Taking your Baby Abroad for the first Time

It certainly feels like a big step taking your baby abroad for the first time.  Your first stage will probably involve lots of worrying, followed by lots of planning and that’s fine.

When you look back afterwards though, you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about.  Yes you need to do things properly, but it will almost certainly pass more smoothly than you expect.

It takes the reassurance of other parents who have “been there, done it”.  Nothing prepares you for having a brand new baby (no previous owners) and even if it did, it is your viewpoint that counts the most about your own children.

Story of our First Holiday with our 3 Month Old Baby

Here are a few anecdotes from when we first took our little baby abroad on holiday – nobody ever seems to pass on these little details, so we hope you enjoy reading about it.

When our little boy Austin was 3 months old, we headed for a 3 week holiday in sunnier climes. We chose a large hotel, which had its plus and minus points. One great memory we have is our waiter at dinner each evening taking the baby for 5 minutes so that we could have just a few minutes’ rest. Yes, just 5 minutes of adult peace and quiet whilst Austin went for a little tour of the dining room! But it meant so much and we remember it to this day.

A Little Kindness goes a long Way

It really struck us at this point how intense your life becomes when looking after a little baby. Just a little act of kindness can go a long way. I guess the point here is that lots of people will help you out in little ways when you’re travelling abroad with a young baby for the first time.

Of course, we all remember the interference that new parents have to put up with. We had no end of people telling us how brave (they meant stupid!) we were by heading abroad with a young baby. And yet now, 10 years later, we would still do exactly the same thing and in the same way.  I think the funny thing was that everybody else apart from us was worrying about us taking our baby on holiday abroad!

We even went Out!

A cling or harness is invaluable, as you can go on tours, trips and days out just like anyone else, albeit with the bag of necessities weighing you down. We decided to join a day trip up a volcano!  And you know what? It was absolutely fine. No problems, no disasters, just a great day out.

Each evening, we really enjoyed sitting on the beach in front of the hotel, watching the sun set, all very calm, and with Austin happily sitting in the sand.  We had a glass of wine each and he guzzled a bottle of milk.  What could be better?

A big disadvantage of hotels is that you really do feel a bit stuck having just one room.  With all the baby equipment (and the hotel didn’t supply anything other than a cot of course) we did feel a bit trapped.  For subsequent holidays we stayed in apartments or villas because you really do need the space.

Where should I Go?

This is one of your first decisions.

Whereas far-flung destinations do have more risk – political, health, crime maybe – there are great advantages to staying a bit closer to home.  The South of France is just 2 hours from the UK and yet offers a warm, healthy climate.   You are safely within the EU and things are, well … very civilised here.

Will I get to Relax?

Surely you can’t relax, with a baby, on a foreign holiday?  It doesn’t sound terribly likely does it? And we have to admit that even we can’t cure the sleepless nights for you.

What we can do is offer you a lovely air-conditioned apartment with all the equipment you need.  And everything is super-modern so no worries about tatty old sofas or clapped-out TVs.  We have ourselves been through the dreaded packing where you feel you need to stuff absolutely everything in … just in case.

At Imagine Roussillon you don’t need to do that because we have sterilisers, bottle warmers, non-slip bath mats, baby listeners and so on.   Please do email us before booking if you need reassurance about any particular item.

Canet en Roussillon here in the South of France is a civilised place, so if you need Calpol or any other medicines for the baby, there are high quality pharmacies nearby.  We also have huge supermarkets within 10 minutes’ drive which stock everything you could possibly imagine!   Phew… time to wind down and actually look forward to a holiday for the first time in ages!

You’re in Safe Hands

Don’t forget that Emma offers high quality fitness classes which are included in your holiday.  She is very highly experienced and is qualified in pre and post-natal Pilates, as well as various types of massage. She is also a mum of two and loves babies!

Conclusion

All in all, do your planning, get everything ready and then just concentrate on having a great holiday. You really don’t need to worry.

Taking your baby abroad for the first time is a once-only experience and you should make the most of it.

Babies don’t stay as babies for very long, so just enjoy yourself and then look forward to even more trips away with your little ones.