A lady in my church says I am going to KILL my baby!!!

[swan771]

no way would I take my 4.5 month old to a third world country.

[SheilaJoy]

This may be ignorant of me, but are there also diseases there that he might not be vaxed against? I know whenever I hear of people at church going on missions, they get extra shots. I could be off base with the DR though.

I agree with SFF either way. That lady was out of line and rude, but I wouldn't take a young child to another country on a mission I don't think. I think it is true that the weather will be harder on him because he's not used to it, especially if you'll be outside and/or without air conditioning most of the time.

[ericak95]

Another thing about weather -- I just looked up last June in AL where you are and it said June 15th high was 89 degrees and humidity was 68 -- so I would think you may feel a bit more tropical in the DR but not a whole lot different than home.

HTH
Erica

[thepinkdragon]

Now see, Florida in June or July is sweltering and if you live in Alabama surely you have similar weather. I personally wouldn't want to be without A/C but I hate hot weather and I am from Florida! Alaska suits me so much better. I am sure the heat/humidity in the Dominican Republic is comparable to the southern states and people live without A/C there all the time so I am sure in that aspect he will be fine. My husband and I both have been to third world countries while serving in the Army and the risk of infection and disease is much higher than him overheating, so I personally would be more worried about him being exposed to disease than him overheating especially since he is so little and has an immature immune system. He will be around children who have been exposed to illnesses that may not be common in the US and you and your son will not have the antibodies for it. Did they require you to get any immunizations for this trip? Even in the most sanitary conditions for that area you cannot prevent being exposed to illnesses you wouldn't normally be exposed to in the US. For that reason alone I would not take him. I do believe god will be with you but I still would not take the risk.

ETA: I saw others had my same concerns and voiced them as I was typing my response. I wouldn't go at all at this time. I am certain you will have another opportunity to go on another mission when the timing is better for you and your son. May god be with you no matter what you decide.

[ocean_o_curls]

I personally would not take a 4.5 month old i think it will put more stress on your baby than you think.

[Jz_Doll]

I know there is a HUGE difference in a 4 month old and a 1 year old, but 2 of my cousins were in the Dominican last summer and are planning a return trip next summer with their two babies who will both be around a year old. (I was invited, but I am not even comfortable taking my baby on a week long camping trip in the mountains here in Alberta)
Their biggest concern is Malaria, they didn't mention the climate at all while I was talking to them....
It's a personal choice.

[newphillymomma]

Originally Posted by Rosella I question why you feel you have to go on this mission trip right now with Aiden at this age. Surely there will be opportunities for you to go at a later time, when your son's ability to tolerate the climate or environment of your destination will not be an issue - or even when you are able to leave him for 6 days to go by yourself. Personally, I would not consider taking my 4.5 month old, and I would not go on the trip. Do I think you will kill him? No, but I do think you are very much underestimating the kind of stress that sort of heat will be on both of you, especially since you will need to adequately hydrate both him and yourself.

I agree 100%.

[mommy1213906]

Originally Posted by Angel3167 I think that women was completely out of line telling you that you'd be killing your child. I don't think I would be comfortable bringing an infant with me to a third world country. Those kids are climatized to it and are also used to any bugs that are normal over there that we don't have. He may catch something really bad but so may you. That being said you will be back in the states and we have a lot of advanced technology to help get over nasty bugs. So in short my honest opinion is no I would not take a baby there. HTH

Yeah that ^^^^

[beenwaitingalongtime]

Originally Posted by ericak95 WTG for you IMO, you're not risking his life. I assume he will have to be fully vaccinated to enter D.R.? (for give me if I'm ignorant on the "requirements" of traveling abroad) About the only things that I would be concerned with are the contagious diseases that he might be exposed to -- so I think that is where my focus would be, not the heat/humidity. Hopefully, someone else has experience in keeping a LO cool in the heat/humidity. Erica

These were my thoughts. The heat was one of the last things that I thought of. Our house gets around 103 in the middle of the Summer (no A.C.)--not that kind of humidity, but still hot and we survive. I was wondering about disease mainly--even if he HAS been vaccinated, he hasn't gone thru the full rounds yet, right? I'm not even a vaxxing mama, so I feel wierd mentioning them, but I'd have to either vax or refrain from taking him to a third world country at such a young age (if it were me.)
Really, if you selectively/non vax, you have to be more vigilant w/ avoiding exposure to disease. Traveling like this is one of those things I would be avoiding in order to keep my kids less exposed.

What about safety? Is this a safe area you're traveling to? Crime? War/fighting?

When it comes down to it, I think if you pray hard enough, you'll come to see what the right thing is for YOU and your family.

GL--what a selfless thing you're considering.

[Elizabelle]

Honestly I'd be more concerned about his vaccinations being up-to-date than about the heat. I assume, though, that you (like most non-vaxing moms) have done your research and know what he needs/doesn't need to travel to DR, so I'll keep my new-mama paranoia in my pocket. 6 days is a long time to be away from an EBFing 4-month-old, and it's not a terribly long time to be on vacation with one. If you are absolutely set on taking this trip at this time, you will probably both be happier if he is with you. Whatever you decide to do, I hope it brings you peace and joy (And maybe the tiniest bit of smug satisfaction that you know your kids better than some mean-tempered woman at your church!)