Should I take my 18 month old to Croatia for a 2 week hol or cancel now?

[Ladyopheliastar]

I have booked a holiday to Croatia for my dh, ds and myself. It is on a half board basis in a hotel near Porec. Recently, my ds has become very active and is learning to walk. He is never still. This has led to my dh panicking about what he'll be like on the plane. I checked and a seat for my ds would cost nearly £400 more. We also worry about not having a child seat for him when travelling on the coach to the hotel. Plus I noticed that the evening meal doesn't start until 18.30pm and my son eats at three and has porridge at six and is in bed by seven. Not sure how we'd eat, unless we took turns to do so alone...

he will be3 fine! GO - HJE WILL CHANGE HIs routine = honest

Two adults and one kid? people do DO holidays

I flew in my own to kosova ( so sameish distance) with four children and it was fine (I'm proud of it can you tell just take lots to entertain him. iPad/DVD etc with headphones and things to watch

I find holidays or stays away when you havae tinies really increase your confidence and when you get home you often move onto a new stage of naps. cots, walking whatever

You'll never go anywhere if you don't tackle this hurdle ! It will be fine. If you are worried about the transfer look into a private taxi and book or take a car seat . The hotel may offer kids meals earlier or you can buy some thing to feed him mid afternoon and let him graze on whatever you have for dinner. Go at the earliest sitting and take a buggy for if he gets tired. Remember European time is ahead of UK so he may fall into a "later" breakfast and bedtime anyway.

I've taken my DD abroad 3 times (she's 3) -he'll be fine! Make sure he still has opportinites to nap, and see if you can get him a snack to keep him going until the evening meal.

You'll have a wonderful time!
Enjoy it!

I agree with LIZSYou will all manage.

I took DS away on his first 'proper' holiday aged 17 months. He was just learning to walk - and in fact accomplished it whilst there. He was on our laps on the plane - and was quite a big toddler!

Anyway - don't let the baby's routine dictate. Babies are adaptable. You will be able to get snacks to feed in between designated mealtimes. bedtimes can be altered for that week. Buggies are wonderful to keep tired/sleeping babies out later on an evening.

In fact I enjoyed it so much that later on in the year I went away - just me with DS aged almost 2, and two girlfriends with their young DC. We had a blast.

Enjoy your holiday!!!

Just DO it!

The dts first went abroad at 7-8 months. We took them to Spain for two weeks at 18mnths. In Spain they eat very late - 9pm onwards. We fed the boys when they were hungry and they would either sleep or snack at 9.

Planes can be quite hard work. We did long haul when the dts were 2. Just takes lots of entertainment and food and drinks to keep them distracted. Croatia isn't that far, you will get through it, at least you can take turns in holding him. Take the car seat with you for the coach if you are worried.

Thanks for all the responses! We imagined staying in our room in silence with him from his seven pm bedtime. Any tips?

Would an ipad/tablet be suitable for an 18 month old (he does love any technology and my touch phone in particular!) anyone using one with their littly?

god no - go out. Youll all have a great time. BIN the routine for a while

My 23 month old loves the ipad and has done since about 12 month, It is a godsend on long journeys - we have done 16 hr flights with DS.

What we did was put our daughter into her jammies, give her a cup of milk and take her for a walk, maybe about 9-ish. She'd be knackered from the busy day and fall asleep pretty quickly, then we'd stop for a few drinks and some peace

How long until you go ? I'm guessing you may have a few months in which his routine, espeically for meals, could change. A short while can make a huge difference developmentally at this age.

GO! And don't be bound by routines, your DS doesn't have to go to bed at 7 and then you two sit in the room until silence!

Take your DS out, let him have longer naps in the day, let him fall asleep in the restaurant, it doesn't matter!

And he'll be fine on the plane.

Go! You'll never go away again if you don't bite the bullet!

DH and I took our 12 month old twins on holiday (4 hours). In the plane, one slept all the way there (the one my DH held, grrr) and one wriggled and jiggled and bounced for 4+ hours. It was hard work, but it's only 4 hours and they you're on holiday

On holiday, they just fitted in with us. We took some basic food for them (in our case weetabix and Ella pouches) and made the rest up when we got there. You could take baby porrige that can be made up with formula or hot water (redibrek?). We fed the babies early, got them ready for bed and then pushed them round in lay-flat buggies until they went to sleep (while we watched the sunset), then they slept (ish) while we ate. Didn't always work perfectly, but good enough

I'm going again with 18 month olds Planning on a similar system, though I suspect they'll be awake for more of our mealtimes, so we might have to eat earlier and go back to our room earlier if they won't settle in the buggies. It won't stop me going for my week in the sunshine though

The plane is just something you get through-I found lots of snacks helped-lots of other people will have kids too and those that haven't will just be glad they haven't!

I like a routine so I understand. The time difference may help-I don't know what it is. Sometimes dh and I did stay in the room at night, but that's cos we were knackered and a bottle of wine on the balcony didn't seem a bad night!

I kept to the basic routine-eg 4 hourly intervals for food and same lenghth naps. Ds1 would have bits of bread to gum on whilst we ate, occasionally we'd have to tag team dinner, but mostly he'd be fine or asleep. I did stay in a hotel which had alarmed locked doors to the bedrooms and we used a baby listner for the room, but that was 10 years ago and I don't think many people would do thsat now-the fire risk was a stupid thing for me not to have thought of.

With the twins and 3 yrold ds1 we stuck to British self catering for a few years, but I look back on our days with just ds1 as freewheeling carefree time when we had brilliant times in Europe.

Carseats are problematic. With hire cars we booked one. The coach we took one with us in our hand luggage- I think you can get ones that blow up and convert from bags and stuff like that. However, lots of friends who use carseats here just have baby on their knee in taxis and so on when they're abroad....

take an extra blanket, make sure you have a lie flat blanket, and then when he wants to sleep he can sleep, you can put the blanket over the hood for darkness, then you can carry on as usual. We had quite a few spanish evenings sitting in a village, having a drink while the dts slept, and the older two played in the town square.

lie flat pushchair

We have a trunkii seat. It may have aimed at children slightly older than ds but as he could sit on his own for the car journey I figured it was safer than no seat. Ds1 carried all the things for keeping them occupied on the journey in it and took it on as hang luggage.
You can watch films on an ipad so great for a young child

The time difference will throw the routine out anyway.