Families who welcome a newborn baby do not necessarily want to give up their holidays for the first year. It is perfectly possible to go on holiday with baby, as long as you are well organised, take all the necessary precautions and have everything you need on site so that looking after the toddler is as if you were at home. The following tips will help you adopt the right reflexes to make your first holiday with an infant a pleasant one.
Take all the essential items with you
The first holiday with an infant has everything to be one of the most beautiful memories of a lifetime, provided it is well prepared. And first of all, you have to think about all the equipment you'll need on site. Travelling by plane or train is possible, but it's much more practical in the first year to choose the car and head for a destination not too far away. In the car, make sure you practise loading, trying to stow the pram, folding bed, stroller, bath seat or inflatable bathtub and the bag containing the bottles, teats and a few jars of powdered milk.
In addition to this, there will be the suitcases with the parents' clothes and the bag with the baby's clothes. In order to avoid doing laundry every other day, it is necessary to bring enough bras, t-shirts, panties and some warm clothes. Be careful to stow everything in the trunk and possibly on the rear seats next to baby without this hindering the driver's visibility. And if it's really too complicated, it's then wise to look at the rentals that provide baby equipment, this can avoid having to carry some bulky equipment (bed, stroller ...).
Diapers are another essential item to have on hand during the holidays. And rather than cluttering up the car with several packs of diapers or running to the shops after a few days, an interesting alternative is to take out practical subscriptions to have diapers delivered on holiday. The nappies are then delivered directly to the address on the spot and the brand used remains the same! Orders are placed directly on the Internet, saving precious time
First holiday with an infant: visit the paediatrician and enjoy the stay
Before going to the holiday destination, it is important to make an appointment with the paediatrician to take stock of the situation. During this check-up, the health professional will check vaccinations, update the health record and will not hesitate to give valuable recommendations to leave serenely. He or she can provide a list of medicines to take with you (eye drops, rehydration sachets, the usual treatment...) and possibly recommend a colleague on site in case of problems.
On the day of departure, it is advisable to check the traffic to avoid big departures and traffic jams. In any case, leaving very early in the morning is the right option, the roads are generally less congested and the temperatures are milder. Once the trip is over, it's time to settle down and enjoy a family vacation!
The ideal is to prepare the baby's room by setting up the cot, clothes in the wardrobe and preparing the toilet and changing area. Depending on the holiday location, several recommendations should be recalled, in order to be as careful as possible. Children under the age of 1 year should not be exposed to direct sunlight, otherwise they may be burned and dehydrated. It is therefore preferable to go for walks in a pram or pushchair with an umbrella and at the least hot hours, before 11am and after 5pm.
At the sea, the beach is not really baby's best friend, as there are often lots of people, noise and sand that can fly. A walk on the beach is possible, but again at the cooler hours and when the beaches are less crowded. The countryside is much appreciated by parents who leave with their babies, so we take advantage of quiet corners and the shade of the trees for picnics and afternoons of idleness by a river. Be careful however with insects, it is always necessary to think of protecting baby and not to put it directly in contact with the ground. The mountains can also be a very relaxing place for holidays with a baby, but be careful not to exceed 1,500 m in altitude, as the air becomes scarcer and baby's eardrums remain fragile
