Advice for taking 11.5 month old to Spain

[Lola19]

Hello was wondering peoples opinions on sterilising bottles abroad… he will be 11 and a half months by then. I know the nhs website says you don’t need to from 12 months… just wondering if that’s ok in Spain as I know their water is different from ours in the uk?

Also what did you do about the car seat situation? I don’t really want to take ours!

Any general tips/advice/products that made your life easier with a baby on holiday would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you

The tap water in Spain is generally safe so I’d feel comfortable washing up bottles as normal

You can usually hire a car seat with your hire car so I’d do that

Take a lightweight buggy and try and keep vaguely to the same routine, but Spain is really well set up for families and the children stay up much later than here so we would let ours go to sleep later and in the buggy in the evening so we could stay out and have a later dinner etc

Take gro blinds for the windows if your hotel doesn’t have black out curtains

We're just back from a trip with our similar age baby and I'd definitely suggest taking your car seat (we will next time for sure) - I wasn't at all happy with the one from the car rental company, felt v flimsy and seemed ancient, plus the buckle was a bit dodgy - we didn't really have any option but to go with it as once you're there you're a bit stuck... I know EU standards are supposed to be complied with, but I can't say that they were necessarily by the (v well rated) rental company we used. Most airlines let you bag check your car seat for free I think (as long as you're not taking too many other baby related things), so it shouldn't take up your luggage allowance. Oh and a snoozeshade for the buggy, helps with day naps as well as evenings in the buggy sleeping while you have dinner. Enjoy!

Why would you want to the whole thing will just be stressful

?! Why would the whole thing be stressful?! Plenty of people travel with children and babies!

Sterilising shouldnt be necessary but if you will have access to a microwave then get a pack of the microwave sterilising bags. One or two would do for the whole trip and they fold up like a sandwich bag

I took ds at that age, I managed to get a microwave sterilised in my luggage, I filled it with bottles & cups & took ready mixed formula, jars & tins of food plus things like little bags of rusks, some porridge, packs of things to nibble on & a packet of cereal I knew he liked. For a week I didn't mind him having pre prepared food. I took a MacLaren buggy, a mattress, fitted sheets & a blanket as the owner of the apartment provided a travel cot. If we went out at night I took his pyjamas out with us, changed him & let him fall asleep in the buggy then moved him in to the cot when we got back. We has a garden so we went out early morning & got back around 1.00pm, had lunch & then put ds down for a nap & we sat in the garden while he napped. I bathed him before we went out & fed him but took his bedtime bottle in a cool pack so he could have it while we were out. Try to have a bottle with you for the flight, drinking stops their ears hurting from the change in pressure, book to take the buggy to the steps of the plane & it should be first off when you arrive.

Bloody hell, you do know that they have babies in Spain, and all the paraphernalia that a baby needs? You presumably weren’t going off grid down the Amazon on a raft?

filled it with bottles & cups & took ready mixed formula, jars & tins of food plus things like little bags of rusks, some porridge, packs of things to nibble on & a packet of cereal I knew he liked.

you took a suitcase full of jars and tins to Spain?! That’s nuts, why not just buy food when you’re there?