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Original poster

Booking accommodation while travelling with a newborn

10 replies

dmuk · 04/02/2015 22:29

Baby will be around 5 months old. What do you need to consider when looking for accommodation? What is the protocol?

Do B&Bs and small village hotels have issues with babies?

I have never considered it but would imagine guests looking for a quiet weekend away wouldn't be too impressed by a crying baby during the middle of the night.

We are looking at booking a few nights at a B&B and want to make sure they don't turn us away when we rock up.

OP posts:

pasbeaucoupdegendarme · 04/02/2015 22:38

Most will say on their websites if they do/don't accommodate babies and small children. Anyway, the easiest thing is just to mention when you book - ask if it's ok to bring baby (and mention age) and ask if they have a cot or if you should take your own. If they know and agree they can't turn you away!

mummymeister · 05/02/2015 15:36

so, in my experience it isn't the place that is booking that has the issues or the other guests but me/you with the crying baby! I found it so stressful when they were really young that I am sure that they cried more at night than at home because they picked up on this. anyway didn't go away with DC2 and 3 until they were over a year and sleeping through. it might be best if your baby isn't born yet to wait and see what they are like before booking anything. when you do just say how old etc.

Heels99 · 05/02/2015 15:41

To be honest, self catering is a lot easier with a new born. It is nice to be able to make yourself a snack, watch tv without waking baby etc rather than all be in one room all evening. I am not seeing the advantages of a B and B? And yes, it may be stressful trying not to wake other guests

katandkits · 05/02/2015 15:44

Self catering all the way with babies and toddlers, so much easier.

LoblollyBoy · 05/02/2015 15:54

You have to call them. Hotel websites give far more information about their attitude to dogs than their attitude to babies in my experience. But many do have a cot.

Spindelina · 05/02/2015 16:01

We used university halls a few times when DD was very small - though you definitely have to bring your own cot for that. We got one of those very lightweight pop up things that are great for the first few months. There's something about halls that means we felt less bad about making a bit of noise - my perception is that people wouldn't expect it to be perfectly quiet like they would a B&B. DD wasn't very noisy though - bit of crying fixed with BF every few hours. I might have felt differently if she had howled for hours.

Otherwise, I second the idea of self catering, if you can get it.

Madcats · 05/02/2015 20:39

5 months is quite young (i.e. there is a fighting chance that the baby is getting hungry/ready to wean and/or teething).

I was going to say that it wasn't something that I would do, but then I remembered that we'd taken DD aged 3 months to a company "family" conference (I think we were in a wing of families with kids) then we overnighted in a London 4 star at 6 months. Yes, definitely warn them (don't just pitch up with a travel cot and hope for the best). We were lucky that DD is either "active" or "asleep" with no interim grumpiness, but I was well prepared to get a sling or pram out and walk and walk and walk....You can't predict whether your baby will be cute or "hellish".

If I take my older DD to a place that advertises its family-friendly credentials, then we assume that there will be kids crying and always take a radio with us.

Based on a very unscientific sample of my friends, the grumpy newborns became a (bit less) grumpy toddlers and normalised at about 6 or 7. My default would be to suggest that you do self catering, but if you have that dream baby (or are planning to spend £ to go somewhere advertised as family friendly) you can go risk going somewhere you would have liked.

pasbeaucoupdegendarme · 05/02/2015 21:06

We did b&b for a couple of nights when dd was 5mo, so it can be done I was bf though which made things easier as no bottles or anything to faff with. If baby hasn't arrived yet it might be worth waiting to see what he/she is like!!

rallytog1 · 05/02/2015 21:33

Pre dcs, self catering was my idea of hell. Now I wouldn't go on holiday unless it was sc! I think you'll find it much more relaxing as you'll be able to have everything on tap for you and Baby, and won't be worrying about disturbing other people the whole time. You also won't be running to someone else's schedule for meals etc.

PatriciaHolm · 05/02/2015 22:13

We did plenty of B&Bs & hotels with small babies, including Paris & the Caribbean. Just ring them to ask whether they have a cot, if its not obvious on the website.

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