Since we are planning to perform Hajj this year Inshallah, I would appreciate to hear about your Hajj experiences. Especially if you have performed Hajj with a little child, because we will be travelling with our son who will be 17 months old at that time.
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i'd be interested in the info too as i am planning to go with my 30 months old son....
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Anyone?
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Hi Umer,
I haven't performed the Hajj yet, but my sister in law and her family went when her sone was 2 years old, and also we all went to Umrahh together with my sister in laws 2 children, boy of 4 and daughter who was 16 months.
My sister in law when she went for Hajj took one of those child restraints that you tie round your wrist and the childs waist and said that it came in very useful. Also, they took with them a baby sling so that they could carry my nephew easily.
in Umrahh it wasn't as crowded obviously, but we again used the restraint for my niece as by then nephew was 4 and old enough to understand and keep up.
Also, it helps if you are in a big family group as you can all take turns to look after the little ones.
When we went for the Umraah we were lucky that my mum and aunt (who is my sister in laws mother in law) had hired their wheelchairs (in the UK) as the kids could go in their laps.
Insha Allah, I hope that your experience of Hajj is the best of your life!
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Umer
I have not gone for a Haj since the 80s so my info is very old. Let me talk to one of my cousins who went recently, he is from UK although currently on expat assignment in KSA, he went with his wife and kid. give me a day or two.
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Well all I can say is that it will be a real test for your son and for you as well. Even though heat might be less due to the month of December, but the whole task of performing the manasik is iteself a huge test. Then if you combine with that taking care of an infant it will be an enormous challenge.
Its better to take the baby along onoly if you know you have people in and around either makkah, madinah and Jeddah who you know living there that can take care of the baby when you need them. This rest will be necessary both for you and the baby.
Even If you have quite a few people in your group that are family members who can take care of the baby, there will be times when the baby will need to be just in a home environment.
Also, many things only a mom can do for the baby depending upon whether the baby is bottle fed or nursed by its mother. This will have a toll on the mother. So strong advice to find some one who will take care of the baby at home and you can leave the baby behind or the other scenario of taking it along but dropping the baby off at relatives near the three sites of Hajj you will be travelling through.
I just went for Umrah in May of this year and left our 12 month old (and the 2 older ones) at home with its grandma and khala. It proved to be the best decision ever. As me and my wife both could hardly keep up ourselves.
May Allah SWT help you make the right decision (ameen) !!
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*Dyamn,.all of u guys are married with kids!
Sry,.I knw its a lil off topic,..
*
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May Allah give you strength and Aiman to fulfill such a great Faradh. Please keep in mind that Performing this Faradh (Hajj) is a demanding task, and will be even harder for you as you are taking your baby with you.
But by proper planning and keeping the few things in your mind Allah will make the things easy and smooth, and you will be able to concentrate on your duties during "Once in a lifetime experience”.
Here is my little effort to write few things that might help you.
Travel Agent
Choose the right Travel Agent; invest time and effort in finding a good agent. Talk to friends who may have recently used the service of various companies. I do not know where you live, but in UK Al-Hidayyah are really good.
Accommodation
Try your best to book a hotel near Haram, the nearest the better, as you are taking your baby with you. It is really hard to walk in crowd during Hajj Season especially with baby.
The benefit of closer accommodation is that you can leave your partner and baby in the hotel during the prayer time as it gets really busy during the prayer time.
Ask your agent to arrange for the Tents in Mina which are close to Jamarat.
Get a package which includes the meals, as during Hajj season there are big Queues of people outside the food shops and restaurants. And some time it takes one hour to get food, which will be really painful for you especially with the baby.
Travel Vaccination
See you GP at least a month before traveling and follow his advise and get properly immunized against all kind of infections and diseases.
Medication: Gastrointestinal and respiratory infections are very common during Hajj. Try carrying certain medicines for these kinds of illnesses.
Physical Requirements
You will be exerting considerable physical effort during Hajj. All Hajj rites require a great deal of strength. It might sound too difficult but constant crush of hundreds of thousands of other, each trying to perform the same rites at the same time in limited spaces and hot weather.
Try to be in a good physical shape. Both you and your partner can start a program of brisk walking and jogging for 20 to 30 minutes. Bear in mind that there is load of walking and standing involved during Hajj. Joining a gym is a good idea as well.
Things to take with you
Most things are available easily in Jeddah Makah and Medina, but few things are hard to find.
As wannabe_a_mum mentioned, buy a child restraints this will be really handy.
Take addition photographs with you for Registration and Identity cards.
Take at least 500 riyals with you this will save you standing in a long queue at Jeddah Airport Hajj Terminal.
Small Folding Seat, very useful for long wait a Hajj Terminal. And will be useful for your wife to sit on while carrying the baby.
Trolley Rucksack. Very useful for Mina Arfat, Muzdalifah.
See your local Imam on regular basis to learn about the rituals of Hajj. The more you know about Hajj, its obligations, and prohibitions, the more comfortable and at peace you will feel during the whole process.
Do not forget to make Dua for me my family and Whole Muslim Ummah.
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the restraint info is quite useful....
taking care of the child without it wud seem impossible....
get yourself a prepaid mobile chip while in saudi arabia, so atleast u'll be in touch with your wife....
it will be far cheaper than relying on international roaming....
i use MOBILY service when i go to saudi arabia, and i find it more convenient than the others....
i dont know if this option is available to u or not, but try to book a service which will cater the food as well....
its not wise to be out looking for food on ur own, especially when in 'mina'....
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Thank you all for your tips. I really appreciate that. We had been looking for a child restraint already and will definitely purchase one before our departure.
The Khala of my wife lives in Jeddah and will join us for Hajj together with her daughter and probably her son as well which is excellent because she has perfomed Hajj several times and will definitely be able to help us out.
Ayyar: We are based in Dubai and have chosen the travel agent already based on recommendations from friends. The package they gave us includes everything, ie airfare, hotels, food, transportation, government taxes, etc. The only thing that we need to pay for on the spot will be the Qurbani. Thanks for the tip to get 500 Saudi Riyals in advance rather than looking for a money changer there. We will probably get the vaccinations done in the next few weeks Inshallah.
Inshallah I will make duaa for all of you. Please pray that everything goes well.
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Umer, I went on this year's Hajj and must say it was quite tough at times. I can only imagine how tougher it would be with a child. There was one young couple with us on our tour group who had a child with them and were constantly having to shuffle him between the two of them to get some 'free time'. Also bear in mind at Muzdalifah the toliet facilities are very very limited and waiting in the que can be 30mins+ on average so avoid it. The chances are you will have to clean him on the ground. Besides its only one night there and keep plenty of disposable plastic bags with you to dispose of diapers, sterile wipes (remember to pack plenty), rubbish etc. If indeed you will have more family accompanying you as you say, then it will be much easier. Considering the sheer volume of people it is very easy to get disorientated and lost from your group so stay very close together.
Most importantly if your wife chooses to go to Jamarat you will have to arrange someone to take care of your son as taking minors into the jamarat area is an absolute no-no, especially on the final day when the stampedes occured. Adults can barely manage to hold onto each other. And once that is complete the coach journey back to Mecca takes 7-8hrs. Its total gridlock as all pilgrims are all heading back in the same direction. By foot it would take 1-2hrs which is fine. Its best your son sleeps through this phase as it can be very frustrating. Find out from your tour group where specifically the Dubai camps in Mina are. ie. how far from Jamarat. The Western Europe/N. American camp sections are over 30mins walk away.
Also tour groups paint a very rosy picture of their services but once you're on the ground with 2million other people, things are very different. Nearly everyone picks up some sort of throat infection so make sure your group has given you all details about medical assistance. A sick child will only complicate matters further so consider mouth masks (cost 1 riyal each) for your family. A lot of pilgrims use them to protect against infection and the pollution out there. I used one and it was pretty helpful. Buy and pack your own antibiotics beforehand rather than waiting.
And lastly make sure you work out plenty. Your physical strength and endurance will be put its extremes.
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^ very useful info starsky....
"strepsils" i hear r a must for hajj....
and i assumed that masks r distributed free by the tour groups....
and yes, keep a panadol syrup with u for the child....
and also a mild cough syrup....
kids really trouble a lot if they get a bad throat....
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However, despite all of the above, you know what?
When you get to that very special, holy place..... you will automatically get the strength....such is the power of the almighty.............
(I know, because, my mum has bad arthiritis and finds it hard to walk very far...yet when we went to Umraah, she walked Safa Marwa in the first Umraah we did!)
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^ I totally agree
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Starsky: Thanks for your helpful summary. Very much appreciated.
Allah really helps you all the time, especially if you make niyyah for such a big thing as Hajj.
I just got the wonderful news that my mother has also made plans to go for Hajj this year, Inshallah. She'll be coming there from Austria and we are going from Dubai.
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Just a little update:
We have submitted our passports for the Hajj visa last Saturday and should get them back next week Inshallah.
I have also purchased the Ihram and we are now trying to learn all the duaas by heart, Inshallah.
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^
good for u, i have also paid for the seats and all....
inshaallah we'll move by 25/26 december....
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i'm also trying to convince my parents to take me to hajj this year.........i've alwayz lived in saudi arabia...but i've never done Hajj.....my parents have done hajj though........
but well.....let's see wht happens........
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inshaallah we'll move by 25/26 december....
We've paid for the package as well. Departure is on 25th December, coming back to Dubai on 6th January.
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thanks for all the info guys…really appreciated
inshallah, inshallah, inshallah :insha: we’re heading out next Friday
btw we heard of some people having visa troubles due to worry that fighting might breakout btwn sunni/shias? i want to think that this is ridiculous, but has anyone else had visa problems?