Here are a few handy tips for organising accommodation to suit your needs when travelling with baby:
1. Book ahead and let the place know you are bringing baby with you. Usually they will either let you know whether they can provide a cot or if you’ll need to bring you own travel one. We use airbnb and have been happy with this so far. I highly recommended using airbnb as an apartment will have a little kitchen to wash baby’s bottles and get boiled water – do check to be sure there is a kettle provided!
2. Check if your accommodation has a bath or big enough sink to shower your baby. If there is only a shower, you may need to bring your own bath. We use the Stokke Flexi Bath.
3. Pick somewhere you will be comfortable spending large amounts of time in and close to attractions or places that you would like to visit. For us, we realise we will be in the apartment from bedtime onwards so it is important to have a comfortable apartment that you can relax in after baby has gone to bed. When we travelled with my mother, we were able to go out to a nearby pub for a drink after dinner as my mum offered to babysit her grandson. We were also located close enough to the tube so we had the option of getting on the tube into the heart of London, only a few stops away, if we wanted to.
Travelling with a baby does not have to be difficult if you do a little work beforehand. Planning and preparation helps make the trip a happier and easier one. Also, if there are any hiccups, just stay cool and let it pass. You will realise there will always be a solution even if it not the ideal one. For us, the places we plan to travel to will have the necessities available for purchase should we need it. There was a time when we were in Italy and we thought we had run out of wet wipes. We ran into the pharmacy to get a new pack, but, as it turned out, the spare pack of wet wipes was in a hidden compartment of the bag!
Keep calm and enjoy travelling, if you and your hubby are relaxed, it is likely that baby will be too!
Originally posted 2014-11-24 22:01:48.