How do you do it? Taking 6month old abroard

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So I’m looking to book our first family holiday next year in Nay yo Spain before it gets too hot however I all of a sudden stopped myself as so many uncertainties and questions ran through my head which I have no clue to/what’s best?!

• do I need to be picky about times of flights
• do you get charged extra baggage for pram etc

-transfers do I go with coach rather than taxi so as not to have to take travel seat or do you use travel seat on coach too?!

• what are the necessities in terms of pram/travel cot

-do I need something handy to keep baby cool when we are sunbathing if just keep pram in total shade?

Help I had no idea how much I needed to consider and now too scared to do anything like travel

Bumping as I'm going abroad soon and need the same advice!

Hello! Don't panic, will be fine and great! Here are my thoughts:

Your airline will tell you re extra baby equipment - most let you take at least two bulky things (eg pram and car seat) free if you have a baby

My baby wasn't the type to really allow me to sunbathe but it depends on the temp really. If it's very hot then the shade won't be enough. You won't see any local children out in hot countries from about 1030-430pm as it's just too hot; plan to stay inside with air con like the locals do and you'll be fine. If it's cooler then shade is fine. Still cover baby in factor 50 tho!

I am completely paranoid about road safety and would never have my child unrestrained on my lap on a coach if I could avoid it. We had a (not very fast) coach crash at school and a pupil and teacher both died. For this reason we've always flown with belt in car seats and hired cars /taxis. Is individual choice though.

Sometimes the airlines bash buggies around. I know lots of people (us included) buy a cheaper buggy for travel

Try to book a room with a separate space for travel cot, a balcony, or outside space. Means you can put baby down to sleep and still have an evening without having to sit in dark and silence (if your baby will only sleep in silent dark like mine!)

Oh and lots of companies will hire you a travel cot. You need to take bedding for the cot though. Other things to consider bringing:

Travel booster seat
Steriliser and bottles and usual formula (if ff)

We went to Thailand when my eldest daughter was 7 months old. We had an evening flight which meant flying overnight which wasn't ideal but we were a bit restricted by cost. If it's just short haul and you can be a bit more flexible, I'd say pick a daytime flight and just feed on demand (I know this can be a pain if you're more of a routine person, but the journey and time change is going to mess that up temporarily anyway so I'd definitely recommend just going with the flow on the day of the actual flight.) I was breastfeeding on demand at the time and it was great for me as I fed her on take off and landing and she didn't seem to have any problems with her ears and then I fed her as and when on the flight. The time difference was six or seven hours so there was no point doing anything else for us. If you're bottle feeding, take the ready mixed stuff in sealed cartons and you'll be fine getting through the baggage checks.
When you're there, try to get an idea in advance on the best way to get around. My sister lives in Thailand and said buggies were pointless as the footpaths are not great on the side roads so we got a baby carrier and we took it in turns each day to carry her around. We used highest protection suncream and hats to protect her from the sun and the advantage of having the baby strapped to you is that you can always position yourself so the baby is in the shade if you're standing or sitting down.
We took a travel seat as we hired a car when we were there but it was included in our luggage allowance. That's dependent on the airline though. We flew with Emirates which is really generous with luggage capacity; budget airlines obviously wouldn't be the same. We bought a small pop-up travel cot (Koo-di was the brand) with a mossie net just in case and she slept in that no problem. It fit in our suitcase so was easy to pack away. The advantage of something like that is that you can take it with you if you go on days out. We stayed with my sister when we were there but went for a few days to one of the islands and stayed in a hotel so took the Koo-di cot with us. The big travel cots weigh more so would be a lot to take if you're thinking of taking a buggy and car seat as well.
I'd definitely recommend trying to keep the overall weight of your luggage down. Our first flight from Manchester was delayed and so we ended up racing through Dubai airport with a baby and all our luggage and a car seat as we only had about 40 mins to get our connection (and obviously the gate we needed was the furthest away 🙈).
Overall, in our experience,travelling with a baby was relatively easy - you just need to have the attitude to go with the flow and not stress any more than is necessary. Our daughter was just starting to eat and we took some baby food with us but bought most of it out there as fresh fruit is abundant and in most countries you can get equivalents of British brands if you're looking for shop bought purée and the like. Just go to supermarkets near where ex-pats live.
We've not been abroad since having our second and I imagine travelling with older children is more stressful as you've got to try to entertain them whereas babies just go along with you and provided they are fed and watered, they'll be OK. 🤞
I hope that's helpful.

Try to book a room with a separate space for travel cot, a balcony, or outside space. Means you can put baby down to sleep and still have an evening without having to sit in dark and silence (if your baby will only sleep in silent dark like mine!)

A hundred times this! We’re away with a 15 week old, ate supper on the bathroom floor yesterday

Thanks so much everyone really appreciate all the advice Mumsnet is a godsend!

Ok, my youngest is 7 and oldest 13 so may have forgotten stuff, plus, we tended to stay in family property which relatives with older children had supplied with travel cot and car seats.

You can buy steriliser bags you add water to for Coke sterilising. Or, some bottles can be microwave sterilised upside down, but not all.

If your child is flexible, then take them out in the evenings, the Spanish are fantastic with children, and will be happy to make space for the buggy by the table.
Pi had one that never slept, one that slept 7-7 from 6 weeks and one between the 2 extremes, we would go out nearly every evening (but my husband is Spanish)

Cold sterilising (should proof read...)