going on holiday

[sarahpyle]

I am going on holiday to Menorca with my 9 month old and am after any advice on what holiday essentials to take. Does anyone know what baby foods are available and if you can take a tin of SMA gold on holiday. What toys would you suggest that are light weight and versatile.Finally any tips for the flight???

One of those pop-up sunshade tents. Yes, you can take formula, (take some pre-mix cartons for emergency use before you settle in), my DS hated Spanish baby food whiich is more 'clarty', but you may find a supermarket which does a wider range, or get yours used to more mashed up 'real' food that's easy for hols before you go (avocado, potato, etc).
Flight: will probably be awful! Feed on take-off and landing to avoid ear-popping discomfort, take a spare top for you in your hand luggage in case of sick/sticky spillage.

Can't help on the milk but should be ok.

Stacking cups (we had one combined with shape sorter and another set from Ikea with holes for sand/water play), inflatable small ball, cloth or waterproof books, baby paddling pool (which you could get there) provided he/she can sit well, small activity toy which can fix to buggy/car seat and a couple of favourites.

a bag of bloons and bubbles

Hi,
We took DD on holiday to spain at 4 months and to america at 6 months.
Feeding on take off and landing is definately important, but also I was advised to buy some rescue remedy and put it on my nipple or finger for DD to suck on to relax her - it worked for me too.
I also took microwave sterilising bags (mothercare) which were and still are invaluable and DDs play mat so that she had something soft to lie on instead of those tiled floors.
Hope this helps

message withdrawn

Can I strike a note of caution on the pop-up tent front? In my dad's area (Mallorca) there have been several cases of babies/toddlers being heated for heat exhaustion/dehydration after being put to sleep in the tents after lunch.

This is a really interesting thread as we too are taking our nine month old away, but to portugal. The feeding on take off thing ; how do you do this ? don't they have to be strapped to you with a lap belt? Sorry...I've just realised that this is possible if giving a bottle, I was thinking of breast feeding. Good to know about the tent as we were thinking of getting one , won't bother now.
How many swim nappies did you get through?
Worried about how much to take in the way of clothes,food , nappies evrything really!
Not sure it's going to be a relaxing holiday as worrying my head off already!!

Message withdrawn

that's really worth knowing about teh tents overheating - I hadn't even thought of that and was just about to get one but now I won't bother.

don't worry alexsmum ,the lapbelts they give you are really easy to keep on and breastfeed too - great way to keep the baby quiet as well

Taken ds to Menorca @ 10 mo and 22 mo. Couldn't get Pampers or Huggies first time, and used Spanish ones when ours ran out. They were fine, but I thought quite pricey. Second time took enough to see us through. Make sure your buggy has shade/hood- I was shocked at the number that had no shade so baby was always in full sun. Use bootled water for making up bottles, we were told, think too many minerals in tap water for baby ( but okay to drink)

My top tip is to take a harness and reins to use in a highchair - some reins sets even come with little straps to attach to the highchair.
Lots of high chairs abroad don't have harnesses.

Also swim-nappies can be rinsed and left to dry for re-use if they aren't full of poo.

Definitely stacking cups for toys
I took all kinds of jarred food to Turkey and to Spain when my DS was about that age. I bought nappies in Spain - just don't send your DH - mine always buys one size too small. It isn't a long flight so just one or two new toys and maybe something that he is used to sleeping with. My DS has never had any ear issues on flights and he has flown quite a bit both short flights like here in Europe as well as Australia - I think it is v individual.

I would reckon there are either umbrellas on the beach or you can hire them. Take a good sun hat that ties under the chin and some cream. Sarongs are also good to drape over them or the buggy. Maybe some insect deterrent that is ok for bubs.

I don't know about the rescue remedy thing - I am a big fan when not pregnant or breastfeeding for myself, but it does contain quite a bit of alcohol and so many herbal remedies haven't been tested on adults let alone children (I don't mean to be critical loujay - just giving my 2 cents worth).

I think the beach tents are a good idea, but I would never go to the beach with an under 1 year old for longer than an hour or so. The good tents can open up in front and back totally as well as having windows on the side to let the breeze through.

Shade-a-babe thingy for the stroller are great - there is a thread under products about them.

Not all restaurants or apartments will have high chairs. Take some kind of fold-up seat that fits on a normal chair - plastic if you have room, or one of those "handbag chairs" made out of fabric.

Try and find out if the area has mosquitoes, and if so take a net to put over the cot, or use some other precautions. My 9 month old got so badly bitten in France we thought it was measles - my parents-in-law assured me before we went that there were no insects there!

I agree with the other mum that foreign baby food can be a no-no - mine hated French recipes.

Raisins in boxes are great for the flight as picking them out is half the fun, and it helps with ear-popping. Snacks snacks and more snacks!

A washable swim-nappy or two saves taking packs.

To continue the theme does anyone have any advice on taking 11month old baby to France? We will be travelling to France on an afternoon ferry docking at 10.00pm at night and then continuing on with a 3 hour car journey. Any camping tips as we plan to camp there for part of the time?
:

We took ds to Spain aged 9 months, to stay in a self-catering cottage in a remote village.

No problems getting nappies. I confess I took our baby bottles and just put ordinary milk in. But I was bfeeding as well. I didn't sterilise either, just put them in dishwasher. But I am a rubbish mother...

My enduring memory of that holiday is ds discovering tapas in a big way. I think he loved the whole idea of taking food off other people's plates, and discovered olives, artichokes, spicy sausage, the works. I presume we must have mashed it up for him a bit, but he's been a very adventurous eater ever since.

I tend to take our clip-on high chair, which is ok as long as the tables aren't pedestal ones. And lots of wet flannels or wipes.

im glad someone put in this thread im going the tuesday after next and as far as i can see i have packed most of it we was thinking of takeing jar food but ds is used to home cooking and will only eat jared food if hes got to on the rare occation but we have been told by the operator that it is a very family friendly hotel and the foods they put out is child friendly and my mother said that all the hotels she has stayed in have a five course buffet style meals so we should be able to find something for him were only taking nappies for the journey and the first day there because there is a big supermarket

I took my son abroad when he was 18 months. The thing he liked best was a book from WHSmith which was called the lonely lion, it was a puppet too and when he got bored with the story we had loads of fun playing with the puppet. I took one of the sun tents to Portugal last year when he was a bit older and my husband got a sunburned head and ended up lying with his head in it and his legs getting a tan! I also loved the clip on fan that Mothercare do. It's got foam blades and it looks like a bird. It clips onto the side of the buggy or pretty much anything else. Only other thing I would really remember is to take a spare top for the plane for you and baby and a couple of extra nappies in your hand luggage in case you get delayed or anything...learned this one the hard way!!

I took DS to S Africa at 6 months and just wanted to pass tip onto anyone who is going on a flight and requires a sleeping cot....thingie. Check the individual airlines policy on maximum weight/age that is allowed. Was told on outward flight that it was 4 kgs (DS weighed more than that when born) and as a result endured 14 hour flight with DS on lap!! On return that it was 7 months which he was on the day of travel. Went armed with info in writing from airline and got cot Hurrah!!

well thank you so much I have never used this site before and you have all been so helpful. I am just panicing now about how I am going to fit everything in the case!

Went to mainland spain end of last year and could get hold of Hipp Organic jars which was great. Though as Menorca is an island you might not be able to get hold of it.

Unless you are self catering you'll have to take an extra bag with all the food in and maybe those cartons of ready made formula? Its worth lugging the extra bag around for peace of mind. Don't bother with toys apart from favourite cuddly ones, as they'll always find something to play with. I packed loads loads last year, total waste of time as she ended up playing with wooden spoons and cardboard boxes! Oh and ate a lot of sand too!

If you are self catering, it would be easier to make stuff up there

we are going on holiday to menorca with our 2 year old son who was born with a serious heart defect and has special Milk SMA High energy and will only drink this or SMA gold can we by it over their or will we mave to take it with us