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I took my 2 month old baby to Europe to visit family and everything was fine, he slept for most of the flight there and back. In fact everyone told me it was the ideal time to travel because he wasn't mobile yet. I would think it would be harder to travel with a one year old who wants to walk around.

There's SO no point in letting people freak you out!
What a waste of energy!! When my son was two months old i travelled with him from the Uk to the Middle East. In his first year of life he travelled to Italy, Greece, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the US and (knock on wood) never got sick!! Your daughter will be FINE!
make sure that she has all her shots, feed her good food, wipe her hands alot and have FUN!!!!!!!

Guatemala is beautiful. our son was conceived there!

Absolutely no problem at all. Just be smart about it. I've done it with 2 kids across the atlantic. Make sure you get travel insurance that covers any medical for kids (worth the peace of mind), keep clean while travelling (take sanitizer & wipes), take distraction throw-away toys, cheapy stroller or your bjorn and once you get there be cautious of food & drink (take food /milk if you have too). Enoy the trip.

Go now. If you wait until the baby is two not only will you have to pay for the seat, even though the kid will be on your lap the whole time, but kids get much squirmier and harder to deal with as they get older. At 1 kids are still pretty portable.

When our baby was 3 months old we took our first international flight, while all planes were delayed for 10 HOURS!!! due to an emergency in the airport all the other passengers were angry and fussy but our little one had no idea anything was not as it should be, she was breast fed so she was not hungry, she slept in her bjorn so she was not tired and we had changes of clothes and wipes and blankets for the flight, and she was an angel. Traveling is such a great experience at any age, although at the end we were pretty worn out from carrying her for 10 hours, I wish we had brought a stroller in the gate area. Don't let people spook you, enjoy your trip, Guatemala is beautiful!

I've never done it, though if I had the opportunity, I would. I think a parent can be cautious with cleanliness and food and avoiding strangers, but my hesitations would be with my youngster's personality: once my oldest became mobile he wanted to be mobile all. the. time. and could be very grumpy when it wasn't permissible (like on an airplane). Plenty of snacks, activities, creature comforts should make it ok, and guatemala is probably worth any stress. One note: be sure to take as much infant food/drink/diapers/clothing changes as you can on the airplane in case of delays where you can't access those things.

I couldn't agree more with the above commenters. My son travelled over the atlantic and several flights within europe, in and out EU when he was 4 months and just as he turned one. He did not get sick, we cleaned everything very well, were cautious with ourselves and all the things mentioned above. Travelling with a one year old is a bit more of challenge if they are walking by then, my son was walking at 10.5 months, so he was quite busy on the flights. If you can try to time the flying time over his night sleep. We did that and it was great. Feel lucky that you dont have to deal with 6,7,8 time zone changes, bcs it is then when the babies have a bit of adjusting to do with their sleep time, although my son adjusted in two days. So good luck and safe travels.

Enjoy your trip to Guatemala!

You can find really great tips about traveling with kids at www.deliciousbaby.com. It's SO doable.

I've been travelling with my kids internationally (to South America and Asia) since they were born without any problems.

This may be over-kill -- but you may consider looking into a travel medical insurance/emergency medical assistance coverage or policy that will cover a medical air-lift out of the country in case of a *major* medical emergency. We have this coverage, mainly for my father who has heart disease, and it's just one of those peace of mind things.

Most travel medical policies will also cover prolonged treatment in a foreign hospital. Our policy is through American Express, and it's really reasonably priced. You don't have to be a card member, either, to get the insurance - although I think platinum members have air-lift service provided to them free of charge.

Absolutely doable. And I would agree that the sooner the better but I have seen kids of all ages on the frequent overseas flights we take. In our experience, folks are super accommodating when you have a baby and the flight crews couldn't have been nicer.

One recommendation - a pop-up travel tent bed. Your kid always has the same view, no matter where they are and it's super compact. We have one like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/NScessity-Large-Travel-Centre-Blue/dp/B000HK8DDE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=baby&qid=1250879394&sr=8-3

Have a great trip!

They are saying that just because they have never done it. I'm a foreign living in the US and have taken our daughter to visit family in South America right before her first birthday, and on vacation to the Caribbean after that. I have several friends in the same situation (living here with families overseas) and they have taken their babies to meet their families as young as 1 month old. It's actually easier to travel with infants since they will sleep for the most part, than with a toddler who might want to run around the plane.

I think it's always a good idea to have travel insurance and their emergency number at hand in case you need to use it, and just take the usual precautions with water, food, safety, etc that you would when traveling abroad.

The only catch could be if there were any vaccines that should be taken before travelling to the country in question, since they might not be suitable to toddlers or infants. I don't know if that's the case with Guatemala or not. Other than that, enjoy the trip!

We moved to New Zealand when our daughter was 6 months and she slept through most of the four (yes, four) flights. Fellow passengers commented what a good traveler she was.

Totally do-able! Don't let the biddies get you down.

We took our daughter to a small little city in Minas Gerais, Brazil, to visit my in-laws when she was not yet 6 months old. She handled the air travel and bus travel better than we did and loved every minute of it (all of this while teething!). As mentioned above, the airlines are quite helpful when traveling with an infant--they even provided a crib in the plane for us, which we not expecting!

One note--despite what Travelocity or Orbitz will tell you, you generally need a separate infant ticket--it's not for a seat, per se, but a charge that airlines implement on most international flights when you bring an infant. We almost missed our flight as we had to wait in line at the ticket window to purchase it at the last minute when we couldn't check in for our flight without one! Call your airline in advance to see if they require one of these infant passes.

We took our daughter to the UK at 7 months, and she did great.

She did not sleep on the 10-hour flight over, partly because the plane was full of New and Exciting Things and she didn't want to miss anything, and partly because she fit exactly into the airline's "bassinet" like a sardine in a can.

For the flight back, a United employee suggested that we carry the infant seat on the plane, stow it away for takeoff, and then place it at our feet in the bulkhead row for baby to sleep in. And sleep she did, comfortably, for nearly the entire flight. That guy was a genius.

Have a great trip!

We traveled with our daughter to the Philippines when she was 7 months old. It went much smoother than we ever imagined! We also visited family, which made the trip feel like 'home'. Some tips from friends: since a drugstore and pharmacy may not be as readily available, pack a few "just in case" items: thermometer, teething tablets, infant tylenol, recipe for "pedialyte". Our friend's daughter had a fever on their trip to the Philippines and they spent a lot of time looking for a store that carried a thermometer.

I second the "pop up travel tent bed" idea.

Not sure if there are mosquitoes in Guatemala, but we brought insect repellent (No bite me), which worked great.


I think it is fantastic that your daughter has an opportunity to bond with family abroad.

My daughter went to the Bahamas at 5 months, and France at 23. It was fine, and if you're originally from there--no worries! Wipes, extra dipes, umbrella stroller to gate check, new fun cheap toys, and a Baby B'air travel vest did wonders for us (www.babybair.com). We had a travel bed for when she was really small, and that helped, too. (Ours turned into a diaper bag.)

You'll be fine. Just do it. :) Good luck!

We travel a lot with our 2yo son. His first trip was from Houston to Boston when he was only 2.5 weeks old. Last year we went to Eastern Europe for 5 weeks to visit family and my son did fine on the few flights we had to take each way and he was healthy and happy the whole time there.

Here are my tips:):
1. I would suggest if you can afford to get a sit for the child even she can fly as a lap child. This is what we did and it was great because we got his car seat on board and he was able to relax and sleep well and it's a good for you too, you don't have to spend the whole time holding your baby.

2. Also while we were there we kept using formula so we didn't have to deal with the unfamiliar milk.

3. We use a lot of wipes and hand sanitizer.

4. Also we made sure that he got all the vaccine for his age before we left US. It is good if you can find out in advance which is the best clinic/hospital in the area you are going to stay in case of emergancy.

5.Check with the airline if they carry solid baby food. United doesn't, you have to call in advance or bring your own.

6.Get early enough to the airport sometimes the security takes a way longer, some people are really slow and than if you take baby food and formula with you, you have to pull all out and show it.

We are going to Uk soon and when we bought the tickets we made sure that most of the flights are during our son sleeping time in the time zone we are leaving.

Have fun and safe trip!

well, I would say travel where you want... but I would like to caution you not take your baby anywhere where a disease that he's not yet fully immunized against may be prevalent. (ex. polio, meningitis....). I'm not sure what diseases are common in Guatamala... but definitely call your pediatrician a few months in advance, and get his/her OK for the trip, and any necessary shots in advance...

have fun!

The CDC has a great website, that allows you to put the country that you're going to and then gives a report of any health concerns that travelers should be aware of. Specifically, if any vacinations are recommended.
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/guatemala.aspx

I went to Costa Rica with my 14 month old son and it went great. He was a bit squirmy on the plane, but even adults can get squirmy on planes, lol. We had to pay an extra fee even though he was a lap child, so be sure to check on that. I told his dr we were going to Costa Rica at his well baby check up and the dr said everything would be fine. All in all it was a great trip.

My mother is from Guatemala and I have been going there since I was 3 months old, im now 22 and we never had any problems.. i agree that you might want to bring a few "just in case" things, but if you are going to Guatemala city you wont have to worry about because its a major city and will have anything you need.. best wishes

Go! You will have a wonderful time and have lots of wonderful memories.

This will be different from any trip you've taken before, so you have to be prepared and organized.

Please check out http://www.havebabywilltravel.com/main/home.htm for lots of great articles and tips, and please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Happy travels!

Amen to the poster who mentioned the travel tent. We travel all the time with our 22 month old. We got the tent when he was about 4 months and he loves it. He's so used to it, he has the same 'view' all the time, it's so small and portable (we got it because the pack-and-play was bulky and you never know what you'll get with cribs in other places).

We got ours from one step ahead (google them).

A word of caution--I've heard that some kids are scared of these. Our son started sleeping in his when he was so young, and we travel so frequently, it has not been a problem for us.

Hi, I am adding my two cents worth because we have travelled some and had some fun and not so fun times.

My four young children have travelled at least once if not twice from the East coast to New Zealand ( my homeland) by the time they turned a year. As well as trips domestically and to the Carribean on our own plane.

Because my husband is self employed and must work one of the journeys is done alone without him so maybe I can tell you what works for us.

Firstly a good attitude. Everyone will be tired,jetlagged,smelly and over excited - however, life is a journey and well worth all the adventures and mishaps.

Secondly I purchased a small backpack for each of the children and had it monogramed. They were each filled with age appropriate toys, coloring books, snacks and empty water bottles, balls etc nothing special except their blanket the rest was really disposable. These water bottles were filled up once we had embarked so as to not spill over me.

Enroute I would nurse (only an awake baby) on take off and landings to help with equalising the ear drums and encourage the other children to sip their drink constantly. We would also have mint gum, ginger gum and lollipops to help with turbulance and paper air sick bags just in case we needed them.

Of course we always allowed plenty of time for lay overs but always have trouble with the weather and mechanical delays and have never had a smooth trip so once again your attitude comes into the equasion. We just end up spending time or a night or two in another city and enjoy the foods and sights even if that's from a taxi window.

My children have always slept well in a foreign city so a tent (we have a Kidco) was always a moot point. The excitement of being somewhere different, eating yummy foods, breaking up our winters and being in a warm climate surrounded by family was tiring in itself. Yes - sleeping times were off, however when on holiday napping is allowed.

Have a wonderful, wonderful holiday.

The more you travel with your children, the better travelers they will be, so go for it!

We travel much more with our kids than any of our friends do, and have been ever since they were very little, and as a result, not only have they seen much more of the world, but they are much easier to travel with than other kids. My husband has single-handedly driven our kids across Europe on a 12 hour drive, and no one had a melt-down (I got to fly ahead for a business meeting)!

Plus, public transportation, you generally get seated first, or are whisked through customs as quickly as possible (you will become very grateful for a noisy child when you are allowed to the head of the line through passport control!).

Good luck!

p.s. Before you head off to Guatemala, try to fit in a few long weekend trips with your daughter, as soon as possible... Get her used to going to new and different places, eating in restaurants, sleeping in strange beds... she can be an old pro by the time you go in February!

By all means go! We traveled to Guatemala with our daughter when she was 5 months and it was deeply rewarding. Since then, we've kept moving and I have also traveled with her alone.

As others have mentioned, keeping up with the vaccinations is a good idea. There was some question of a Hep A vaccine for travel to Guate, but it's made with adult blood matter, so best to hold off for as long as possible. Just watch out for street food and you should be fine. (Although we did eat cooked street food recently in Brazil and all was fine.)

A couple more tips besides those already mentioned:

1. I've used a Sit & Stroll for the last couple of trips. Before she was 2, it was her stroller and car seat at our destination. Now that she's over 2 and has her own seat, you can strap it in to the plane seat and it provides a comfortable place (in our case) to sleep.

2. Changing diapers and putting pajamas on before the flight helps with settling in for naps, as does the blanket.

2. A portable DVD player is a godsend. Once esconced in her chair, our toddler watches a DVD and promptly falls asleep.

3. As a lap toddler, she got a new toy on the plane and a special pair of airplane socks. Airplane socks are for relaxing and resting (and not for walking in the aisles) and tend to help for at least a couple of hours if they are especially beloved.

4. Snacks, juice and special food (sandwiches cut into fun shapes, for example -- can sometimes be found in JFK) help to smooth the edges.

Feliz viaje!

We recently travelled to Belize with our 5 year old and 16 month old. I second the travel tent (a Peapod), but you may not need it if you'll be with family. We left the stroller at home and toted our son in a backpack carrier. It was awesome, especially since it doubled as a makeshift high chair at meal times, and could be gate-checked in the airport. We also used Ultrathon bug repellant. Worth its weight in gold.

I took my then 1-yr-old by myself to Singapore to visit family and everything went well. I brought the Sit-and-Stroll which fit perfectly into the airplane seat beside me and allowed the seat straps to strap the seat in place. It was pretty much my carseat/stroller for the entire time - I did not rent locally or buy an umbrella stroller as I had initially thought I might have to do.

The airline actually upgraded us to a more spacious part of the plane, although I wonder if it was more about putting all the families with young kids together in an area where they could close the curtains between the sections because I felt like I was in the "kids section" when I looked around and saw that the majority of the people in the section were families with at least 1 young child.

The only difference I would say then and now is that with all the rules about the liquids now, I don't think you can bring your own water but keeping your child and you hydrated is important. Keep hand-sanitizers and wipes on-hand and use them religiously.

Oh yes, one more thing I forgot. One of the perks of travelling with a young one is that you get expedited through all the queues way faster. They almost always have you go through the airline crew lines.

I sell vacation packages to Latin America for a living. I traveled with my one and 1/2 year old and my co-worker traveled with her 1 1/2 year old. I would never tell anyone not to do it b/c it was awesome. Sure the plane trip was not that great, but we found that coloring books, books, snacks, etc. kept him entertained. It can be done if you have tons of patience.

I was stationed in the Middle East for four years. During that time, I came back to the United States two times to have my first two kiddos. Because of time/leave constraints, I had both kids on the plane back to "home" within TWO WEEKS. Passports, visas, doctors okay and all. You can do this!

I whole heartedly agree with the people here who have encouraged you and told you that the more you travel with your kids, the better travelers they are. One stress reducer for me on the planes getting on/getting off was to put the wee one in a comfortable carrier. The peanut sling/Bjorn/Ergo has been a staple for our families and has saved us on several occasions.

My best advice beside the carrier? Bring a diaper for every hour, the clean clothes (at least three sets) in gallon zip lock bags and a different shirt and pants for you, also in a ziploc bag. You will figure out why after the little one's diaper unexpectedly explodes and you not only need a clean shirt, but a place to put your wet, rinsed out, soiled shirt.

Your attitude towards the whole trip will set the tone. If your doc says it's okay- you're okay. Have fun!!

I'm pretty sure they have babies in Guatemala!