Most useful thing you took on holiday with a toddler and/or a newborn?

(29 Posts)
sunnysunnyshine Tue 11-Jun-13 11:36:28

I'm going away for 2 wks (sunny hol) with an almost 3 to and a 2 month old.

I'm panicking a bit about what to take now. Has anybody got any tips please??

greenhill Tue 11-Jun-13 11:38:12

Another adult to entertain them? grin

missnevermind Tue 11-Jun-13 11:39:51

Granny? grin

BlissfullyIgnorant Tue 11-Jun-13 11:40:24

Travel potty
Wipes & extra nappy bags
My singing voice

HariboAndWine Tue 11-Jun-13 11:41:47

sunshade for the buggy

candycrushhater Tue 11-Jun-13 11:42:45

A very cheap bouncy chair from Argos that we didn't bother bringing home with us.
A shade-a-babe sunshade for the buggy - it blocked out all natural light!

schobe Tue 11-Jun-13 11:43:51

Valium <sorry>

kelda Tue 11-Jun-13 11:44:41

Ergo baby/toddler carrier. Great in the airport and while sightseeing.

noramum Tue 11-Jun-13 13:47:19

Nappy bags, it seems UK is the only country doing them.

Nurofen/Calpol, a thermometer and a good travel health insurance

some snacks your child can't live without, the local replacement never worked.

Lots of overpriced stickerbooks and magazines. They cost a fortune abroad and you need them for the flight back as well.

sunnysunnyshine Tue 11-Jun-13 19:45:50

Great ideas, thank you!

A bouncy chair would be really handy actually. The 2 month old gets bored of lying down and loves her bouncy chair. There's a cheap one in argos but not sure how portable it is. Def looks more lightweight than ours tho.

Packing all the other ideas. Any more ideas v welcome!

CwtchesAndCuddles Thu 13-Jun-13 11:23:20

Small blow up pool for toddler - use in room as toy tidy, use to splash on balcony etc (small amount of water and some bubble bath makes for great fun)

Can also be used at the pool near sunbed in shade etc

Keep a few balloons in your travel bag (if you lo likes them) handy to distract them with! Blow up / let down etc

A small set of stacking cups can have lots of uses -stacking/water play or on the beach etc

Blow up beach ball.

Shade a babe is a must!!!

CaurnieBred Fri 14-Jun-13 11:14:38

Echo Cwtches re the stacking cups and I would add a plastic tea set for the 3 year old - you will be amazed at home many friends appear when a tea set is available to play with! Disposable bibs if you need bibs as we found they were hard to buy abroad.

Shadeababe was great - just such a relief knowing that DD was protected at all times she was under it.

Inflatable booster seat as quite a few of the restaurants didn't have high chairs so we just took our own - was handy on the plane too as DD could sit on it and look out the window.

paperlantern Tue 18-Jun-13 21:21:33

nappy bags, baby wipes, setri-bottles for bottle feeding (presterilised individually packaged bottles) they were brilliant


paperlantern Tue 18-Jun-13 21:23:07

Those little sachets of calpol, always had those in my handbag anyway (often gave them away too)

Favourite teddy/night time comforters.

Small notepad and pencils for the nearly 3 year old.

Mp3 stories/videos/games on tablet.

Pain relief.

Sling for baby.

Liskey Tue 18-Jun-13 21:30:23

Gro-bag blackout blind to convince DD it wasn't yet time to get up.
Peppa pig holiday game on iPad kept Dd entertained for ages on journey.

Some surprises for later on in the holiday - magazines, sticker books etc. also successful was the drawing books with special pens to draw with which are basically water as I didn't worry about her drawing on walls with them.

MadeOfStarDust Tue 18-Jun-13 21:33:14

collapsible bucket - would have saved me using my dress to catch the sick before it went all over the villa carpet.... and it would have been even better if I had remembered it before realising the dress had to come off OVER my head... that was a badddddddddddddd day......

Nurseyb26 Tue 18-Jun-13 21:39:32

Microwave steriliser bags of ur going self catering, meaning u can sterilise all ur bottles without lending/hiring it taking a bulky electrical item with you.
Also buy a trunkie!!!! Best thing ever made for traveling family's. it's a godsend in and around the airport and let's your toddler fill it with all there favourite things from home and fits into overhead storage on the aeroplane.

Have fun : )

PutThatDownNow Tue 18-Jun-13 21:53:49

I always take a couple of those pop up laundry basket things from the pound store. Useful for keeping toys or shoes or even laundry in. Still doing this even though DCs are much older now. We also had a pop up carry cot which was great, meant baby could sleep comfortably in the shade by the pool and we used also in various cots in places we stayed as it came with a mosquito net.

Murtette Tue 18-Jun-13 21:55:55

Sling - both for normal carrying of DC2 but also for when DC1 decides that she wants to be the baby and insists on going in the pushchair
Agree with bouncy chair or something similar for putting DC2 in. We did a holiday with DC of similar ages and it wasn't until we got there that we realised we had nothing to put DC2 in. And it was in Portugal so all the floors were tiled so simply putting a blanket on the door wasn't really enough. We ended up dragging a mattress off a bed.
Otherwise, it seem to remember it being all about the toddler and giving the baby the odd feed (actually - serious point - remember that, in a hot country, the baby is likely to need more frequent feeds to keep hydrated). Day went something like feed baby/give toddler breakfast/ play with toddler/ feed baby/swim with toddler with baby sleeping in pushchair by pool/ feed baby/ lunch for toddler/ play with toddler on beach with baby sleeping in pushchair/ feed baby etc

34DD Thu 20-Jun-13 22:31:22

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Grumpla Thu 20-Jun-13 22:34:49

I was going to say gin, but the previous poster has a far more comprehensive answer.

<rocks and whimpers at memory>

Trunki for your older dc, kept ours entertained in the airport and in hotel room

Favourite snacks, a favourite book. Small colouring book and crayons. Small blanket for plane and for naps if out. Drink bottle for days out.

Travel potty and a trunki!

Night light,
Pampers bed mats if the three year old is out of nappies at night,
Pop up laundry baskets,
Calpol sachets,
Blanket from bed at home
Plenty of sun cream, especially if anyone has sensitive skin or similar.
Plenty of sunhats as they get lost easily
Tube of laundry liquid for emergency washing
Also we carry a little fold up smalls dryer (one of those things with lots of pegs on), useful for hanging up swimsuits etc to dry. Got ours in M&S.
Talc for getting sand off feet after the beach

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