Despite our mega-journey we actually had a lovely holiday in Spain. Here are some top tips I’ve garnered to help you make the most of your vacation with your horror.
1. Go self-catered.
This one was key for me. We stayed in a lovely villa with my parents and two of their friends. We had a fully equipped kitchen for me to prepare meals and snacks for the Baby. Jetlag plus the fact that the little guy is a touch high maintenance means he is not always on everyone else’s meal schedules, especially not the southern Spanish’s. I’d have hated rushing round trying to find somewhere open not full of smokers in the 8 and a half minutes we have between the Baby letting us know he’s hungry and a full meltdown ensuing.
We also had an outdoor eating area and portable highchair so he could throw three meals a day on the floor without any waiters glaring at me.
An added bonus was our villa came with it’s own pool. No getting up at the crack of dawn to grab a sunbed. No carrying three million things to take the baby swimming for 15 minutes and then trying to remember to take it all back again. Bliss. Plus the mummies could jump in for a quick swim and cheeky cocktail during mojito time nap time.
We were lucky enough to have help with the accommodation from my parents but house swapping and/or sharing a villa with friends is a great way to keep holiday costs down. Self catering is much cheaper than eating out for every meal for two weeks too.
2. Go with back up.
Lets face it, time spent with a one year old is not relaxing, and never will be. To combat this I recommend holidaying with other people who don’t yet know what spending hours and hours with a 1 year old is like. Top of my list would be grandparents who haven’t seen the baby for a few months and friends of a grandparent-ing age who don’t have grandchildren of their own and would like to borrow yours for a few hours. Gleefully hand him over and retreat inside for a siesta.
3. Go for a routine.
Ours came about naturally. He mostly had his meals at 7, 12 and 6. He napped around 9 and 1. He slept from 6.30-7.00pm. All these times were a little flexible and there were days where he missed naps but overall it made life easier. During the day at least. The little terror still hasn’t figured out sleeping through the night.
4. Go out and about.
Loads of fun things to do and explore in a new place. All that stimulation is bound to wear out your tot and bring cocktail hour (aka bedtime) on a little faster.
5. Go for it.
We’ve put off going on holiday for ages as I thought it would just be a struggle but I really enjoyed myself. Might even consider another little trip in the next few months…if someone figures out teleportation by then.
What are your tips for enjoying a holiday with kids?
