Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask who's taken a baby on holiday and is it terrible?

125 replies

Lalalalalandy · 17/01/2022 22:18

Have the opportunity to go away this year in July when DC will be 1.5.

It's to Greece so would be hot but I'm not a massive beach/sunbather so no problem keeping in the shade.

Anyone done similar with a similar aged child? I want to go but at the same time am wondering if it would be a nightmare at that age?

I wouldn't be alone, would have family with me.

OP posts:
Upsetdaughter379 · 18/01/2022 07:45

Everyone deals with things differently. I know a lot of people who've done this and coped brilliantly!
For me there was no way I would take my little ones away. They are much older now but I have an 18 month old neice who has no concept of danger, and is extremely demanding at all times.
Factor in a hotel room /apartment/villa with none of the child safety features you have at home, possibly a balcony. The heat, water danger. You can't relax at all. Child wants to wander off all the time. It would just be a nightmare for me. We stuck to UK breaks for the first few years and had a lovely time.

MadinMarch · 18/01/2022 07:49

I'd much prefer to go walking around towns etc... Which so far DS has always been content doing. He likes being out in the buggy walking. I'm aware that a lot can change with babies though in the months between now and then!

Greece in July will be too hot to make walking around in towns enjoyable.
Only bearable in places with lots of shade and preferably near a pool or the sea, although a paddling pool would be great for a child of that age. If you can't get hold of a paddling pool, buy one of the very large plastic baskets that you see everywhere in Greece- they're also very useful if your child doesn't like showers.

MajorCarolDanvers · 18/01/2022 08:05

Took both of mine when they were about 10 months and then the following year aged 1.5. Turkey and Menorca.

We always go with GPs so it means they will babysit a little so we could get a wee break

We had a great time both times.

ExcaliburBaby · 18/01/2022 08:08

I took my baby on abroad holidays from 9months old - it was fine! Yes the flight is the hardest part in terms of keeping them entertained/quiet! What I would say is that a holiday with a baby is still as hard work as looking after a baby at home - it’s just in a different location! So not relaxing etc!

anotherbrewplease · 18/01/2022 08:08

Yes we have - to Greece - yes it was a nightmare as too hot. Would not recommend.

anotherbrewplease · 18/01/2022 08:09

ps the flight was fine - the heat wasn't

Sleepyteach · 18/01/2022 08:12

We didn’t go away at that age due to covid but went when DD was older and younger than that (3/6 months and 2&2.5yrs). Our was a bit different as we went to our own home, but I would recommend self catering or if you’re in a hotel a ground floor room with a terrace/garden access. We used to put some toys outside on the grass in the shade for her to play with in the mornings. Like other people have said, we took shifts each afternoon so the other parent could have time to laze or swim or do what they wanted.

ittakes2 · 18/01/2022 08:18

We started travelling with our twins from 6 months - first trip was Uk to Australia. You can ask for one of those seats on the plane which has a bassinett and he can sleep in that. They are not guaranteed but there are a few of them. If you can afford it and its not too expensive - just buy him his own plane seat if you are worried. Some airlines also let you take certain car seats on the plane to pop babies in. You would need to research this.
All holidays with babies are about research and making sure you have thought about different scenarios and what you would do when....

shouldistop · 18/01/2022 08:23

We've taken a 12 month old on holiday (and plan to go on holiday in June when ds2 will be 18mo). It was fine, no problem at all.
I will say that Greece will be too hot in July though. And it will be hard to stay in the shade with a toddler who wants to run around.
Saying that you might get a good 3 hour nap out of them in the middle of the day which will help.

ToykotoLosAngeles · 18/01/2022 08:23

At 1.5 DS wasn't sleeping very well. Understatement. If it had coincided with that I don't think either of us would be enjoying it much. We went to the New Forest when he was 1 and trying to keep him quiet at 5am, so as not to disturb other guests, was a challenge!

elliejjtiny · 18/01/2022 08:34

We did self catering in Wales when dc's were 7, 5, 2 and 2 months. Booked before I was pregnant. Absolute nightmare. I'm only just starting to think about going on holiday again 8 years later.

LM20 · 18/01/2022 08:35

I wouldn’t regard a 1.5 as a baby… I took my 6 month old DD to Turkey and 1 year old DS to Corfu - it was fine on both occasions I ordered infant milk and food jars from boots at the airport, took baby food jars in my hang luggage for the flight airport security spot checked 2 one was removed as it failed 🙄 just make sure your little one has plenty of fluids, avoid peak times for sun, factor 50 or total sun block, hat and enjoy! Our children both seemed to love the pool, we went to the indoor pool more with our DD as it was heated. It’s not the most relaxing holiday you’ll have but it also won’t be the worst!

PainterMummy · 18/01/2022 08:41

I’ve done it a few times. At 8 weeks, at, 6 months, and at 10 months. The time when she was 10 months was at a family resort in turkey in august (so VERY hot). Because we chose a family resort, we had a proper cot for her. There were plenty of high chairs in the restaurants. There were various baby things in the kids club that also catered fir babies thst I could use. Didn’t leave my baby in the kids club but I did sieve a lot if time there as my then 3 year old dud attend abd I had done bizarre thought I needed to sterilise my baby’s bottles (yet she ate the hotel food and sipped from their cups too!) There we’re family pool areas with lots of umbrellas and small pools geared towards little ones. It worked really well that we went back to same resort a few years later. Only place we went twice.

Research your resort and check trip advisor.

Mindymomo · 18/01/2022 08:41

I took my DS when he was 15 months old, to Menorca, he liked to sleep in the afternoon for as long as I let him, so thought he would sleep the whole 2 hour flight. But what happened was as you have to have them on your lap in an aisle seat, the flight attendant bashed into him and obviously woke him up. Apart from that the holiday was great, it was an aparthotel, so we could eat in if we wanted. He was walking well by then and had his grandad on tap to run around with.

RealBecca · 18/01/2022 08:46

At 18 months we did long haul without a tablet and it was fine, 4 hours will be ok. Passed child up and back with grandparents for a change of scene, take off, landing, a few meals and walks, nappy changes and a nap and it will all be over. Easier with tablet.

Unfortunately due to heat child missed a lot of the day with naps so it will be more of a holiday for you...and still not really a HOLIDAY if you get me! Just parenting abroad Grin

Antssausagedog · 18/01/2022 08:56

We took our baby abroad a six weeks for a city break. I don’t know what we were thinking really. She was still feeding every two or three hours at that stage so were up with her throughout the night. We took far too many clothes for her and were very much still learning about being a parent. It was hard work but we had a lovely time and have fond memories of that holiday.

We also took her abroad for a week when she was 18 months old. She was a nightmare on the sand and kept shoving handfuls of it into her mouth. At night we would get her ready for bed in her jamas then go out for tea and she would happily lie in her pram whilst we ate. Another great holiday.

We found holidays more of a pain when she was old enough to talk and moan about things.

Bagamoyo1 · 18/01/2022 08:56

I stuck to UK holidays at that age because the heat would make a foreign sunny holiday unbearable. It would have been constant stress trying to keep the baby cool, hydrated, and don’t get me started on the sun cream battle!

GoGoGretaDoll · 18/01/2022 09:00

Ooooh toddler holiday flashback... I think actually 1.5 is the worst age, they're usually completely mobile but don't have any recall/sense of danger. There's a reason we remember one of our holidays as the time we went to the Killer Villa!

I'm not saying don't do it and if you've family there so you can get a bit of time off that's already better off than we were. But really, really look at the apartment through baby-level eyes. Ours had open stairs and no fencing round the pool, stairs down to the kitchen, everything hard tiling... I didn't get a minute's peace. I would do it again if I had my time again, but I'd pick completely different accommodation.

ZittiEBuoni · 18/01/2022 09:02

I took my dds away as babies, but never in the hottest months.

We went to Menorca, south of France and a couple of other places, usually in May, and it was fine (eerily quiet though!). Babies were mainly interested in eating sand on the beach Grin.

Dd2 made the flight back from one of these holidays a relentless nightmare, but was good as gold on the way over. Luckily it was only a couple of hours flight - not sure we'd have survived a longer one...

AliasGrape · 18/01/2022 09:07

UK holiday (6 hour drive) at 11 months and trip to visit a relative in Tenerife at 14 months is.

Both fine, though very different to previous holidays obviously- more a change of scenery than a relaxing holiday really.

UK one was great as we had a cottage with high chair, travel cot, washing machine etc. It was all on one level and she went from a few wobbly steps to running tbe length of.the cottage in the time we were there.

It was really bot. Snooze shade for the pushchair was invaluable. We've always been quite relaxed about routines, naptimes etc. We'd have breakfast at the cottage, a big lunch out and about and then something back at the cottage before putting DD to bed - then we could sit in the garden and have either a take away or few drinks. We took our blackout blind thing with us and she slept better than at home I think because she'd been out and about so much in the fresh air. Such lovely memories of paddling in the sea.

Tenerife was lovely too. Slightly more stressful as relatives apartment was not the most child friendly and DD was more into everything, but again we were out more or less all day then would sit on the balcony after dd was in bed in the evening.

We took lots of the roll on suncream which worked really well, I got a few of the full body uv suits with hats for beach/ swimming, and the snooze shade like I said. Took a cheap second hand pushchair on the plane though found the sling easier through the airport. We also hired a car and took our own car seat. I've always been a tiny bit neurotic about her eating and found it a bit stressful as she didn't eat particularly well both times, but self catering meant I could do filling breakfast that I would pack with as much good stuff as possible and then the rest of the day I didn't worry about too much.

For the plane I took a clean empty bottle and got milk from a cafe at the airport, plan was for her to have a bottle for take off to help her ears but in the event she slept through it. Also took plenty of snacks, a couple of new books and toys - not expensive but new to her so held her attention a bit longer. She liked standing up on my knee playing peekaboo with the couple sat behind us who very kindly indulged her. We also loaded a few episodes of cbeebies stuff onto the ipad but didn't need that much in the end. I was really stressed about the flight but it was actually fine. On the way home she slept most of the way so even better.

Moonbabysmum · 18/01/2022 09:13

We've been at 6w, 10m and just under 2. All were fine, and we enjoyed the holiday. All got progressively harder - newborn on holiday was very easy, older baby pretty easy, toddler harder.

1winterblues · 18/01/2022 09:14

Taken the children on holidays abroad from 6 mths including a long haul 18hrs with a 6 month old

Always had a brilliant time. What I have learnt is that the holiday is not the issue it's the flight!

A flight with an under 2 who wants their own seat and is constantly wiggling is not great, BUT a holiday abroad can be fun, just approach it in a relaxed way.

onewednesdayindecember · 18/01/2022 09:16

Went when mine was about 10 months and then again when he was about a year and 8 months. Both times with extended family. Nightmare both times, but he was a very demanding baby/toddler who didn’t sleep, and I get a bit stressed in the heat anyway.

rhowton · 18/01/2022 09:32

Go to a Holiday Village or a Tui Blue hotel on Tui/First Choice. It is heavily geared to children and has a creche for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening (we usually just choose one), plus an evening club once a week. They are all inclusive, have life guards, kids pools, kids discos, food for kids and are pretty lovely.

SonicStars · 18/01/2022 09:39

When my oldest was just over 1.5 we went to Cape Verde and when youngest was that age we went to Cambodia. Both holidays were fab.

It's a tricky age for long haul flights as mine wouldn't watch the TV at that age and so we had to focus on him constantly. My husband did a lot of walking up and down with him and we took so many snacks.

The holiday itself was fun. We got up early for sightseeing, finishing pretty early for lunch and swimming pool. Attempting a timed nap in the room didn't work but they would fall asleep on tuk tuks and you could just carry them to a sun lounger or whatever. We took sticker books and a few toys but ours would happily play all day on the beach.

I guess it depends what you want from a holiday. We like doing stuff and so doing stuff with a little one (or two) just made it more fun. If you want to just read then it's not the best age and you'd be better off finding somewhere with childcare. I'd say that age is probably the age which needs playing with the most. That's great if you enjoy it, you get to do it someplace new and interesting.