taking a baby to india

Yes, chips....

Read our tips in the links somewhere above on this page...

Hans

dhans, IM put your message in a new page with the links BELOW you message

LOL, that's correct However, users can individually set their pages at different lengths, so it will vary.

But under a standard set-up, that started a new page yes, and so featured the sig (signature)

Hey....

Am I to take from this that if I have never been to India, I shouldn't even think about going with a child?

I really want to go in Dec, I have a little girl who will be 3 then

is this one of my top most stupid ideas?

As long as your number 1 consideration about EVERYTHING is your daughter, then you can have a great trip.

It'll be hard work, but so is sitting at home being a parent, and as you already know, you can plan for a week to have a little relaxing time with your partner, and a young child can change those plans in an instant.

All over the world there are good and bad parents, often based on where they see themselves in the parent-child relationship and how selfish they can be in persuit of what they think they should still be able to do, holidays are no different, I see many wonderful parents travelling for months with their children, many hours from each and every day are devoted to schoolwork, yet all seem to be having a great time, then there are the occational package tourist 17 year old mums who drag their children around the beaches without the smallest bit of protection from the sun.

Oops, I'm ranting now.

lol @ the ranting !!

I am not the parent you are ranting about !

My entire life is aimed at what pleases her and how I can best keep her safe already so she would of course be the top of the list of safety requirements.

I have travelled a fair bit but havent been anywhere remotely exciting since she was born. I do however want her to have a world view and not to have a fear of different cultures etc... See how I am talking myself into taking her

I think I will try it ! I have never met an Indian person I havent loved... that has to be a good starting point !

hello
i am going to india in january with our son (my partner is travelling for 6 weeks before us and meeting us off the plane in mumbai).
My son is 2 1/2. i feel comfortable about vaccinations cleanliness etc but have NO IDEA where to go !
We have decided to spend the first couple of weeks on a beach in goa to get used to daddy and being away and jetlag (having spent one night in mumbai...any tips for good places to staying would be fab)
But then we have a blank canvas for 2 months. i have been told that pushka is great but it will take us AGES to travel there.
So any places that we should visit ? and particular hotels/ houses.


bit of a vague post i know...sorry

many thanks in advance

It's been great to read these posts... In January we are flying in to Dehli with our 3 children (baby 8months, 3.5 yo & 7 yo)...

I have been having mini freak outs thinking about all the risks involved... but overcoming them, knowing we are sensible parents.. and have our kids best interests as a priority.. I think this will be a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to another way of life.... My 7 yo will get the most out of it Im sure and it will teach them to appreciate our lives in western countries and hopefully bring balance to a culture of materialistic gain..

Anyhow. I will be breastfeeding our baby.. so Im not so concerned about dehydration with him.. (i have to look after me..) Australia is also a hot country and we do spend a lot of time ruffing it in the bush here.. so we are accustomed to heat and sun protection.. baby will probably be crawling by them, so keeping him in my carrier will keep him from eating anything...

Our 3 yo I suppose concerns me the most.. Lucky for daddy's shoulders

And our 7 yo easily understands and can use her commonsense of the risks we explain to her.. She will be missing out on school in Oz.. but I plan to keep up the reading and writing with her and I have been reading about the concept of "Unschooling".. Life is her education and she leads us with her enthusiasm and love of learning

We plan to minimise our luggage we take with us as we have our hands full already.. Im on the look out for a good duffle bag with wheels.. And backpack for our valuables..

I do have a rugged 3 wheel stroller but am hesitant to take it as it's more luggage and we may get lax and leave things on that could get pinched.

We are first timers but hey it's now or never.. having children doesn't stop your life from growing and experiencing all that it has to offer... more the opposite I'd say.. being a parent is all about growth...

Illness seems to be an issue that everybody warns against.. and we ill do what we can. (we seem to get stomach bugs, and flus here in Australia too) so I trust that we will get through it..

India doesn't seem to be a place wrapped up in cotton wool.. but is that not why us "westerners" get attracted to it.. if we are not careful we may learn something?

Hi Fae,

Have a wonderful time in India and if you have any additional questions, do post them here.

Hans

deleted.as per popular opinion.
--Santhosh

I think that if you had read Stevens experience of travelling in India with a baby, you might have reacted somewhat differently. Steven is the last person I can think of who would purposely scare anyone about coming here without very good and considered reasons.

Steven has done it: have you?

I wish you would reformat your post to sort out the quotes and the answers --- I'm sure you make good points too, but I gave up after a couple of paragraphs!

Yeah, travelling with kids is never easy. I recall taking our 1 year old for a month in India, and we had grandparents and a host of relatives helping us... and yet our son came down with 'Delhi belly', that did not go away until we returned to the US. I think having a support system, however little, can help a lot. Otherwise you could end up feeling fatigued, frustrated and not enjoying your vacation.

There is nothing in Stephen's post I find that is scaring me. I have travelled to India many, many times, always with my partner. Now however I have a one year old son, and am thinking about travelling to India soon. I understand the problems faced, of which there are many, so I'd say as a concerned parent, you could never have enough of this kind of advice.
It exactly what you want to read about - people who have done the same thing.
Flying from Scotland to India with a baby for maybe a month's stay.
Damn hard work I'd say.

My concern is my son and nothing else...

Anyway Stephen thanks for posting this. Plenty of good advice.

How did baby cope with time change ???

Hi all,

Great reading all these posts!I just wanted to add a little comment for consideration.

I was pretty freaked out when considering returning to live with my then 5 1/2 month old little girl to Nagpur in central India. She's half Indian and I'm from the UK. I'd lived out there for 9 months last year, mostly whilst pregnant, and everything was fine, but still, it nagged me a bit... malaria, heat, dust, dysentery etc. etc. etc.....

Anyway, I still came and I'm really glad I did. My little girl settled more quickly than I did and is thriving here. She's now nearly 10 months old. Sure we'll escape from the Nagpur summer, but until then, we're really enjoying it here. Try not to be too freaked out. As long as you're prepared, there's nothing too scary.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Hi Samantha,

Thanks for your message which is reasuring... How could I contact you ??? I think you if you do two more posts your pm facility opens..would love a chat...