Hi all,

lpokrana wrote: Hi all, This topic may have been discussed before and I apologize if it is a repeat. My husband and I are expecting our first child in late June/early July.  ...

Congrats!!! That is fantastic news for the two of you!

I think your first stop should be my favorite RVing mamma - Sara. Her and Matt are AWESOME parents, and have been raising a family on the road for a while now. They just had a baby girl, and are still traveling the country and doing a great job with their kids.

I think people are quick at talking down to things that seem foreign from what they know. How many people freaked out when you told them you were selling your house and hitting the road? My bet is that none of them had done it, but were freaking out because it was something that was different.

After having raised three wonderful kids, I know that there is no "correct" or "only" way of doing it. It is a million little steps of "I hope this is the best". Only you and your husband know the best way for you to do it, not the people that are odd enough to think they need to tell you how to do it :) 

Again, congrats on your impending family! And stay down the path you know is right!


--kev

While I have no personal experience with this to offer up (Chris and I are firmly childfree-by-choice)..  here are some resources that may help you find some supportive folks:

Congrats!!!  I just wrote you a long reply and than it got deleted, so her is a summed up version.

Our DD is 4 and she has lived on the road from the age of 2, potty training and all in the RV.  She can tell you the chocolate factory is in PA and the Rocky Mountains in CO.  She knows what type of animals live in FL as opposed to the desert.  She has seen all kinds of things being made and how culture can change from place to place in our own country.  She knows how to make friends easily both young and old.

With a baby my advice is to keep it simple, you don't really need much.  Start looking into attachment parenting, Breastfeeding, co-sleeping, and baby wearing if you haven't already as it is compatible with the RV lifestyle requiring little to no stuff.  It is never to early to start looking into homeschooling methods, we unschool and so do many families living on the road. 

I find people to be kind, interested, impressed, awed, inspired and mostly supportive of the way we are raising our DD.  You will find in people what you expect to find and I would guess that your recent unpleasantness is just a product of you feeling unsure or afraid, but that will work itself out.  Be positive and arm yourself with information.  Do check out Families on the road, lots of info and support there.

The biggest challenge for me has been that you need to put yourself out there more, so your child can make friends and play.  You don't have the built in friends and family that you might in a stick house.  The trade off is still worth being able to travel this way though. 

I hope I've been helpful and feel free to contact me if you have more questions.

Good luck, it's lots of fun!

Thanks, everyone! This is very helpful and I am continuously researching, learning, and meeting other folks who have or are doing something similar so I know it can be done.  

Congrats! You have gotten great advice so far, but I just wanted to chime in to say that we have been traveling with our child since she was 2 weeks old and now she is 9 and thriving.

We have been RVing around the world for the last 4 years and she has gotten the best possible education and is now fluent in 3 languages ( with monolingual parents) and plays 2 instruments ( piano & violin with teachers over webcams on another continent) as we roam.

I agree with the attachment parenting thoughts. all you need is a sling. We never used any of that baby crapola ( buckets, strollers, pacifiers, cribs, diaper changer etc) and you don't need them unless you want to waste money.

Think differently! 21st century global citizens will be best served by parents who think out of the box because the old ways are dying fast!!

Just chiming in to agree with everything that has been said so far! Bella was 3 went we went on the road (6 now) and Lucy was about 6 weeks old when we went back on the road after her birth. We wouldn't have it any other way!

Regarding negative responses...you just can't expect anyone who is not an RV'er to "get it". And if you let go of expectations, all is well! Just live in your own happy bubble and enjoy life! :)

xxoo
sara

I just saw this and I know it is old.  BUT honestly no matter what you do as a parent you will get negative responses, so parent as your heart leads.  It will be oh you spank, oh you don't spank, oh you cosleep you will kill your child, oh you don't cosleep your baby will not bond, you eat to healthy your family eats to much fast food.  You homeschool how dare you, you don't homeschool your kids will be crazy. 
Seriously this is Parenthood, we live in a world where no matter what you do people feel the need to comment so live your life.  As for parenting on the Road, I haven't done it yet but we lived military my kids have moved all around the country and there have been times we moved to a state and had nowhere to live yet, we have lived in motels for months at a time off base waiting for something to open up.lol  It can be done.  Just breath and go with the flow. 
And honestly I think this is the best time to hit the road, so your children can enjoy it with you. 
And when people start to bother you change the subject, it works wonders.  if they continue keep changing the subject with a big smile on your face even if your eyes are saying something dif.  they will get the hint.lol 

Thanks! Our families have started accepting the idea and others, like I said before, either get it or don't.  I've started feeling much better about our decision.  Either way, since this is our first child, we have a lot of learning to do.  If we had a house with more space, I'd still be panicking about what things I need, don't need, etc.  :) But, we are getting excited as the big day approaches and it seems to be approaching quickly!