Majorca - 11 month old - Half Board - is this a mistake?

[Mollydolly]

Just after giving birth to dd2 in June last year (I was hormonal!!) we booked a superfamily holiday for May this year in Majorca. We decided on Half Board as DH thought Self Catering wouldn;'t be much of a break for me. However, I am now stressing over how I'm going to clean dd2's bottles (No kitchen in HB accom.) whether she will eat the food on offer (she is a good eater but only just started on lumpy stuff at 8 months) and whether she will dring enough fluid (not a big water of juice drinker) Seriously contemplating cancelling - any top tips/ reassuring words from seasoned travellers with babies?

• You can wash bottles in a bathroom.
• If you want to sterilise them you can use a tupperware tub plus tablets
• You can always buy babyfood there if our DD proves difficult to feed
• She'll be fine fluid wise if you keep up with her milk

I took DD2 to Italy when she was 3 months old and it was fine, i took a small kettle in my case so i could boil water, she was breastfed at the time but i had to leave bottles of EBM for my mum (luckily we had a fridge). I used this water to sterlise the bottles.

you can buy travel sterilising packs. but tbh - I'd just use a kettle. does she like fuit? bananas or grapes or plums? they'd be full of fluid and keep her full. plus she will up her milk intake if she doesn't like the food.

Thanks all for the tips - feel a bit silly now as you all make it sound easy!! Probably stressing over nothing. I only gave up breastfeeding a month ago -seriously wishing I'd carried on now! How much easier would it have been. Does anyone know if SMA can be bought in Majorca? Or will I need to take my own? Don't think I'll bother sterilising as long as I can boil water and wash bottles thoroughly. Has anyone used one of those little dome tents which are UVA repellant? Worth the money or not?

The tents do get a little stuffy and are, IMO, better for babies who aren't mobile because they just sit in the middle and stay put although they're good for your baby to sleep in too (make suer you get the ventilation right though). They're also good for older children who like to play in them though - keeps them out of the sun for a bit - and are quite nice for "staking your territory" on the beach IYSWIM.

BTW - I've sterilised bottles/teats before by filling the bottle with water, dissolving half a tablet in it, tipping some into the upside down teat and inserting the teat upside down into the bottle neck so the little hole is completeley submersed. I figured this little hole was the most likely place to harbour bacteria. All you need to take are the tablets.

Take some disposable bottles, they weigh nothing if you can find space in your case.

*take a small travel kettle.
*SMA is known as Nutraben in Spain - you will have to buy it at a Chemist. (Or take it with you - I found the cartons handy in hand luggage on the plane)
*I was worried my DD wouldn't drink enough - she drank more milk and suprised us all by eating all the fruit she could lay her hands on!
*UV tent not essential, UV swimsuit a good idea and a shade for the buggy.
*Do get a good supply of PRODERM suncream - factor 30 or 60 and one application lasts hours!

Nappies - take enough for a couple of days and buy some when you are there - too bulky to carry in suitcase IMO.

I abandoned washable nappies whilst on holiday!

MD - it'll be fine!! At 10 months you don't even need to sterilise! Just wash the bottles in soapy water. If you really want to, you can use tablets or you can just boil them in a pan of water (I did it that way when we took ds2 at 6 months).

Food wise - you should be able to get everything she normally eats - fruit is obviously available and if you want jars you can buy those there. You can get bread to make her sandwiches or toast, you can buy yoghurts...

Honestly - it's going to be no problem.

I took all the milk I needed too - enough for a week - just took it in hand luggage.

Also, May will not be scorching ime - it will be lovely but not overbearing. We are going to Majorca in May too with our 5, 3 and 1 yr old.

Hallo, just saw your message. we went with ds1 when 10 months to Ibiza half board. It was absolutely fine. In my experience, most Hb hotels in Spain have microwaves in the dining room which is really helpful if you need to heat up a bottle/jar. They always have high chairs and they'll make a big fuss of the baby. We were worried but had no need. If its superfamily they usually have sterilisers for rent if you really need one. Otherwise I discovered these brilliant sterilising bags in mothercare where you just add water, pop in the things and hang the bag up for 1/2 hour. But at 10 months you shouldnt need it. You could ring ahead to see if they have microwaves in dining room and take those microwavable steriliser bags (they're brilliant). Lindam I think. You'll have a great time. Dont cancel!!! Were going away in May too with 11mth old and 3.5 year old. cant wait!! Good luck and stop worrying! You just have to think ... Spaniards have babies too!!!