Just like a honeymoon, a babymoon is all about escaping the day to day, offering a last chance romantic getaway before baby makes three or more. More realistically, for those with swollen ankles and a sore back, it’s a little quiet time for parents-to-be to enjoy together.
As you would when booking an adventure holiday in Kakadu or a cooking school in Tuscany, you need to find the right place for you and your babymoon, making sure it offers all those little extras you’ll be wanting.
What can a babymoon include?
The answer … basically anything! This is your time. If you want to sit by a tropical pool doing absolutely nothing, take in the sights of an undiscovered city, or breathe in some high country fresh air – you do you. It may be as exotic as a trip to Europe staying in the finest hotels, or as laid-back as staying at a friend’s bach for the weekend and taking strolls on the beach.
Spa treatments, such as massage, manicures and pedicures (when was the last time you could reach your toes?) are always a popular choice. Just make sure that they are suitable for pregnant women. The same goes for any activities that you have planned.
Comfort levels are a priority if your pregnancy is progressing. A king sized bed you may never want to leave is high on the ‘needs-to-have’ list!
Try to avoid a getaway solely focused on culinary delights unless you’re sure that there won’t be any food aversion issues. But do ensure that wherever you are staying can cater to your midnight cravings (or you have stashed away some goodies in your overnight bag!).
When to go
Babymoons are usually booked for the third trimester, just before the chaos begins! But babymoons can be taken at any time.
Due to the unexpected nature of pregnancy niggles, it’s wise to avoid taking off for a getaway as soon as you are pregnant. No one enjoys morning sickness. You will enjoy it even less when you’re away from your home comforts. Wait until your hormones start to settle a little before you book.
At the other end of the pregnancy journey, travelling or staying away from home when you are ready to pop may not allow you to enjoy the getaway as much as you wanted.
A word of warning: most insurers do not cover birth-related expenses, and many overseas hospitals require payment upfront or may not have adequate facilities. We recommend babymooning in New Zealand or taking your babymoon before 26 weeks if going overseas.
Where to go
Romantic locations like Paris or Rome may sound like the perfect fit but remember that everyone else on the planet thinks that way too. Pick the wrong season and you may be surrounded by tourists or even hunkered down in winter storms. Booking a tropical getaway in the height of summer can leave you feeling hot and bothered. Do your destination homework.
Here are our picks for some of the best places to indulge in a babymoon: the hotels, resorts and spas that know just how to look after a mum and dad-to-be.
This article has been adapted for Kidspot NZ.
What are your top tips for having a babymoon?
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I never got a babymoon and I think it wasn’t trendy as it is now. But if we decide to have our next one, I would love to casually share this article to my hubby and hopefully he gets the hint. I am a sucker for a spa and massages.
A Babymoon sounds like a great idea, it would be a great way to help to strengthen the bond between a couple before the craziness of having a newborn happens. I like the idea of being pampered with massages and pedicures etc, I dont think that I would have wanted to go too far from home though incase something happened, and I wouldnt have wanted to be too far away from my own bed!
A babymoon sounds fabulous and the recommendations sound fabulous. Unfortunately with morning sickness usually the whole way through a luxury weekend away would probably be wasted but a lovely foot massage sounds great.
I feel lucky to say that for both of our baby’s, we managed to get away for a baby moon prior to the births. Our first pregnancy we went to Lake Taupo for a long weekend the month prior to my due date and the second pregnancy we flew down to Queenstown a few months before my due date. It was nice to get away and have some adult time but obviously the only downside is being pregnant and a little bit more tired and not as physically able.
What a great idea. Something I’d never heard about while pregnant with my two children but this is awesome for new mums to be. My top tip would be make stre you have that break away just you and your man to soak in the hot pools or just enjoy some alone time because when baby comes you won’t want to be separated from your wee one it may take you a year or so to get another break so make the most of it and enjoy a week or two together at your favourite destination doing things you can’t do with a baby while you can.
Sounds lovely…a great idea to keep the closeness of your marriage/partnership strong before the pressures come along with a new baby… my tips for that would be to find a place that has medical facilities nearby, keep activity to a minimum and let the body rest well, carry pregnancy pillows to make sure sleep remains comfortable and maybe a journal to reflect on the feelings and thoughts your hubby and you are having so you can appreciate the time after and share with your child later in life too..
A baby moon sounds great but for all of my pregnancy’s I felt quite sick even at the end so it would not have been the best to be away from home. But if you are feeling well then it’s great if you can get away as once baby arrives it’s busy times and not much relaxing time.
Haha I would have loved a Babymoon! Mind you our daughter came 2 weeks early (on Boxing Day) so wouldn’t have been great if were were away on a Babymoon haha. They are a really good idea, my niece is currently pregnant and due next week, she’s really uncomfortable though and is probably going to be induced on Thursday! I doubt she would have the energy for a Babymoon either 🙂
Babymoon sounds so amazing, wish I’d thought to do that with anyone or all of my pregnancies , I think if I were to I’d make sure that there was a shop or supermarket is nearby open late for the late night cravings , I’d make sure the restaurants you may plan to go to are pregnancy friendly in the sense they have good clean premises especially for food handling. And I’d be sure to know the route to the local hospital in area we are staying just in case.