How old was DC when you left them for a vacation?

[steph2003]

I saw the post on the surprise spa trip - which got me to thinking....we just got back from our first vacation away from DS who is 8 months. It was probably harder on us than him :) We had a great time but no way could I have prepared for how much I missed him!!! I'm curious to know at what age others left their children for the first time for a vacation. I guess I'm curious about vacations (as opposed to business travel required for work) because obviously we planned this trip without our son for some much needed couple time unlike a business trip in which you are pretty much required to go.

[Torey]

Well DD didn't wean until 13 months (and never took a bottle or ate much solid food until she weaned), so there was no way we could have left her before that age. However, now that she is 22 months old we still haven't left her and don't want to. DH and I miss her terribly whenever we leave just for a few hours on a date night. I can't imagine leaving her overnight or for even longer. But that's just us. :)

[steph2003]

I voted 8 months of course but after reading the whole spa post I'm feeling like a bad mama for leaving him at 8 months!!!! I know breastfeeding makes planning/logistics harder so that it wouldn't work for some but since we are no longer breastfeeding that wasn't an issue for us. The only issue was my heart aching when we were away & me calling home each day to hear him babble. With that said though our vacation was great & my husband & I had a wonderful time together to renew our post baby relationship. Oh, added to say we were lucky my parents were able to come in town to care for DS so we could be assured he was getting lots of attention. I was so sad when we got home & rushed into his room to see him after his nap - he looked at us like "who are you? I am having so much fun with nana & pop!"

ETA - I meant to vote 8 months but I've already skewed my own poll when I hit the 9-12 months button!

[mharling]

Lane was 14 months. We were gone 3 days and he stayed with my parents. We had weaned just before that; otherwise I couldn't imagine leaving.

The downside (which I didn't realize would be the case until after we had left him) was that the first day of his life we didn't get to see each other at all was my birthday. :(

Mary
Lane - April 2003
Little sister on the way!!! March 2!

[MelissaTC]

Matthew was left at my friend's house around this time last year but that was because I wound up in the emergency room and had to spend the night. x( Our first planned overnight was well after he was 18 months and he stayed with a friend. Since we live so far away from family, etc.., it is hard for us to leave him. I wouldn't have left him while he was still nursing though.

[lizajane]

i voted 12-18 months (he was 14 months) because we went to CO for 4 days. but it was for a wedding and dh was the best man. so it wasn't a planned vacation just for kicks, but i didn't HAVE to go, so we did treat it like a vacation. too bad i was 6 weeks preg and could hardly breath at the high altitude... wasn't a vacation for me! i did enjoy the company, though. it was so fun to be with the bride and groom for the weekend/super small wedding.

[amp]

DS is almost 17 mths and I haven't left him for more than a few hours yet. Eek! I'm already worring about leaving him when I go to the hospital to have the next baby, and that's still 7 mths away!

[muskiesusan]

Does the hospital stay delivering #2 count as a vacation? That's the only time I have been away from DS1. We don't really have anyone to leave him with to take a vacation, but I do wish we could have found a way. Now that I am bfing #2, I don't see a trip anytime soon, and I really am desperate for a break! I just wish dh would quit winning all these "reward" trips from work that I can't go on, that is when I am my most bitter!

Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01/01
& Alex 04/27/04

[mudder17]

I haven't yet! We've been on two plane trips so far and DD has gone with us. We'll be going on two more before she turns 1 and again, she'll come with us. I'm guessing it'll be some time after she weans, but who knows when that will be? I have been away from her for several hours in the evening, but that's because I know she's sleeping and I can leave her with someone responsible while DH and I go out on a date. :)

FIL is actually coming for a visit in two weeks so we'll probably leave her with him (already sleeping) while DH and I go to the opera. :) Fortunately, I have a good friend who watches DD once a week (when she's already asleep) while DH and I attend church supper/choir rehearsal. She usually watches DD on other days as well. Since I'm already not feeding DD for a few hours when she's asleep, I feel like I can be away from her during those evenings. :)


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_garnet_6m.gif Breastfed 7 months and counting

[egoldber]

The first time I left DD, she was about 26 months. We left her with my MIL while DH and I went away for 5 days. Before then, I wasn't really ready to be away from her and I wasn't comfortable leaving her in someone else's care full time while she was still a "baby". My MIL is great with her, but is totally uninformed about a lot of baby care, and she has, by her own admission, forgotten much about raising her own children. But by age 2, I felt OK leaving DD with her.

I would not leave DD with my parents. I also would not leave DD with any other family besides my MIL at this point. So that does not leave us with a lot of options for child free vacations!

[slknight]

DH and I have not left DS yet, and he's 18 months. However, I left DS for 7 days for a vacation when he was 16 months and DH took care of him for the week. I was off visiting my sister and having a girls weekend with some friends, and poor DS and DH both had hand-foot-mouth while I was gone. :( I felt so bad! Although DH says it's best that I wasn't here, because then I would have been miserable too.

I'm not sure when we'll both leave DS. I'm hoping that the in-laws will take him for an overnight and DH can have a day or two away sometime soon.

[californiagirl]

Hmm. DD is 7 months, we've never left her for a vacation, and frankly, it never occured to me to do so. I don't remember my parents leaving me overnight (as opposed to my leaving them to stay overnight with friends) until I was *at least* 8-9, and that time it's not clear to me whether it was really for my sake or theirs or just because a good opportunity showed up for all of us (I spent a week on a farm with friends of theirs and a bunch of other kids -- almost an unofficial summer camp). If both of my parents wanted to go somewhere, I went too. I went to a bunch of professional conferences. Heck, my father sometimes took me even when he was going alone. (Always, if he was going to be gone on my birthday.)

[californiamom]

Wow, you ladies are brave! I haven't left DD yet and honestly I don't see it coming anytime soon in the near future...

I am leaving the country on vacation in December to visit family but she is definitely coming along with us... As of right now the way I see it is it is NOT vacation to me if she is not around. I think I would feel "incomplete", like there's a piece of me/piece of my family missing. :P

Ana

[Momof3Labs]

None of the above. I've left him for business trips (in fact, we've even been gone on separate business trips at the same time) but DH and I haven't taken a vacation alone without Colin yet.

[Sarah1]

So far I'm the only voter in the 6-9 month category!!!

Our first trip away from DD was last summer when she was about 8 months old (she weaned around 7 mos, so BFing wasn't an issue). That first trip was BY FAR the hardest! Since then, we've taken two trips without her: another short weekend last summer, and a longer trip (five nights) just a few weeks ago--and it gets easier (easier, but not EASY!) to leave her each time. We're going away again this weekend, for a wedding.

I think the longer you wait to leave your child, the harder it is to do. The first time we left her, I was almost sick with anticipation for a week beforehand. Now, I look forward to getting away! The trips we've taken have been so great, so of course I'd recommend it, but everyone has a different level of attachment to their child(ren).

[jubilee]

With my oldest, he was 3 1/2 before I left him for a vacation, in a last ditch "let's make this marriage work" vacation with my ex. We haven't gone on vacation without my youngest yet. I did have to go out of state when my dad had heart surgery, but my DH was with the boys. At this time in my life, I think any vacation would be a family one- so I don't have any idea when I ever will leave my youngest.

[deborah_r]

I haven't been away from DS for more than 4 hours or so at a stretch, that I can think of. I took DS on a trip to visit my family, so DH was away from him for about 10 days, and he missed us very much!

[jbowman]

DH and I went to NYC when Ellie was almost 4 months old and my parents took care of her (we were gone Wed-Sat). Technically it was for work, since I presented a paper at a conference.

DH went with me, however, and we went to museums, did some shopping, and went out to dinner (Union Square Cafe--yum!, and saw so many of our dear friends . We had a blast!

I remember that I got very emotional the day before we left and told my mom that I was not sure that I could leave Ellie. I am so glad that we went.

It was wonderful to go out with my DH after almost 4 months of diapers, etc. We kept joking that it felt as if we were dating again (of course I don't remember pumping every three hours when we were dating, LOL).

[Jeanmick]

Not yet and it's not that we don't want to go on vacation. Believe me, my DH and I are desperate for some time on our own. Our children have easy temperments and good sleep patterns but when I've approached my mother and MIL about an overnighter, they both don't seem too enthusiastic about the idea.

It's been a sensitive subject for me. :(

So, if any of you can swing it....GO, go go and have a great time with no guilt!

[starrynight]

I voted for my youngest kids as never left them yet. My older dd is 31 months old and the baby will be 13 months next week.

My ds we didn't leave for a vacation until he was 2.5 and it was for 4 days and he was left at my dad's house. I don't really like to leave the kids under age 2 and preferably a bit longer if I can help it as we are cosleepers and I know most of the people I could trust with my kids wouldn't sleep with them.

[Melanie]

35 months and no plans to. The only person I would leave him with would be Dh, and if Dh isn't coming with me, then what's the point? ;-)

He did spend one night without me when he was 3 months b/c I was in the hospital. I was quite looking forward to the good night's sleep. HA! We were sandwiched in like cattle.

[lisams]

DD is 23 months and I have never left her and don't have plans to in the near future. I don't feel the need to get away and she's so much fun right now. I guess since DH is so great about giving me breaks and helping out I don't feel a need to get away!

Lisa

[C99]

Nate was just under 18-months when we left him overnight; I don't consider that vacation.

[mom2kandj]

I'm with Jill on this one! DD was 5 months old when we left her for 5 days with MIL to go to Cabo San Lucas. FWIW, the trip was a reward trip for DH and included major hobnobbing with big execs. In that sense, the trip was work related, but because I chose to go, I *think* of it as more of a vacation, KWIM? DD was at the time BF, but had been introduced to the bottle and was fed mom's stockpile while we were gone.

ITA that the first trip is the hardest, but IMHO making time for your relationship with your spouse is really hard when your focus as a parent is being a parent 24/7.

As for DS, he was 11 mon when we left him to go on a 10 day New Orleans/W. Caribbean cruise combo. Now, we ask my parents to watch the kids for us for one week each year as our birthday and Christmas presents combined. My SIL thinks that we are crazy, but it is not like we leave them ALL the time. Just my two cents...


Rose
mom 2 Katie 12/02/00
& Jack 04/16/02

[C99]

My mom left me for 3 weeks to go see my father in Scotland (he was in the Navy) when I was 6 months old. I don't remember it at all. The first time I *remember* being left was when I was 13 and my parents went to Mexico for 4 days. ;-)

[DDowning]

C was about 10 months old when DH & I had a weekend getaway in Sonoma. We ate fabulous food, drank glorious wines and were merry. It was heaven and a reprieve before we started fertility treatments again to try for #2. It worked! :)

[barbarhow]

I didn't vote because we haven't both left him yet. I went away for 3 nights when he was 16 months for a tennis tournament but DH stayed with him. I think I could handle it now-was actually thinking about how nice a long weekend away with DH would be-just today. He would have to be with either my sister or our wonderful sitter who is an ultra responsible daycare worker and daughter of a friend. Oh and I don't think I would make it longer than a long weekend.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
expecting #2, a Yankee fan, around 5/9/05!

[JElaineB]

DS just turned 2 and I haven't left him anywhere overnight yet. But I haven't taken any real vacations since he has been born either (but we never took any before he was born either!) My "vacations" consist of visiting my parents since they live halfway across the country and of course it is requisite that DS come with me/us if we visit! DH and I said we were going to go on a real vacation this year (with DS probably but still a vacation) but it just didn't happen.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[sntm]

I haven't even left him for business trips! I took him and DH along with me for my conferences. DH has taken one overnight climbing trip without him, and a couple of Army training missions.
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shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]
Breastfeeding 16 months and counting