I can’t believe how much time has passed since we last travelled abroad. Our son, a chubby little 6 month old, his second abroad holiday, and blissfully unaware that it would be our last trip for two whole years!
It was during out first holiday abroad when I decided to blog for the first time. To know more about our experience travelling with a baby for the first time, see my post.
This time around has been another experience with new learning curves – do we actually ever stop learning?
The Flight
We had an early morning flight (6.25am) and decided to invest in an overnight stay the night before, instead of getting up at midnight to start our journey. The extra sleep, plus proximity to the airport, meant George coukd be transferred from bed to pram and was still asleep in until checking in was complete.
As a mum, the thought of being under-prepared is alot worse than being overprepared; so in true style I had toys, colouring books and supplies to keep our toddler entertained. We only had a 2 hour flight and actually it went alot smoother than anticipated. I definitely think the excitement of being on the plane, the awe of take off and being above the clouds captured the attention of our little explorer for a good while.
My most prized packed item was the bag of snacks! In fact I packed some into my case and these proved handy throughout our holiday – as morning you-need-to-get-dressed bribes or if his naptime meant that mealtimes weren’t great. Whilst on the topic of naps, let’s discuss…
Sleep
At home, our toddler varies from no daytime nap somedays to a 45 minute stint other days. I’m normally a stickler for routine and keeping it as consistent as possible whenever possible. My advice for sleep routines on holiday is simple: Go with the flow!
Bedtime was alot later than normal, no later than 10.30/11pm (Spanish time), which meant we actually got to enjoy some evening time and maybe even a cheeky Sangria before bed! The other benefit of a later bedtime meant later wake ups – I haven’t had 8.30/9am lie-in for over 2.5 years!!! The new sleep routine saw the return of the hour-long daytime nap (sometimes split over 2 shorter naps). All the while (daytime or nighttime) responding to cues from our toddler when he seemed tired or flighty or he simply told us he wanted to sleep.
Entertainment
Keeping a toddler occupied during the daytimes was not an issue with the pool, beach and general outdoors to enjoy. There were also other children at the resort we stayed too.
We often took it in turns to parent so we each got some chill time too – so everyone was happy!
There were two main occasions when engaging our child’s attention and good behaviour was tested:
- Meal times – especially meal times that coincided with spells of tiredness or he just simply did not want to sit and eat
- Evening time – especially nearing bedtime
In addition to the endless toddler negotiations and coaxing, when not watching the hotel’s entertainment and maybe sat having a quiet evening drink, we found that one thing made a huge difference: the tablet. As we hadn’t previously used one for toddler entertainment (just personal choice), we were astounded how our energetic and unruly toddler became engaged and well behaved in an instant – mainly thanks to YouTube Kids and Kids Mode.
I was so impressed how educational the content we were seeing was, and in fact most of the children staying in the resort seemed to also be entertained by some form of device come the evening time. We tended to use the tablet as a reward for after dinner (when I would actually get chance to eat mine) and when sat having a quiet drink before retiring to bed.
The C Word
It would be impossible to talk about our family holiday of 2021 without mentioning one underlying factor: Covid-19.
I would be lying if I said we didn’t think about Covid during the holiday, because in fact it existed in many ways: from the praying about not getting ‘pinged’ or symptoms before going away; the completion of extra documentation before departing (outwards and homebound); mask wearing throughout the airport, duration of the flight and indoor spaces once abroad; the need to test (before returning and after getting home – as Spain was on the Amber list). Plus not to mention any slight feeling of unwell / or being around someone’s child who seemed to have a cold naturally created a prickle of anxiety and found us reaching for our lateral flow tests to reassure ourselves. If you’re reading this at a time when testing is no longer a requirement of international travel then happy days!
But did Covid ruin our holiday? Absolutely not. In reality the risk of catching Covid was low as mask wearing during our travels was well complied with and 90% of our time was spent either outdoors or in our room. Proven by our negative lateral flow and PCR results.
So for any families considering a trip abroad… it may not be quite as stress-free as you may have been used to, but the benefits by far outweigh those stresses – or at least they did for us.
I feel calmer, fulfilled and utterly grateful …with only one final thought: where to go next?
WelshMummySteph 