[Closed] Holiday with a baby?

Self catering is definitely the way to go! That way you can take all you need - we took enough stuff to survive a nuclear holocaust the first time we went.

Go for it,

Cottage, static caravan etc will work. The more you go away with your little one the more used to new surroundings they will be and each time away will get more relaxing.

I could tell you what i think you should and shouldnt do, but results vary so just go with the flow!

We went to Mull with our six week old, drove up from west Yorkshire as well. Also went to Norway when he was 9 months, and did several weekends in youth hostels, cottages etc. .Holidays are a bit different with a baby, in fact with a child full stop. As long as you are both comfortable with it being a change of scenery rather than an action packed adventure you'll be fine - self catering definitely best. We benefitted the break from the sameness of home, and some of our best holiday memories are of those years. Go for it!

I'm possibly going to go against the grain here ..

I think it all depends how well your baby sleeps at night to start with ..if not well a change of scenery won't particularly help ..but self catering is the best option if you are determined to get away .

Going away wouldn't have been an option for us at that age with our son who didn't give us an uninterrupted nights sleep for 3 years ...

Self catering. Deffo.!

Or just don't bother . It's not worth the bother in my opinion. We done it with both ours and each time we never learn. It's just a pain in the ass .

Constant feeding and nappies, and not being in your own home when you need all the related baby stuff to reach is just annoying.

All your time away is spent looking after a baby, not enjoying where you are.

To me it looks a right pain in the arse. We did manage Centre Parks with our 13 month old daughter and her 14 month old cousin (all parents and one set of grandparents present helped a lot).

Mrs breadcrumb and myself have said no foreign holidays for a few years, at least until the little one is a bit more self dependant.

Best holiday we had when our first was a baby was to Forest Holidays in FOD.

We had a cabin with a hot tub. It was spacious so we could have the baby crap all around the place. Self catering but they also did food. We had a couple of takeaways from coleford. Managed a couple of rides. We also got to have a glass of wine in the hot tub when the little one was sleeping which was lovely. It was the only decent holiday I can remember us having at that time.

Mrs breadcrumb and myself have said no foreign holidays for a few years, at least until the little one is a bit more self dependant.

Trust me holiday abroad which usually entail a pool are very very busy affairs until they can swim solo!

We’ve had a fair few trips away with LittleMissMomo in the last year, the first was a family trip to centre parcs when she was about 8 weeks, 2 adults and a baby only just fitted into a mondeo estate (with roofbox) MrsMomo and I didn’t get to do too much in terms of activities but we had a good break with the rest of the family.

Our next trip was a week in the lakes with brother-in-law and his partner, self catering cottage is definitely the way forward as you can stick to your normal routines.

Plan your travel with plenty of places to stop and get the baby out of the car , ideally timed around babies normal sleep/feeding pattern (both ways! We messed up coming back from Edinburgh to Lincoln in July when LMM was 6 months and ended up with her screaming at us for the last hour of the journey, haven’t made that mistake since!)

it does get easier the older/more mobile they get, our last trip was another cottage down in Cornwall over February half term, LMM was happy toddling around testing her new found walking legs in the open plan barn we’d rented.

We live internationally and so the littleun had flown 14 times in his first 12 months.

We've done long haul, short haul, hotel, apartment, house sit,  including 9 weeks in one stretch that included Paris for 3 weeks  4 weeks in the French countryside; Berlin and Krakow. All with no problems.

Tips from our mistakes mainly!

- Get your own folding big travel cot. You can take them on planes for free and takes the stress out of them sleeping. Only 30 quid from Argos.

-Sleepy head for the cot / anywhere you want them to lie and stay put. Also great to use at home and helps with SIDS.

- We bought a Doona push chair/car seat. Again goes free on planes, you can use as a push chair when there and importantly alway have a car seat. Magic things, but not cheap. You could also get a micro folding push chair, but then you'd have to sort a car seat there.

- Don't get stressed. Actually at 6 weeks old it's a great time because they can't move so great on a plane!! Stick em in a bouncer on the table and have dinner. Lie by the pool, whatever.  It's easy to make it stressful, but also easy to make other not. It kind of depends on you - if the baby stresses you out at home then you have no hope  - if you're naturally more relaxed you'll be fine. Are the people that gave you a horror story the types that find it hard at home?  Interesting thing to note...

- sounds silly, but understand these changes you need to make. Don't book a couples only hotel  find family friendly. Eat in restaurants at 6pm and not 8pm. Don't book all day excursions and trips - you need to stay flexible  Eg, we took ours to Auschwitz at 8 months old, yes sounds crazy, but we didn't go with a 6 hour guided tour so didn't have to go with the dictated pace or disturb people, could find some quiet if needed for food/changing, could finish when we wanted. It was a no problem at all and he certainly wasn't the only baby there. Basically, things are different, just think about each situation and be sensible.  Short transfers for the win.

We're off to to Sri Lanka next week for 10 days all inclusive hotel break with the now sprinting 17 month old , pool, beach, and all.  It'll be great!

Good luck!

ps.  Cheap flights whilst they're under 2.   Get it while you can.

We went away with our daughter.

First trip at a 2 months old. Hired cottage with family in the UK. They helped looked after the little one which was great.

Second trip to Majorca at 7 months ish. Airbnb place with a pool. This worked quite well, as we felt a bit more like a holiday as one of us could have a swim whilst the other looked after the baby. I even managed a couple of MTB rides. When she got on the plane she was super excited, but literally feel asleep as the plane took off and didn't wake up until we got there, despite the hen party on the seats in front.

As stated above, how easy/difficult depends on the baby’s temperament. Our first was a good baby and nothing phased him so holidays were a pleasure...the second not so much (to say the least) so we had to arrange everything around her sleeps and feeds.

We did many holidays with them under 2 to get the free flights and my advice would be always self catering when it’s warm and not hot, the Med in spring/autumn for example. Life is so much easier when you’re outside all the time.

You need not pack that much for the baby as there are always shops nearby, enough nappies for 2 days and not the entire holidays, don’t bother taking all that sterilising crap as there’s always boiling water to sterilise. We see some people taking car seats abroad which is just crazy as most taxis/car hire will have these if you ask beforehand. We had a tiny pop-up cot that would go on the floor which worked well.

Go for it....and when the baby starts screaming in a public place most people will sympathise and those grumpy buggers who don’t were grumpy babies themselves once...

Second Forest Holidays, we went twice in the first year. Cheaper than Center Parcs and you won’t use any of their stuff with a baby anyway, just go for walks. So quiet at night that the baby slept for ages.

For the FoD one I took my bike, got a good ride in at Cannop while my wife pushed the baby around the family path for a while.

hugo
We live internationally and so the littleun had flown 14 times in his first 12 months.
We’ve done long haul, short haul, hotel, apartment, house sit, including 9 weeks in one stretch that included Paris for 3 weeks 4 weeks in the French countryside; Berlin and Krakow. All with no problems.

Did the other passengers appreciate it though?

Though at that age may have been okay. It's the toddlers who can be nightmares on flights. Tired and get into a ear piercing screaming mode. Though takeoff and landing does seem to distract them.

Did the other passengers appreciate it though?

A very reasonable question.

The other passengers were fine because we try and fly when he's going to be the least trouble, so overnight flights when he could wake people are clearly anti-social, so we avoid doing that.  During the day he's just a normal baby really.  As long as he's fed, reasonably entertained (be naughty and let him watch a tablet for ease of life), and clean nappy then he's fine.  Also, we're on flights that have other families on them, so he's never really the only child.  This is especially true on charter holiday flights.   Doing the London-New York business red-eye would be a mistake!  We had to do one overnight so booked business class and he just slept  with mum the whole flight.

You're right re toddlers.  What I've found re other people's toddlers is that if they're nice kids then it's fine.  Having a funny grinning kid tapping you on the shoulder and wanting you to wave to his mum and dad/have a chat/ask you your name/ask what you're watching is amusing and only breaks up the journey.  Children are part of life and I've seen some 2 year olds can amuse a whole isle of adults with peekaboo.  Yes , it's when they are throwing tantrums because of xyz for 7 hours that it's an issue!   If that were the case, we'd adjust our plans, as it's as much fun for the parents as the other passengers.

Also, what has to be remembered is that children exist, and if parents have done everything possible to mitigate issues for other passengers through flight times, meals, entertainment, being relaxed, timing sleeps, etc, then if a baby does have a cry then it's one of those things that you have to suck up flying in economy with 300 people on  a plane.

Additionally, and this does sound bad, but it's noticeable how much other countries like babies and children compared to the UK, especially in Asia.  If you have a crying child in a restaurant/supermarket/plane in the middle east, india, far east, etc then you'll far more sympathetic looks than the passive aggressive scowls prevalent in the UK.....

It's when a baby is crying and the parents are just ignoring it and letting it go on for hours, or they have no parental control over their toddler, that's annoying, I totally agree.

Refreshing stuff hugo!

We didn't alter our lifestyle at all when our two were babies / young, just included them whether it was eating out, travelling, hotels, whatever. If you are confident and involve your children they soon get into the rhythm of things. Having said that, my children are now grown up with their own. When they were young I think we could get away with a lot more regarding 'health and safety' with fewer offended people frowning at us. Things like travelling to the seaside in an open top Land Rover with the kids loose in the back...

Like hugo will have seen on his travels, peoples in other cultures work with their babies slung from their chest, travel everywhere with them on totally ramshackle vehicles and feed them on the go. None of this frowning on a bit of breast feeding like happens here!

Thanks psling.

Also, for the OP, we found this a brilliant bit of kit once he was about 8 months old:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/kid-comfort-plus-15-id_8337899.html

We walked 14km in Berlin one day and he was happy as Larry sat in the back.  Great alternative to a pushchair if you're doing lots of miles, but is age dependant based on sitting, etc.

Only been abroad with ours once - took overnight ferry which worked really well.

piece of advice: don't do as I did and dismantle the buggy to save space packing the car and then forget to pack the wheels!