Going abroad with 6 month old - Help please!

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We’re going to Fuerteventura for a week at the beginning of November.

Does anyone have any tips or advice for travelling with a baby and going on an aeroplane with them etc. please?

Honestly it’s absolutely fine, especially at that age. The plane is natural white noise and they’ll likely sleep. You can buy nappies etc abroad. You don’t need much in way of toys. We did it quite a bit, hand luggage only.

Toddlers are a bit more challenging 😅

We took our now 7 month old to Majorca last month when he was 6 months. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected!

Try and keep them awake at the airport (this wasn’t too hard as there’s so much to see/ distracting bright lights). This meant he slept 1.5 hours on the plane which was amazing! We screen recorded from YouTube on our phones to distract him when he woke up. Toys they haven’t seen before are also a good distraction. Change them just before you board as the toilets are far too small onboard to comfortably change a nappy.

in terms of the holiday itself that was also fine! Obviously not relaxing 🤣but he still napped so that helped. A lightweight travel stroller (we got the Cybex libelle) made things much easier, and a snoozeshade so that he could nap in the pram. We were advised to tire him out in the pool but unfortunately the pool in our hotel was too cold for him (and us) so that was a bit of a fail.

You will be fine, it’s lovely to make memories with them! And I have also been told much easier than when they are mobile!

Because of Covid we couldn't travel until our son was 18 months old but some of these tips will be helpful anyway I hope.

1: I invested in a good travel buggy. Lots of people like the YoYo but we went with the Ickle Bubba Globe as it was less than half the price and fully reclined (which was the only way my son would sleep). Facebook Marketplace or eBay are good places to get them cheaper (especially the YoYos).

2: I got a backpack for the plane (that fit the under seat dimensions for EasyJet) that could have all of my things and my son's things inside it so we weren't carrying too much luggage. I also bought a passport folder that could contain all our travel documents and tickets etc and made sure it was easy to grab.

3: Get a good travel cot, especially if you plan on travelling lots. Ours is the Baby Bjorn and it is utterly fantastic.

4: We found a baby carrier or wrap was helpful too if we needed to go hands free or wanted to explore somewhere that didn't allow buggies (some museums for example).

5: Carry a spare change of clothes for everyone when going on the plane if possible.

Take slightly more of everything than you think you’ll actually need for the plane, just in case of delays.
Pack a few Calpol sachets in your hand luggage.
Gate check your stroller/pushchair instead of at the luggage drop off so you can use it to get through the airport.
Do a last-minute nappy change when you’re at the gate before you board.

If it's relevant, taking a car seat is way easier than I anticipated (use the original sturdy box, roll of tape in your carry on).

Small pram was worth it for us - not just for ease of travel, but if you like cute little restaurants you're not going to be able to wheel in a whopper. We were able to fold ours down and store it under a chair.

Sling was a big win.

Nappies are sometimes v expensive abroad (particularly on islands) - if you've got the space anyway, bring them.

Agree with snoozeshade - we never really used ours for sleep, but if you've got the deluxe it makes a tent around the pram that they can then see out of when it's unzipped - found this helpful for sun protection just walking around.

Take changes of clothes for you and your baby. Sitting in sicky and pooey clothes is no fun.

Thank you!

That’s all really helpful and lots of things there that I hadn’t thought of!!