Trend Alert: A Trip to the (Baby)Moon

We've been trendspotting! Find out what heaps of expectant couples are doing pre-parenthood.

For the first seven years of their marriage, Eric and Kris Davis daydreamed of lounging on Hawaiian beaches.

In October, the Minneapolis couple finally booked a flight –– five months before their first baby's expected arrival.

"I came home one Friday afternoon and Kris was crying," says 36-year-old Eric. "She was sad that we'd never again have a worry-free romantic getaway. I knew we had to take a trip, just the two of us."

Kris found a deal online. Fourteen days later, the two were walking hand-in-hand on a secluded beach.

"It was a time for us to step outside of our day-to-day lives and talk about our hopes and dreams for our baby –– and for each other as parents," says Eric.

"It's such a big change," says 35-year-old Kris, "sharing our emotional connection with someone else, having sleepless nights. Our life is going to change. It's going to be beautiful, but it's a little scary because it's unknown. A babymoon can be a wonderful surprise to give expectant parents –– to reiterate the support and love you have for them that's going to continue."

In retrospect, says Eric, they didn't have to go all the way to Hawaii to get what they needed. "Anywhere warm would have worked –– it's spending that time together and the closeness we shared that was unforgettable!"

What It Is

A babymoon. Sounds like –– yes, you guessed it! –– a honeymoon. The romance quotient is about the same. It’s become a hot trend for expecting parents to take a last cuddly vacation together before transitioning from being husband and wife –– to mom and dad. The travel industry has picked up on the boom and now caters to pregnant couples by offering packages with names such as "Last Hurrah," "Tender Moments," and "Baby Me." Amenities typically include prenatal massage for the mom-to-be, picnics on the beach with champagne for dad and sparkling apple juice for mom, and ice cream or cookies-and-milk before bed (to satiate those late-night pregnancy cravings).

"Emotionally, I wanted to reconnect with my husband. Life is so busy! We were both going to work every day. I look back and think, we needed that! Stepping outside the routine allowed us time and space to talk about our concerns and things we had planned for the baby. We were snorkeling and swimming –– and I was so emotional the whole time. I couldn't stop crying!" says Kris.

Typically, the second trimester is the best time for parents-to-be to take a babymoon, when the morning sickness that characterizes the first trimester has subsided. "The third trimester –– I'd rule that out for sure!," says Kris. "I went in my second –– it was great. In the first trimester there were a lot of doctor's visits and unknowns. I felt queasy. It was in the second trimester it hit us. We realized this was really happening. We were going to have a baby!"

Plus, according to The American College of Obstetricians, the safest time for a pregnant woman to travel is between 18 and 24 weeks. That doesn't mean a woman outside that window should not take a jaunt, just that travel in the first or third trimester may warrant a call to the doc first.

Funny thing is, when British childbirth educator Sheila Kitzinger coined the term babymoon and it appeared in her book The Year After Childbirth in 1996, she was referring to special private time or a vacation spent by parents with their newborn just after birth –– a time when a new father may take time off from work to spend it with mom and child. Just as a honeymoon is a time couples spend alone together just after a wedding, the babymoon, in her eyes, was to give the new family of three quiet bonding time après birth.

The travel industry latched onto the idea and started offering services to adventurous parents open to traveling with their swaddled newborns. Rooms are now outfitted for a baby –– decked out with diaper pails, cribs with hypoallergenic mattresses, snugly miniature robes and slippers, and Disney-themed nurseries.

And with some postpartum babymoon packages, mom gets a postpartum massage, and dad a Swedish, and babies as young as 12 weeks old can be handed over to in-hotel nannies or taken to play-groups with curriculums involving singing, storytime, and supervised play.

Going Dadless

Babymoons can sometimes be a moms-only affair. A few spas for ladies offer packages for moms and infants. TheGreenhouse, a spa in Arlington, Texas, offers a "Baby & Me" postpartum package for new mothers and babies as young as 11 months old. The two are chauffeured from the airport, assigned a nanny, and served breakfast in bed every morning.

It seems that babymoons of the romantic sort are far and away the most popular. If you're expecting a new addition to your family, a babymoon may be the perfect treat for your adult children as they approach parenthood. Of course, what's key is not how exotic the destination is or how luxe the accommodations are. It's the act of sending off husband and wife for time to take it all in –– the fantastic journey they're about to embark upon.

Babymoon Planning Tips:

• Read our article Babymoon Destinations to learn about fabulous package options.

• If it's a local B&B or the W Hotel, make sure there's a hospital nearby. Just in case!

• Less travel time is better: Layovers, cancelled flights, and traffic jams don't set the dial to relaxation mode.

• Check if airlines have any restrictions for pregnant women. After a woman is 32 weeks along, cruise lines may prohibit her from boarding and some airlines may require a doctor's note.

• Look into cancellation insurance. Again, just in case!

• If the travel is international, research if medical insurance will cover the mom-to-be should she require medical attention while away.