The basics - what do we need to take/think of etc

monkeysmama · 2008-07-09T17:01:12+00:00

I've finally booked our summer holiday - 2 weeks in Italy in a lovely secluded house with a pool. DD will be 3 months by then and I am unsure: - what to take clothes wise (I never know what clothing is appropriate for what weather ) - what else we need? - what we need to think of before we go - is it ok to hire a car seat with the car or should we take our own?

merryandmad · 09/07/2008 20:01

Is there going to be a washing machine in the house? If so i wouldn't take loads of spares etc. If is is really warm she might only be in a vest or sun dress etc- though i might take some cardies for the evening- sorry never been to Italy- does it go cool in the evening or is it warm all night to?

Also I'd take enough nappies for a few days (no need to take two weeks worth). You will certainly be able to still buy nappies abroad and they are bulky for your case.
Have a nice time- they are suprisingly easy to take on hols at that age esp if breast feeding!!= Otherwise bottles, formula, sterilisers etc

SubRosa · 09/07/2008 22:34

Whereabouts in Italy is it? Northern Italy can be humid/cool in the evenings, especially in the Alto Adige area.

BirdyArms · 09/07/2008 22:41

For such a little one I would definitely take my own car seat. The seats that come with hire cars can be really ropy. Most airlines don't treat them as part of your baggage allowance.

tazmosis · 10/07/2008 22:37

Good quality sunscreen made for babies. Buggy with parasol or other sun blocker.
Sun hats.
Baby calpol in case she gets a temperature or anything wrong.
Cool but covering clothes.
vests for night time to sleep in.
If not BFing:
pre sterilised disposable bottles for when you are actually travelling (tommee tippee do good ones).
Don't worry about a steriliser you can boil the teats and you can also buy these bags that go into a special avent holder and collar so you can use your usual teats, so you don't need to sterilise the actual bottle.

WilfSell · 10/07/2008 22:37

remember to pack the baby

HolidaysQueen · 13/07/2008 21:48

If you substitute Italy for Mallorca, this is what we have just done with our 3 month old DS. It was fabulous - he loved it and was very happy, and it was so special for us to take our DS away - so I'm sure you'll have a great time. Also he got loads of attention and we got lots of help from strangers - everyone loves a teeny tiny baby

Here are my tips:

Take your own car seat. Those from car hire companies aren't the rear-facing ones so not suitable for a little one. Your airline should carry it for free.
Take a buggy. We have a Maclaren and it was great for him to have naps in the airport, and while we were out and about.
DS loved swimming but it was made much better by getting a Konfidence Babywarma (got it from eBay) which is a little wetsuit that kept him warm and toasty so he could last longer in the pool, and it was easier for us to keep hold of him
If it is warm your DD may well sleep a lot, so somewhere to put her when you are by the pool will be great (we borrowed a pop up Samosnite travel cot and it meant we could stay by the pool while he napped rather than having to sit by the villa listening out for him - this was also great on the beach as it kept the sand off him)
You can buy nappies there so just take enough for until you can get to a supermarket
Our DS lived in a vest or just his nappy most of the time (it was 26-30C most days). I also got some 'shorties' from M&S which were great and looked a little bit nicer for trips out than just vests. He slept just in a nappy most nights and was fine.
Feed your DD on take-off and landing so that her ears don't hurt.

Agree with all of what tazmosis says. And WilfSell

Travelling with DS was so much easier than we expected. They are really easy at this age as they are so portable and just love observing what is going on. I hope you have a fabulous time!

Original poster

monkeysmama · 15/07/2008 16:10

HolidaysQueen

Thanks very much for your message - particuarly the Babywarma info - I've had a look on line and have ordered one and some of the cute blinkies they have. She hasn't been swimming yet though I am planning to take her in the next few weeks so she's been a few times before we go on holiday.

Thanks again.

MM

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googgly · 15/07/2008 16:24

Mosquito repellent and a plug in mosquito killer (or buy from pharmacy in Italy (Farmacia) so you get the right plug with the tabs to put in it. Mossie net for buggie a good idea for such a little one too. I'm in Italy right now and it is absolutely boiling - kids sleeping in pants, and completely covered in horrid bites.

If she gets ill, tachipirina is the equivalent of calpol, supposte are the easiest thing to use (the ones you stick up their bottom). All the Farmacia shops have a doctor, so take her to one of those if any problem and they'll try to help.

Take a carseat. About 1/2 of Italians don't even bother using them at all.

Take also one of those good rubber rings with the double ring and seat. You can get them here but you might not find one late in the summer.

Those pop up sun tents are good too - bit expensive though. I used one on the beach with 4 month-old, lay down in it with him and breastfed him to sleep so I could have a bit of time with the older ones. Luckily my friend lent it too me so I didn't have to buy for just one holiday.

SqueakyPop · 15/07/2008 16:30

'the basics' is passport/money/credit card. Everything else can be acquired there.

Clothing - teeshirts/shorts; cool trousers/skirt/dress for the evening; something modest for visiting churches; good footwear if you are going to be doing a lot of walking.

For the baby - assume you are breastfeeding so no need to do anything in that department. Sling, loose clothing (UV suit would be great) and hat.

HolidaysQueen · 15/07/2008 17:30

Oh googgly is right - something for mossies is a must. There were a lot where we were and fortunately the cot in the villa was a travel cot so had mossie net type sides and there was also a mossie net for covering the top of the cot. I wouldn't have thought about it before and would have been really worried if the villa didn't have what we needed - it meant DS didn't get bitten at all which was a big relief (I got all the bites instead!)

MmeBovary · 15/07/2008 18:08

I took lavendar oil to repel mossies - couple of drops on the bedding or on her sleepsuit if we wheeled her out in the evening. Sachets of calpol. I wasn't bf so I took a couple of bottles and a tupperware container and sterilising tablets. you can stuff it full of other things so it doesn't actually take up much room. I've also had those steriliser bags you can use in the microwave.

Always bought a tub of nappisan in the supermarket so could stick clothes in to soak. Made things easier to handwash. I guess though with a house you have all mod cons?

I always find a couple of sarongs useful -for draping over buggy or parasol to make a little tent or when feeding, or covering bigger kids if they have a snooze.

Agree with the baby rubber ring.

Italians love babies though so I would be prepared for dd to get a lot of attention - I know it's not always welcome. Mine was always whisked off to look at fishtank/see the chef or something - maybe a good thing if you're trying have a nice meal out.

elmoandella · 15/07/2008 18:31

what type of milk does dc take? italy sell aptimel. over here its called milupa aptimel. over there they call it milupa.

just incase it's same would save you taking it. all supermarkets sell it.

they also sell pampers, wipes, cream. all your usual mince.

they also have special chemists that only sell baby stuff.

beware. if your in a village. everything. and i mean everything closes between 1pm till 4pm!

Original poster

monkeysmama · 15/07/2008 18:34

Thanks again for all the posts.

I've bought a mozzy net for the car seat and one for the carry cot too. Also have a pop thing for her to lay in which protects her from the sun that we plan to take.

I speak Italian & we chose it as our first holiday destination because of how kid friendly it is. Made me smile about kids being whisked off - my mum tells a story about that happening to me when I was tiny and it giving her the fright of her life.

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elmoandella · 15/07/2008 18:40

i discovered the other day that if you pay for a seat some airlines will allow you to take the infant carrier on board on a seat.

i wish i'd known this a few year ago whe you could get a seat for 1p. couldn't afford now its so much more expensive.

but strapping the baby to you for a 3.5 hr flight is a pain.

we used to put dc on those bf support pillows. then once we were up in the air i used to transfer the pillow with baby opnto a spare seat in the middle of us.

Original poster

monkeysmama · 16/07/2008 19:32

What are attitudes towards breastfeeding in public like?

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elmoandella · 16/07/2008 21:30

oh wow, thats an experience.

women come up with their toddlers to show them your baby feeding and stuff like that.

they have no shame.

oh and if they are talking about zeet zee's (not sure how you spell it, but it sounds like that)then they're talking about you breasts.

they're all for breastfeeding. but i found it difficult coz they were so intrusive. even if i had a shawl over me and baby they would come over and remove the shawl and flash the street you boob!

Original poster

monkeysmama · 16/07/2008 21:45

Thanks Elmoandella - I will be prepared for that!

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googgly · 17/07/2008 20:30

Everyone's completely comfortable with breastfeeding, but the advice can get a bit irritating. A waiter once refused to let me order something with broccoli in it, because he said that ds would get gas!! I mean, can you imagine a British man even thinking of something like that, let alone saying it??

googgly · 17/07/2008 20:30

Everyone's completely comfortable with breastfeeding, but the advice can get a bit irritating. A waiter once refused to let me order something with broccoli in it, because he said that ds would get gas!! I mean, can you imagine a British man even thinking of something like that, let alone saying it??

googgly · 17/07/2008 20:30

Everyone's completely comfortable with breastfeeding, but the advice can get a bit irritating. A waiter once refused to let me order something with broccoli in it, because he said that ds would get gas!! I mean, can you imagine a British man even thinking of something like that, let alone saying it??

googgly · 17/07/2008 20:44

sorry!

elmoandella · 17/07/2008 20:47

haha goggly.

it's crazy when your pg over there too. apparantly they're not allowed to talk about food in front of a pg lady. makes meal times fun. trying to engage them in chat about food is fun.

Original poster

monkeysmama · 18/07/2008 13:22

I love the broccoli story. That is so Italian.

When I still lived in Italy I saw my best friend rinsing the plates I'd just washed. When I asked what she was doing she went red and said she'd been told English people couldn't wash up. She then showed me her old English text book which suggested English people wash up with whale fat?!

I also remember preparing my breakfast one of the first mornings in a shared flat in Italy I'd just moved into. Suddenly I realised I was being watched. My 3 flatmates then explained they wanted to see What I ate for breakfast and if English people really ate fried breakfast every morning!

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