Advice Required - taking 4month old abroad to Spain!

[84Stephy]

Hi, I have the change of going on holiday end of July- Aug with my husband and my little boy. Being on Mat leave I never thought we would get away but my mum is offering to pay a lot of it & of course she will be coming too! I couldn't go without her to be honest!

So how do we do it? What do we need to take I.e bottles, formula, steriliser, nappies, pram, sleeping cot etc.

Also how does it work with a pram/buggy & a car seat abroad? If your getting a taxi to/from the airport or even out 1night do you need to take both section for the wheels? Seems so much!

Any help or advice would be much appreciated, as I haven't a clue and need to work out what we are doing ASAP b4 we book the holiday!

Thanks Steph

Well you don't need to bring a cot - stay somewhere that supplied one! Just bring enough nappies/formula for the first day or two (they have babies in Spain - you'll be able to get all that there). I'd just bring as light a buggy as you can - and bring a sling/carrier . I can't remember what we did about a car seat...

What you will need to take will depend on where you are staying .
With a baby I suggest self catering rather than a hotel as it's easier for bottles etc and you aren't all sitting in the dark in one room trying not to wake the baby.
Nappies and formula are easily available in large supermarkets as are most other things
We have been taking ours to Spain since that age and it was great

We are staying in a self catering apartment. Yes defo need the kitchen etc.

So what did you do about a car seat and vehicles like taxis or bus transfers. Don't have a clue and not sure what is legal! Thanks

Check and see if there's a microwave and take a microwave steriliser. You can get everything else you need there so just take enough for the first day or two though I did take the milk as was worried the brand we used wouldn't be there. We took car seats with us for the lengthier journeys to and from where we were staying and didn't really use taxis day to day, rather buses where they just stay in the buggy anyway.

I would always use a car seat for travelling by taxi. I wouldn't travel with a tiny baby loose in a car in this country, so I wouldn't do it on holiday either.
I know in some European countries it is illegal to travel without a car seat even in a taxi (here it is allowed), but not sure about Spain specifically.

In a coach or bus, you are generally not required to have a car seat, and it is safer than being without one in a taxi, because buses are so much bigger than cars - that means that the forces acting on you in the event of a collision will be different.

To be honest, if it was me I would pick my destination carefully so that I wouldn't have long transfers and I could walk to restaurants/the beach etc.

We went to Malta when DS was 4 months. We ordered formula on line at boots and picked it up airside at the airport. We used MAM bottles that self sterilise in the microwave so just made sure our accommodation had one. Took sleepyhead for him to sleep in. Had a cheap stroller from Aldi that laid flat and took our car seat (most airlines will allow you to take a car seat and stroller for free). Took nappies with us.

You take a car seat. You also take a buggy. You could take a travel cot but most places will be able to provide one.
If you're flying on easyjet you can take two out of three of the above for free. They get checked in so you will have to carry your baby to baggage reclaim at the other end (or take a sling).
Instead of taking a bulky steriliser you could get sterilisation tablets which can be used in a bucket or failing that a kitchen sink.
Either rent a car or go somewhere that has restaurants in walking distance. When we went to Portugal with a baby we got him to sleep in his buggy then went out to dinner, it worked quite well.

If you're getting a bus transfer I doubt you'd be able to strap a car seat in so guess people just hold their babies (?). If you're organising a private transfer/taxi you should be able to get one with a baby car seat if you don't want to take your own, but of course you can't rely on the quality. I def did some short taxi journeys in portugal just holding the baby but you wouldn't want to do any length of time like that.

I brought my buggy (lie flat one), used microwave steriliser bags, brought my own formula, brought my own swim nappies but bought nappies, wipes when I was away and we used a travel cot provided by the hotel/apartment complex.

I didn't bring a car seat, used the bus transfer to and from airport and stayed in a resort close to restaurants etc so didn't use any transport after arrival.

Im just back from spain all spainish coaches have seat belts it is law folk were strapping carseats on the transfer bus take your carseat