Babymooning

Babymoon noun
Babymooners

'Getting in one last jaunt for two before baby makes three has become a hot trend among expecting couples. It's been called a babymoon.’
ABC News 18th February 2006

The idea of a babymoon is to take a romantic, carefree, just-the-two-of-you holiday before the endless cycle of round-the-clock feeding and nappy changing begins. Mums- and Dads-to-be who love to travel see a babymoon as the final opportunity to relax in exotic locations before adjusting to the new reality of sleepless nights and holidays in child-friendly places!

Recently, the babymoon has grown in popularity, mainly because people are travelling further and more frequently, and also because it is now considered perfectly safe for pregnant women to fly up to their 36th week of pregnancy. Some travlel companies have seen the very real marketing opportunity in appealing to mums-to-be. Some of these babymooning breaks include pamper sessions for the mother, special menus, cigars for Dad, and a babymoon suite with chocolates and… something sparkling but non-alcoholic. There are even special websites which have sprung up to meet the demand, like babymoonfinder.com.

Where Does The Word Come From?

The word babymoon is, as you may have guessed, a blend of baby and honeymoon. The expression babymoon was coined in the early nineties by pregnancy and childbirth author Sheila Kitzinger, who described it as a calm, uninterrupted period of time needed by parents after the birth of a baby so that they can spend time bonding with their new arrival. However, her original meaning seems to have been eclipsed by the more recent sense of a ‘last fling before the baby arrives’!.

A related term is familymoon which refers to a honeymoon where the bride and groom are accompanied by children from previous marriages or relationships.