any tips on going on holiday with 7 month old? first time mum packing frantically!!

[Gemmitygem]

we're just about to take DS, 7 months, on holiday for the first time, to Turkey (Istanbul and then nearby islands). looking for any advice from experienced mums. for example, we only just realised that if he's asleep in the hotel room, there won't be anywhere for us to be in the evening unless we get a babysitter (and we're a bit nervous after the recent Maddie case)..
silly questions like would you put the baby's clothes etc in your luggage or make up a little bag for him? would you bother to take a mini blender (babycook) (he is bf plus eating 3 meals a day but has only had cooked fruit, I am the ultimate precious first born mum and really don't want to give him a jar of baby fruit or whatever... would you risk them having stuff like calpol or take your own etc?

I've got all the sunhats, cream etc, but unsure about the basic logistics things... we will have a

any tips much appreciated!

Take him with you in the evening - he can sleep in his pram. Will your hotel have a patio or balcony you can sit on whilst enjoying a wine?

Mix the clothes together, then if a suitcase goes missing you have all got some clothes.

Take calpol and any other creams with you. They won't be the same and you will waste time looking when you could be getting on with your holiday.

Take whatever you need to feed him. Only you know how much trouble you want to go to.

can yoo try him with some finger foods before you go, or mashed up food so you dont have to take a blender. take him out in his pushchair at night so you can still go out.

ah yes, hadn't thought about balcony.

don't want to take him out in evening as he is on a strict routine (which means we usually have quiet evenings and full nights sleep), and also feel it's unfair to him as he's used to being tucked up in bed (as he is already on a routine to suit us, feel it's too much to disrupt it to suit us even more, as unfair to him)...

he does have mashed food, doesn't have to be pureed, but has had tummy ache from uncooked mashed fruit, apart from banana, so was worried about not being able to cook fruit..

hmmm- cd be the start of a whole new holidao
ing experience for you and dh!

I understand you wanting to keep to a routine that works so well for you but tbh your baby will be out of his normal surroundings anyway so things will be a little different for him. When my DS was that age we went to Thailand and fed him at his normal time, bath, pjs etc and then went for dinner. Hotel staff were fab and would wheel him around in his pushchair if they weren't too busy. We would get him to sleep while having a drink and then have dinner.

He got back to normal routine as soon as we went back home.

Re: food. You can buy jars of pure fruit - Hipp is good as far as I remember.

I still have just the one although he is now nearly 6 but remember a friend giving me advice about food. She was totally PFB too with her DS and he would only eat food she made which was a real pain whenever they travelled. She really recommended getting them used to some jars. It makes life so much easier when travelling or out and about. Not all jars are bad!

Gemmitygem - we took DS away when he was very young and like you, were worried about upsetting his routine as it was going so well. But for two weeks he had a completely different routine (we did like twentypence suggests and fed him, bathed him etc then put him in his pushchair and he fell asleep while we walked to the restaurant of our choice) and then when we came back home we just reverted to the old one and it worked just fine. You must do what's best for you and DH too - after all, it's your holiday as well.
Enjoy!

echo budha/mckenzie - youmay need to relax your routine for a bit. it's not a permanent change and lo won't even remember

just come back from a trip (travelling alone) with DD (6 months). Would echo what the others say re routine and also add to take own calpol, medised, nappy cream etc. and if you can possibly fit it in your luggage, your own nappies. Pampers were the only brand readily available where I went and it wasn't till I was there that I discovered that they are the wrong shape for DD and LEAK every time. I wasted an afternoon searching for a different brand... Also Boots do sachets of infant paracetamol so you can pop some in your carry-on bag just in case. Not sure how long your flight is, but mine was 7 hours and I made sure that I had 7 small toys (suitable for playing with on my lap) and rotated them on the flight so I only had 2 out at any one time... then again I was absolutely paranoid about the flight cus I was on my own.

Gemmitygem - he will sleep fine in his buggy as per his usual routine. You are going on holiday and should enjoy it out and about, otherwise what is the point in going? My ds slept great at night and basically slept wherever he was. Try and relax and enjoy - he will fall back into his usual routine when you get back IMO.

well, it seems you're all unanimous on the taking him out in his buggy in the evenings thing. he is the easiest, sunniest baby ever and a great sleeper, so maybe I should try. It's kind of scary cos the only thing that has kept me sane being a mum is having the routine, so everyone gets some sleep and is happy, and I tend to get very anxious if anything is late by even 15 mins. I know that prob. sounds ridiculous but it was the only thing that kept me even vaguely feeling in control and ok after the birth, and I find it hard to believe that everything would be ok if I deviated from it even a bit! I'm a bit more relaxed now, specially cos he's such a good eater and sleeper, but I can't stand it if I think he's hungry or tired or whatever and is being deprived of what he needs. oh dear!

should prob try and chill out for the hols a bit and as you say after 2 weeks he should be able to get back into it... I work full time as well so worried that if he didn't I couldn't work.

but as you say if we are going to go on hols, may as well try and enjoy it!

If you get no sleep at night you have a siesta the next day, it's not a biggie.

Ask yourself why you have the routine, probably one of the reasons is so your dh can sleep and be okay for work - well here's a news flash - he's not going to work while you are on holiday.

How miserable will you feel if you stay in your room all the time (7 month olds still sleep quite a bit) and then he won't drop off? Take him out, he will drop off when he's tired.

Once home you go back to the normal routine.

We took our dd2 on holiday when she was 7 months old and it wasn't as bad as we thought. The only thing is, after everyone elses advice to let lo sleep in their buggy in the evening, ours never would! We soon got used to going to bed at the same time as them though (pushing it on to 9.30-ish) and appreciated a good nights sleep! If we wanted to stay up we sat on the baalcony with a bottle of wine. Feeding I found the biggest worry as we'd planned to buy jars there but obviously couldn't translate what was actually in them.

Really second everything said. i was quite anxious mum first time, but we went on hols and let ds sleep in pram, was lovely to have him snoozing next to us at dinner or have a late drink. im sure he will settle back into routine when home. tbh, i dont think there is much popint going unless you can do this, might be more fun to holiday at home as there is little more dull than 7.30 in a silent dark hotel room!! at least at home you can go into a different room! have a lovely time.

thanks all,

it's not so bad as my Dad will be there for some of the time and has offered to babysit, and the hotel has a babysitting service which should be ok...

twentypence, actually DH is the calm one (we both work), I'm the routine freak. it's just the memories of those sleepless early days are so raw! But it's true that I should just chill... will try, anyway!

thanks all,

it's not so bad as my Dad will be there for some of the time and has offered to babysit, and the hotel has a babysitting service which should be ok...

twentypence, actually DH is the calm one (we both work), I'm the routine freak. it's just the memories of those sleepless early days are so raw! But it's true that I should just chill... will try, anyway!

as long as you bath, feed and get him to sleep at the same time he wo't know if you then put him in his pushchair after he's fallen asleep and take him out.

are you in a hotel or apartment?

hotel.. two different places. but first one definitely has big rooms. is family run hotel...

It would be easier in an apt, will do that next time!

ring the hotels and ask them if they provide and place where yo can cook/puree fruit. some family hotels do offer this.

Just to add a different point of view... I can remember taking DS1 on holiday for the first time when he was abut 6-7 months old and he was on a routine at home. Everyone said 'oh, take him with you, he can sleep in his buggy, blah, blah'. Well, basically he DIDN'T - didn't settle, didn't like the noise/ light/ activity at all and simply cried and cried when it was a time he would otherwise have been in his cot. DH and I spent several miserable evenings eating separately at restaurants while one of us trudged up and down with the pushchair trying to get him to sleep (never managed it).

Worst holiday of our lives . Since then we have always gone to self-catering villas.

So I guess my point is don't feel pressured to do what everyone seems to be saying on here if it really doesn't work for you - it may not!

i always thought the idea was to get them to sleep first then put them in the buggy. that's what we do with ds anyway.

MOVE A SLEEPING CHILD from cot to pushchair !?
Totally impossible in our case...
Gawd .... I clearly had a very different child to yours!

we took dd when she was 6 months. Best thing we took was a blow up boat or get one when you arrive, we used to sit her in it with some water in and it really helped to keep her cool. Also a sun hat with elastic on and if he has dummys take plenty. DD dropped hers over balcony and lost one on plane hance a nighmare day trying to find a dummy with a cherry teat.
Would reiterate what others said about letting routine go a bit. It's a holiday and a break for you too remember. Just do routine then put him in pushchair. dd use to go out like a light. The heat used to mean she slept a lot more than usual.

ours would fall asleep on a bed or sofa so it was easier to move them.