At What Age Would It Be Good to Bring a Child on an International Trip?

Dear Lilia,
In my experience to go as a big family has adveantages that are worth consideration. To travel is not harder than within the US. Especially in Northern Italy. Sometimes you can go for a activity that is only for adults. for example visit the Arean in Verona and see an open-air opera. Because there are more adults around you can easily split and go on different evenings. Some of the hotels around the lakes in northern Italy are really samll and convienient. The child can maybe sleep in the room and the family is close by and enjoys the balmy evening with a card-game... I really like the small family hotels, because there you are very close by. We stayed in a samll hotel in Limone, directly by the lake with my mother-in-law and my husbands three siblings and their spouces. It was great.

Hi Lilia-
I am not sure about the travelling, but I would think when she is old enough to walk and perhaps enjoy some of it. 3-5 maybe? I am pretty sure you can travel with her any time, and really it's up to you and how much you want to do to take her along with you. I do know (from a family here at our church that went to Italy last year) that their 8 year old daughter was not old enough for some things, and she was 8! I would just check the places you want to visit, like museum's, land marks, etc, and see what they reccommend. If nothing else, you can enjoy the towns, cities, and landscape with her. I do reccommend you take loads of photos. If you use a digital camera, 3 memory cards at least, especially if one breaks.
Happy Travels!
-E.

We took our soon to visit my husband's family in Finland when he was 6 mths. We were just waiting for his second set of shots. I would think that if you're comfortable bringing your daughter at 6 months that's a great time to travel, especially since they tend to sleep through most of the flying.

Be prepared for some sleepless nights either in Italy or when you come home though because it takes them a bit to adjust to the time zone. Joonas didn't get into his normal rhythm until a week after we'd arrived in Finland. Eesh.

We took our daughter to South East Asia when she was 1.5 years old. She did well during the long plane ride and enjoyed her time in Asia. We did worry about her getting sick, so we made sure to bring thermometer, infant tylenol, only gave her bottled water, and took all the common sense precautions to keep her from getting sick. At 23 months we took another international trip to Italy. We all had great fun even though there were things that we couldn't do given that we had a toddler with us. Going to museums were a challenge, so we only hit the major ones. Bring a child carrier if your child is young, and/or a lightweight stroller. Our Maclaren Volo came in really handy because it was lightweight and has a carry strap. It folds up really easy and compact, making it easy to get on and off public transportation. The stroller didn't do well on cobblestones, but then neither do most strollers.

Hi, Lilia,
It just depends on you. We took our first son to Japan when he was only 3 months old. We stayed for two weeks and traveled the whole country while there. We then had a second child and though we did not take an international trip, we took a trip to Hawaii when our second child was 5 weeks old! We stayed there for 10 days and even hiked Diamond Head. Our 17 month old son has already been on 4 trips via airplane. At 5 weeks: Hawaii. at 6 months: San Diego and New York City. At 14 months: New Orleans. At 16 months: Los Angeles. So we definitely don't let small children slow us down. When our oldest boy was just 2, we took a two week vacation to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia. Our first son is now 4 years old and is now a seasoned traveler. He travels about twice a year by plane.

Hi Lilia,
I would highly recommend it as soon as you can. We brought our daughter to Spain when she was 7 months, then to Thailand when she was 18 months, and since then to Canada, Mexico and the East Coast. In a week we are bring her to Norway. Kids are easy to travel with when they are babies. As our daughter is 3 now, we bring lots of books, toys, coloring books and games for her to entertain herself with. We have also downloaded lots of free game applications on our iPhone and bought her kids headphones, so she has fun with that, too without disturbing others around. They'll get used to travelling and enjoy seeing the clouds! Good luck!

We went to Greece on a rock climbing trip with our 10 month old, and then I flew with him to Germany when he was 15 months. Both times the flights and trips went well.

Hi Lilia,

Any time is a good time to travel with a child as long as you're prepared. We live in England, my family lives in the Bay Area and my husband's family lives in Australia, so we have travelled A LOT with my now nearly 2 1/2 year old - including a round the world trip when he was 18 months. If only babies could get frequent flier miles...

I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you might have, so feel free to email me , but off the top of my head here are a few recommendations:

1) If you can afford it, get your child their own seat. It will give her a place to play and sleep and will make SUCH a difference to the experience you all have.

2) That said, I wouldn't get the 'car seat' that the airline will offer for the journey. You will have to have the baby on your lap with a special lap belt that they provide for take off and landing, but then she can move around freely in her seat and lay down on it when it is time for her to sleep. Trust me, you will be thankful for the space.

3) Come prepared as much as you can with her full bedtime routine on the plane. If she usually has a bath, then changes into her jammies, then has 2 stories, a bottle of milk and sleeps under a particular blanket or has a stuffed animal she sleeps with then do as much of that as you possibly can. Take her to the bathroom for a wash, change her into her jammies, read her the same stories she has at home, give her the milk, etc, etc. My little boy sleeps beautifully on planes - usually 8 hours from London to SFO and 13 hours on the 25 hour trip to Australia - and I think part of it is because of this.

4) Don't worry about flying direct. If you can that's great, but if you need to change planes along the way it can be a good thing. It will give her a chance to stretch her little legs. Another thing, even if she's not walking, let her crawl around the airport (obviously in a safe area). She will get dirty, but just have all the necessary antibac wipes and things to clean her up ready. If she has an opportunity to burn off some energy, you'll all have a better continuing journey.

5) When you get to your destination, get her on the local time immediately. She'll be excited to get there, so she'll probably happily stay awake until her nap/bed time. Put her to bed and if she usually has a 2 hour nap but she is still sleeping soundly after the 2 hours, wake her up. She may not be happy at first, but trust me you'll both have a better trip the quicker she adjusts. Put her to bed at her normal bedtime. She will probably wake in the night. If she does, keep the lights dim and any activities really mellow. When my little boy wakes up, which he usually does for 3 nights, we either watch an hour of a quiet video or read some stories for an hour or so and then I put him back to bed. He'll then usually sleep until a pretty normal wake up time.

6) If your child likes TV or videos (mine LOVES them) get a portable DVD player. This will come in handy on the plane, but also if you need a little peace in the hotel. There won't be any English TV in Italian hotels. There are two things to pay attention with the DVD players - battery life - a 2 hour battery life will do you no good on a 15+ hour flight to Italy. Also, come prepared with the necessary converters so you can plug it in in continental Europe.

7) I also used to live in Italy. I didn't have my little boy there, but I nannied, so I had a lot of the same challenges. You don't say where you're planning on going in Italy, but I personally would avoid Venice with a stroller. It can obviously be done (people live there and manage) but if you really want to go to Venice, I would invest in a good Baby Bjorn or other carrier/backpack. It will make it much easier getting on and off boats, over the multitude of bridges, etc.

8) The other thing worth noting about Italy is that a lot of the streets are lovely but very stroller unfriendly cobble stones. If you can manage to bring a stroller with pumped up wheels rather than hard wheels your little girl will have a nicer ride.

9) If you're renting a car, most places will provide a car seat for an additional cost. Make sure you pre-book, call to confirm and get this in writing. The Italians have a very 'oh well we don't have one, you'll just have to do without' attitude toward such things and may treat you like a hysterical mother for insisting. Trust me, the Italians drive like maniacs, so you'll want a car seat!

10) That said, the italians love kids and you will generally find them very accommodating. They accept that children make noise and mess and will be more than happy to help in any way they can to make your trip enjoyable. I love the Italians.

11) Most grocery stores (supermercato) close from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning, so if you're going to arrive during that time, make sure you have all the snacks and things you need. You can usually get diapers and formula at pharmacies (farmacia) which you should be able to find open. You can ask at your hotel for where the local one is that is open.

Sorry I'm rambling and giving you way more information than you asked for. I got a bit carried away. Like I said, if I can help with any specifics, please feel free to email me. I'm more than happy to help.

Enjoy your trip. Relax, just prepare as much as you can and then leave the rest to adventure. Your little girl will love it.

All the best, D.

It depends on what your expectations are for your trip. You can easily bring a baby, easier almost if they aren't walking and you can lug them around in a pack, but you will have to adjust your expectations for what you will be able to do. If you want to be out visiting all the extraordinary sights of Italy and have only a short time to do so, it's easier to leave a baby at home. Things to consider, will you be driving, riding the trains, staying in one place and doing day trips.
Doing a stay at a home/villa rental or agriturismo is great with little ones and you can just go and enjoy being in another part of the world. Also depends on how helpful the inlaws will be with the baby
For a child to remember a trip and to be old enough to be interested and able to have the stamina for days out traveling I think they should be at least 7-8 years old. Best between 8-11 when they still like you and are interested in hanging out and what you have to say.
My standard has always been to make a list of the people who are going on vacation and then make a list of the people who are going to have FUN on that vacation and if I'm not on the fun list then I really don't want to do it.

Each of our girls were on a plane to Europe before they were a year old. They were perfectly safe. Having said that, it is never 'easy' to travel with kids. Ever. Mine are now 12 and 14 and I still wouldn't call it easy. :o) Fun? Yes. Worth it? Yes. Easy? No.

If you and your in-laws are willing to adjust your expectations from 'vacation', to 'family vacation', you'll be just fine. When my girls were little there were times when the group went out to do something and I (or my hubby) stayed behind with the baby because that was what we needed to do for her. And that was ok, because that was my expectation.

Go to Italy, have fun, and don't worry too much!

Hi Lila,

My youngest daughter was two years old when we took a family trip to Colombia. My son was just about to turn 5. We had an awesome time. It was my first time visiting my in laws and their first time meeting their grandparents. We made sure to take a late flight and we had their pjs in their carryon cases. Make sure you have plenty of things for baby to play with. If you go before she turns two you'll save a little bit of money. After two you have to purchase a seat for her. My kids were fine. After they ate the dinner we brought on board and watched a bit of the in flight movie, they went to sleep(our flight from SF left at six and we had a layover in texas where we put their pjs on) They slept all the way to our next destination, Miami. There we changed their clothes, brushed their teeth and ate breakfast. It was the best plan for us.

Good luck and God bless.

We started traveling internationally with our kids when they were a couple of months old (our families are in Europe and Canada). Not a problem. I think, they recommend to wait until they're 6 weeks old to start flying. Good luck.

I brought both my kids to Croatia last year. My son turned 2 there and my daughter was 6 months old. We had no problem on the flights and traveling around Europe.
We rented a car there and drove around Croatia, Italy, and Hungary. We brought our own car seats (Britax) which worked well. I always tell my friends it's easier when the children are younger. We are also planning to travel to the Philippines next year. They will be 3 and less than 2 then.

It would depend on your child. We took my son to Italy to visit family when he was almost three. He is a dream child on an airplane and we got fly business class so we had lots of room. I would have never thought of doing this with my daughter at that age because she is much more active. That being said, my son (now almost 11) remembers nothing from the trip, but my husband and I have wonderful memories! We will go again once my daughter is old enough to handle such a long flight.

10 - they won't be too cool to be seen with you and old enough to remember the trip! ;)
Otherwise, if the family doesn't want to wait that long, go when your baby can be entertained by a toy etc. for more than 2 minutes. The only age that's easy to travel with is newborn - 'cuz they sleep the whole time on the plane.
Ask your pedi about travel to Europe - I think it's o.k. - not like going to Africa or Asia as far as risky food etc.
You should go prepared for a little upset tummy, fever etc. because the water and food will be different and airplanes are giant cans of recycled germs.

My friends, who have a 12 years, two 8 year, and one 8 month old, just returned from 6 weeks in Europe.

They went with extended family and had a great time.
S

Hi Lilia,
I guess any age would work depending on the termperment of the child. But if you get to choose I found that my oldest daughter (who was very active) was a bit difficult on long international plane rides during the 2 to 3 year range (as it was difficult for her to sit still on a plane for very long, no matter how many "distractions" I tred to take along - she just wanted to run around or stand up in her seat to the dismay of other passengers). No problems when she was younger or older. Plus it is much nicer once they are potty trained, as you don't have to lug the diaper bag around.
Have Fun!
M.