taking 2 kids to Majorca for a fortnight - what do we really need to take?

[SpanishFly]

First time we've been abroad with both kids, ds1 is 7yo and ds2 will be 19mo.
Since we'll have a hyper ds1 and a buggy with ds2 in it, we're trying to be sensible so we don't have too many suitcases/bags to worry about in addition to dealing with them.
How many outfits is sensible to take? I've bought travel wash, so I'm happy ti do a couple of handwashes while we're there.
Nappies? I've heard they're v v expensive there, but presumably still cheaper than paying excess baggage to take our own?!?
I have a couple of reusable swim nappies but will take some disposable ones too.
Is it worth taking a sun shade/canopy (the beach tent kind )?
Any advice re travelling with 2 kids would be most welcome!
Thanks, all x

Pampers (called Dodot in Spain) and Huggies are around ?12 for a larger pack, so more expensive than here. But if you have a Mercadona supermarket near you, their own brand nappies are fantastic and very cheap, as are their baby wipes.

Sunscreen is pretty cheap - own brand in Supersol and Mercadona and, oddly, the Ambre Solaire and Nivea ranges are much cheaper there too.

I'd buy a sunshade when you're there - you can pick them up for around ?5.

How long are you going for? If it's a week I'd take clothes for 10 days to make allowances for disasters, though I imagine you'll be poolside/beach most of the time so not a great deal needed.

I absolutely recommend that you go to a pharmacy (not a parapharmacia) and buy some Fenistil (little roll on or tube of the gel) for the inevitable mosquito bites. It is brilliant at soothing and getting rid of the itches. Also, in the chemists you can buy little citronella patches to stick on the bedheads/sides of cot which really work at keeping them away at night time too.

Great advice, thanks! Re the nappies, I think we'll just take 10 with us and buy any brand when we get there, as you suggested.
Sunshades for ?5? Are they the parasol ones? It's the beach shelter/tent I'd like, as my sons are very pale-skinned and it means there's a big area of shade where they could play out of the sun.
Suncream isn't a problem as I'll be taking loads - I get it on prescription. I've already bought plug -in mosquito things but will buy the patches if they're no use or if they run out. But thanks so much for the name of a good remedy - the bites are so horrible, so it's good to know the name of a good one.
PS going for a fortnight. I just know that we ALWAYS take too many clothes and shoes

Just take 5outfits and wash, they will dry in an hour or two.

So you have ds2 in pram and your moderate shoulder bag with changing stuff and snacks.

DH has a wheeled case or bag within the weight limits of the airline.

Ds1 has a carry on wheeled case with games/toys/change of clothes.

Run the ds's to wear them out before the flight, I would also take a ring sling large scarf as ds2 will be on your lap and in the scarf will relieve your arms as he will Fx'd sleep most of the way.

I like your theory, MNP, but unfortunately ds2 never ever ever sleeps anywhere except his cot :). He has only fallen asleep in the car twice in 18m and never in his pram, even as a baby! Bizarre.
Oh, and he's nowhere near walking yet so I'm fairly sure he won't be walking yet when we go, so no running around before the flight! But good idea - we'll hold his hands and make him walk around to tire him out, hopefully.

The plug in insect killing things are good in your rooms.

I took travel wash with DH and I last year and did underwear and socks, facecloths etc and could have washed anything else that got spills on. I always washed DS' clothes on holiday when he was little.

It helps if you make a list of the DS' clothes and take stuff that will mix and match, if they need to change top or shorts everything will match. If you're on the beach, DS2 won't get through as many disposables if you are using cloth swim nappies (unless he poos.)

You can buy the pop up tents at a lot of the beach stalls, and also if you can get to an El Cortes or Hipercor in either of those.

From experience (we've recently returned from Southern Spain after living there for 8 years...) the Raid plug ins are by far the best and really do work. YOu need to plug them in about half an hour before bed and make sure the windows/doors are shut, but they're really effective. I used the patches as well as the plug ins for DD3 and she had the grand total of 5 bites in 2½ years, so I reckon they work!

The flight time is so short, but for DD3 each time we flew between here and Spain (twice monthly) I loaded up my iPod with crap tv and films for her and took tiny pots of snacks so there's a variety. 99p stores do perfect sized ones. DD3 rarely slept on the flights after she was about 6m. If you're lucky and the flight isn't full (ask at check in), I would suggest that when you get on/check in you plonk DS1 by the window, you on the aisle seat and DH on the other aisle. IME it is rarer than a rare thing that anyone will want to sit in between you and DS1 , which will leave you with a spare seat after the seatbelt sign is off for you to put DS2 on during the bulk of the flight.

I would take more than 10 nappies with you though - you just never know what delay you might have/crap fest/can't get to the shops as soon as you're there sort of thing. Better to take double imo; I always did and I was travelling from home to home.

You can take drinks through security for DS2 BTW, just make sure they're already in his bottles/sippy cups. You will have to taste half of them, but it means you'll not have to buy more airside at silly prices.

Lots of crawling then.

Re mozzies we use Aon skin so soft with good results. Have moved to it from tropical strength DEET with few bug bites put on twice a day.