Quite different to stuck up Europeans who give you that look of horror/disdain when you walk into their shop or restaurant with a toddler!

That’s not been my experience in southern Europe, the Spanish and Italians at least love kids.

That’s not been my experience in southern Europe, the Spanish and Italians at least love kids.

Yes sorry, a bit of a broad generalisation. We’ve had the worst receptions when travelling with a young child in the UK and funnily enough America, but that seems to be because a lot of ‘service’ jobs seem to be done by college kids who have no time/interest/patience with toddlers 😀

mogrim +1

I have found any of mainland Europe to be more than welcoming to us and dd whatever his age (we’ve only owned him for 2 and a half years though)…obviously you’re inclined to go to different kinds of places and we’re not out late at night anyway. Tbf, I wouldn’t rock up to a restaurant at 9 o’clock in the evening and expect diners to put up with a potentially fractious toddler – though I do notice the foreigners tend to stay up later with their kids when on holidays.

Tbf, I wouldn’t rock up to a restaurant at 9 o’clock in the evening and expect diners to put up with a potentially fractious toddler – though I do notice the foreigners tend to stay up later with their kids when on holidays.

I wouldn’t have any problem with that in Spain, although as you point out I wouldn’t be turning up at the Ritz. My kids in summer go to bed around midnight, just like all the other Spanish kids they hang out with.

thecaptain – Member
Oh god I really hope that we don’t have some screaming brat on my next flight. Can’t you have more fun staying closer to home?

The thing is, you don’t notice the majority of kids because they are quiet and well behaved. You only notice the odd one. A little like me noticing a few child-free couples being drunk, loud and obnoxious and labelling ALL child-free couples in that way.

done it with crankbrat three times two to Majorca and once to Portugal started at about toddling age , and last at 3 years old . Flights have been fine and no screaming issues just distracted with small toy Ipad with games and snacks . His first ever flight he just sat mesmerised as the hen party opposite drank 2 litres of vodka then threw it all up for a steady hour.
car hire seats are allegedly variable so we have taken one with us . child aboard stress is reduced by going with family to share the fun . Spanish and Portuguese people were lovely and welcoming to children .

The biggie for us was a few days in in Portugal the boy came down with Roseola with a big temperature spiking and receding then returning we were in a windmill up a steep and long dirt track a fair step from help and cant speak Portuguese we got by with calpol calprufen and the portuguse equivalent plus fans and ice but to be honest it made us think twice about going anywhere even vaguely more foreign than france till he is 5 .