Taking a 4-5 month old baby abroad

[thatsgood]

Hello! We are thinking of taking our (currently) 2 month old baby to Portugal. I was wondering if anyone had any advice? Should we take a pram or just a carrier? Are there mosquitoes? Places to go? Keeping little one cool? Has anyone done this?

Thank you!

Also tips for baby on a flight?! I am breastfeeding also

Take a pram, with a proper sun shade, do NOT drape muslin nappies to create shade, that creates an oven, and go and have a lovely time. Portugal is a fabulous country and 4-5 months is a perfect age to take babies abroad.

I’d avoid August though-it’s absolutely scorching then!

Thank you, that's reassuring! Our pram is very clunky - we're worried about taking it abroad due to it maybe getting damaged on the flight. Also would baby be able to go in a pool to keep cool? We've not yet taken her swimming but would practice this before hand at a leisure centre.

Baby can go in the pool, yes.
Ger a lightweight stroller that fully reclines for holidays; we never take our main pram abroad.
Flight - just feed her for take off for her ears and have little things to keep her entertained. Short flights are best at that age.
Wipes & a change of clothes and carrier bag incase of any sickness or accidents.
Carrier is good for the airport and getting off the plane as your pram will be in the hold so having baby in a carrier keeps your hands free.
Yes to a parasol and mosquito net for the buggy.

All mine have been abroad from a few weeks old with no issues.

A baby going in the pool for a splash about is fun, but at that age you’d presumably be keeping him/her in the shade to stay cool.

Back to the pram v carrier…the reason I say pram is because with a carrier you and baby would both end up pretty hot and uncomfortable…and if you have a pram you can hopefully “park” it beside you while you have a meal etc, which you can’t do with a carrier

You'll definitely want a carrier! I would recommend a connecta solar, integra solar or kahubaby sunshine as they are all lightweight fabric which is UV protective. If you get hot carrying, a damp muslin between you is cooling. Remember the carrier counts as a layer for baby, so maybe might just be in a vest and socks in the carrier.
Be prepared that baby may want to breastfeed more regularly due to the heat - this is fine, no need to offer water, just keep yourself hydrated.
It's a great age to travel with baby, before weaning and when they don't need much in the way of toys!

Ditto to the light stroller that folds v easily, and reclines right back. With a good sunshade, of course. I’d take a thin cotton blanket for under the baby - the stroller fabric can get hot and sweaty.
A couple of really good shady sun hats for the baby, esp. for in the pool. (As long as the water is warm enough.). Great age to start the pool BTW - I was in a hot country with dd1 from 6 weeks and was swishing her about in the water (holding on to her) at 2 months. She loved it!

BFin on the plane - I’ve often done it, no problem. If there’s any distress from ears on ascent/descent, sucking will help with that, too.

Planes can be on the chilly side - layers for baby will be good.

We took our first baby to Portugal when she was 5 months old and it was one of my favourite holidays ever, a great age to travel with a baby IMO. We took a lightweight stroller that reclined back which she napped in during the day if we were out and then we put her to sleep it it in the evening and just had the buggy parked next to us while we went out for dinner. And as others have said, lightweight clothes to keep skin covered and stay cool. We had one of the inflatable baby seats for the pool which DD was very happy bobbing around in.

Great! Thank you. Can I ask where in Portugal you went? And - perhaps a daft question but - whether the pool was heated or not?

We stayed in Carvoeiro, we had a self catering apartment on a complex with a few pools (I can't actually remember the name of the resort 🤦🏻‍♀️) and if I remember rightly one of them was heated but not all of them, but we mostly used the one closest to our apartment which wasn't heated, DD had a wetsuit wrap that she had for swimming lessons so we put that on her in the pool

Sorry to jump on the post but we are going to take our (will be) 7 month old away next month so these tips are great. We have been looking at lightweight pushchairs and are struggling a bit to find one that has a good sunshade, lies fully flat and isn't crazy expensive (as it will just be a second pushchair for holidays only). Any recommendations?