Holiday advice

[srsuper]

Hi everyone, this is my first post so really hoping to get some replies! Am lucky to be going to Greece next week with my 7 month and was wondering whether you think it will be realistic for her to sleep in the buggy while we go out for dinner? Has anyone successfully managed it? Or should I be managing expectations and planning dinner in the apartment! Any travelling tips would be most welcome. Thank you!

Hi. We managed it when our son was 8 months old - put him to 'bed' in the buggy then walked (while looking at menus) until he feel asleep, then go for a meal. When we got back to the apartment, the tricky bit, lifting him into his cot without waking him - didn't always work. It was fab being able to eat out again. We did it again when he was about 15 months old, but it was harder, and after that we had 2 so no chance. I think it helped that he was always a good sleeper at night, but not a big day time sleeper.

Yes, definitely that should be possible. You may find that she sleeps more in the heat, so you will be able to enjoy your evenings out while she sleeps.

Have a great holiday!

thanks - thats reassuring! getting excited now!

Make the most of going away when he's 7months.It is easy compared to toddler holidays.Definitely possible to sleep in buggy at dinner.I took mine on holiday at 7months.Greece will be hot so don't worry about taking loads of clothes.At that age mine just wore babygros in the day and went in a light grobag at night.Take a good hat.Just come back from a sunny beach holiday and it was really useful taking a massive sarong to cover the pushchair or use as a beach shade.Have a lovely holiday!

Just to say something different: We had a child where it was impossible. We tried and it just didn't work. If she would fall asleep she would just wake up again half an hour later and then it was hell.

Try it but be flexible if it doesn't work.

We found that lunch was better, so we enjoyed that and had a peaceful evening in the villa.

We were treated to a cruise when ds was 6 months old, and my sister's son was 9 months old. We were booked on the 8pm formal dinner setting every night. Most nights the two boys happily slept in their prams, but occassionally my sister was late as her boy, being slightly older, might be too interested in the world to be asleep by then! This then impacted on knowing that mine would wake up about 10pm for a feed and I did not want to breastfeed at the dining table! (with retrospect I probably should have).
Hopefully your holiday will be a bit more flexible, and you only have to meet your close family's expectations.
Not sure it would have worked with dd though, she never settled brilliantly in the pram/pushchair. By then we wouldn't have been eating out in the evenings anyway due to ds being a toddler (and me being shattered) so we'll never know!

Thanks - great to hear all your experiences. I guess we have to be flexible. She is normally a great sleeper but is also about as nosy as they come, so sleep in a Greek Taverna might not be so appealing! Will just be nice to see some proper sunshine...

We went on holiday with 5mo dd, some nights she slept in the pram throughout the meal, some she didn't and some she woke up half way through. My advice is lots of walking in the pram before settling to eat, don't expect the sleep, take things for dc to play with, take a comforter of some sort and a thin blanket to drape over the pushchair to prevent any light from waking dc up. Have fun.

We went to Italy when dd was 6 months. It worked about half the time. We would get her in pjs then stroll, go for a drink and see how the land lied Do some lovely dinners out some nights, and takeaway pizza and limoncello on the balcony the others. Was lovely. She liked a bread stick to chew on as I recall.

thanks everyone

I would recommend taking clothes pegs! We pegged beach towel around buggy- DD then 6 months slept all through dinner (and a bar or two!) You can get sleep shade thingymebobs but beach towel was total black out and we could still peek on her easily! The following year we realised we have a party animal for a daughter! She joined in our fun every night and stayed up dancing until at least 10.30. She lay in until 10 in the morning and had a long afternoon nap (cue grown up lunch.) It was bloody brilliant! Everyone is right about being flexible though- goodness knows what she'll do this year

I found in Greece and Menorca that the old mums n grannies if the owners of restaurants were always happy to take ds for a cudde if he woke up during our meal - he loved all the attention!!