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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Babys first holiday - Italy in April?

26 replies

Sesame2011 · 19/05/2025 16:48

Due to give birth in July and thinking about planning a holiday for next year. My partner and I really like the idea of Italy, thinking of going April time just before my mat leave finishes and when weather should be okay.

Baby would be around 9 months old. We like the idea of Italy to see some sights, do a good bit of walking (with a buggy), eat lots of pasta and ice cream.

I've been to Sorrento once as a child and my partner has never been to Italy.

So whereabouts in Italy do you recommend?

OP posts:
LIZS · 19/05/2025 17:28

You would need to go south for the weather, maybe Sicily?

Flowerrose1 · 19/05/2025 17:51

I would probably wait until baby arrives.. not being pessimistic but you never know how the baby is going to be.. currently have a 6month old myself and the majority of my mum friends have swapped their previous abroad plans to holidaying in the UK.. babies come with so much extra stuff!

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 19/05/2025 17:53

A nine month old baby is very hard work. They'll be weaning, crawling and teething.

Don't make any plans yet OP🤣

Olika · 19/05/2025 18:00

Personally I wouldn’t book anything yet but wait until the baby is here.

Liondoesntsleepatnight · 19/05/2025 18:23

avoid Easter, choose somewhere flats. Lido Di jesolo ?

Original poster
Sesame2011 · 19/05/2025 18:53

I'm not planning on booking anything for a while yet. Just wishfully thinking about our next holiday 😆

OP posts:
oncemoreuntothebeachdearfriends · 19/05/2025 18:57

I'm thinking somewhere flat as well, but perhaps not Norfolk in April.

PerfectPennyKilledMyHusband · 19/05/2025 19:01

We took our little one abroad at 5 months, 9 months and 14 months. 5 months was by far the easiest! Especially if you want to do lots of sightseeing and walking, easier with a baby who still sleeps a lot. Also easier as they are still just having milk. I'd go a few months earlier if I was you.

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 19/05/2025 19:38

Also easier as they are still just having milk (at five months)
I'd go a few months earlier if I was you

Yes, this is true. It's much easier before they're having solids.

Original poster
Sesame2011 · 19/05/2025 22:03

PerfectPennyKilledMyHusband · 19/05/2025 19:01

We took our little one abroad at 5 months, 9 months and 14 months. 5 months was by far the easiest! Especially if you want to do lots of sightseeing and walking, easier with a baby who still sleeps a lot. Also easier as they are still just having milk. I'd go a few months earlier if I was you.

Yeah I've thought about this too but baby would be 5/6 months in Dec/Jan and don't want to fly somewhere freezing. Also considering the Canaries in January but we both really fancy Italy so was posting to see what others think.

OP posts:
theresadinosaur · 19/05/2025 22:08

There’s a lot of negativity on this thread! We’ve taken our 2 year old abroad 5 times now, one long haul at 8 months. We had a ball! It’s not always easy and you do have to pack lots of extra stuff but I think swapping overseas holidays for uk based is completely unnecessary. We went to Tuscany when our child was 18months and travelled around for 2 weeks. Would highly recommend that.

ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 20/05/2025 20:11

Our first holiday abroad with DS when he was 2 was to Lake Garda. We went early September and stayed at a complex with holiday apartments and lodges and a gated pool. There were a lot of German families there who had driven down with children a similar age. A nice little holiday.

BethDuttonYeHaw · 20/05/2025 20:14

We took ours abroad for the first time each when they were ten months.

I breastfed so didn’t have the hassle of bottles and we went all inclusive which was awesome for baby led weaning.

I found it fine. Surprised at the negativity.

so many gorgeous places to go in Italy. I live Venice, sorrento, Verona and lake Garda.

reluctantbrit · 20/05/2025 20:54

We went abroad when DD was 8 months, family big birthday celebration and then at 9 months for 2 weeks UK holiday

Yes, she was on formula and solids. But we found that with a s/c cottage it was actually easy.
No issues with waiting for restaurants to open, no problems preparing bottles and food. She ate with us, we did baby led weaning so apart from some fruit pouches, she just ate normal meals.
The cottage had a washing machine, cot, highchair. It was totally easy.

Do your research, take it easy and don't think everything will work like at home.

We ate out a lot, took food with us for a picnic or fed her before having a meal ourselves. I think Miss "I don't like solids a lot" wolfed down my pasta dish and never looked back while we were on holiday.

I have seen families with babies in hotels, I think it depends a lot on the child. DD would have been a disaster, the couple of times we had to do an overnight stay meant we all hardly got any sleep, we didn't do hotels until she was 7.

VillaSearchByAbby · 23/05/2025 16:08

Agree with lots of others about mobile babies. Having had a fab holiday with a 5 month old, sitting on a mat in the shade, happy in the buggy etc! AND a very hard work holiday with a 9 month old crawler, hated being restrained in buggy, crawling all over a not very baby friendly holiday let etc.

Italy is a great choice, they are so child friendly. Love kids in restaurants etc

ZebraPrintt · 23/05/2025 17:14

For me id choose somewhere that isn't too hot

Daisydoesnt · 23/05/2025 17:20

I echo a PP, if you imagine yourselves eating ice cream in April in you really need to go south for reliably good weather. It would be very disappointing to have rain!

ginasevern · 23/05/2025 17:38

I think Sorrento would be a good shout. It's pretty flat (unless you want to get down to the sea but there aren't any beaches as such anyway) and the main bit is pedestrianised. Sorrento itself is historically interesting and you can easily get the train to Pompeii. Herculaneum is doable although there is a bit of a walk from the station there. You can also get the ferry over to Capri. I've done all of it, albeit with a toddler in a buggy. The weather will be variable and it won't be hot so eating ice cream in the sunshine may only happen on a few days. It should be warmer than the UK but not guaranteed.

Iona28 · 23/05/2025 17:41

As a mum to 3 much, much older kids , the baby stage was by far the easiest stage to travel and I did not have “easy” babies. In particular with your first as it’s just one baby!!!

Babyboomtastic · 23/05/2025 17:48

Having flown with a 6 week old, a 9 month old and then a toddler, I'd personally recommend going something like September as weather is still good and baby will be far easier!!

9m wasn't bad TBF, and we did have a good time, but we were more restricted in what we could do and when.

Most restrictive was with a toddler.

With a tiny baby we did what we wanted just with a baby in tow. As there got older their needs were more so encompassing and you just to chase them places (that happened from 6m etc my first).

Italy is great for families though

DappledThings · 23/05/2025 18:02

I think it's a perfect time to go. We took DC1 on his first holiday abroad at 8 months. Still very portable. Was at the stage of weaning where he'd try anything and it didn't matter if he didn't eat much. Was also still breastfeeding so didn't have to think about bottles.

OP I'd head to Sciliy.

TizerorFizz · 23/05/2025 18:12

@Sesame2011 You can have a relaxing holiday when it’s not too hot! We really enjoyed Sicily without the crowds in April. I’d go for it. Puglia is also good in April. Not a beach area but lots to do if you choose a good base. It’s a fantastic country and Italians like babies. I’d do an appartment.

We also went to Majorca in June when DD was 10 months. We don’t want beaches all the time though.

Radiatorvalves · 23/05/2025 18:15

If you want it to be warm I’d wait till June. We went to Amalfi in early May once and it was pretty stormy! Sicily would prob be my choice. Consider Sardinia too - but again I’d wait till June.

WaitingRoomBoredom · 23/05/2025 18:21

We went to Sicily in April with a six-month old and it was great. Took both pram and sling and timed sightseeing with nap times. I don't remember having masses of stuff - but we stayed in SC places so could wash everything.

EveningSpread · 23/05/2025 19:04

We’re in Italy right now for a month with our 6.5 month old. She is crawling, standing, and eating solids. We packed a portable high chair that clips onto the table, and made sure the airbnbs had travel cots available
to contain her. We’ve done boat trips, hikes, museums, art galleries. It’s been fine!

We’ve been in Liguria and Tuscany. But in April you would want to go further south for warmer weather. At 9 months yours might be mobile too so that’s something to consider. If we have known she’d be crawling and standing (wobbly) by now we’d have chosen somewhere with better beaches or suchlike so she could go free more. But if you have the kind of baby very happy to chill in a pram all day you’ll be fine.

Our baby was a screamer for the first couple of months and has always been quite high needs. We were expecting the worst, but it’s been better than we imagined. It’s almost better if you’re on the go as there’s so much stimulation!