First holiday with a five month old, any practical travel tips?

[DaisyChain505]

Will soon be going on our first holiday as parents with our 5 months old, hit me with your best tips for travelling and holidaying with a baby.

Abroad or UK? And how are you travelling?

Sorry, definitely key information missing. Spain, 2.5 hour flight, staying at an all inclusive resort.

We had our first holiday at that age.

If bottle-feeding, bring plenty of ready-made formula. We got through more than we thought we would.

We bought a big Cheeky Wipes changing mat, which was incredibly useful. We also brought disposable puppy pads to use on top of it to reduce likelihood of it needing to be washed.

The other thing I'm glad we brought was a playmat. It was a bit bulky but we were much happier with that than baby vomiting on carpets or playing on unfamiliar floors.

The baby carrier got a lot of use!

White noise on BBC Sounds really useful if baby is used to a white noise machine.

Invest in a good travel pram like a yoyo. Baby can nap in it by the pool and it'll make the flight easier if you have one you can fold up and actually bring on the plane.

Assume not weaning yet so that's made life much easier.

If they take bottles, you can get a small sterilizer to do one bottle at a time?

Plenty of hats and sun protection for babe. Don't forget Calpol as maybe teething this age? We went on first holiday with my eldest around this age and s*ds law we got first tooth - a lot of crying and huge poonamis.

Genuinely I think this is a great age to go as baby will be immobile more or less, no need to baby proof, no need to think about weaning food.

What do you expect to get out of a holiday with a child that young? Waste of time and money IMO. You will be spending your time diving between shade and air con, struggling with routines and spending a lot of time to and from the hotel room. The polar opposite to a holiday.

Oh playmat is a really good idea. I forgot we did this too.

Oh and an inflatable rubber ring thing baby could sit in in the pool (whilst being held and supervised by adult at all times!) - he loved it and is still a water baby many years later.

Make sure you have accessible changes of clothes for you, not just baby, on the flight (spoken from experience).

We had an amazing time taking our DD away at 5 months so don’t listen to PP. I’d take calpol and any other meds you can think of plus a thermometer so you don’t have to panic find a pharmacy. Otherwise make sure you breast or bottle feed when the plane is landing or taking off. Agree with your partner beforehand on how you’ll handle overnight wakes/early mornings so you both get some decent rest. And enjoy!!!

Sorry I should have added that baby is exclusively breast fed so that definitely makes things easier.

@Floppyearedlab I’m sorry you don’t feel like a holiday with a baby would be a negative. We are well aware it won’t be our usual holiday but we are so looking forward to creating memories with our baby, he is the biggest joy in our lives and seeing him experience new things like the beach and splashing in the pool are priceless and worth the extra hassle of travelling with him. We purposely booked a large all inclusive resort so there wasn’t pressure to leave the hotel and I am not someone who sunbathes so the shade is where I already stay.

@Floppyearedlab she didn’t ask for your opinion she asked for tips. I took my baby away a little older than this had we had a great time - lots of naps and I read lots of book. I had a UV steriliser and brought it with us which was great, Milton wipes were helpful. Lots of fluid of take off and landing and calpol 20 mins before take off . Hope you have a great time

Do you have some space outside the room (e.g. a balcony)? Otherwise you run the risk of sitting in a hotel room in the dark once baby has gone to sleep.

How will you get to the hotel? If taking an airport cab be sure they have an appropriate car seat for you. I didn't trust rentals at that age and took our own car seat to be sure.

We did the classic click and collect at Boots in the airport for nappies and formula, so they didn't take up space in the case on the way out. Used most of them by the time we came home so also didn't take up case space.

If baby has a strict bedtime routine you might find yourselves trapped in your room in the dark from 7pm each night. Room with a balcony is good for at least being able to talk and sit outside while baby sleeps. Or you could relax the routine as long as baby is happy to sleep in the pram/go to bed later while you have dinner out.

We do have a room with a balcony and it’s a suite so has a front room as well. We have a coach transfer included in the package however they’re saying they can’t provide a seat.

most people I’ve spoken to have said they would/have just travelled on the coach with baby on their lap but I don’t know how happy I am about this.

we don’t have a strict routine at home, I let baby sleep when he wants so hopefully we’re not too tied to a routine there.

We had a travel car seat which folded down. It was quite bulky, but we had extra luggage allowance because of travelling with an infant. We rented a car - I don't know whether there is something like that which would work in a coach too, but it might be worth exploring whether there is a workable option along those lines.

Ignore this poster, what a sour puss. This age is the easiest age to travel with babies before they're weaning and before they're mobile! You'll be on holiday so routines-shemes. You've booked AI so you won't have to think about food or washing up or food shopping or meal planning etc etc, which will be a holiday in itself.

If baby is EBF, then BF for take off and landing.

Travel pram with a carry strap for beside the pool naps, but also take baby carrier. I was much happier and felt safer with baby securely in the carrier on me than lolling around on my lap for coach transfers.

Take laundry detergent sheets like Dr Beckman magic leaves so you can handwash baby clothes very easily in the bathtub or sink if needed, and a travel pegless washing line like Lifeventure Adjustable Elastic Travel Washing Line on amazon.

Take as many nappies as you can, and lots of short sleeve vest babygrows. And muslins. Then pack spares. Travel changing mat with you on the flight plus a spare top for you as well as baby change of clothes.

Biggest floppiest sunhat you can find for baby.
Swim nappies and swim gear.

Take a few select toys that can have multiple use like stacking cups- good for bath play as well as general play.

Take turns with your DP to get some time to yourself each while baby naps. DH used the gym and hsd a beer by himself on his time and I went for a swim or lounged with a book and a cocktail for mine. We built this into every day and it was bliss, you start to remember you are not just a baby-parent.

Spain was a dream for us when we went, and we hate AI. But when your in the baby trenches, it's perfect.

Enjoy your holiday!

I found travel and holidays with a baby this age really easy (in comparison to a 12 month mobile child). A buggy, sunshade, few toys, medication (calpol etc), sun cream.
at this age babies are mobile so you can go about your day. Take advantage of their nap time and have a nice lunch/ cocktail/ sun bathe. Ours would sleep in the pram at night so we’d do normal routine in the room (bath, massage, pj’s, feed, sleeping bag) then put into buggy and walk them around until they were asleep and then go for dinner. Transferred to cot when we got back to room and would sit on the balcony listening to music, playing cards, chatting and having a nice drink.

Thanks for all the recommendations and tips everyone! I know it’s not going to be like the holidays we’ve been used to but I’m going in with an open mind and trying to be realistic and hopefully the good times outweigh the bad!

As you as breastfeeding much hassle will be avoided.

get a full body UV swimsuit and hat
swim nappies
a cheap buggy that you don’t mind getting bashed in transit
sun screen for buggy
sling for when you don’t want to take buggy out

have a great time

We holidayed at five months and it was the easiest holiday we've had since kids.

Take a carrier for the airport because you'll likely not have your pram until baggage reclaim and that's a lot of baby holding.

A parasol and fan for the pram. We walked loads and loads with the pram to encourage naps at the usual time. Also if you're a beach goer, a pop up tent was great so baby could sit or lie inside to play.

We also used to plan our dinner time around baby's last feed and bed. We'd do the feed, pop him in the pram and walk for a bit to a restaurant. He'd be asleep by the time we got there and would be out for the night so it was some alone time for us which was amazing. The time difference also helped us perfect his bedtime - before our Spain trip he was going to sleep at 8pm but when we came back, it was 7pm and it's been set since.

This is honestly the easiest time to holiday with a baby and it was really lovely. Hope you have a great time.

If your hotel room doesn’t have a bath, you could buy a cheap mini paddling pool (often available with all the other pool inflatable bits) and pop it in the base of the shower. More clothes and wipes and nappies than you think necessary for the flight - taking off in a plane always seemed to trigger DCs to poo!

Flights at 5m are easier than toddler age when they are into everything but too young for activity/sticker books!

Ignore negative posters op

it’s the easiest time to travel when they little like that

i took 4 month old and 3 year old to Asia for a few months on maternity leave - didn’t find it stressful at all tbh - baby slept on the flight a lot and he was happy just sitting there in my lap - didn’t need much other than breast milk and cuddles and sleep

I wouldn’t overthink the stuff either we travelled light and could always do laundry anyway

I would just take the coach - did it with under child several times from a bout 8 months old on a few Spain trips just had her on my lap

people would have a heart attack if they saw the way we travelled backpacking around se Asia with the kids 🫢🫢

enjoy your trip x

You can also get water ring slings. Obviously you can't go fully swimming in them, but it's easy to carry a baby in a soaking swimsuit in them, you can go in upto an appropriate depth in the pool, they dry quickly etc. They are really cheap and pack down small.

We went abroad when my youngest was 6w. It was the easiest holiday we've ever had with children. Ignore the sour puss and enjoy it. Yes it'll be different, but frankly it'll be a lot more relaxing than a year later, or two years later, or the next about 10 years. Make the most of being able to read a book whilst baby naps (even if it's on you).

I'd buy nappies out there, they are weirdly often more expensive abroad but it saves on space.

I think it will be great, 5 months is a great age to travel, esp if EBF. You have a balcony so that is fab, you have a buggy so you can also enjoy things out and about while baby sleeps, great advice from @OhHobnobs about coach, you have it booked already, and better than getting a taxi when there is discussion about car seat, or having to take car seat. Short flight & AI, calpol isn't a bad idea coming down as the pressure sometimes hurts their ears. I would only add that you take what you need in your hand-baggage to cope with all eventualities (including being diverted, long delays and so on), it is basic stuff and you will have it covered already, and lots of great posters have mentioned - extra nappies, changes of clothing (including for you), calpol, a small towel or tea towel for mopping up. If you are on some airlines (ryanair particularly) you can (and should) book your seats in advance, but there are options to swap seats up to 2 hours before on the app for no extra charge (or very little) to a quieter part of the plane. This can be a godsend as you can often score a row on your own, with a spare middle seat for your "clobber". Might not be a goer depending how busy plane is, but worth considering. Have a lovely holiday xx

you know you get to take 2 items of baby equipment with your flight? They need checked into the hold usually. I’d recommend car seat and a lie flat travel buggy. The car seat will double as a bouncer seat in your hotel room!

Great age for travelling. We went to Asia when my youngest was this age. Not yet crawling but old enough to sit in a highchair. We weren’t quite officially weaning yet but used to put a bit of scrambled egg or bits of broccoli on the highchair to keep him entertained while we ate dinner which worked well (he didn’t really ‘eat’ any). An inflatable seat was really useful to sit him in in the room while we were getting ready. Enjoy - it gets much harder (fun) when they start moving!