The Infant Travels

One of our fears while waiting for our 'bundle of joy' to arrive was about travel. We wondered if we could really enjoy travelling, ever again. Yes, having a kid has that kind of finality attached to it. Fears, doubts, questions all involve the phrase 'Ever Again'. 

There were images of crying (I mean howling,bawling) kids in the flight to walking around scenic landscaped with a kid in a stroller or hanging from a baby carrier. I couldn't recall many visuals of parent-infant holiday camaraderie, except maybe Disneyland images, but then who isn't happy at Disneyland! Ever seen a visual of a mom peacefully staring at the Eiffel Tower? If yes, then there is probably a dad with a kid on his shoulder right next to her. How is that possibly romantic? We just had to find a way of travelling without our baby.Else,this could be the end of our travel diaries - even before they began! We parked this fear - in the huge 'New Parents' Fears & Anxieties' parking lot - to deal with, as the time came.

Our darling daughter arrived - life changed. This super fast, perpetually exhausting, demanding pace of new parenthood, left us scrounging for sleep - who cared about luxuries like travel? 4 months passed. We survived. We deserved a vacation. We settled for a weekend getaway.

This was our first glimpse into planning a getaway with a baby involved – spontaneity really has no place here, atleast not on the first trip. 

The few basic checks were done -

-  Does the property allow kids? So have you been reading about those boutique,exquisite properties with so much peace and quiet - the escape from the world. There is a reason for the peace and quiet. Kids are not allowed. Our first eye-opener. No, we could not plan a stay at Wildflower Hall for a while.

- Travel distance - We didn't want to drive an infant for more than 2 hours - what if Colic struck? Or the baby was uneasy? The distance should be just right - long enough to feel the 'escape' and close enough to rush back incase of an emergency. Bingo.

- Basic kid-friendly facilities - Not too many stairs to tug around a pram, a 24/7 housekeeping and room-service, room enough for a babycot,if needed, doctor-on-call, etc.

We finally managed to shortlist (ok,honestly there wasn't much to shortlist from!) one of the Golf Resort properties about an hour-n- half away.We booked a Suite - if by chance, we were to get limited to the room, then might as well be a darn good room. Parent Holiday Logic.

Next up was packing. Packing which plays the least existent part in most young people vacations. It's a project while travelling with a baby. The tough choices first - should we carry the mobile playpen? Should we carry the pram or just the baby carrier? What about the bottle sterliser? Next were the choices about 'How Many'. So when adults travel, they pack as per days. When babies travel, they carry stuff as per hours. Example - Diaper changes every X hours, multiplied by number of hours on holiday equals number of diapers; add contingencies. Don't let the math kill the holiday excitement. It gets better with time.

After such exhaustive planning,we took off for a 2 -day break to experience this new phenomena called 'travelling with a kid'. 

We learnt so much about our little one. Baby J was a great road-tripper - she dozed off at the start - and slept right through. No fuss. 

We realised that just like her parents, she also enjoyed an extended afternoon vacation nap - almost like she knew this was the way to unwind.

She enjoyed chilling in her pram - A huge relief for us - she wasn't a 'godi' baby, mostly not.

Perfectly well-mannered at most times, unless she was hungry or sleepy, Baby J didn't mind the buzz of unfamiliar people and sights around her. Infact,she gazed with great interest and curiosity.

Unfortunately, though, Baby J was a fussy eater. So while she was happy to see new sights, the sight of unfamiliar food was a huge no-no for her. Which meant sticking to her milk and get on-request porridge and khichdi made for her. 

We also experienced what vacationing means as new parents. Its mostly just a change of location. It's hard to zone out into a world of mindlessness with a 4-month old around. Even if she was just chewing her soother - we felt the need to keep a check.Always policing. 

Over packing is vacation's worst enemy.True to the spirit of the New Paranoid Parent, we packed pretty much everything in her room which she needed, could need, liked, might want. This meant not only a lot of unpacking for 2 days but also a lot of wrapping up. Let's just say it was messy.

We were at a Golf Resort and we couldn't even take a single putting lesson. We couldn't take the spa, we couldn't got for a swim together. It's the 'one-at-a-time' or 'chuck-it' decision - we decided to chuck it. 

It wasn't our most relaxing getaway- I would admit. But it was taught us our first lessons about each other as a family. Like holidays should. 

It was also not the end of our travels. We have travelled far and wide with Baby J, who is now 3 years old. Our holidays are not only about the places we see together, the experiences we share in new cities and new cultures together, but also about the time we spend understanding more about each other as daughter,mommy and daddy.It's our escape from the world we know to the world we don't - holding each other's hands firmly as a family. 

This is our new travel diary - travelling as parents who want to have new adventures with their daughter. These will someday become stories which shaped her personality and character. Stories of discovering, adjusting, astonishment, courage, acceptance, resistance, temptation. Stories of our family.