Sun holiday with a 6 month old?

littlemissteach

Hi there,
Hubby and I are thinking of going on a week to the sun with the little man in May, and last night my mum offered to come with us to give us a bit of a break.
Firstly are we mad to be thinking of bringing the baba with us, is it too much hassle , should we leave him with his granny at home or is it a good age for him to travel?
He'll be 6 months in May.

I am presuming we should go with somewhere a short flight away so I reckon mainland Spain/Portugal is best?
Have you travelled with a 6 month old(or around that age) to the sun, could you recommend any resort or accommodation that you have stayed in/at that is good for babies /has good facilities etc?

Lastly, I'm wondering about my travel system?Mine is a bulky icandy, should I get a cheap stroller for the hols, or will my baba be too young yet for a stroller at 6 months?If bringing the icandy would you recommend I bring the car seat for it or the actual icandy stroller seat?
Thanks a mill, also if you have any tips about travelling with smallies I would really appreciate it!!I'm kinda thinking it will be a logistics nightmare!!(bit I@m sure if I'm well organised it'll be grand!)

Supercell

We went to Malaga with ours last year.
Things that I;d consider essential next time with a nipper that age would be :-

1) High Chair - mealtimes were a chore as one of us always had to hold him while the other ate.
2) Bouncer or something to pop them in so they dont have to be held 247
3) Travel cot - Sharing a bed with a child that age in a strange bed wasn't fun.

Plan short outings if any, don't plan long days out, take short trips - you will be exhausted with the crying, nappy changes, feeding never mind looking after yourself in a strange place
Dont plan to visit places like historical museums or anywhere else a screaming unhappy possibly puking baby may not be welcome.
Research where you go if your child gets sick BEFORE you go - we didnt and we were climbing the walls trying to find out where to get him help. Make sure you bring or get your European medical card (which replaced the E111 forms of the past).
make sure the place you are going has aircon. A baby from Ireland probably isnt going to like 30°C AT ALL and will let you all about it when he's tired.

That said,. for all that, with a bit of planning it should be a nice break, but DO make sure you try to have covered all eventualities.
I wouldnt go again without a bouncer or high chair, those I would consider to be deal breakers. Maybe with a willing third person to help that might be better, but holding a baby 247 gets tiring very very quickly in hot weather even for three people.

Lola92

I travelled to Malta with my then 8 month old in 2011. Ryan air flight, baby in the sling all through the airport and on flight with exception of take off/landing. We also brought a stroller (similar to this) that we were able to bring right up to the door of the plane. You could bring a lighter one if you wanted but this suited for us to use here too as a spare for the grandparents house. I didn't get a spf sun guard net thing though, and I should have in hindsight. It makes it easier for the little one to nap out and about without worrying about the muslin/parasol not shading them fully. I also brought my totseat, which is like a fabric high chair. You can just attach it to any chair while out and about, I found it great even for using at home, trips to grandparents, cafe's etc.

With regard to the flight I found it easy enough, have a few sets of spare clothes for you both in case baby is sick. I kept them in ziplock bags in the nappy bag which was easy to grab when needed. If you are feeding then take off/landing is easier on their ears if they pop, you could use a soother either, some give a spoon of calpol before flight, all preference really. If you have a couple of new toys/soft books to keep them entertained all the better.

We stayed in an apartment up 8 flights of stairs with no lift!! Luckily we had a hire car and just kept the buggy there, used the sling otherwise so this is one thing worth checking out before you go!! Sling was definitely the best thing I brought!

Other recommendations would be to get/borrow a full arm&leg spf swim suit and hat for baby so they can spend lots of time cooling off in the water without worrying about cream washing off and burning their little skin. Don't bring too many nappies, main places all will sell pampers/huggies so you can save on bulk in your luggage. If you are formula feeding you will most likely need to bring a supply with you as the formula's can be different in mainland europe, even if you get the same brand, and maybe some extra in case of delays or holdups.

Bring a few beakers and sun hats as they will inevitably go missing. I used to freeze a tray of ice cubes each night from bottled water, put them into the little lady's beaker and have it in an insulated thermal bag to keep cool during the day. Luckily my girl took to the heat very well (up to 40 degrees some days) it was me that was hogging the air con! Sewing elastic on to sun hats can be good idea too as baby tend to take them off continuously at that stage!

The DAA website has some advice about travelling with a baby also which would be worth a look.

mary1978

Definataely you should go . I took our LO away to Spain for a month when he was 4 weeks and to Thailand for 2 weeks when he was 6 months and he loved it. The heat may be a bit tough if very hot but we just spent hot hours of the day indors and had good sun protection when we were out.
We actually brought a Jumperoo with us and although it was big it was totally worth it as he loved it at that age. Folded it up and put it in a big duffle bag.
Travel cot definately,
some form of chair. you could prob get away with a carseat for meals but if the resort has a high chair you should rent it or bring one with you.
other than that I would recommednd self catering apartment (rather than hotel ).and somewhere with a pool as we found the sea could be too rough to bring the baby in but pool was always great . bring plenty clothes and all the creams , nappies etc you usually use. At that age flying is pretty easy as well.

littlemissteach

Would you pack travel cot in with your check in bags?Can you get fold down/pop up bouncers?!

littlemissfixit

I'd say research a place that is family friendly, when I went away with my little ones, there was always cots, highchairs provided, couldn't have seen ourselves going with the lot on top of luggage. Then again, I do have the fabric seat that fits on any chair and its small enough to put in the suitcase.
Don't bring your good stroller, even just for the risk of it being damaged in transit.
I travelled with my daughter at different ages and on my own, and it was all fine, different kind of holiday granted, but very enjoyable all the same.

How Strange

I brought my son to visit friends in France at 6 months and they had kids do we didn't need to worry about buggies, high chairs etc.

However he loved the heat (and he's a typical Irish baby!), he loved to sleep under a tree during the day, he slept great at night and I found it hassle free in general. We've since been away on holidays and 6 months was the easiest time as he was still very much a baby.

Moonbeam

it is the easiest time to travel with them:) babies are portable.
I brought my 1st to France for a month @4 months,it is so baby friendly.

littlemissteach

Just another logisitics issue- if travelling in a taxi abroad- do you need to bring a car seat with you for a baby??

maeby

We have booked a villa in lanzarote in late May. Our baby will be 9 months old and it's our first trip abroad with her so I'm picking up lots from this thread!!

We have booked a 2 bed villa with a gated pool (which I am a little nervous about as she'll be crawling by then). it also has a BBQ so if we don't feel like going out to a restaurant we can cook in.

We looked at package holidays vs villa and I preferred the extra space and fact that we can use the travel cot (provided) as a play pen.

But ....getting back to the point... I'd defo go for it. And if your mum is offering to go I'd take her up on it!!

Oral Slang

Great travelling with young kids. We went to Alcudia in Majorca last year when our daughter was 8 months & Tenerife last month when she was 16 months. We got a light stroller from my sister in law & bought a snoozeshade for it (a sun protector for if they fall asleep when you're out in the sun.

Always bring a sling - great for the airports & also this time I used to have her in it on walks & when she fell asleep, I'd transfer her to the buggy.

Both times we went half board - we did baby led weaning with her, so she eats what we eat - very handy going half boards as there's a range of food that you can try them with. If you're not doing BLW, then not as much of an issue. But it's handy in the evenings if the baby is tired, just pop them into their pajamas & bring them down to the restaurant. This time in Tenerife, we swapped our dinner for lunch twice or 3 times, so we could go out for dinner an odd night.

I wouldn't bring a high chair, bouncer or travel cot. Every restaurant we went to had high chairs, never had any need for a bouncer & the hotels or apartments can usually provide a travel cot. 2 all in one UV protected swimsuits are a must, preferably the ones with hats. If you have the baby in the pool more than once a day, it's good to have a dry one on hand. If you're going to a hotel, check if they provide towels, so you don't need to bring beach towels. We hire them - give a deposit & they give it back at the end of the holiday.

Don't overpack baby clothes - when we were in Alcudia she spent most days in just a vest - too hot for sun dresses etc. I'm not sure about abroad, but in ireland if you're travelling with a baby in a taxi, you don't need a baby seat. We got holiday transfers both times, so she sat on our laps on the bus.

On the plane, if there are only 2 adults & unreserved seats, we always sat 1 on the aisle & 1 at the window. If the plane isn't full, not many people want to sit beside a baby, so we usually have a free seat, great to sit her down on.

We always get a few new toys to keep her entertained on the flight. Not sure if your little one is too young, but we always bring little snacks - raisins, goodies bars, fruit, water etc.

IvyTheTerrible

A handy alternative to a high chair is one of those baby chairs that you can attach to tables. Mostly they fold up too so they really don't take up a lot of space.

skit490

Does anyone know what size a changi.g bag you can bring on are lingus flight. I've read u can bring it in addition to your cabin bag but can't find any measurements. Rang aer lingus n on hold forever! Also had planned on bringing travel cot as think baby will sleep better in the one she knows. Though u can rent them from apartment complex. Also wondering how they work out on are lingus to Portugal.

Oral Slang wrote: »

Great travelling with young kids. We went to Alcudia in Majorca last year when our daugher was 8 months & Tenerife last month when she was 16 months. We got a light stroller from my sister in law & bought a snoozeshade for it (a sun protector for if they fall asleep when you're out in the sun.

Always bring a sling - great for the airports & also this time I used to have her in it on walks & when she fell asleep, I'd transfer her to the buggy.

Both times we went half board - we did baby led weaning with her, so she eats what we eat - very handy going half boards as there's a range of food that you can try them with. If you're not doing BLW, then not as much of an issue. But it's handy in the evenings if the baby is tired, just pop them into their pajamas & bring them down to the restaurant. This time in Tenerife, we swapped our dinner for lunch twice or 3 times, so we could go out for dinner an odd night.

I wouldn't bring a high chair, bouncer or travel cot. Every restaurant we went to had high chairs, never had any need for a bouncer & the hotels or apartments can usually provide a travel cot. 2 all in one UV protected swimsuits are a must, preferably the ones with hats. If you have the baby in the pool more than once a day, it's good to have a dry one on hand. If you're going to a hotel, check if they provide towels, so you don't need to bring beach towels. We hire them - give a deposit & they give it back at the end of the holiday.

Don't overpack baby clothes - when we were in Alcudia she spent most days in just a vest - too hot for sun dresses etc. I'm not sure about abroad, but in ireland if you're travelling with a baby in a taxi, you don't need a baby seat. We got holiday transfers both times, so she sat on our laps on the bus.

On the plane, if there are only 2 adults & unreserved seats, we always sat 1 on the aisle & 1 at the window. If the plane isn't full, not many people want to sit beside a baby, so we usually have a free seat, great to sit her down on.

We always get a few new toys to keep her entertained on the flight. Not sure if your little one is too young, but we always bring little snacks - raisins, goodies bars, fruit, water etc.

TRISHKA

Loads of info on this blog for travelling with kids
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.ie/

ted1

No need for high chairs, travel cots etc. just Ask the place your staying for a cot and high chair. Nearly all restaurants will have high chairs.
We took our 4 month to Tenerife, then Sciliy at 12 months and Portugal at 14 months.

The heat tires them out so you can enjoy all the tourists things. No need to miss out on Anything.
Be sure to book a car seat if renting a car.

As for clothes light vests that protect from the sun and an parasol that attaches to the buggy is a must.
Use child friendly sun creams that won't go n to the eyes

beertons

Definately go before they are mobile. We went to Spain self catering last year, booked our transfer to the apartment online to ensure carseat. Every restaurant we went to had babyseats. We had evening flights too, so by the time we were boarding, it was bedtime. And we kept the same routine when away, so bedtime was just an hour ahead.