Am I crazy?-- Traveling to Italy in July w/ 3 month old

If you decide to go, you might look into purchasing travel insurance that would let you cancel at the last minute, if you so decide. As for traveling with a baby within Italy, the Italians absolutely adore babies (probably enhanced due to the very low birth rate in Italy), so there's your icebreaker. You would have all sorts of wonderful interactions with the locals. As for the flight itself, there's really no way of knowing how your baby will do.

Yes. You would be crazy. Just my opinion, having raised three children.
Wait a year or even two.

This is way way to young to be taking a newborn on an international trip for "fun". Babies can be fine and then really really sick in an hour. Same goes for new Moms. Do you really really want to be going to a Doctor you don't know (not that he/she wouldn't be competent) in a foreign country with a baby with a 102 degree fever. Go next year. Please consult with your OBGYN. Babies are pretty darn sturdy but.... Personally I think you should be concentrating on enjoying the miracle that is your baby.

I know it's tempting to go but July will be so hot and crowded maybe save it for another time if you did try to do the trip I would also suggest trip insurance
if the baby gets uncomfortable it's a long flight and nobody wants to sit by a unhappy 3 month old on a 10 hour flight :)

Thank you all for the input! Our initial thought was to wait until next summer as baby will be over 1 at that time. However, I keep getting hearing it's actually easier to fly with a younger baby as they as more content just being held on the long flight. Also, I forgot to add we fly standby so ticket booking would not be a problem if we decided to cancel last minute. I hope it doesn't seem as if we are not more than thrilled just to have baby arriving this summer... we have been waiting for this little one for a long time and can't wait until he's here! We love Italy so much we just can't wait to bring him on our next trip :)
The possibility of him getting sick while traveling is very scary, especially being so young. I did speak to my doctor and while she said it would be fine to travel, that does not make possibly having a sick infant in another county any less of a concern to us. We are definitely taking all of this into consideration and appreciate the input!

This is your first child, don't have an international trip planned when your child is only 3 months old. No matter how prepared you think you are, you are not going to want to be in a foreign country with an infant. Take a trip, but make it a shorter plane ride to a place where all the comforts and items you will want will be easily accessible.

I don't think you are crazy. We took our 4 month old to Hawaii last fall and it was great. At 3 months a baby is very easy to travel with. For the plane ride make sure you breast feed (or bottle) on take off and landing. At altitude the kiddo will probably sleep or just enjoy sitting in your lap. Also talk to your pediatrician about getting ear drops for ear infections. The reason why is because the ear drops numb the baby's ears when they have an infection and the numbing works wonders if they are suffering from the pressure in their ear from the flight. Drop a couple of drops in each ear if the pressure bothers them and you are good to go. I would also suggest the following baby carrier for the trip and flight, store.ergobaby.com. These carriers are great.

Hawaii is nothing like Italy. Italy doesn't have the supplies available that you can easily pick up at a store in Hawaii. In Italy it will be difficult and/or expensive to find an English speaking doctor if there is an issue and little conveniences like changing tables in bathrooms are all but non-existent.

Airplanes are enclosed areas with who knows what germs people are bringing with them. Three month old babies are fragile. I'm sorry if my earlier post seemed "snotty." My best advice would be to check with your pediatrician. I'm sure you're interviewing them now, and they would be your best source of info. Supplies which we can buy in a pharmacy here are not necessarily over-the-counter in Italy, so if you do decide to go, make sure you bring everything possible to
avoid an emergency. Happy Baby and congratulations.

Stephanie, I have traveled with friends and their children of all ages, and the infants seem the easiest travelers. Should you need medical assistance, pharmacies in Italy are usually owned/staffed by a doctor, who can prescribe medication if needed. Anything you need will be available, even if it's under an unfamiliar name. Michael is right, Italians love children, babies in particular (think of all those madonna and child paintings), It sounds like you have some support system in Italy already (if you are returning to the same hotels/apartments); perhaps the staff/proprietors can help you in advance if you email them?

Italy is not a third world country. Everything you can get in Hawaii you can get in Italy. I've been to both. Talking from experience I can tell you that traveling with a 3 month / 4 month old is a lot easier then traveling with a kid when they are mobile and all they want to do is crawl around.

I don't think you are crazy at all. A 3 month all is easier to travel with then a one year old,, and that comes from raising three kids too! Italy does in fact have all the supplies you need,, same as Hawaii, depending of course on how rural you stay,, suggest you choose somewhere closer to a small city as opposed to a village. I always brought basic medical supplies with me,, even when travelling to the States,, don't know if your stuff goes under same names as they do here, and didn't want to have to figure that out when child was sick. Bring baby tyelenol or fever reducer your doctor suggests, I also brought baby safe sunscreen, and a decongestant , a chld that young saline mist is likely most suggested, but of course, check with your doctor. I do think you should wait till child is here before you make final decsion ,, as a childs personality will be a big factor. Out of my three kids,, one was a GREAT traveller, one was ok,, and one was a NIGHTMARE, plus none of my kids were colic, but understand that changes everything. The other thing I would say, and hope you don't take this wrong way, as everyone should do what is best for them, but breastfeeding will GREATLY reduce issues ,, all you will need is a bottle or two to bring for occaisonal water bottle, other then that you won't have to worry about food, sterilizing etc etc. Its just easy,, throw a few diapers and a change of clothes into your bag and you are good to go for the day. Finally, yes, check all this out with doctor. Babies are not that fragile, but yes, planes are germy,, but breast fed babies that young are less likely to pick up much, mothers immunities protect them for awhile..
oh, yes, check out his vaccination schedule, can't remember what they get when, but don't travel for a week after just in case.

PS bring a good reclining stroller, not a huge monster, but something that folds. IT makes a great place for baby to sleep as you go about|( get thicker tires, a jogging stroller can work well) , and at that age they sleep a fair amount, and best of all, you do not need to look for a change table( which are dubiously clean anyways, and putting your change matt on them only makes it germy after awhile too), as a small baby like that you just change in the stroller( slip towel or cloth under for messy ones so stroller is not soiled) . Tiny babies can be changed anywhere , its alot harder at one or one an half, they are bigger, then fidget like crazy, their soil is ,, less pleasant.. etc.

I don't want to be Debbie Downer, here, but I hope you stay very loose with your plans till you see how it goes. I was an "older" mother (first one born when I was just short of 34 yrs old) and generally calm and organized. But...I didn't know my I'd be 12 days overdue. and I didn't know I'd end up with a C-section after 24 hrs of labor. (and a relatively easy pregnancy) I couldn't have predicted I'd have a terrible time trying to feed her and end up needing additional doctoring...weird, for someone who rarely even got colds in those days. When these things happen, they are survivable...but schedules can be thrown off, to say the least. My baby could maybe have handled the trip at 3 months, but there's no way I could have. I had a long recovery. YOu know your own health and resilience best. Just some things to think about. Having said that, we took her camping to Michigan upper peninsula when she was 8 mos old. This trip (tenting it) ended up being all about entertaining the baby constantly, taking her to the shower at 4 a.m. to hose her down (returning afterwards to an uninhabitable tent) and keeping her from killing herself on the rocks or in the fire while we cooked. Still, it's one of our most wonderful trip memories. The only better trip is when this baby, now 28, and I went to Italy together for 3 wks this fall. Cherish the time!
Good luck to you!

Julie,, that trip,, tenting with a baby,, sounds horrible, and there is no way I could have done that, nope, once theres a baby I insist on beds and running water!

Julie, when our daughter was 8 months and we were camping, we'd zip her up in the tent and she'd have a fine time rolling around on the sleeping bags and pillows. And thank you for bringing up c-sections and the mother's own health. We all hate to alarm a pregnant mother, but these things do happen. I had 3 c-sections, and was never too perky at 3 months.

Yes a 3 month old is more "portable" than a toddler, but even if it is completely safe for him to travel it could be very hard on you. No one has mentioned the emotional aspects of new motherhood. Even if you do not suffer from " the blues" ( post-partum depression, which is quite common), you may be still sleep-deprived and not fully recovered from the birth. And you may be so focused on caring for your baby, and protective toward him, that you don't want to do anything so disruptive as take that long flight, with all the attendant hassles. I know I wasn't ready for anything like a trip until my first was 6 months old. Is there some reason you can't go a bit later, in the fall? Italy is really nice then.

You're definitely NOT crazy. I traveled with my infant daughter last May, and it was one of our favorites trips to Italy. I solicited advice before my trip, and I got quite a bit of doom and gloom from some people. But, my wife and I love Europe, and our daughter is part of our family, so we took her. Absolutely no regrets. At 3 months, he should be pretty easy, as they pretty much eat, sleep, and poop at that age. We flew Luftansa, who provided a hanging bassinett (sp?) from the bulkhead. Likely not an option for standby, but worth asking for if you get on the plane. You'll find everything you need in Italy that you'll find in the states, too. Pat's right, the personality of your baby is the biggest factor. Mine has traveled extensively, so she is a great traveler. Some of my friends babies...?
Take a sunshade for your umbrella stroller. As you know, the sun is intense in italy, and you don't want that little man getting a tan. Have a great trip!

One thing to note. Italy is crazy hot in the summer, so if your place has AC, that will be a huge help. My daughter was sleeping 8-10 hours at 3 months, but that likely won't happen if it's 90 in your room at night.

Anyone notice the gender split in opinions? Most (but not all) of the moms say it is not a good idea, for various reasons. The dads all say "we took our infant, it was fine, it was great." I'd like to hear from the wives of those guys who had such a great time. Did they feel pressured to go, to prove to their spouse that their life had not really changed with the birth of their child? Did they feel the trip was as "great" a trip as their husband did? How was the flilght over? Nursing the baby, changing diapers, dealing with crying-who took care of all that? (I'm excepting James from this question because I beleive they went for work reasons, not a pleasure trip.) I have taught prepared childbirth and have experience with new mothers beyond my own personal experience. I am not a nurse and won't give medical advice but this isn't a medical question. But most of "my" moms were not back to normal at 3 months, especially if they had a c-section. Some were still settling down to routine, babies not sleeping through the night, maybe feeding difficulties, maybe recurrent ear infections in the baby (which might make it ill-advised to fly). If you do think you might want to go, I suggest you keep your options open so you can cancel at the last minute if you find you don't really feel like going, either physically or emotionally.

I'll respond to Sasha, since she requested it. My wife isn't home now, but I'm sure she'll respond if she feels like it. First: "we took our infant, it was fine, it was great". I didn't say that, but I could have and it would be a true statement. Next: "Did they feel pressured to go, to prove to their spouse that their life had not really changed with the birth of their child". Well, if you think that your life isn't really going to change with the birth of a child, wake up. It will never be the same. Much better, but definitely not the same. Since the trip to Italy was her idea, one can only assume that she didn't "feel pressured". Next: " How was the flight over? Nursing the baby, changing diapers, dealing with crying-who took care of all that?" The flight over was not that bad. We left about 7pm (which is her bedtime), she was up and excited for about 2 hours, then slept the rest of the way. Nursing? I can (and did) give her bottles, but my wife did the nursing. Changing diapers/dealing with crying baby? As one of two parents, I split that one about evenly. Actually, the singing her to sleep in the bassinet on the plane was me, since my daughter responds to my ghastly singing voice better than my wife's voice.
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Was my wife prepared to fly at 3 months? Sure, but she didn't have a c-section. I can't speak how that may affect you, but I can't imagine that it would be in the positive as far as travelling goes. As I mentioned earlier, every kid is different. My daughter ate great, slept wonderfully, and had (still does) an overall great disposition. Yours may not be the same. But since you can cancel at the last minute, I think planning for the trip is a good idea, leaving your options open to cancel. My trip was an experience that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I'm not attempting to be argumentative in any way, so please don't take it that way. I'm just explaining in a bit more detail how things were for us.

Thank you so much for the great input. We definitely have a lot to think about before we decide for sure to go ahead with the trip planning :) I totally agree a lot of the final decision is unknown based on baby's personality and how delivery goes for both baby and I. If I didn't have to worry about the reservations filling up where we'd like to stay, I'd just wait to see...But I know we'll have to make a decision soon if we want to book (even if we have to cancel later). Also, both my husband and I are teachers, so that is why we would have to go in the summer. I will be home with baby, but my husband will have to return to work in August... so if not this summer, we'll wait until next summer.
I'm still a little torn, so I'll have to give this some more thought before we make the final decision to go ahead with the bookings or not. Thank you all again so much for the help. Lots of good points I hadn't thought about and things we still need to consider.

Stephanie... If you send your reservation request along with the specific issues that might keep you from going (medical problems) maybe you can be given some sort of way to cancel without huge penalty, especially if you have stayed there before.
I would definitely be on the side of saying to go. If you and the baby are both healthy there is no reason to not hang out in Italy. Babies usually do sleep on flights, and I agree with Pat about the breastfeeding. It will make life easier as well as protect your baby against most of those ear infections. One thing that does help is to have the baby nursing or sucking on a bottle during both the takeoff and the landing. That is usually when the pressure is worse (or so the doctor told my daughter) If you think about it that is usually when the babies start to cry. Having your parents there can make for a wonderful family memory...I think about a lot of people who wait to do things and many are still waiting....3 months old is probably easier than 3 years...they still need you 24/7 and I would rather be in Italy instead of home...you seem to realize it will be a different kind of trip.

Stephanie, We traveled with some friends to Tuscany some years back and between the two families, we had 5 children under age 5 (but youngest was 3). It was a WONDERFUL trip and I stongly encourage you to travel with your children from the time they are young...we are still traveling yearly to Europe with our teens and it is great. That said, I have to agree that a 3 month old is very unpredictable. He could be great on the plane and healthy the whole trip, or not. Traveling with a sick infant is very worrisome (long story about my 9 month old in Disneyland, and that was the same country). I would probably say wait until you know your child's temperment and habits better. But definitely travel with you kids whenever possible. Good luck with the traveling and the parenting!! Kaye
Folsom, CA

to those who responded to my post: yes, the camping trip with an 8 month old was weird, but the biggest hurdle for me was getting over the mistaken idea that I could have a trip like others I'd had "pre-baby". Other posters have sort of addressed that idea, too. Once I started to accept how truly different (and unrelaxing) it would be, my attitude improved. We still laugh about that trip, no kidding. We were even laughing at 4 a.m. in the showerhouse when it all happened. Kid's personalities really do matter: our 8 month old would be in the zipped tent, loaded with toys and fun, and be happy in there by herself for about a nanosecond. She later turned out to be an extremely "easy" child all the way from toddlerhood through teen years.
It seems you, Stephanie, have a good attitude about your trip and I hope you have a lovely time if you do go. One other note if you do: as others have noted re diapers and wipes, stock up on things before you leave. My daughter and I had to buy some ibuprofen and few other first aid items in Italy, and I could not believe what they cost. Maybe your doctor could give you some samples of products like infant tylenol or whatever.

I say go for it. I took my kids all over hellangone their whole lives, even as babes-in-arms. Think of all the Italian grandmothers who will be eager to hold him! GO!!!