Our First Family Vacation: A Baby-Friendly Weekend in Breckenridge

After meeting our baby three weeks earlier than expected, I was so nervous to leave the house with him ever again. He just seemed so tiny and fragile, and as first-time parents, my husband and I were still building up our confidence in our abilities to keep him safe from the outside world. I was so grateful to be enjoying our cozy and safe little bubble together at home, but I was starting to feel a little isolated. I anxiously wondered if this was what motherhood was always going to be like.

Prior to becoming a mom, I traveled constantly for work and for fun, flying all over the country to visit family, friends, and clients. So when I realized I hadn’t left a five-mile radius of our home for the first month of my baby’s life, it was no wonder I was going a little stir-crazy. This was perfect timing for some close friends of ours to invite us to their newly remodeled condo in Breckenridge, Colorado—only about 90 minutes from where we live. Our baby was growing bigger and stronger before our eyes, and we were ready to take him on a little adventure. Breckenridge was the perfect low-stakes destination to test our confidence as new parents.

Here’s how we approached our first weekend away, what we actually did, and what the trip taught us about traveling with a newborn:

Why We Chose To Visit Breckenridge With Our Baby

We live in the Denver suburbs less than two hours away, and were fortunate enough to be offered free lodging with our close friends, so choosing Breckenridge for our first family vacation was a no-brainer. It’s also known for beautiful natural scenery and a cute (but not too rowdy) downtown. My husband and I had visited the area before for camping and offroading, but we were excited to check out the actual town with our friends who knew it super well.

If Breckenridge doesn’t happen to be a convenient location for your family, consider the following factors when choosing a spot for your own first vacation with your newborn:

Destination that you (or your loved ones) are already familiar with
Reasonably close driving distance for ease of travel (and in case you need to head home early)
Affordable (or even free!) lodging, in case plans change

How We Prepared for Our First Overnight Trip As a Family

For our weekend trip to Breckenridge, I was less concerned about creating the perfect itinerary and more focused on removing as many potential stressors as possible. A few decisions made a huge difference:

Keep your expectations realistic, and your schedule flexible. Even though the total drive time was only 90 minutes, we ended up stopping to feed the baby only 20 minutes from our destination because he was getting a little upset in the car. We also knew we wouldn’t be able to stay out late at bars or restaurants with our friends.
Create a familiar sleep environment. We brought our baby’s bassinet, played the same white noise he was used to, and followed the same bedtime/overnight routine. He ended up sleeping the same as if he was at home in our bedroom.
If traveling with others, go with people who won’t stress you out. I’m sure we all have friends who we love dearly, but aren’t the most chill to travel with. The friends who invited us to their condo in Breckenridge were absolutely lovely to spend time with, especially for our first family trip. Even though they don’t have kids yet, they totally understood our limitations with the baby and helped us plan fun activities around his feeding and sleeping needs.
Consider leaving the dog at home for your first trip. Our dog is a beloved family member, and we truly enjoy bringing him places, but it was just an added layer of stress we didn’t need on our first weekend trip with our newborn. The dog was perfectly happy at his usual doggie daycare facility, and we were able to plan our trip around our human baby without also taking our fur-baby into account. (We have since traveled multiple times with our dog and baby, and it’s been awesome.)

What We Actually Did in Breckenridge

Visiting Breckenridge outside of ski season meant far fewer crowds, with just enough chill in the air to still enjoy time outdoors. Our low-stakes, baby-friendly weekend activities included the following:

Sightseeing

Hiked from the condo in town up to the Breckenridge Ski Resort main lodge (pretty steep climb, so consider taking the gondola if you’re not used to hiking at high altitude)
Rode the BreckConnect Gondola from the ski resort back down into town (recommend babywearing instead of stroller)
Enjoyed the paved Riverwalk walking path (very stroller-friendly)

Shopping

Looked at the (pricey) outdoor baby clothes at the Patagonia store
Checked out late-season ski gear sales at the shops in Downtown Breckenridge

Eating & Drinking

Got delicious local coffee and breakfast at Cool River Coffee House (the biscuit sandwiches and giant cinnamon rolls were amazing!)
Ate savory crepes for lunch at Crepes a la Cart (I loved the smoked salmon club crepe)
Enjoyed whiskey tastings at Breckenridge Distillery (everyone except for me, since I was breastfeeding and I’m almost a decade sober!)
Had an incredible dinner with a view of the mountains at Hearthstone Restaurant (highly recommend the multi-course tasting menu to try a variety of their creative dishes)

Our dinner with friends at Hearthstone was actually the trip’s biggest point of stress for me, but also the biggest learning lesson as new parents. At the beginning of the dinner, I felt so embarrassed every time our baby fussed while strangers were trying to enjoy their meals around us. My husband and I ended up taking turns holding and entertaining him while the other ate, and by the end of the dinner, I felt so proud of how our little guy handled his first dinner outing. As we were leaving, a sweet older couple even complimented us on how quiet and cute he was, and I realized that his occasional fusses probably weren’t nearly as loud as I thought. Since then, we have enjoyed dozens of low-stress dinners out as a family.

Breckenridge Weekend Trip Snapshot

Baby’s Age

Six weeks (still very much the newborn stage!)

Method of Transportation

90-minute drive from Denver. We had to stop once on the drive there to feed the baby, but he slept the entire drive home with no stops necessary.

Other Considerations

Very high altitude (town sits at 9,600 feet). Our baby didn’t experience any noticeable issues during our trip, although we already live at relatively high altitude. Families traveling from lower elevations may want to discuss high-altitude travel with your pediatrician before visiting with a newborn.

Seasonal crowds. Breckenridge is a very popular ski destination, but for this first trip we visited after the off-season to avoid large crowds.

Pace

Moderate. This trip was a great mix of walkable activities in town and at the ski resort, with enough time to relax at the condo with our friends.

Would we visit again?

Yes! It was the perfect weekend getaway for our new little family. We also look forward to returning to Breckenridge during ski season when our baby is old enough to enjoy the snow.

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Fall weekend family travel planner printable

What This Trip Taught Us

Before this trip, my husband and I wondered if traveling would be too stressful with a newborn. Our little weekend getaway to Breckenridge taught us that becoming parents didn’t mean our fun times exploring Colorado together were over. We didn’t just come home from Breckenridge with pictures…we came home with the confidence to travel as a family.

It turns out, traveling with our newborn baby was easier than we expected. Everything I had worried about was manageable. We stopped to feed our baby when he needed us, recreated his familiar sleep environment, and planned simple activities with friends who understood our new pace. Even though it was far different than the high-adrenaline trips my husband and I used to take, the slower pace was a perfect introduction to our new travel style as a family. Our adventures aren’t over—they just look different these days, and getting to share them with our son has made them even better.