Where did you take your baby on holiday?

[OliveOrTwist]

We're trying to plan our first family holiday for the first half of next year. My DC is currently 2 months and I'm struggling to know where is a good baby friendly place, with the right weather. Where did you take your baby on holiday when they were under 1?

I have the opportunity for business class flights to use for this holiday and I can go anywhere I like, so I'm . This is most likely a once in a lifetime chance for us to travel business so I want to make the most of it.

We haven't planned anything yet but saw a young baby (about 5 months) on a cruise ship around Europe.

Ignoring the business class bit at that age I’d go canaries May time as will be lovely and warm and not so busy.

At that age they are so portable and easily satisfied milk/sleep I’d make the holiday about you. Where would you like to go? In a year or 2’s time and for the next 15 years you’ll be building holidays around your kids so this is the last time you get to pick!

Cruise/Thailand/South Africa

Youngest abroad was ds 6 months and we drove to France to go camping! He slept in the awning with older dc. Perfect age, still ebf and not mobile!!
Unlike when I took dd 11 months and she crawled around all day. Older dc took turns holding her under the water tap to rinse her off!!

When DD was a baby we took her on a few European holidays-Portugal, Majorca, France. But she was an April baby so we went away over the early summer/September and didn’t have to go far for a bit of sunshine. If you’re thinking early next year maybe Dubai? Long enough flight for business class to be a treat but not too long if baby doesn’t like flying? I’ve heard good things about it as a family holiday destination.

People will probably tell you not to leave the U.K. because travelling with a baby is a nightmare. Just to offer a balanced view, we found taking both our DD’s away much easier as babies before they were on the move!

We took ours to Greece at 5 months old.
DS1 went to Santorini
DS2 went to Zakinthos.

Both extremely family friendly.
We had no dramas either time.

When DS was a baby, and especially before he was mobile, we just went wherever we fancied — various bits of France, New England, Florence, the Amalfi coast, Barcelona, Brazil, Ireland, St Petersburg, from memory. When he was a toddler, we didn’t venture further than Cornwall or France for a bit.

redtartan Honestly, we love Asia so somewhere over that way would be our number 1 choice if it was just about us.

We've done long haul in economy and I never enjoy it. I've never flown business so have no idea what its like. I've also never flown with a baby so I don't know if a 12+ hour flight with one would be insane. Plus then is Asia too hot for a baby

rain I have heard that travelling with a baby is easier than a toddler. Thats why we're considering further afield. Dubai could be a good shout, kind of middle ground. And we've never been there.

We traveled a lot when DT’s were under one as all our family live overseas. we did trips to Belgium and Canada to stay with family and also a holiday to New Hampshire/Vermont. It’s easy when they aren’t walking.

Who the hell would go to Dubai now?!

West coast of the States, travelling around. It was that or Canada - just to bear in mind when considering Asia - tinies can’t have many jabs or malaria tablets.

lou How was travelling around with a baby? True about the jabs and malaria tablets. there's so much to consider!

I truly am very grateful for this flights opportunity but I wish it had come a year or so earlier. I feel the pressure to make the most of the opportunity but also to pick the right destination for first time travelling with a baby. Argh!!

Curly the weather is just perfect in Dubai atm and it's very kid friendly.

Op we flew to Zanzibar when DD was four months. It's fine, you just need to be organized and flexible in that you have to go with the flow and be able to vary plans depending on babies mood etc.

Highly recommend traveling with babies. DD had her first long haul flight at 11 weeks (we live in Dubai so have to travel to see family).

I’m talking about Matthew Hedges, Snipples.

Ah, well I'm not getting dragged into a political debate about the UAE. I'm well aware mumsnet hates Dubai. I can only speak of my own experiences. I hope that case gets resolved soon. Word is he may be pardoned next week but who knows.

Maldives?

DD Lanzarote
DS Greece

Long haul with a little baby is preferable to LH with a child over 1. Trust me.

Friends have been to Thailand with small babies and it’s been fine.

Travelling with a baby is easy peasy, particularly if you breastfeed as food’s on tap, no need to sterilise etc. Mostly happy to sleep in a car seat or be pushed around in a buggy for the day sightseeing - no toddler’s going to put up with that!

We just got ourselves set up with decent travel cot, baby carrier etc so we could stay anywhere and off we went.

I think the only thing is that you have to keep journeys relatively short as they can’t be in the car seat for too long at any time, (advice when we went was 2 hours max at 5 months old) but we were happy to take our time and meander up the coast slowly with lots of stop offs. Saw (and breastfed in!) lots of places we wouldn’t have seen otherwise though!

Greece, Balearics, Canaries
I dropped city breaks as didn't fancy them with a pram

Opposite here! - dropped beach based holidays as couldn’t face keeping sand or stones out of baby mouths all day and trying to keep them out the sun. I suppose it depends on what baby you have but ours wanted to be on the move all the time anyway, so was happy to spend the day in the buggy or carrier, but would not have happily lied on a beach for hours.

When we just had 1 not very mobile (rolling and a bit of commando crawling) baby we did a canal boat holiday in France in spring when she was nearly 6 months - travel cot in living room to put her in when neither of us was holding her.

When she was a very mobile indeed 11 month old escape artist constantly trying to run giggling into the sunset we rented a massive holiday house in Germany with 10 childless friends who all had motorbikes with them. Looking back this was a very strange thing to do, but it made sense at the time (we drove their with DH's bike on a trailer). It was a lot of fun but very hard work especially as the house was absolutely not child proof in any way, shape or form!

We had a motorcaravan holiday in Cornwall when she was just over a year which was a lot of fun but I had to cosleep with her as there was no room for a cot, and the double didn't feel big enough for all 3 of us so we had to sleep separately. Other than that it was very age appropriate.

Later when we had toddler/ toddler and preschooler plus baby most of our holidays were Eurocamp style in France, Italy or Croatia. That's more for the toddlers and preschoolers though, no need to go so full on family style with just a baby under 1.

Took ours to Malaysia at 8 months. Easy. Singapore also v child friendly.

If you really want to make the most of free business class flights go to Australia with a stop over on a resort island on the way there and back... Australia will be jyst as family friendly as the UK and if you stay down south not too hot.

DS is 10.5 months and we've been to:

Spain twice (at 3/4 months)
Maldives at 6 months
St Lucia at 8 months

All were great and it was a lot easier to travel with a baby than I expected. We did the Spanish trips early on to test things before going long haul. DS is formula fed so it was a bit of a faff taking formula and sterilising but actually fine. DH is not keen on long haul now as DS's so active wanting to crawl everywhere. When we were in Maldives/st Lucia he napped really well and we had a wonderful time.

If I had the choice of anywhere (especially business class) I'd probably say Maldives or LA. LA because I love LA but it's a long way and good to do it while the baby is still young and will sleep some/most of the flight. Maldives because it's amazingly relaxing and easier when a baby isn't mobile!

Wales...but I’m not sure you’d get business class flights to there!