vacationing with a small baby

[steph72276]

Hey, guys. We normally go to the beach for our summer vacation, however with an infant this year, the idea of spending the day in the sun and sand doesn''t sound too appealing. Does anyone have any good ideas of places to go with little ones? We are in Florida and would prefer to drive since we''ll have so much gear, so I''d like to stay in the southeast. Thanks!

 

[fieryred33143]

Go to the Keys Steph! It''s not really known for their beaches but it''s so relaxing and so much fun.

We took Sophia when she was 2 months old to Key Largo. I much prefer Key West but we stayed in a really nice villa that had canoes, a paddle boat, an area to bbq, and a pool.

 

[steph72276]

Fiery, didn''t think about the Keys, good idea! Even though we lived in s. Florida for a while, we only went to the Keys for a few hours on a port stop on a cruise.

 

[lovinsparkles]

FL Steph, great thread! I''ll be interested in hearing the responses, too. How old is your baby? Ours is due in May and I''m wondering how soon after that I can realistically plan a summer vacation (driving or flying). I''m hoping we can schedule something for late summer and a beach sounds ideal to me, hoping it will work for an infant also...

 

[steph72276]

Date: 3/29/2010 6:15:16 PM
Author: lovinsparkles
FL Steph, great thread! I''ll be interested in hearing the responses, too. How old is your baby? Ours is due in May and I''m wondering how soon after that I can realistically plan a summer vacation (driving or flying). I''m hoping we can schedule something for late summer and a beach sounds ideal to me, hoping it will work for an infant also...

Hi! Our baby is 2 months now, and will be around 5-6 months when we go somewhere. I thought about flying somewhere b/c my sister in law works for an airline and can get us tickets for free, but when I thought about all the gear we would have to take (carseat, stroller, portable crib, bottles, formula, sterilizer, baby food, linens, diapers, wipes, etc) along with normal vacation things, I just think it would be better to wait to fly if we can. I know a lot of parents buy those canopy things to take to the beach and infants do just fine under them. You will need to keep them shaded at all times though b/c they can''t wear sunscreen until after 6 months. I guess I''m just not that thrilled over the beach since we live in FL and go pretty often. I''m racking my brain thinking of somewhere to go to just relax and hang out...I''m kind of thinking the mountains somewhere.

 

[April20]

What about the N Geogia mountains or up into N Carolina around Asheville (though that''s probably too far). There are great rentals up in Ellijay with beautiful views. We''ve rented a couple of different times from Blue Sky and it''s relatively affordable.

 

[upgrade]

You can still go to the beach with a baby- just take a shade umbrella. We took my youngest on a hot and sunny lake vacation when he was 3 months old. We just made sure we had a big umbrella to shade him and air conditioning so he could sleep in a cool place. It was great and he slept fabulously the whole time!

The Keys sound fanstatic! If I lived close enough to do that, I''d go there.

 

[steph72276]

Date: 3/30/2010 10:39:45 AM
Author: April20
What about the N Geogia mountains or up into N Carolina around Asheville (though that''s probably too far). There are great rentals up in Ellijay with beautiful views. We''ve rented a couple of different times from Blue Sky and it''s relatively affordable.

Thanks April. I am from GA and our family lives there, so we are thinking about visiting them then renting a cabin for part of the time. Thanks for the info on Ellijay!

 

[steph72276]

Date: 3/30/2010 11:10:10 AM
Author: upgrade
You can still go to the beach with a baby- just take a shade umbrella. We took my youngest on a hot and sunny lake vacation when he was 3 months old. We just made sure we had a big umbrella to shade him and air conditioning so he could sleep in a cool place. It was great and he slept fabulously the whole time!


The Keys sound fanstatic! If I lived close enough to do that, I''d go there.

Thanks! That''s true, the little one would probably sleep the whole time. What did you use for an a/c on the beach? I do like the idea of the Keys...I think it''s between that or the mountains.

 

[NovemberBride]

FYI - The AAP has now changed their position and advocates that babies of any age wear sunscreen. There was no evidence of any negative effects from sunscreen, but there is mounting evidence that sunburns very early in life are linked to skin cancer.

 

[steph72276]

Date: 3/30/2010 11:14:27 AM
Author: NovemberBride
FYI - The AAP has now changed their position and advocates that babies of any age wear sunscreen. There was no evidence of any negative effects from sunscreen, but there is mounting evidence that sunburns very early in life are linked to skin cancer.

Oh wow, really? I just took E to the doc yesterday and she said no sunscreen until 6 months...I guess she didn''t get the memo! I''m off to do some research on it, but yeah I would think a sunburn would be worse than any effects of the sunscreen. I am pretty sure we used baby sunscreen on Andrew when he was really small b/c we took a beach trip. I had never heard you weren''t supposed to use it until recently. Thanks for the info!

 

[somethingshiny]

Before you plan an entire vacation, I''d try some sunscreen in a small area (when you get to an appropriate age). JT was allergic to sunscreens and couldn''t use any for quite a while. (I think the first that he could tolerate was the pink bottle of coppertone) That would be awful to find out after you''re at the beach that you can''t use the sunscreen.

Also, "tents" are available at lots of beaches. They''re something you can rent and pop up on the beach to keep shaded and out of the sand blowing if it''s a windy day.

Good luck!

 

[NovemberBride]

From the AAP website:

Babies under 6 months:

* The two main recommendations from the AAP to prevent sunburn are to avoid sun exposure, and dress infants in lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and brimmed hats that shade the neck to prevent sunburn. However when adequate clothing and shade are not available, parents can apply a minimal amount of suncreen with at least 15 SPF (sun protection factor) to small areas, such as the infant''s face and the back of the hands. If an infant gets sunburn, apply cold compresses to the affected area.

 

[ponder]

Date: 3/30/2010 11:14:27 AM
Author: NovemberBride
FYI - The AAP has now changed their position and advocates that babies of any age wear sunscreen. There was no evidence of any negative effects from sunscreen, but there is mounting evidence that sunburns very early in life are linked to skin cancer.

Ditto on the sunscrean as safe. Had this discussion with my pediatrician a week ago. He said that while it is safe to use on younger than 6 months they do not reccommend it because it gives parents a false sense of security and he sees 2nd and 3rd degree sunburns all the time. He recommended using a spf 50 or higher and making sure the baby was covered with clothing and a hat in addition to sunscreen and reapplying hourly.

Also, becareful of wind burn. My bff went to the beach last summer with her 3 month old and while she was too paranoid to take her little boy outside, but another couple did with their little girl who was about the same age. They kept her under an umbrella, but she was still badly burned. BFF said it was horrible and she was so glad she did not take her pasty little guy outside.

Also, bugspray is safe after 6 months, but must be washed off with soap and water before bed. Pediatrician said no exceptions!

 

[steph72276]

Thanks for the further info Nov and Ponder. Ponder, that makes sense about the false sense of security thing. I would be too paranoid b/c my guy is really fair like me. Oh, and I hadn''t thought of windburn thanks for the reminder!