First holiday with baby, need advice pls?!

[kittycartier]

Hello, I'm new to mumsnet and need some advice re first holiday with our baby who will be 5 months by the time we travel.

We're thinking of Menorca, Barcelo Pueblo Hotel seems quite nice and the flight times seems ok and should fit in nicely with baby's feeding routine.

Ok so far but what on earth do you do about pram? We have a bugaboo chameleon, can we take the carry cot part with us or is this too big? What about taxi transfer from the airport, does baby travel on lap? or we need to take our own car seat?

Travel cots? Do we take one away with us so baby can sit in this while we're down at the pool/beach?

Sorry for such a ranting first post but I've persuaded my hubby that taking baby abroad is fine but now I'm not so sure!!

Thanks in advance,

Claire

Hi, firstly there is no way I would take a bugaboo ona plane with me. Theway they fling the buggys around is shocking. We used my ds old buggy that lays flat. My dd was also not in the carry cot of the bugaboo at 5 months, the buggy bit is soooo much better. As for travel cot by the pool, I have never ever seen this, your baby will be in the buggy or you'll be holding him/her. Would u be going with tour operator? If so the transferis by coach n baby will be on your lap. We just got back from canary islands, my youngest is 10 months n in a cab into townthey had a car seat for her and my son but on way back the cab didn't.

It is doable but I found it hard work but would prob be easier with a younger baby as they sleep more, do you bf? If not you have all the sterilising. Hth

Hello and welcome to Mumsnet!

Pram - get a small Maclaren - airlines let you take it right to the gate in the airport before departure, then they load it onto the plane as you board, then you get it back as soon as you get into the arrivals hall. Or take your Bugaboo and take your chances with what happens to it in the hold of the plane!

Taxi transfer - would you be happy driving your 5 month old in your own car completely unsecured (ie on your lap)? Your options are: find a taxi firm there which has baby car seats, or hire a car and order a car seat, or take public transport and keep your baby strapped in her buggy.

Travel cots - personally on that kind of holiday I would either be cuddling my baby, or letting them play on a mat / rug, or putting them in their buggy, or they would be asleep.

I have found a sling very useful on holiday, like this one.

I think travelling with a 5 month old is fine - you probably won't have started weaning yet (or at least not 3 meals a day), so you don't have that faff, the baby is pretty portable and only needs you and DH to amuse her. We went to Barcelona with our DD at 6 months and had a lovely time.

Hope you have a great time!

Just cross-posted! Agree with CharlieBoo that it will be easier if you are breast-feeding rather than formula-feeding (I was breastfeeding when we went to Barcelona), but I'm sure people who formula-feed travel abroad and manage!

Hi! and welcome to Mumsnet!

Going away with a baby is quite different to going away as a couple as you probably realise! You won't really have the time to do the relaxing/sunbathing as you're routine will revolve around your babies needs, naps, feeds, changes etc. You will also need to make sure that your baby stays cool enough and doesn't get exposed to too much midday sun. Go full board if you can!

I think that you have to put the pram with your suitcases, don't think you can take the carrycot on board but you would have to hold your baby for the duration of the flight anyway. With reagrds to a taxi, you don't need to put a child in a car seat but I can understand your concerns about wanting to so you can always pre-book or hire.

I don't think a travel cot is a good thing to take with you abroad only because it is so heavy. Most hotels etc have cots/travel cots though so it would be worth you checking ahead and booking one as they are handy.

As for taking it down to the pool/beach I don't think that is very practical, you aren't going to get much chance to sunbathe really unless your baby is asleep, then she/he can sleep in the buggy, you're also going to need to keep your baby out of the sun.

When you're by the pool you're either going to be sitting down holding your baby, baby in the buggy or taking a dip with the baby. I can't see why you would want to put a baby in the travel cot? On the beach baby can just lay on a towel with you.

HTH.

Ooh bit scared now.... but thanks for the advice! Also hubby told me last night that baby will be 4 months when we go...!

Would it not be a good idea to take bugaboo then? I was going to buy the travel case for it but for that money could get a buggy!

He's exclusively formula fed so yes have added chore of sterilising but not too concerned about that really. Will just take either Milton tabs and a plastic tub or take the steam steriliser.

How do you get boiling water for the feeds in a hotel room!! Do i take my own kettle too?!

I thought a lightweight travel cot may be an idea for sleeping when we're at pool/beach and also to use in the room? Bad idea then?!!

Thanks

Claire

I'd say 4 months was better (in terms of easier to travel with) than 5 months as he will be sleeping more than 5 months and almost certainly not weaning.

Personally, if I'd spent all that money on a Bugaboo, I wouldn't want it chucked in the hold of a plane, flown around for several hours whilst other luggage crashed into it, and manhandled by baggage staff. But other than that, there's no reason not to take the Bugaboo!

Surely your hotel will have a kettle? If not you can get cheap travel kettles.

We haven't taken a travel cot when travelling abroad with DD at 6 months because she slept in the pushchair or sling during the day. I also agree with TheBreastMilk that you are not going to be lounging around peacefully by the pool or on the beach all day as per pre-baby... What time of year are you planning on travelling and how warm will Menorca be? If it's fairly warm I would have thought your baby won't be that happy with being my the pool or on the beach for any length of time, and it might be too warm for him to sleep there.

You can definitely travel with a baby that age though, it just takes a bit more thinking about than before you had him.

Oh, one final point - you need to think about where you and the baby will be between his bedtime and your bedtime. Presumably your baby goes to bed earlier than you, in which case you either need adjoining rooms, so you can be awake in one room whilst your baby is in the next door room, or you need a monitor in your bedroom with your sleeping baby, and somewhere close by for you to be so that you can have the other half of the monitor with you. Or you need a little suite, so that the baby is asleep in the bedroom and you can sit in the sitting room during the evenings.

Or you might have the kind of baby which is happy to fall asleep in its pushchair while you and DH go for romantic evening meals, then be wheeled back to the room and stay fast asleep. Unfortunately my DD has never done this!

Other people might have suggestions for how to deal with the evenings?

Welcome to Mumsnet! I've found it very useful since I had my DD (now 6mo) and hope you do too. Now, bear in mind that I do only have one DD and she's only 6mo but we have travelled a few times with her in the UK (we live in London and g'parents are in Cornwall and Scotland) and are planning our first trip abroad.

How old is your DC now? I note you say that the flight times to Menorca fit in well around feed times but bear in mind that your DD's routine will change a lot over the first few months and so your baby may feed at a different time by then compared to when s/he feeds now - and of course the plane may be delayed!

Have you thought about what your DC will be doing by then? By four months, mine was happily playing on her playmat (ie bashing at the animals) for up to 30 mins at a time and would also spend a similar amount of time in her bouncy chair so you may want to take those with you (we could take our bouncy chair apart) and then when your DD is on those you and your DH will both get a break. Take some toys which have got squeaks, mirrors etc (see Lamaze & TinyLove websites if you don't know what I'm talking about). Mine was also happy to just be out and about looking around but was beginning to get frustrated if stationery in her pram (eg in a restaurant) so if I was going out for lunch, I'd put her maxi cosi on the chassis so that she could have a good nose around without me having to hold her.

You and your DH may want to have a chat about whose going to be looking after the baby on holiday. Despite being very hands on, my DP doesn't actually have a clue what is involved in looking after a baby all day every day. On top of that, over Easter, I realised that he is really exhausted (his job is very frantic at the moment) and just falls asleep whenever he's relaxed. Previously, that wouldn't have been a problem as, if we were by the pool and he fell asleep, I could just read - now, I'll be looking after DD and so won't get a break. To guarantee that I do get one, we've now chosen to go on a package holiday so that we can put DD in a creche for a couple of hours occasionally.

Other practicalities:

• think about how you're going to take formula on the plane given the liquids rule. I think there are other threads on her about this
• are you taking formula with you? I know a friend spent £27 on a tub of formula in a resort in greece last year.
• is there a fridge in your room to store bottles in or will you make them up individually (you should be able to contact the hotel about this and the kettle question)
• take a thermometer, basic medicines suitable for a 4 month old and maybe a book like What to Expect (which has a good section on common illnesses and symptoms) with you
• if the hotel is providing a travel cot, does it provide bedding or just the cot?
• how are you going to shade your baby in the pram?
• is it worth pre-booking excess luggage as it may be cheaper to pre-book it than pay for it when you turn up
• have you put your baby onto your EHIC card?

I hope the above doesn't scare you as a holiday with a baby is definitely do-able but you just have to be a bit more organised and have slightly different expectations. Good luck! Oh, and you might want to scroll through old threads and just pick up general tips and info

Hi - we took DS to Spain for a wedding and a weeks holiday when he was 4 months, it was fine. I bought an umbrella type buggy which was suitable from 3 months and he slept in there when we ate in the evening (and through the disco at the wedding come to think of it).

I also had a little Samsonite pop up 0-6 month travel cot which was fab - one of my best buys as it folds down really light and small, fitted in the suitcase no bother. I was bfing but expressed and gave him the odd bottle of formula, milton tablets worked well. You might want to check if the hotel has a fridge, we stayed in a small family run one and they sorted one out for me. Car seats we hired a car and seat so can't help with that.

You'll have a lovely time, not as relaxing as being on your own obviously but four months is an easy age to travel with I think. They not trying to crawl in the pool and as someone else said no weaning to worry about. Have fun

Oh yes - as Murtette says - take calpol - we ended up trawling the town for a pharmacy when DS had seemed overly hot the night before - fortunately had a Spanish speaker with us. (DS of course fine and Spanish calpol remains unopened in my cupboard over 2 years later...)

Oh yes - Calpol! My DD got her first ever temperature (quite high) when we were abroad for the first time and I was so glad we had the Calpol. We also had discovered where the nearest pharmacy was, and actually went in there for advice as we were a bit worried her temperature was too high.

EHIC card information here. Definitely get your baby added.

Hi

Few other things to think about...

• self catering is SO much easier than a hotel room. You'll have somewhere to put baby to bed (both in the day and at night depending on how your LO sleeps). Also have facilities to make and store bottles as well as washing machine and tumble dryer so don't have to take tonnes of clothes 'just in case'.

• if you don't use Milton tablets at home you don't necessarily need them on holiday. Can buy steriliser bags that go in the microwave if you go self catering. A lot less faff and less chemicals etc.

• think about other things to keep in your baby first aid kit. Eg at 4 months teething is reasonably likely so take some gel/powders in case LO starts on holiday. Also think about antiseptic wipes, baby thermometer.

• if you've got a cheapo room thermometer (like the free one the NHS give you or the ones that come free with GroBag sleeping bags) take that with you.

• Also think about bugs/bites. Under 6 months you can't use most bug sprays. We used Incognito (can buy on amazon) on our LO as completely natural and took a citronella candle as well. Also think about calomine lotion or something similar in case they do get bitten (can't use bite cream under 6 months either). For the same reason think about very thin but long sleeved PJs for baby.

• would definitely recommend taking formula with you. It can be very expensive abroad and they're not all readily available in some countries.

• re taking formula through airport security you can often order ready made cartons to pick up after security, check with your airport.

• with such a small LO think about taking a pillow on the plane with you. Obviously LO doesn't get a seat which means you or OH holding them. Inevitably LO will sleep for most of the time which is hard going on your arms if the only thing you've got to lean on is those horrible bloody metal arm rests.

Mostly just enjoy the fact that LO is portable and not wanting to run off and explore! Despite all the hassle you're doing the right thing getting a break in while LO is still small!!

I found a tube of travel wash invaluable where there were no laundry facilities, especially with a child.

Check that the bathroom has a bath and not just a shower cubicle if that it important for your babys routine. I got caught out like that when DS was 21mths and wouldn't have a shower, he sat in the plastic bowl from the s/c apt we stayed in!

Check out hotel websites to see what facilites they can offer for babies. Also the airport website where you're flying from to get info on shops for buying formula etc. In fact, look on their pages on travelling with children for more info. Your nappy bag will count as a piece of hand luggage, so make sure you can fit your handbag in it as well, or put in dh's hand luggage.

A cheap or s/h or borrowed umbrella fold buggy will be fine, you can make it more comfortable with a padded liner.

I'm glad to hear that some have had good experiences going abroad with a baby but I am never going again! Had a nitemare of a holiday in Spain last year with my 5 month old, we all got so ill, the apartment was not baby friendly at all and our plane got delayed for 12 hours something which you definate can't plan for! We have just been on our first self catering holiday in the uk and I enjoyed it so much, knowing that you wont have the stress of trying to think of everything and if anything does go wrong at least you are within travelling distance to home. I can recommend a fab website for cheap luxury cottages as welle...we stayed at a 5 star huge beautiful cottage in Mid Wales called Rhyd y Gorlan and booked through www.bestofwales.co.uk - it was defo the best holiday I have ever had no stress and everything you need in one place and even the weather was stunning, so makes you wonder is it worth going abroad these days with places like this in the uk...