Is viable to take a 10 month old baby on holiday and still enjoy it?

[RNW]

Hello,
looking for a bit of advice really-my husband and I were thinking of taking advantage of going on holiday out of season, with our baby in January. Somewhere in Europe, possibly a nice hotel for the week.
Being novices at this type of thing, we've started to think about the logistics in great detail and were wondering-

1. If you have a hotel room and you are sharing it with a baby, does that mean you are stuck in for the night? What can you actually do in the evenings?
2. Is it feasible to get the baby ready for bed, stick it in a pram and then head out for dinner etc?
3. Would we be better off renting an apartment, so that she could potentially have her own room?

All replies gratefully received

I think at 10 monhts you're better off with self catering properties. That way you can give your child milk, pureed food, whatever they need on your own terms. Also, in a self catering place you can put your baby to bed just like at home while you settle down to a nice dinner/bottle of wine. If you want to go out in the evenings, you could try to put her in a buggy if you think she'll sleep once you've fed/bathed her. Alternatively, some self catering places do offer babysitting. Try www.totstotravel.co.uk - some of their properties have babysitters.

Thank you, I'll have a good look now.

Agree re self catering beng the way to go - there is nothing worse than being trapped in a hotel room tiptoeing round in the dark so as not to wake the sleeping baby. Unless you can get adjoining rooms/mini-suite thing in a hotel.
Re Q2 - yes, we've taken the DCs out to restaurants ready for bed and in their prams with the assumption we can get back to the apartment and get them into their cots without them waking - doesn't always work

hi yes definitely self catering. then you can enjoy the evenings. personally i wouldnt head off with baby in pram in the evenings but up to you- you know your baby. butis a good age to go as still lots of daytime naps (assume at least 2?) so you can do lotsof reading of books/ whatever else takes your fancy! we try to eat main meal out at lunchtime (early before their sleep) then have a casual light tea with lots of wine in the evenings! take cards/ books and then you will have a fab time!

I took my daughter 11 months on holiday, and although the first few days were a bit stressful we all soon got into a new routine. 100% go for apartment so you can prepare food/milk etc. We thought our DD would go in her pram as usual after milk and sleep while we enjoyed an evening out, didnt happen for us!! but it was fine she woke and joined us for dinner in the evening..picking at bread/raisens etc then fell asleep when we did at the hotel later. On the plus side she slept for long periods in the day so DH and I got to chill by the pool in the sun. On the negative side I would have loved for me and DH to enjoy an evening or 2 while she slept. It was a great time though and we have precious memories of our first hol together.....enjoy! my advice would be to forget routine just relax and enjoy yourself!!

Thank you, I'm starting to feel more positive and excited now. Just need to decide where to go!

I would definitely go self-catering. We have been away three times with 21mo DS in the last year, staying in caravans (we are too broke to go abroad) and it was great. You save a lot of money self-catering because you can do your own meals. In the evening we ate our dinner, drank wine, read, played cards and watched TV.

I think being in a hotel room with a baby would be hellish!

Did self-catering and one night in hotel when dd was 9 months. Both were great, though whole thing more fun because we went with another couple and their kids so we could take turns with cooking, shopping etc whilst self-catering.

We went in summer and spent the hotel night on the balcony having a drink with friends whilst dd slept in our room. I wouldn't begin to try and have a holiday whilst sticking to a strict bedtime routine, tbh. Dd slept when she felt like it, went out for dinner in pram etc etc.

tbh, I think a really nice hotel room would be fine. It would be a bit grim being stuck in a crap one with a baby. But ditto self-catering really. Where are you thinking of going?

I have no real idea of where we are going-open to all possibilities really. Ideally no longer than a 4 hour flight away maximum. We want to go in January or February, so slightly limited by the weather, although we are not fussed about it being really hot.

I know friends who've had a lovely time (with baby) in Menorca, haven't been myself though.

We went to Lanzarote in Feb when DS was 10mths and had a nice time, at that age we were still able to do fairly relaxed lunches whilst he had a snooze. The weather was warm, but not hideously hot.

Another vote for self catering, I found DS dreadfully snuffly and keen to wake up at that age, a separate bedroom is a definite plus.

Tenerife was fab, and nice weather all year. We stayed in costa Adeje but found it too far from main towns. We hired a car and spent every night in Playa de las Americas, there is the pubby/clubby part but there is a really nice part with great shops.restaraunts.bars our DD loved the dancing fountain!! the flight time is about 4.5hours.

Taken dd away 7 times (8 next week!!) she is 23 months, variety of self catering holiday cottages in cornwall, centre parcs, caravan and several times abroad. Went last dec when she was 11 months, all inclusive so huge variety of food for her. At that age she would have a sleep before lunch in the buggy, short nap in the afternoon, late dinner 6.30pm, milk about 7.30pm, sleep in buggy we would go back to our room about 9.30pmish.

Routine has been key for us but for the sake of a week we were quite happy to relax it a bit.

Found having her sleep in same room no trouble, she was nearly sleeping through by 11 months (still like a dream feed from me about 11pm) you get up early with kids anyway so should be a breeze!!!

Forgot to say it's Fuet or Lanzarote we go to as nice and breezy without being too hot/intense for nice walks whilst little one sleeping in the buggy!!!

We went on holiday when she was 4 months and 15 months, we loved both holidays and so did she.

We had hotel rooms that were more like appartments but she was in our room. Having a place with separate living and sleeping space is useful, we often have to stay in London and it's difficult when she's gone to bed because the lights are off and we can't go anywhere - I've gone out to the cinema and left him in the room though

Nothing wrong with getting a kid ready for bed before going out.

We took ds away for the first time when he was 11 months, just starting to cruise around furniturw. It was a bit scary for the first few days - had visions of him falling over balcony or cracking head on tile floor.

I could have written deckthehalls post - we thought exactly the same - get him ready for bed and he'll sleep in his pram - aye right!! TBH he just sat in his high chair and picked at our dinners - steak, lamb chops, pizza the lot!!

We went to Lanzarote, it was April and lovely - 26-29 most days but a nice breeze. We stayed in the Rubicon Aparthotel - I couldnt recommend it highly enough. Indoor and outdoor pools (one baby one) indoor play soft play room, small park (not alton towers but great for a tot), we had bed and breakfast, all the benifits of a hotel, but on in an apartment so we had a separate bedroom. Its in a lovely new development, the marina, which is 20 mins from Playa Blanca - no piss heads/lucky lucky men or stag parties, just lots of familes with babies. Some lovely restuarants that we all very welcoming of ds, most nights the waiters would give him lollies/sweets/wafers/ice cream. It realy was fab!

We took DS away for the first time at 4 months to a hotel in tunisia - if you can book a suite so you get extra room, can have your lights on if baby sleeping and reduced baby snores at night.
Was fab because he would be taken down to dinner in pjs and grobag in buggy when asleep so we could have a lovely meal without having to cook and then would have a few drinks in bar or balcony in room.

Went self-catering in canada when he was 9 months - the good things are that you have more room and can prepare foods for baby, but generally found it less relaxing as we ended up eating in most nights = cooking!, and had to plan meals ahead.
Now tend to go for hotels with large rooms / suites, try www.babygoes2.co.uk
or www.takethefamily.co.uk for good discount codes!

We've always gone away with both our children, self-catering is easier, but hotels are OK - we always go for a room with a balcony and sea view, so we can sit outside while the children sleep, and alternate nights go for walks with them in the buggy. If they have a late night they make up for it the next day, although I find that going out every night is a recipe for meltdown, so that's why we do the alternate nights.

At 10mths, you could probably cater for them in a hotel room - breakfast with you in the hotel, share a sandwich/pizza a lunchtime, then we always buy yoghurts, bananas, cheese spread and bread and make tea with that. A few days without proper cooked dinners doesn't hurt, and if you are worried you can always buy a meal at lunchtime. Also, when our son was 9mths we went away and managed to get him to sleep every night in the buggy before we went for dinner.

It is more relaxing when they are buggy-bound than once they are walking, go for it!

Definitely possible to enjoy it - just scale back your expectations for things you'll get done and enjoy life in the simple/slow lane and you'll love it.

Hotels are fine (we used to put DS in his travel cot in a bathroom for some privacy/so we could get room service or watch tv etc while he slept and use the loos in reception when he was younger - but does mean the bathroom becomes out of bounds for most ofthe night) and you can do the evening eating out with them napping in buggies thing if they are inclined to nap in buggies, but agree that self catering (with a little more space) is much easier. Also easier if you go somewhere set up for kids (so have sterilisers, microwave, cot etc there already and you're not panicking about them crawling down killer stairs etc as is all already babyproofed).

Have a great holiday.