Apart from don’t do it. 😆

We’re off to Germany in a couple of weeks with a six month old. We are fairly well prepared and think we have everything we need. We won’t be short of room as I’m slinging anything not immediately needed into a roofbox to save the boot for the stuff we’d normally go around with for say, a weekend away.

We’re doing the trip during his bedtime…ie. leaving home at 1900-ish and getting to our friends’ house in Mannheim at around 0600…best laid plans and all that. The rest of the holiday is being spent on a very family friendly self-catering farm.

Anyone have any tips that have made their week or two away with a baby a bit easier?

calpol/nurofen for him

ear plugs for the driver

ime dd, the best approach to parenting is not to over plan but just go along with things and the kids seem to just adjust and slot in.
however much you prep there’ll be a stage where it all goes tits up anyway, so save yourself the stress

😀

Tbf to him, he sleeps while we’re on the move, no problem. I’m thinking more for the “I wish we’d brought x, y and z…” type things.

ime dd, the best approach to parenting is not to over plan but just go along with things and the kids seem to just adjust and slot in.

You are absolutely correct tm. 🙂 And y’know what, I’ve kinda been like that all my life, but now I’m a bit all planny-stressy-want-to-make-sure-everything’s-ok. 😕 Generally, we’re just “Yeah, whatever, he’ll be fine” (and funnily enough, he has been).

We worried about a trip from Devon to Scotland when ours was about that age. In the.end we left early ie 3am…he slept for three quarters of the journey. Coming back was another matter, he decided to clear his bowels pretty much every 30 miles between Perth and Newcastle…at one point I thought we would never get home.

Know the feeling, we’re heading off for a week in the sun in a hour. Tiddler is also 6 months so an interesting week ahead but looking forward to taking her swimming!

The roof box should make it easy for you to create a space in the boot for the changing mat, when nappy-time inevitably comes. At that point you, the driver, should be having a power nap of course 😉

my advice would be make sure you have a good sleep beforehand, i can tell you from experience that driving tired is a miserable experience (at best).
stay safe bro.

If they are sleeping, let them sleep. On our 1st family holiday to Devon my wife decided (in her infinite wisdom and against my recommendations)to wake BabyD to to give her a bottle. We were 45 mins from destination and had 45 mins of glass shattering screaming….thanks for that love!!

+1 for what shifter said.

Make some room for a change mat in the boot so you can change him lying down on it with you working from the side. I always find it a pain trying to change a nappy from either end on the back seat.

Or get a campervan – makes it sooo much easier:P

[hijack]quick qu: engineered wood flooring going on to terracotta tile laid on slab, prob with dpm under slab. no insulation. Lowest profile prep layer? self levelling latex? foam? just wang it down? [/hijack]

have a car seat that can also lay flat, take lots of breaks, keep your self hydrated and allow yourself toilet breaks, lots of music and open your window slightly. sleep in a seperate room/building from the little one & missis the night before.

hide all sharp objects

oh and get someone else to drive, look after the baby and try and sleep.

Good advice there MrNutt, shifter and Stoner…thanks. 🙂

Stoner, you can catch me on google+ for a quick chat before I start on the garden.

High Chair
Floor Matt to contain the inevitable fallout from meals
travel cot with a sheet they’ve already slept on so it smells familiar, helps when you’re trying to get them to snooze somewhere new, a worn item of clothing that smalls of mummy also works.
Industrial mega packs of wipes and nappies.
Pram

Anything else can be sorted at short notice through the cunning use of money.

Keep your schedule loose, leave loads of time and whatever happens try and keep calm.

We’re staying with two other couples on the farm. We all have our own SC apartment, and from what I can see, it’s very well equipped for anyone with babettes or older kids – changing table, cotbed etc.

That’s a nice tip about taking a sheet he’s slept on though. 🙂

I seem to remember those baby seats recommend a certain time limit that kids can sit in them for. It might not apply to yours or he might be older than that but it might be worth looking into. Drive safe and fingers crossed for sky tv or you will miss the rugby!!

We will most likely miss the first test a_a 😐

Lie flat car seat.

When their asleep, ignore speed limits. If the magistrate is a parent, ‘I wanted to get there before they woke up’ will stand up in court.

tbh when mine were very young i just wished someone had pointed out to me that a holiday away would be even more tiring that a week at home and would be most unlike a holiday in the sense that I had prior to children*

I think you will think of everything and dont forget their cuddly if they have

FWIW I found that for long periods they would not actually sleep in the chair as I guess it was too uncomfortable even with one that “reclined”

That said mine was not a sleeper

PS Piriton makes them drowsy 😉

* they are not much better now tbh

Oh and hope when you get there, they don’t have 3 days D&V before passing it on to you.