Taking 8 month old on holiday - some advice wanted

[Jessicatmagnificat]

DH and I are taking DD for our first ever holiday together, in a cottage in Wales. I am really looking forward to the break, but am a bit nervous about how DD will react about being away from home. Normally, we have quite a strict routine for naps, bedtimes and meals, and I have found that this works well for us. But I am nervous about how we will be able to keep to our routine when on holiday, especially as we are staying with my in-laws, who might not want to keep to our normal routine.

Can more seasoned travellers advise how they found their babies adapted to strange cots, houses etc? Did your babies slot back into routine easily when you returned home? Should I even attempt to keep to a routine, or just let DD fall asleep when she feels like it?

Sorry if all this sounds like a bit of a fuss, but DD is a PFB and I am a nervous mum!

Take a sheet/blankets from her cot that she has slept with for a few nights so the strange cot will at least smell familiar.

You know dd better than we do. If she will sleep in the pushchair, then let her, if not, try and plan the day around her naps. It's annoying but it's not forever. If IL's don't like it, let them go off on their own. in a couple years she will not be napping anyway, I don't think it's much to ask for them to try and help out with it if she is a baby that needs it.

Your routine might be a bit wonky when you get home, but if you stick to it again, it should be back to normal after a couple weeks. Depends on your dd.

We took our DD to France with inlaws when she was 8 months and it was a bit stressful if I'm honest but try to stick roughly to her routines and it'll be better.

We put DD in the travel cot for the first time and she woke regulalry through the night but who's to say she wouldn't have woken at night at home. Perhaps start getting her used to a travel cot whilst at home first - let her play in it in the day.

We tried to be out with her in pushchair at nap time and she usually dozed off in that.

Meals were kept regular, although we did take her out with us in the evenings to restaurants until 10/11pm but she just played or drifted off on someone's knee/car seat.

I don't anywhere (apart from Center Parcs) seems like a 'proper' holiday until the children get to about 10, when you can leave them to their own devices a bit more but you can't never go on holiday again - just ask your in laws to help out as much as possible and to give you and DH a rest!

RELAX. its your holiday!

we took dd to scotland last year when she was 6 months, she stuck to her routine normally, but woke up a little bit earlier than normal.

We have just returned from a week in derbyshire, and we let her stay up a little later than normal, till about 8.30ish, but we made her have a late afternoon nap, at about 4.30pm, she still woke us up at 7am, and was a bit grouchy the next day, she wont sleep in a pram on an an evening, but maybe your little one will? .

I say, utilise your in laws and let them baby sit whilst you and dh go out.

My dd falls straight back in to a routine as normal as soon as we returned back to home.

Good luck and enjoy.

Thanks for this. I am determined to have a good time, but just worried that DD will not sleep well, and that won't be much of a holiday for anyone!

I have found with all 3 of my kids that getting them to nap in a stange cot was a bit tricky.. we found it much easier to coincide a trip out in the car with nap times or a walk in the pushchair worked with 2 of them!