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.

We took ds to the Canary Islands when he was a little bit younger than that. (Along with his 3 year old sister.) We had an amazing time! Ebf makes everything so much easier as you don’t have to worry about water (some bottled water is too high in minerals).

I breastfed on the way up, in the middle of the flight and then on the way down. Ds (who “liked his food”) was very happy with that!

It isn’t a lot of fun changing nappies on the plane (basically a table that you pull down over the tiny loo) so change just before you get on the plane to try and limit changes needed. Although changing a 4 month old was a lot easier than when we went and he was 2! He didn’t fit then. Plus he spoke well so could explain to me exactly why this was a highly unsatisfactory arrangement!

I used to lie on the sun bed with a book whilst he lie on me having a snooze. It was lovely.

You can buy these “sun suits” from places like M&S. They cover arms, body and legs and often also come with a big hat that also covers the back of the neck. Massively reduces the amount of sun cream needed. And yet they somehow keep them cool.

We kept the kids in their usual routine and just accepted that we were going to spend our evenings on the balcony whilst they slept. We used to take it in turns to go to the bar to get drinks. My mis spent youth means’s that I could carry three drinks plus a bottle of water under each arm. 😂

Travel blackout blind, do them in Argos. Worth the investment

Stay by the pool and avoid the beach (sand plus baby is a nightmare). Playmat and a bag of little toys should keep them happy for a bit. If the pool isn't heated, take one of those insulated neoprene swimming suits for him. Consider a cute little floaty inflatable thing he can sit in when you go in the pool with him. Ask hotel for blackout blinds or take your own (groblind ones) if baby needs a fully darkened room. Lower your expectations about how much sunbathing/reading a book you will do, although perhaps you and your OH can take turns doing some shifts with the baby to give each other some relaxing time. Going out for a bit (if not too hot) might be less stressful than attempting sit by the pool.

Finally, as you are breastfeeding, breastfeed on takeoff and landing to help his ears adjust. My babies usually slept pretty well on flights due to the white noise.

I went on a holiday with my sister when her little one was about a year old, and it was definitely interesting but tiring! 😄 We felt like we had to carry everything with us, including the baby half the time. Snacks, nappies, spare clothes, toys… the list never seemed to end. The best thing was not planning too much for each day and giving the little one plenty of time for naps and breaks. It was more tiring than a holiday without a baby, but we still had a really nice time and got the hang of things after the first couple of days.

Easiest age, enjoy

We're heading off with our 5 month old next week and this thread has been useful and reassuring. Hope you have an amazing holiday!