Connect with your new family on holiday...A vacation with baby can seem daunting.  After all, travel can be stressful in itself, throwing diapers and spit up into the mix doesn't necessarily sound like much fun!  Leaving the house is often a major accomplishment in the early days of mommyhood.  But once you're out and about, you can't imagine ever staying housebound.  And once you've gone away with your baby, you can't imagine ever experiencing somewhere new without her.   

Backpacking and hostels or exotic locales and boutique hotels may be postponed for the time being.  In choosing a destination, your first concerns should be safety and health.  If you feel the need for a little sun, there are many places in the Caribbean and South America that are peaceful and clean - at many price points.  With our stronger dollar, the Southern U.S. is also a great option.  Europe can be pricier and trickier, but it can be done.  Deciding where to go is part of the fun!  Pick a place you've always fancied, and tailor your itinerary to baby's routine and your needs.

You'll be spending a lot of time in your room now, so it's worth spending a little more to make sure it's nice.  A kitchenette comes in handy, but it's not necessary.  You will need a fridge - not only for baby's food, but for your drinks as well!  Unless you're arranging for babysitting, your evenings will be spent in once baby's in bed.  Try to get a room with a balcony or terrace.  See if your hotel offers cribs, but if you're concerned, toss a playpen onto your already giant pile of luggage.

Right, luggage... You're going to have a lot of it and it will be heavy.  If baby's traveling on your lap, you won't get extra luggage allowance.  Some airlines will nail you with overweight charges, but you might get lucky with a sympathetic check-in person.  Either way, you shouldn't be charged for checking a car seat or gate-checking a stroller, and your bags will be considerably lighter on the way back.  Make a detailed packing list or print one off the Internet.  How detailed depends on how easily you can buy what you need.  Florida?  No problem.  Cuba?  Not so easy. 

The travel days are tough, so be armed with extra everything - diapers, wipes, distractions, clothes (for you too!), and nourishment for baby.  Delays are common, and airports aren't the best places to buy baby things.  Once you get where you're going, the journey becomes a distant memory, and your new vacation memories can start!  Your holiday routine will fall into place if you go with the flow. 

A vacation with baby provides the opportunity for you all to connect away from the busyness of day-to-day life.  Take the plunge, and try a family getaway.  It doesn't matter if baby won't remember, because you will never forget it.

Corinne McDermott is the founder of Have Baby Will Travel - your online guide to traveling with babies and toddlers.  For more information please visit http://www.havebabywilltravel.com/ or send a message to info@havebabywilltravel.com