Any holiday advice please!

rondeco

I'm bringing my 15 month old baby daughter on her first sun holiday (and last for a good few years!!) at the end of may and we're off to Lanzarote. Can anyone give many hints and tips with regard to bringing a young infant away.

Any airport hints or advice and what I should pack etc and maybe if anyone has any experience of the cots that are supplied in the resorts? Do you bring your own or would you use theirs?

All and any advice would be greatly appreciated!

**Caroline**

Hi, I recently travelled to Lanzarote with my partner and our son (who was 3 at the time).

The airport will be fine. You should be allowed hang onto your pram right up to the terminal which makes life a bit easier! Make sure you have some light snacks with you in case there's a bit of a wait for the flight. You won't be able to bring drinks past security so keep that in mind but once you have some money on you, there should be shops/vending machines on the other side!!

Make sure to pack some toys/books for the flight. Maybe even a colouring book or a portable dvd player with their favourite movie or tv show on dvd to keep them occupied.

Other things you might consider packing (bar the obvious stuff like clothes etc.) would be: total sun block or very high sun factor, baby wipes, hats/caps, calpol (just in case), small blanket, favourite toy/teddy bear, lolly pops for take off on the plane.

I'm not sure on the whole cot situation as my boy slept in a bed when I travelled. Sorry I can't be of more help to you on that front

I hadn't any previous experience of travelling with a young child so was a bit anxious of how it'd go but it turned out fine. Just allow yourself plenty of time when getting from a to b. You'll have a great time! And sure once you have your passports, money and each other - everything else will fall into place

Birdie086

my three year old has been to spain twice with me and italy twice with my ma.
last year we went on hols on our own, had a great time. aboce post very good, advice. Definitly bring a blanket as they like the smell of home, my son got obsessed with his. Also i brought small dvd player, great way to keep em occupied for short periods of time. Look up the hotel online and check out about cots but usaully you can hire them at the hotel. Some places very expensive - cheaper to buy a travel cot and leave it behind..... so make sure you find out the cost first. one place we stayed they provided the cot free which was great. make sure you pack light just to make life easier i normally use the washnig machine facitilites halfway through the week, was will be dry n couple of hours with the heat.
If your child refuses to eat this is no big deal, provided they get plenty of drinks. this is very important but you probaly know that already.
ENJOY and have a great time

metrovelvet

Is your child walking? You will be spending the whole trip up and down the aisle.

eamon234

+1 on the portable DVD player - stick on whatever she likes and she'll be quiet for the flight also handy for the hotel/apartment which won't have much in the line of english speaking TV for the evenings or if the weather is bad (it does happen people, even in Lanzarote!)

buzzibee

Hi rondeco, I have to say that I would not have opted for somewhere so far away. . .Spain & Portugal are only two hours away and even this year my dd is 5 and Im still hesitant about a 4 & 1/2 hour flight unless absolutely necessary. Children at that age are very hard to entertain in flight, hopefully she will sleep for most of it ! Bring her fav books, games etc. . plenty of nappies & wipes
You should contact the place you are staying, usually they provide cots although I have seen people bringing their own travel cots. I have requested two cots over the years and dd ended up sleeping in my bed. I found they are very cage like although possibly more suited for a younger baby. My dd was 3 and 4 (she falls out of beds and I only recently got rid of her bed rail at home)
A high factor is a must, cover the shoulders, head & feet. . bring a pair of sunglasses and a few hats

Love2love

**Caroline** wrote: »

The airport will be fine. You should be allowed hang onto your pram right up to the terminal which makes life a bit easier! Make sure you have some light snacks with you in case there's a bit of a wait for the flight. You won't be able to bring drinks past security so keep that in mind but once you have some money on you, there should be shops/vending machines on the other side

You will be allowed to bring baby milk through security but you might be asked to taste it yourself first.
Buy Aquanappies here before you go because they can be very expensive to buy over there and some places dont sell them at all. Nothing worse than seeing a child in the water with a normal nappy dragging between their legs spoiling all the fun.

traceybere

if you pick up a small paddle pool - there €5 in the toy shop - you can put a small ammount of water in for your little one to play, this will them them used to the pool.

You can get swim suits that are full body and provide 50 UVA and UVB protection.

A sun hat with a long back on the neck is essential.

Light small blankets are handy for the evening.

traceybere

We rented a cot the last time - and used the sheets in the hotel - its like a play pen - travel cot that we got.

We brought a couple of our own blankets for familuarity.

A soother for the plane is great to prevent ears pooping

Waternews

Flight and airport advice
Bring lots of raisins, crackers or whatever your baby likes snacking on. This is one of the easiest ways to distract them.
Let them stand up on you, move around as much as you can while the seat belt signs are off, as it's like smack down wrestling when they go on.
If you use dummys - have about 12 clean and ready to replace the last spat out one. My DD only used them at night, and on flights.
Get sudafed for infants before you go. If your baby is distressed during landing or has a cold (and a lot of mucus) then give them this. *** check with your pharmacist/doctor first *****
My DD had ear issues, so this was a must for us.

Air stewards can be wonderfully helpful.

Bring rehydration powders.

Travel cots at the destination have always been fine for me. I bring sheets and blankets though.

Forget any resting or relaxing while you are there:D
It's non-stop baby entertaining...
Try to get up early, good nap at the hottest time of the day.. and keep them up late. you sleep when they do.. probably the easiest way.

On the buggy. If you have one that cost you a lot of money, or that you like. Don't bring it. Ryanair flung mine off the plane and broke the wheels off. If you can, buy or borrow a lightweight one - you can get ones that fully recline.

Have a great time! Bobbing up and down in the pool with your baby is just so much fun

lalalulu

Great advice water news.. I'm off on hols in september, my daughter will be 11 months and as much as i'm looking forward to it i'm nervous aswell!

shrapnel222

also make sure your little one is either sucking on a dummy or drinking from a bottle on takeoff and landing to help with equalising the pressure in the eardrums. don't fret, stay calm and walk around the plane if she gets wrestless. You'll see plenty of people happy to interact with your daughter and yourself for a few minutes at a time, keeping her amused.

3DataModem

rondeco wrote: »

I'm bringing my 15 month old baby daughter on her first sun holiday (and last for a good few years!!) at the end of may and we're off to Lanzarote. Can anyone give many hints and tips with regard to bringing a young infant away.

Any airport hints or advice and what I should pack etc and maybe if anyone has any experience of the cots that are supplied in the resorts? Do you bring your own or would you use theirs?

All and any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I would advise using the P20 all-day sun cream. While it can stain clothes it really does prevent sunburn for the whole day, even on a child.

There are other brands (e.g. Piz Buin 8 hour) but for a child I would only use the P20. One application 60 mins before going into the sun does the trick. And yes, you really have to wait the hour or it doesn't activate properly.