How do you go on holiday with a baby?

[Orangelover]

Ok fairly light hearted pondering here about travelling with babies. Due first baby in March and have been asked if we would like to join friends in a European country in August (they have a villa there) so baby would be between 4 and 5 months.

We’d kind of written off an abroad holiday this year until baby is older but it’s been a while since we’ve been away properly and my mind is thinking through the logistics.

How do you fly with pram/buggy? What about car seats/travel when you get there? Do you worry about baby being too hot? So many questions and likely to be hypothetical as I doubt we’ll accept.

I've always thought a package/AI type holiday would be easier for the early years but we’re likely to be invited to other trips like this and don’t want to turn everything down.

Thanks!

I’ve done trips at that age and if you’re breastfeeding it’s perfect as baby isn’t weaning yet and you don’t have to take anything food wise! I only bought a sling/carrier with me too and so packing was actually pretty light at that age! Drop any expectations about sitting on sun loungers reading books or socialising with friends though. You may have a really easy baby who can be put down on their own with a monitor but mine have always needed me there (and I was always so tired I’d fall asleep at 7pm with them anyway) 😅

You also may have a baby who hates a sling - DD was fine for the occassional trip like in the airport but as the only method? No way. And we tried several varieties of slings/carriers.

She was sleeping amazingly in her pram from 5 months onwards for 2 hours plus naps but never for bedtime.

We didn't do hotels until she was 7 years.

You dont need to bring any of these things. Just make sure you book taxis in advance with a car seat. They usually have that option. So maybe for the airport transfer book a taxi before you fly. Hotels have cots and high chairs and if you go to an airbnb just co sleep with baby and hold them to eat.. its obly for a few days anyways.
If you have a travel stroller you can take them on the plane with you. Bigger ones get checked in at the gate and you can wait when getting off the plane to receive it again.

I’m tempted to say “How do you go on holiday with a baby?” “You go on holiday with a baby”. But I know that is very unhelpful!

We travelled a lot with ours. We always checked a buggy in at the gate so it was ready for us when we arrived. And we co slept-so no need for a travel cot. We always took a seat that clamped to the table-you don’t want to spend a holiday with a baby on your lap. All in one sun suit- sun screening is a nightmare.

Traveled with mine (solo) from the age of about 5 months, it was great. Most villas will have a travel cot and high chair, if not consider getting your friends to pick on up or just send one over. Cheap buggy for plane, ideally in a buggy bag. More nappies than you suspect you’ll need - I was down to my last one after a five hour delay in Alicante airport once and all shops had closed 😭

It CAN be easy with a 4/5 month old if the baby is breast fed and happy in a sling and the accommodation provides cot. The baby won't be moving or eating solids that age so no need for a highchair or stair gates. I booked hire cars with car seats so didnt take that either and held DC on lap with a extender belt or bassinet seat.
If the baby is fussy - different picture!

Even then though, more people on hand, meals potentially provided, and pacing in nice weather beats cold drizzle. If baby's going to be grumpy, they'll be grumpy anywhere, so you may as well put yourself in a nicer place for it!

6wo that I took away was also colicky, bottle refusing, very much non cot baby. I paved the beach in the warmth, rather than the street outside my house.

To an extent it's what you make of it. Still a ton easier than a mobile baby/toddler though.

We have a stroller that folds into a bag pack. You can take this on the plane. You can also check in with baby items which are free of charge with most airlines. With TUI we could check in two items from a list for free.

If you are hiring a car some companies offer car seat hire too. Obviously you would need to check guidelines/safety on those.

I BF but if you plan on formula feeding depending on where you fly from you can order formula to a boots store in the terminal.

Mam bottles and some other brands are ‘self sterilising’ meaning you can do them in the microwave.

We take a small paddling pool. Handy for bathing in if you only have access to a shower.

You wanna bet?

Babies are super easy to travel with especially at that age. Ds1 we went to France aged 6 months, DS2 was 4 months to Spain flying, obvs with his older brother also. Totally depends on what sort of holiday as to what you need. Car seat might not be necessary. Travel cot probably will be. Buggy almost certainly.
Have a great time!

My DS is 14 but when he was a few months and was bottle fed we took microwave steriliser bags (much smaller than a full microwave steriliser) and for an apartment that didn't have a microwave we took a water steriliser bag that you hang from a tap, I seem to remember.
We took a tub of formula but I do seem to remember trying to take made up bottles for the plane and Liverpool Airport security made us open ALL of them. Maybe that has changed.
He was born overseas so the first time he flew was at a few weeks, after that it didn't seem a bother.

https://www.ocado.com/products/medela-quick-clean-micro-steam-bags/408922011?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21009201005&utm_content=non-brand&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21002163525&gbraid=0AAAAADi6iHlNxZkC3h5Fwi39LVcOK13P0&gclid=CjwKCAiAvaLLBhBFEiwAYCNTfw2GVpDSzQDFwyHIFZc0_LH8_4fi2LQkk8B5FUUC8ObBQMUdmzS0zhoCN54QAvD_BwE

This isn't what we had but it looks handy:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Milton-Steriliser-Microwave-Sterilisation-Microwaves/dp/B008PPRAKU/ref=asc_df_B008PPRAKU?mcid=e73db91fdede39cb85c68e03dbb097f6&th=1&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=696352643970&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=43225260926976427&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006854&hvtargid=pla-564768684223&hvocijid=43225260926976427-B008PPRAKU-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1

This isn't either but looks like a more clever version of what we did have as it will stand up on its own:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332659462480?chn=ps&_ul=GB&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&google_free_listing_action=view_item

We also used a combo of sling/buggy for the airport, we went to Paris by train and Nice on the plane before he was 1 (he was a great lump who couldn't get any power in his legs so he was not really crawling but we did have a bit of moving backwards under the sofa and getting hilariously stuck on the Nice holiday).

Some of these answers are ridiculous. You need a buggy, no other equipment (unless you're hiring a car then it's best to take your own car seat). You can buy travel bags to protect buggy and car seat and if you do take the car seat, chuck a load of nappies in the bag to pad it out and because nappies are usually more expensive abroad. Hotel will provide a travel cot and restaurants abroad actually have high chairs! Babies are easy and portable. We've travelled all over since our eldest was 10 weeks. All the holidays companies/airlines have FAQ pages about what equipment you can take. Why do people over complicate things?! And why do people stop doing ordinary things (like going on holiday) once they have a baby. Get a grip!

While I basically agree with you, in this instance the OP isn’t going to a hotel. It’s a villa shared with friends. There may or may not be a cot. But that’s the only thing I think they need.

We travelled abroad from when baby was about six weeks. We were staying at a family villa too. They managed to source a travel cot for us, but we could also have bought one on arrival if need be - bringing your own is a faff.
We didn’t bring a car seat. In short taxi rides you don’t need one, and you can hire one with a rental car (book in advance), though you can’t be choosy so you may prefer to bring your own. We brought a lightweight folding buggy that could lay flat, and a baby Bjorn. For my second child I did bring a bouncy chair (the kind they lay in and you gently bounce it - a lightweight thing that folds down). Also a collapsible booster chair that attached to a chair when they were old enough to sit up at the table. There wasn’t a high chair at the house and many cafés don’t have them.
Those sun protection suits, hats, high SPF cream. Swim nappies (plenty of regular nappies for sale but I couldn’t find swim nappies there).
Some airlines will let you keep baby in pushchair up until boarding and will give it to you as you disembark but not everywhere - some make you check it in as baggage. This was problematic for me in Barcelona as it is miles between gate and luggage pick up and my son wasn’t walking yet but weighed a ton and I was pregnant plus I had a biggish carry on with nappies, snacks, change of clothes etc. Nightmare (and no one offered to help).

Where did you holiday which had a baby/toddler menu ? This is what I'm currently looking for in Greece and really struggling. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place

@Rosequartzz we went to Daios Cove in Crete. In danger of being TMI (this is Mumsnet 😂) they were so accommodating that when my DD was constipated they puréed prunes to put on top of her Greek yogurt 😂 (it worked) we have an amazing video of getting room service, 1 year old DD in a high chair on the balcony giggling while a waiter says “and for the princess” while he put the dishes down 🥰

DH booked again last year as a surprise for my 40th. DD was 3 so we were able to eat dinner in the restaurants much more this time. When we went the first time I was totally bald as I’d just finished my treatment, when we returned my hair had grown back to just past chin length. Loads of the staff were the same as our first visit, and they brought me flowers on our first evening and said they were so happy to see us back with me looking so well 🥹 I burst into into tears! DH hadn’t said anything, they just recognised us.

Both bookings were via Scott Dunn.

Why do you need a toddler/baby menu? We went to Greece with a 9 month old, I took a few pouches and snacks but otherwise just gave her bits of our food. Will be doing the same this year with 18 month old, will just share our meals and get an extra side or two. Or go to a local shop to get fruit etc.

I breastfed so didn’t need to cart that equipment and took grandparents with us - so 4 adults to share the load

Just feed your toddler or baby bits of your own meals!

What sort of food are you looking for?

OP it’s not as hard as some are making out- but you do need to be organised.

• pram - they take it off you at gate, you get it back when getting off plane at other end
• you can often hire car seat, if not, it’s free to take as excess baggage
• fabric seat that attaches onto any chair to turn it into highchair (buy this anyway now as it’s useful to have and folds down v small)
• google portable travel cot or ask your friends if the villa hire ppl have a contact
• loads of wipes
• ideally take childs father to help carry stuff

we took DS to Greece age three months and he slept in the pram in restaurants at dinner time. Was a lovely break which we needed after that first hard quarter. (Just don’t expect a full break!)

This sounds amazing but I just looked up Scott Dunn and I'd need a third mortgage!

So easy at that age when you don’t have to even worry about feeding them! Just pack the buggy and a travel cot