• When Victoria Lamson's son was 10 months old, she took him on a trip to Ireland, the UK, and France.
• She and her husband planned ahead, investing in a sturdy stroller and calling hotels in advance.
• For the most part, they felt Europe was more child-friendly than the US.

When my husband and I first announced that we were bringing our 10-month-old son with us on a two-week European vacation, we got very mixed reviews.

Some friends and family said our timing was perfect: Deacon wasn't walking or talking yet, so it'd be easier to travel with him. Others thought it was a big mistake. Lugging around a stroller and dealing with tantrums — all while navigating unfamiliar cities — seemed miserable to them. Plus, they told us, Deacon would be too young to remember any of it. What was the point?

But even before I became pregnant, Mike and I agreed that we didn't want to isolate ourselves like so many newborn parents do. While we didn't know what to expect with our first child, we wanted to include him in our normal travel plans rather than living a strictly child-focused lifestyle.

We started small. One of our first excursions was a road trip from our home in San Francisco to visit family in LA when Deacon was two months old. As he got a little older, we saw that Deacon is a very chill individual. He rarely fussed and easily napped in his stroller.

So in 2019, we planned a trip to Ireland, the UK, and France. While it required a little more planning and was slower-paced than vacations before parenthood, it became one of our favorite ones.

A little prep made the trip smoother

When we went on our LA road trip, we invested in a Babyzen Yoyo stroller, made by a French brand. While it cost around $450, which is on the pricey end, it was worth it: it smoothly rolls over cobblestone streets and easily fits into an overhead bin. Six years later, we still use it with our second baby.

To set us up for success, I called some services in advance. Most long-haul flights offer limited bassinets for babies in rows with extra space, but those seats usually need to be reserved ahead of time. I also reached out to our hotels to make sure they had cribs they could bring out, and a car service in Dublin — our first destination — provided us with a car seat suitable for an infant.

The only unexpected snag was using my breast pump abroad. Because Deacon was older and already eating solid foods, my milk supply was lower and I didn't really need the pump as much. Still, as a first-time mom, I brought it because it's recommended by pediatricians to continue pumping for a full year and I wanted to do everything right.

I had a European outlet adapter, but I forgot about the wattage differences. When I plugged the pump in, it got completely fried. Luckily, I had Deacon with me for those few weeks and could make more stops to breastfeed him.

Europe was more child-friendly than home

Overall, Europe was very kid-friendly. London was easy to stroll through and full of parks we could stop at with Deacon.

We also didn't feel out of place bringing a baby to an Irish pub, even on St. Patrick's Day. Culturally, it's more of a norm to bring kids to bars and other "adult" spaces in Europe than it is in the US.

Out of everywhere we went, Paris was the hardest place to navigate; due to the city's style of architecture, we had to climb spiral staircases in bistros and brasseries when changing diapers. Still, the culture made us feel welcome. Our hotel surprised us with a beautiful crib and a teddy bear for Deacon.

It was such a stark difference from San Francisco. More often than not, there isn't a changing table in the bathroom. And when you can find one, it's only in the women's restroom, as if it's not also a father's responsibility to care for his child.

In contrast, we went to a very old restaurant in a small Irish seaside town. When I walked into the tiny bathroom, I was surprised to find fold-away changing tables in all the stalls.

Europe's positive attitude toward children and families is such a big draw. Even slight accommodations make such a huge difference when we travel.

We did everything we wanted

The experience taught us that we don't have to put our lives on hold with kids. When Deacon got sleepy on the trip, we just bundled him up in his stroller and used the opportunity to relax at a cafe.

After Europe, we went to a family timeshare in Tulum, Mexico at the end of 2019 — another wonderful vacation. In 2022, we took Deacon with us on a road trip around Atlanta, Savannah, and Charleston.

While it's tougher to travel with two kids now — our 17-month-old daughter is less easygoing than Deacon was at that age — we still take staycations and go out with our children.

Looking back, going to Europe was more fun because Deacon was with us, not in spite of it. It felt so special to have him with us, and we'll always hold on to those memories of early parenthood very fondly.

• Planned Parenthood is preparing to fight the Department of Government Efficiency.
• Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy want to use DOGE to cut federal spending.
• They named Planned Parenthood as something that could be targeted for cuts.

Planned Parenthood is preparing to face off with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency after it identified the reproductive health provider as fat to be trimmed.

Musk and his co-lead, former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, have been laying out their plans for their federal budget-trimming effort in recent weeks.

Musk and Ramaswamy said in an op-ed this week that they are eying everything from "$1.5 billion for grants to international organizations to nearly $300 million to progressive groups like Planned Parenthood."

In response, Alexis McGill Johnson, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, referred to Musk, Ramaswamy, and others President-election Donald Trump has nominated for leadership positions after his election as "unqualified fanboys and agents of chaos."

"Musk and Ramaswamy are making clear how they intend to use their power: denying people care and wreaking havoc on our public health system, of which Planned Parenthood is an integral part — all in the name of supposed 'government efficiency,'" McGill Johnson said. "We've been here before — we are not new to shutdown and 'defund' fights. We fended off a number of these attacks during Trump's first term — and Planned Parenthood health centers are still there serving millions of patients across the nation."

In a press release, the organization said its health centers saw a surge in appointments following Trump's reelection, including a 1,200% increase in vasectomy appointments and a 760% in IUD appointments.

Wisp, an online provider of reproductive health products and prescriptions, said it has also seen increased demand after the election, including a 1,000% increase in emergency contraception sales.

Planned Parenthood said in the press release that more than half of the patients who go to its health centers rely on Medicaid and other government programs for the uninsured.

"Like any other healthcare provider or hospital, Planned Parenthood affiliates are reimbursed for services provided to patients at health centers. What Musk and Ramaswamy call 'federal overspending' provides critical and necessary sexual and reproductive healthcare to thousands of people every day — care that will disappear if they get their way," McGill Johnson said.

While Musk and Ramaswamy have been busy making plans to cut federal spending, the new department doesn't exist yet and has been given no official power.

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former director of the Congressional Budget Office, told Business Insider that, as of now, DOGE has no authority granted to it by Congress or the president.

"It's somebody's idea of a fantasy, but it's not a real thing so far. It has a name, two supposed heads, it has no staff and most importantly, it has no authorities," Holtz-Eakin told BI. "So it's essentially an extremely highly publicized think tank that's going to collect some ideas for the Office of Management and Budget."