CUBA: GOOD WITH JUNIOR

When baby makes three it doesn’t mean you have to curtail your wanderlust, writes Austin Graff.

We will never travel again!" Those were the first words out of our mouths as my wife and I watched the fourth pregnancy test turn positive. (Yes, it took four tests to believe it.)

Coming as a complete surprise, joyous thoughts of raising a beautiful family together were far from our minds. Instead, we were grieving how our lives would drastically change. Having grown up travelling internationally and being the proud holder of a passport filled with more than 50 different country stamps, I feared I'd never travel again.

Then our daughter was born. Statements that once seemed merely obligatory, were true. I was in love. And as I held our little girl in my arms, a desire to show her the world emerged. I wanted this little girl I call daughter to experience different people and cultures, witness her parents live a fearless life, and start to make memories from the very beginning of her life.

What we decided, then learned, was that being new parents did not mean we couldn't travel.

The week we left the hospital as a family of three, we booked flights to Havana. Why Cuba? Having spent our entire lives being told we couldn't go, the moment we were told we could, we jumped at the chance. Bloggers say Cuba is one of the safest countries to travel with a baby, so why not test that theory? Just shy of her 12-week birthday, we boarded a flight to Havana for six days in the sun. (A huge sigh of relief, she slept on all flights and never made a peep. Breastfeeding her during takeoff and landing really did work.)

After almost a week of battling rubble and uneven Havana cobblestone streets with a stroller, Mum, Dad and Baby got the adventure we had hoped for. We watched the sunset over the Atlantic while walking along the El Malecon. We enjoyed paella as musicians serenaded us in the European-style plazas. These were all things we'd do travelling before kids, but now we had memories etched into our family story. From the very beginning of her life, we could tell our daughter that we showed her the world, unbound by fear or conformity, and we have the photos to prove it.

And yes, not to mention, it will only get harder to travel as she grows.

Rather than retreating into our safe, controlled world, we want to take calculated risks to build character and spirit into our daughter. The key word in that sentence is calculated. We don't want to put our daughter at risk, so we read blog after blog, article after article, about others taking babies to Cuba. What sealed the deal was an enthusiastic, "How fun! Please go and take her, too!" from our paediatrician. The only advice was to be mindful of the hot Cuban sun and breastfeed her often to avoid dehydration.

We found that Cuban culture already takes the sun into account, making it perfect for young families. We woke up with the sun peeking into our room and joined the rest of Havana in finding a fresh breakfast. Satisfied, we'd wander the narrow streets using the building shadows as a natural sunblock. After lunch, the city retreats inside to escape the height of the sun. Museums and coffee shops became our best friends and great feeding grounds. As the sun escaped into the night, our adventure continued outside for dinner and more exploring.

There's an old proverb that says, "When the sun rises, it rises for everyone." We don't want the sun to rise when our daughter is 3 years old; we want it to rise for her now. Each morning, she woke up with wide eyes ready to see a different world into which she was born. At 12 weeks old, we showed her that the world doesn't have to be an unsafe, small place to be afraid of; rather, it can be greeted with curiosity and wonder. (And she can brag to her friends about having a passport before any of them.)