Europe with a 1 year-old?

[ourbabygirl]

My husband & I have been wanting to go to Spain (I'm a Spanish teacher on leave, & he's never been to Europe) for quite some time now. We had planned on going last June or the one before it, but I had a baby in October ('08) & the medical professionals thought it'd be better to stay stateside. So we still want to go & were thinking of trying for this fall before we have another baby & before we'd have to pay for airfare for our little one. Is it a terrible idea to fly to Europe with a one year old? We took her to AZ & FL this winter & she was great on the plane, pretty much slept most of the time & was really quiet otherwise.
Any advice? Should we skip it, or is it possible to do without going crazy:D?

¡Gracias in advance!

[BeachBum]

We took our son when he was 13mo. The hard parts were the time change, keeping him in the car/stroller so often for sightseeing, and eating dinner so late. overall I'm glad we did it, But it was nothing like a kid free vacation.

[JdrKuhnert]

In my opinion, that's a pretty good age to fly with a child. Both of my boys mainly slept on the plane at that age. There was no kicking the seat in front, screaming fits because they hate the seatbelt, etc. Kids are also much more portable at that age. As long as your stroller has a good recline, you can sight see and baby can sleep. I would take a carrier for those places where a stroller is either not allowed or doesn't fit.
I haven't had problems with the time change with my boys. We usually fly at night, they sleep, and it's morning when we arrive.

[egoldber]

It depends very much on the 1 year old. If your kid is easy going and a good sleeper, then why not? We took my older DD to France when she was 9 months old. However, her younger sister on that same trip would have been a disaster!

[Zansu]

FYI: Flying internationally with a lap baby is not free. You will have to pay 10% of the full adult coach fare, plus fees/taxes.

[andbabymakes3]

We took my son to France and Belgium when he was 3--very different, I realize, but a few things I recall: 1. It was worth it 2. The time change going there he handled OK, but when we got home...yikes. 3. DVD player was a lifesaver in hotel rooms while we were trying to get dressed, get out the door, etc., and while on the plane 4. Strollers are a nightmare when trying to use subways, etc.--my husband carried our son A LOT 5. We spent a lot of time in non-touristy places like local parks and such, which ultimately is fun, especially if you speak the language, but don't expect to tour a lot of museums unless your child is a great sleeper in the stroller 6. Keep your expectations low and don't try to cover a lot of geography. Stick to one area and see it well, and just go into it knowing that it won't be the whirlwind sightseeing vacation you would have without a kid. Your husband still won't have seen Europe--he'll just have seen a small part of Spain, but that's a great thing! And by the way, I guess others have done it, but I can't imagine doing the flight (from CA at least) for 10 or so hours with a lap child. I'd either pay or pray for an empty seat you can use. It's not like she'll stay in it, but at least you have a place to set her, and safer if there is turbulence, which there may well be. Have fun and good luck!

[nfowife]

yes, I'd do it for sure. We have 2 kids and live in Europe. We travel all over and the kids have done great. It is not like traveling without kids, for sure. You do have to modify your expectations a bit. But we plan beforehand, stay flexible, and overall we have a great time on trips with the kids. I would do it in a heartbeat!

[larig]

My SIL & BIL just got back from France with their 1.5 yr old. SIL wore her in the ergo almost the entire time, but everyone thought she was just great. SIL was concerned that the French are less cool about BF in public than Americans are, but said it was never a problem for her.

We went to Spain for our honeymoon and one of our most favorite places was this great park (Retiro Park) (http://www.travelinginspain.com/retrio_madrid.htm) in Madrid. They rent row boats and it is so picturesque. DH and I have promised ourselves we will take our son there someday soon--it would be a lovely place to spend time as a family (the Spanish families we saw certainly were taking advantage of it).

ETA: the link mentions pickpockets, but stick to the wide-open areas and you'll be fine (there are pickpockets everywhere else anyway--make sure hubby has wallet on a chain).