Our first family holiday

When we were looking to book our first family holiday we thought it would be good to go May/June time for two reasons. One being it’s not as hot at this time of year which is better for Blake and Ivy and also it would be when the babies were still of an age where they wouldn’t yet be on the move. This is my first recommendation. If you are able to, try to go on your first family holiday in the first 6 months as I can only imagine how much harder it will be once your little ones are on the move. We also decided the best place to go for our first holiday would be somewhere we were really familiar with so we booked to go to my parents apartment in Marbella. Home from home seemed like a good idea so we could stick to our own schedule without being dictated as to when we needed to be at breakfast, lunch and dinner and generally work around whatever we wanted.

Airport (Gatwick) -

Packing was a bit of a nightmare, partly my fault as I left it so late! Make lists!!! I made a list for everything Blake and ivy needed and then a separate one for me. I have put my list below for anyone who wants to use it. Yes I took ridiculous things and I know I was going somewhere where I could in theory buy a lot there if I needed to but that’s just not a very me thing to do. We flew British Airways which I think I will always try to do because their luggage allowance is so good especially when you have babies. Not only do babies get a full 23kg suitcase each but they also can have a hand luggage bag and you can have 2 hand luggage bags for yourself as well as a buggy and car seat per baby. At first we decided to take one suitcase between Blake and Ivy so we could actually fit everything in the car on the way to the airport, but I got carried away and ended up taking another large holdall to take more things for them. I think, especially for your first holiday, you really want to take as much as you can to make your baby feel at home. I am sure I won’t take as much as I did next time. We booked parking at the airport which I found easier than getting a cab as we actually fed Blake and ivy in the car once we had parked up. Our flight was at 9.30am and with Blake and Ivy feeding at 7am we got there that bit earlier, fed them in the car and changed them in the boot and then at least I knew the whole time at the airport they would be content. Once we were at the airport and had checked in all our luggage we had to then traipse through passport control still with so many pieces of hand luggage and the double buggy. We decided to pay to go through premium fast track security, which was worth every penny! It was £5 per person which included the babies and it meant we went into a different queue with no waiting time and pretty much went straight through. Highly recommended!! I know Luton has this option too but unsure on other airports.

In regards to things I took as hand luggage, you can take as many bottles of water for babies in baby bottles as you like. They scan this separately in a special machine they have. We took all their bottles for the day so we had 8 in total and this didn’t cause any issues. I also took all their powdered formula. Blake and Ivy are both on prescription milk so I couldn’t do what many people do where they pre order their milk at boots on the other side of security, however if you can do this, that is also a really good idea as it doesn’t take up your baggage allowance. I packed all the medication I was taking for Blake and Ivy in hand luggage, again this was not an issue as most medicine bottles are under the maximum liquid amount so I just pur them in the little plastic bags they provide which was fine. Blake and ivy had actually fallen asleep in the buggy so I had to wake them to go through the scanning machine and they also check the buggy but once that was done I put them straight back in and managed to get them back to sleep. They stayed asleep up until we got on the plane. All airlines allow you to keep your buggy if it’s an easy foldaway one up until you board. So at this point I had to wake them which they didn’t seem too fussed about. We had no time at the airport to do anything on the way or way back, other than go to the toilet. So be prepared to not have time to browse the shops and get food.... we attempted this on the way and had to really rush. I now understand why people want to board quickly, because I now know the importance of having that space above your seat for your hand luggage bag as I needed things near me for the babies. I would advise that the minute you see your gate number, head straight to it, because although you have priority with a baby you still want to get on the plane ASAP.

The Flight -

Once we were seated and waiting for everyone to get on the plane I gave both Blake and Ivy calpol to prevent their ears hurting during the flight. If you can feed your baby during take off and landing that’s always good as the sucking will help clear their ears. As Blake and Ivy weren’t yet due a feed I had little bottles of water for them which I gave them during both take off and landing. They were both really content on both occasions. A dummy would also suffice if your baby takes one. I also downloaded the baby tv app on my iPad to distract them whenever they seemed like they needed it on the flight. If your baby likes to watch it.... download it! God send! The flight overall was fine. We definitely got those looks as we were walking down the aisle looking for our seats where you know people are praying you aren’t sitting near them! I used to give those looks lol. The flight back was pretty much the same process. They both managed to have a nap on myself and James. On both journeys we had a few crying episodes but that was down to them being overtired rather than anything to do with the plane. James and I couldn’t actually sit together as you cannot have 2 babies on the same row, so on the way we both sat on an aisle seat diagonal to each other and on the way back one behind the other.

Routine or no Routine -

I decided to keep to London times for all of Blake and Ivy’s feeds and naps. This actually worked better on holiday as they feed 7,11,3,7 so it just meant waking up in theory later and doing 8,12,4,8. This also meant I didn’t have to worry about going back an hour when we got home. I’m very much all about routine especially when trying to keep two babies in sync so I continued their routine as best as I could on holiday. I think with one baby it’s easier to go a bit more with the flow. Also both Blake and Ivy get so miserable without their naps, so for my own sanity I wanted to keep things the same if I could. The day we got to Spain was definitely the hardest. I didn’t really know what to expect and they were so tired from travelling. I now know for next time that travel day should be a bit of a right off. I guess it may depend of the age of the babies when we next go away but they were so wingey I shouldn’t have bothered trying to get some sun. We went away with my parents and sister which is always such a massive help if you can get some family to join you ! This meant we also had opportunities to go out in the evenings just the 2 of us. Each morning I would feed Blake and Ivy in the apartment and some mornings James would take them for their morning nap in their buggy and other times we would put them back down in their cots and someone would stay with them until they woke up. We would then be by the pool with them and do their next feed in the shade somewhere and let them play and I always did their lunchtime nap in the apartment. It would then give us time to have lunch and chill for a bit and then spend the rest of the afternoon by the pool once they woke up. The only thing that was a shame is the pool was far too cold for them. We bought a little paddling pool instead and put them in that. This actually also was great for them to sit in with no water. A tip as well which will help when it comes to not taking as much on holiday. Swimming nappies can be reused. If they do not poo in them, leave them out to dry and then use them again. We did also have the reusable swimming nappies from Bambino Mio which are really nice and this is another option to not having to take loads of swimming nappies.

Food/Bottles -

So originally I was hoping to delay weaning until after our holiday but I ended up starting only a few weeks before, due to Ivy not sleeping well. Unfortunately this didn’t help but never mind. So I stuck with using Ella’s Kitchen pouches for holiday just to make it as easy as possible. Although I was in an apartment I didn’t want to spend time cooking and blending! I took enough pouches for our trip along with bowels and spoons so it wasn’t too bad. Blake and Ivy still have 4 bottles a day and Ivy at the moment tends to have one bottle at night. At home we use the Tommee Tippee prep machine but obviously we weren’t taking this with us so every night I filled all the bottles with kettled water and had them ready for the day. Blake and Ivy are used to having room temperature milk so this worked fine for them. In regards to sterilising whilst away, I use the Mam bottles which can be sterilised in the microwave so I did this. If you are not going to have access to a microwave I would suggest purchasing sterilising bags and Milton tablets.

Evenings-

In the nights on a few occasions we used a babysitting agency a lot of my friends have recommended and it turned out that my mother in law knew one of the babysitters. This made me feel more comfortable using the agency. It meant we could all go out knowing we weren’t having to take Blake and Ivy and potentially not have them sleep. Anyone going to Marbella and interested in using a babysitter, get in touch, I couldn’t recommend them enough! We didn’t actually end up needing to take Blake and Ivy out in the evenings, however if you plan to do this I would recommend dressing them in baby grows, ready for bed and using the travel grobags from the grocompany. This grobag allows you to strap them into their buggy or car seat without having to take them out of it. So really if you are going away with babies of a young age, who will be sleeping whilst you are out, I wouldn’t bother with evening outfits as in theory you won’t want to dress them to get them off to sleep whilst your out and then undress them when you get back to put them down in their cot. This will also allow you to free up more space in your case because really no outfits are actually needed.Also get a snoozeshade. This was a must for all their naps in the day and you would want it for the night too if you are out! Its a blackout cover over the buggy/car seat which helps them sleep.

Clothes -

I have a tendency to overpack but with 2 babies I tried my best to be a bit more organised with what I was taking with for both myself, Blake and Ivy. I was unsure what swimwear to take for Blake and Ivy, whether they should be in all in one suits or if it was ok to put them in trunks and swimming costumes. I ended up buying a selection as well as little hats that cover the back of their neck. These were great and a must!! To be honest at 6 months they are in the sun so little I ended up just mainly using the trunks or swimming costumes. I think the all in ones may be more necessary when they are walking and in the sun more. I took way more clothes for them than I needed to. Really they can be in vests and nappies in the day and baby grows at night. I think all mums get carried away on that first holiday where you wanna buy every cute summer outfit. But if you are really limited on weight in your case, scrap the evening outfits as they won’t get worn if you want them to sleep when you’re out. This is the first holiday I actually wore swimming costumes rather than bikinis. Not feeling too good after having 2 babies stretching my tummy I felt this was the way forward. I got all my swimming stuff from Asos.

Holiday Must Haves -

So my list at the bottom of this post includes everything I bought but here are the main essentials I feel are a must to take on holiday!

• Cot sheets - Firstly always nice to use your own. Secondly it is nice for your baby to have their familiar smell when they sleep.

• Baby carrier - This was particularly helpful when we got off the plane. Although you can have your buggy with you up until you board, it is not the case when you get off the plane. Having a carrier makes it a lot easier. Also this could be useful for the rest of your holiday too.

• Snoozeshade - can’t go anywhere without one! Perfect way to help get them to sleep whilst you’re out.

• Car seat/ buggy bag - I bought the Yoofan car seat bag from amazon and it’s huge. This worked wonders because this doesn’t get weighed! So not only did I put a car seat in each bag but I also put in their bouncers and put nappies in the car seat! If you are struggling with weight of luggage then get this bag even if you are not taking a car seat. You are allowed to take one so put stuff in it!!

• Batteries - if you have young babies then I am sure you will need loads of AA and AAA batteries!! So many things I use for Blake and Ivy take batteries and need changing regularly. Ewan being one of them. Take spare batteries! Don’t weigh much and almost always needed.

• Fans for buggy - Another amazon purchase

• UV tent - I bought the Babymoov uv tent which was great as it meant Blake and Ivy were always in the shade and I put a large swaddle down underneath them with loads of toys to occupy them. I do think this will be better when they are sitting up. If your baby is on the move I wouldn’t bother with this as they won’t stay in it.

• Paddling pool - So this wasn’t something I actually took with me. I bought this in Spain once I found out the pool we were at was too cold for them. It actually turned out to be the best thing I had for them in the day, but not actually used as a paddling pool. Because of the material of the paddling pool it helped Blake and Ivy sit up so I would put this in the shade with toys in it and I propped the iPad up in it with Baby TV on and they were so content in this. I will absolutely take this away with me again if Blake and Ivy are not yet crawling.

• Bouncers - Granted this isn’t an easy thing to pack but it was a god send for us. With Blake and Ivy not yet sitting up the bouncers were the only time we could really put them down in the apartment knowing they were really comfortable and we also fed them their lunch in this too.

• Baby TV - I know this isn’t something to actually pack but without this on our iPad they wouldn’t have been as good on the plane or on holiday when they were wingey.

• Sleepyhead sausage - I took just the round sausage part of the sleepyhead away with us. This is what Blake and Ivy sleep with now and I place it under their cot sheet kind of like a large bumper. It as also good we took these as the travel cot mattress was smaller than the actual cot and I would have been worried for Blake or Ivy to fall in the gap slightly. Definitely worth taking and easy to pack.

I don’t really know what I expected holiday to be like with Blake and Ivy. I guess really it was the same everyday routine but in a different location. So in theory it was still lovely to be away and have some sun and I also had way more help than I do on a day to day basis at home. I think when you compare it to the sort of holiday you usually have, that is when you realise it’s not really a holiday. I think the dads will have more of a shock on their first family holiday than us mums. We didn’t really get a chance to sunbathe and you can tell by our non existent tans that that’s the case. It was however really nice to get out in the evenings!

The main thing that I did struggled with was sharing a room with Blake and Ivy. Blake sleeps through and nothing will wake him however he snores and makes such weird loud noises which are funny at first but not at 2am when they keep me up. Ivy doesn’t sleep through. In fact she was worst on holiday and usually we leave her to try and self soothe but when your in a room together, leaving her for 20minutes to cry it out was no longer an option. This meant feeding in the night which we had managed before holiday to stop doing. So in other words we will always try and get 2 rooms if we can. Obviously if your baby sleeps through it’s not as much of an issue. One of my main saviours this holiday was silicon earplugs!! They actually completely blocked out Blake’s weird noises! Sadly nothing could block out Ivy’s screaming lol!

I hope I haven’t put anyone off going away with your babies. It was still a lovely trip and it couldn’t have been too bad because we have now booked to go away again in September. This time to an all inclusive hotel so that will be a different experience which of course I will share with you all.

Here is my list below... you can probably chop it in half but here you go :) xx

My holiday list

Sleeping -

Cot sheet

Sleepyhead

Ewan the dreamsheep

Blankies

Dummies & dummy clips

Grobags

Shush Machine

Snoozeshade

Camera & monitor

Blankets & swaddles

Blackout blind

Gro Egg

Toys/Equipment

Bouncers

Tiny love toy arch

Matchstick monkey (teething toy)

Sophie la Giraffe (teething toy)

Favourite Toys

Car Seats & Bags

Buggy

Pool floats

UV Tent

Baby carriers

Food/bath

Formula

Man bottles

Dispensers

Bottle brush

Pouches

Spoons

Bowls

Sippy cups

Bibs

Snacks

Towels

Bath thermometer

Sponges/flannels

Toiletries/Meds

Aveeno wash

Aveeno moisturiser

Nappy cream

Hydrocortisone

Water wipes

Milton wipes

Suncream (sunsense)

Nappies

Nappy bags

Changing sheets

Calpol

Nurofen

Calpol plug in and refills

Snot sucker

Nasal spray

Abidec & syringes (vitamins)

Dyrolite

Thermometer

Ambesol (for teething)

Bongela

Teething granules

Vapour rub

Oilatum

Swimming nappies

Nail clippers

Brush/ comb

Clothes-

Swimwear

Poncho towel

Vests

Rompers

Sun hats

Babygrows

Shorts

Socks

Hairbands

Cardigans

Muslins

Other-

Batteries

Fairy non bio tablets

Buggy clips

Changing Matt

Small bags for beach bag

Earplugs