Taking baby abroad

[lolaband142]

Okay so me and my partner are planning our first family holiday with our baby girl! We’re very excited but I can’t help but feel unprepared. We’re planning our trip to a destination in Europe so around 2-3 hr flight. I’ve just got a few unanswered questions:

1. Baby fly free right?! I’ve been told off many people babies fly free, however when I’ve typed in skyscanner 2 adults plus 1 baby (she will be 8 months old by the way) it still adds up the total cost for 3 tickets.

1. Travel cots... we’ve been gifted a travel cot. But it is SO heavy. Do most hotels provide a cot for a double room if you ask/pay more? Or are there any cheaper lightweight travel cots?

1. What’s the deal with car seats? Do you take the car seat with you? I’ve seen a few people who just hold there baby on there lap whilst getting transporting around? Is that normal?

Any other tips/advice would be helpful!
Also please no ‘don’t go on holiday with a baby’ or sarky ‘good luck with that’ comments please, it’s doable so I’m doing it and I know we’ll have a blast!

Fuck lugging a car seat about.

So to avoid the annoyance of carrying a car seat around you put your child’s life at risk? Very responsible.

Traveling with an infant NOT in a car seat, no matter how short the journey, is illegal for good reason.

Enter, not illegal in taxis in most countries I've travelled.

Oh that’s ok then!

Just clarifying. Not saying it's ok.

In our experience to hire the car seats was more expensive than the rental itself and car hire was essential.

You will be fine if you want to stay in your accomodation all the time but car hire was essential for us and on our last day when we had to be out of our accomodation by 10 am but didn't fly until 9pm it was a godsend to be out and about all day and make our own way to the airport. Kids were knaclered by the time we boarded, we were both relaxed and they both slept the entire flight home.

Having hired car seats I would always take my own, they're usually minging, flimsy and the hire companies often run out and you're just left with this response 🤷🏼‍♂️

You book the baby on the flight, by they're on your lap with an extending belt. You will have to have the baby belted for take off and landing, absolutely no exceptions. You'd be stunned how many people think it's ok to land unstrapped because the baby is having a paddy.

This is one of those times when you do pay to sit together.

Have something for them to drink during take-off and landing because their ears will hurt especially if they're teething. Also pack Calpol.

You will need a thick skin as other people often don't like babies on aircraft.

Pack a change of clothes in case they're sick.

Hire a hotel cot, take your own bedding.

There are really cool little bags you can get to sterilise stuff in a microwave.

Oh yeah, take a change of clothes for the baby...and for you! Fond memories of a 4 hour flight with a vomit soaked bra after DS puked down the front of my top just as we boarded!

Most people take the car seat for use at the other end and put it in the hold for the flight.

Thanks a lot for the tips guys!

Feeling much more knowledgeable now

My tip would be: hotels are a bad idea with a baby. Basically once baby is asleep you are stuck in one dark room tiptoeing around which is not the making of a fun holiday IMO. Apartments are a much better idea.

My second tip: don't over pack. Seriously, pack as lightly as you can as it makes transfers etc far less stressful. In our house we have a rule that if we can't carry it all and transport the two kids on foot we've got too much stuff. It is inevitable that you will run out of one crucial item and need to do a wash, so just allow for that and pack less stuff.

We would deffinately do the luggage thing different next time. Dh had his rucksack and laptop. I had a holdall and handbag and a trunki each for the dc! This was our hand luggage!

Thing is we didn't save any time. It took ages to get through passport control anyway so we may as well have been waiting for luggage. The airline even gave the baby hand luggage allowance despite not having a seat but I could have got everything I needed in the change bag that fits under the pushchair rather than the trunkis which they haven't taken to yet.

I didn't take loads of bedding just their favourite blankets.

Take your own car seat. We’ve booked holidays with them and then none have been available.
Book a hotel with a cot.
Baby is on your knee but some airlines charge a small fee for that.
Have fun!