yes, it's not as easy as a base, but it's by no means difficult and it's one less thing to drag through the airport.
posted by noneuclidean at 5:25 AM on April 20, 2015


I don't think this is necessarily a dumb idea, though our beach vacations have been immensely improved by meeting grandparents there. You'll want to have super-duper shade - we have a uv-proof baby tent - and some uv-proof clothing (Coolibar makes good stuff). Ideally you'd also want a balcony or something where you can sit in your room and still enjoy the view. At 2 months I doubt you're on much of a schedule, and the beach really is lovely and calming.

It looks like this won't be a problem for where you're going, but be sure you'll have access to some sort of pediatric clinic. We did not have this when we went to St. George Island and regretted it immensely when our 15 month old got very sick. With a baby under the magic 3 months of age, you'll want to be able to obtain medical care if need be. Pack a thermometer!!!!!
posted by telepanda at 7:07 AM on April 20, 2015


I traveled with a 4 week old for a wedding and a "vacation". It was our first child. What I learned was that it was a logistical maneuver along the lines of moving and feeding a small army and that it was the same old shit, just in a different place.

I think your likely best hope for enjoying the vacation is if each of you takes turns being responsible for the baby while the other relaxes or vacations for those few hours. I think it unrealistic to expect to have an experience whereby you and your wife are together enjoying yourself while jr sleeps in the shade in her pack and play. Jr. does not know it is vacation. For the same reasons you want and need a vacation, this will be difficult.

Having said that, I would still consider going, but with eyes wide open and expectations not so high. Also, more than a room with a laundry or kitchen, if you can afford to bring someone along to help such as a grandparent or nanny/mother's helper, then you and your wife can relax together for a few hours at a clip.
posted by AugustWest at 7:50 AM on April 20, 2015 [1 favorite]


Ha! You are my old boss!

Boss and his wife invited me to "au pair' with them and New Baby for a Florida trip. We had a lovely condo. They had alone time and baby time, I had some baby time and some hours in the sun, the baby came along when happy and one of us took it back to the condo when it wasn't happy. All four of us had a lovely time.

The cost of feeding and flying a younger niece or nephew or friend may well be worth the investment, if you can swing it. Either way, definitely get something with a kitchen. Have fun!
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 10:41 PM on April 20, 2015


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