Travelling with my 8/9 month old - please help.

[LethargicButAwesome]

We are travelling to turkey as a family, we have a 7 year old and what will be an almost 9 month year old in June. It is an all inclusive resort with lots of time spent by pool and beach….i have never travelled with such a young baby before, please help. What do I need to make my stay easy and enjoyable, please share your thoughts …even the most basic. We will be there for 5 days.

something I have in mind are;

• swim vest?
• beach Awim nappies?
• lots of my own baby food?
• calpol
• sun cap
• what kind of swimwear is best?

we are very much a rock up and see how it goes couple and in the past just buy things then and there when we need them….but with a baby am a little stressed about how to keep him safe, happy and still enjoy the holiday.

please help!

Other things that come to mind are -

• those baby fruit pouches (if it's hot, baby will probs want cold food and those might be good for a pick-me-up)
• sun cream Factor 50
• a comfy pram with sun umbrella so baby can rest and sleep.
• a light blanket for comfort while sleeping in pram
• one of these fans... they can be attached to your pram or wherever baby is sitting/napping Pram fan
• calpol and ibuprofen!!!

Not what you’re asking but I’d say: don’t expect too much in terms of it being easy and relaxing etc. I remember feeling a bit cheated when I was on holidays and still got woken up all the time, and maybe more as my DS was more unsettled not in his usual environment/routine. We did have a great holiday and lots of fun - lazy days by the pool - but I just realised I’d had unrealistic expectations.

in terms of stuff: gro blackout curtains were great for nap time. Some meds for potential tummy upset (due to heat or different drinking water etc). Wide brim UV50 sun hat. UV 50 swim top and trunks (worked better than sunscreen for us, meant we only had to do arms, legs, face and neck)

UV swimwear! You don’t want her to have a heatstroke. Keep out of midday sun.
take a swim ring, 50 suncream for kids, some thing for diarrhoea and snacks and fruit purees.
take your own wipes and nappies as you might not get the brand you want/need. My DC2 had diarrhoea for days on his first holiday abroad, so it was rather challenging.

Second that you need a pram that goes flat and travels easily and maybe get a snooze shade too. Big muslins are good to cover too, but snooze shade also protects from insects.

Have you seen the political unrest there ATM OP? Personally I wouldn't choose to go to Turkey right now with young children when everything is so volatile.

Calm down. I’m like you: rock up and go. You only need the things you usually need for your baby. There’s nothing special because you’re going abroad. Assuming they can’t swim I wouldn’t bother with a swim vest but second UV swimwear. Calpol also a good shout. What are you doing about: car seat, cot, pushchair? I would probably use a hotel cot but take your own bedding. Babies exist all over the world so you can always pick up the things you need (eg nappies). Have fun!

Thanks everyone our pram does not fold flat, i live it but it’s big and bulky was thinking of taking with us….he will be a bit small to comfortably sit in a stroller. Should I sick it up and get a stroller?

I would buy a cheap stroller of some kind... and deffo get the fan. Nothing worse than a hot baby that can't catch their sleep for a nap. That fan I sent a link to is fab. My sister recommended it after an abroad holiday and it was a godsend for our holiday too.

Thanks - lots to think about! Does it not get too hot with a Muslin?

Deffo don't cover the pram over with a muslin to create shade. Baby will get far too hot and it could be dangerous.