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When did you first go away on vacation without the kids? Was is fun and relaxing, or stressful and worrisome?”

Asked by mamajama on 12th March 2008

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I first went away for work when my baby was four and a half months old. I actually had two trips scheduled earlier for work (the first when she would have been three weeks old!) but I realized how stupid that would be at the time. It was only two nights but it was terrible. I've since been away three more times for work, twice taking my husband with me, which helped. Still hard though, and I hear the "I never would have left my baby at this age!" comments from my older coworkers all the time.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Samantha on 13th March 2008
The answer is different for vacation vs. work travel. I went away for the first time on work-related travel when my twins were 2.5 months old. That actually was a relief for me because I was so overwhelmed with new mom stuff and working and everything. I was looking forward to a night's sleep!

But the travel disrupts everyone--sleep cycles for the girls, nanny, husband/daddy's work and stress levels, my in-laws who help out--it is really rough.

When did we go away for the first time without the girls? My birthday last year for one night--when the girls were 9 months old. I loved it but couldn't imagine going away for longer.
We've done another one-nighter, but I feel so guilty about going away for pleasure since I routinely still have to travel for work.
The girls are so clingy when I get back--they clearly miss mommy!

Flag as inappropriate Posted by spacegeek on 13th March 2008
My mom suggested that we take a short cruise and leave DS with her (since she lives in near a cruise ship port... convienent!) but it has never materialized... yet anyway :) i think it's harder for us because we dont really have family around that he sees all the time. Well, we live near lots of family but everyone is in a million directions and we only seem them about once a month or so... so DS isnt comfortable staying with anyone over night with out us...

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Kate on 12th March 2008
We went away for a week when our daughter was 14 months old -- she stayed with my parents. It was a waste of a lot of money -- I could not relax for a minute. There was no reason for it -- she was fine, they were fine, but I wasn't:) The next year it was much better!

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Nataly on 12th March 2008
Hmmm ... I am very interested in this question because my hubby and I are planning our first real vacation away from Baby in May. I'm a bit stressed ... 35 bags of milk need to be saved, pumping while away, etc... The little guy will be 8ish months old.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by KC on 12th March 2008
My husband and I left our children at one year of age with a close family friend for about 5 days. We would go on about 4 trips a year for anywhere from 2 - 7 days. Our longest trip was when they were 9 and 10, we left for two weeks (too long). Our girls are now 2, 11 and 12. While it was great to get away with my husband, the only way that it was relaxing was trusting my caregiver. I think that it is really important for a marriage to have get away time. We always appreciate our kids so much more when we come back and we get renewed as well. It is a good way for your children to establish bonds with other people and know that they can rely on others. whatever you do, it has to feel right for you.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by hbr on 12th March 2008
We went to Myrtle Beach, SC without our daughter and it was awful. We missed her so much and kept wanting to experience things through her eyes. We ended up only staying one night and went home the next day to be with her. We loved spending time with one another, but we realized we didn't want that long of a break without her. :)

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Suzanne on 12th March 2008