The first holiday with a baby: lessons learned
So… I survived the first holiday with a baby, sanity (mostly) intact. I’m even ready to do it again! But there are a few things I’ve learned along the way… especially when it comes to knowing which essentials you need to pack.
I’m firmly in the ‘pack things just in case’ camp, but with so much paraphernalia to take when you travel with a baby, there’s got to be a limit (quite apart from the very real baggage limit).
Things I wish I’d taken
A travel cot… with a few provisos. The villa had one ready for us and I managed fine. But it’s obviously designed for a fairly wide age range and could double as a playpen, with sides just annoyingly high enough that I almost throttled myself to reach in from the bed.
Hanging over the side night after night to soothe Minnie actually left me with a bruised collarbone. The downside is that would mean having to carry yet another thing through the airport (although at this stage it could be lightweight and designed for a young baby).
Slightly more nappies… or not quite as many. I nearly had enough to avoid buying more but not quite. Either take plenty and be done with it, or just take enough for a few days, free up the space and buy a big pack. I ended up flying an unopened pack there and a barely opened one back but Huggies and Pampers, as well as other brands, were easily available in Lanzarote.
More washing capsules… despite my best intentions, she went through clothes faster than anticipated. And while I couldn’t have fitted many more vests in, I could have fitted more washing liquid without too much trouble.
Things I wish I’d left
Mosquito net/repellent… not an annoying whine all holiday. Having said that, they didn’t take up much room and I’d really have missed them if I’d needed them.
Travel neck pillow… suggested to give some support on the plane. I even found a cute owl one. And it’s a great idea but she refused to use it. In the end, I got more use to rest my elbow on as I cradled her.
A beach towel for Minnie… I had a hooded one for after her bath, and the towels provided for adults would have been fine if I needed an extra. Especially as we weren’t actually going to the beach on this trip, after all.
Most of my dresses… no seafront evening meals in nice restaurants, combined with early nights with a baby, plus a generally laid-back island means I dressed down practically the whole time.
For more tips, see my essential packing list for travelling with a baby – compiled after many many more trips!
Things I should have considered
Then there are plenty of things which it turned out I never even thought to consider…
Dealing with desalinated water. It’s fine to drink, but would you use it in a baby’s bottles? On the face of it, there’s no reason why not as it’s perfectly drinkable. But in the end, I decided not to take the risk and bought bottled water to mix with formula – just one more thing to factor in.
Setting up a temporary change table. My solution this time is also known as a floor. Quite a hard tiled floor as it turned out. So after repeated nappy changes, even on a folded towel, that means bruised knees. Maybe next time I’ll find a cushion or three.
What to do during nap time. There’s plenty of reasons why self-catering beats a hotel – the flexibility, the facilities etc. But one which hadn’t occurred is simply the space.
Obviously you get more of it in a villa than a hotel room but I’ve never been too fussed about room to spread out. Except… except what would you do while a baby naps or sleeps if you’ve got one hotel room?
And why had this not occurred to me before my first holiday with a baby?Put the travel cot in the bathroom and somehow brush your teeth without waking them? Keep them in the main room and sit very very quietly at nap time? Sneak out with the baby monitor to… well, how far does the signal reach?
Seems there’s still plenty to learn on the next trip too.
Image courtesy of Depositphotos
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