Holiday abroad with 15/16 month old?

[newmummy21]

Hoping to take my little one abroad next summer when she will be 15/16 months ish depending which month we go. I know it's early to plan but wanting to get some ideas so it's something to look forward to. I have no experience whatsoever of taking a baby on holiday! Just looking for people's experiences and thoughts on destinations (preferably sunny but not boiling as I don't want her to be too hot), and any practical hints or tips I might find useful. Thank you

Book a hotel or airbnb with balcony/outdoor space so you can sit outsidr when baby is asleep.
Make sure you can keep her cool - buy a cheap travel buggy with a sun umbrella. My daughter slept on the beach with a silver cross fully flat.
Bring snacks from home in case she doesn’t like local snacks. Of course go somewhere with easy access to food/nappies/clean water. You won’t need a kids club at this age but if you want nights out, book a hotel with babysitting service. At this young age I found all inclusive places easiest and more of a break for you too!

I am sure someone will come along and say don’t take kids abroad until they are 15 or something 🤣 but personally I have taken DC abroad from 12 months (long haul) and always had a lovely time.

Italy is very child friendly btw but can also get very hot (depending on which area/which month) all inclusive places in Greece and Spain also seem good options.

@AdriannaP thank you! Lots of useful tips. I actually really want to go to Italy ... this may be an option 🤔 any recommendations on best places in Italy?

I am sure someone will come along and say don’t take kids abroad until they are 15 or something

Really? Why?

I'd say Portugal. It's sunny but because its on the Atlantic, it's not too hot, there's always a nice (and in some places strong) breeze.

Landscapes, cities, towns, people, food: all of the above are amazing.

I was also going to suggest Portugal! Most places in Spain are nice too, we waited until ours were a bit older until we did Italy and we were glad because there was a lot of walking compared to other holidays we’ve done.

My number one tip would be relax yourself and your routine. When I first went on holiday with my kids I would get so stressed trying to stick to nap times/mealtimes/bedtimes as they’d be done at home and honestly it just ruined the holiday. Now we just relax, very fond memories of late family dinners with the oldest two while the younger two slept in buggies in the restaurant.

I'd also second Portugal, purely as there's no time difference!
We also found a company which collected us from airport with a car seat, pushchair, steriliser (baby was 6mo when we went), and we then were able to book taxis with a car seat.

Ooh Portugal seems worth a look then! Thank you

@mumjustmum there's no time difference? How odd - yet there is in Spain which is next door to it? Confused 😂

We have taken ours long haul and short haul at those ages. We took our normal ‘out ‘n’ about’ buggy with us withstanding many a flight for naps. We always threw the routine out the window, naps as and when especially in hotter climes. Stay up later then fall asleep in the buggy at night in the restaurant/bar/ hotel etc. Good sun cream, always used ultrasun. If going somewhere hot you don’t need lots of outfits or clothes, keep it light and simple. Take their regular cup or bottle, I always found bar staff in hotels would happily fill with water, milk or juice and put it through the dishwasher to clean. I would also take a couple of Milton tablets in case. Rehydration sachets in case of diarrhoea or those days when it’s been hot and they haven’t drunk enough fluids. I will add our first holidays with baby & toddler I always presumed nappies would be readily available and didn’t pack enough for our trips. We found in a few places they were very hard to get hold of and in Egypt the hotel manager had to track some down for us. We ended up counting out enough for our remaining days and return journey and leaving the rest to a German family who had the same issue. Our best trip with kids that age and siblings (but still young) were to Egypt and Thailand.

Italy - Altomincio Park near Verona is lovely. Static caravan/mobile style accommodation, all with private terraces, so you can sit outside with the baby inside asleep. The water park is awesome - huge but really shallow. Self catering, but with restaurants on site. I'd happily return there.

Definitely get an apartment (or similar) so you can pop them to bed and enjoy a nice drink or two in peace.

Don't worry too much about your regular schedule. A sunshade is a good buy in my experience. Most people on flights are actually lovely if you are travelling with young children - we ended up sat in the middle of a stag do once and our DS had a great time with them!

The Southern end of Lake Garda around Bardolino and Garda town is flat and pushchair friendly. Lake Garda is stunning.

Most people on flights are actually lovely if you are travelling with young children - we ended up sat in the middle of a stag do once and our DS had a great time with them!

😂

@RampantIvy

The Southern end of Lake Garda around Bardolino and Garda town is flat and pushchair friendly. Lake Garda is stunning.

Oh Lake Garda is definitely on my list of dream holidays! I'll take a look at this too

OP, we drove along part of Lake Garda when we stayed at Altomincio. It's breathtaking. As is the view at the top of Monte Baldo.

Been travelling with DS since he was 4 months, but his first two proper ‘holidays’ with us (as opposed to going to DH country) were to Tenerife when he was 9 and 18 months. Hotels were well set up with soft play, kids’ crockery, seating sections etc. The Thomson Sensatori was particularly great and had a good nursery, with free night’s babysitting thrown in, plus family pools.

Take a buggy that lies totally flat so that you can put baby ‘to bed’ in buggy and then go to dinner. Snoozeshade to block out sun and light. Look for bottled water with baby’s face on in Spain.

Italy loves children, but is not as child-friendly in terms of set up. Won’t always find high chairs in restaurants, for eg.

Oh, and a wrap or carrier for travelling. Some airlines make you drop buggy by departure gates. I always kept son in the carrier and used the buggy to wheel suitcase in when I was travelling solo.

My son was 16m when we went to Mexico.
Spain / Portugal or Greece could also be good for that age

If you fly to Verona it is quite a short transfer to the Southern end of Lake Garda as well.

My DD was not one of those babies who would fall asleep in the pram at night and let us have an evening out. However she would have a long afternoon nap then we’d all eat out and stay up later but then get up later too which worked out ok. I’d say, stay somewhere nice, you might have to spend that little bit more time in your room. Also we did Balearic Islands and the 1 hour time difference helped with snapping back out of the late to bed routine when we were coming home. I’d echo the PP who suggested taking lots of your own snacks and I can highly recommend inviting a willing and helpful grandparent!

We took DD to Malta/Gozo - 6 months (self catering), Bosnia/Croatia - 12 months (self catering) , Ibiza - 18 months (all inclusive), Majorca - 2 yrs (all inclusive).
All were brilliant, we went May & Oct so just in season but not too hot & too busy, just lovely to play in the pools/beaches, go for walks and explore.
Plenty of fresh fruit and options at meal times when we went all inclusive and we just sorted ourselves out when self catering.

We did Majorca twice before my oldest was two years old. Pack your nappies in the bag for the buggy. When you drop it off at the gate, staff won’t bother weighing it or checking what’s in the bag. Saves space in a suitcase or having to find somewhere to buy them at the other end. Remember you won’t get a luggage allowance unless you buy a seat or extra bag. Take her own cup and buy a big bottle of water and a bottle of diluting juice. Saves you forking out for fruit shoots and the like constantly. Also, we went onto the plane last and not first as having to sit for half an hour while everyone else faffed around boarding drove my son mad. At least in the lounge, he could wander around and watch the planes.

France/Spain
Eurocamp is good for young kids. Somewhere with a pool. Children of that age fit into most holidays. Obviously, the pace is a bit slower.

@RampantIvy

The Southern end of Lake Garda around Bardolino and Garda town is flat and pushchair friendly. Lake Garda is stunning.

Agreed Lake Garda is beautiful. Lazise and Peschiera are very nice. As others have said, go with local flow. In Italy children nap during the day and dinner is late and children stay up with the parents. Nobody will bat an eyelid if you are out with a toddler at 10 or 11pm. Some airports in UK don’t give you your baggy back when exiting the plane. So take a sling or something similar especially if child is asleep for walking to baggage claim.