Friday 9 October 2015

HOLIDAY: Packing in 5 simple steps


Last time we went on holiday it was to Cornwall when Isabella was only 11 weeks old - still sleeping in her moses basket, having a couple of bottles a day and breastfeeding the rest of the time, was easily entertained....generally pretty low maintenance. Nowadays it's a completely different story - she needs entertaining constantly, eats three meals a day, still has a couple of bottles and sleeps in a cot. Generally making going on holiday much more of a military operation, than a casual packing experience like last time. 
I've learnt a lot from our last holiday - I packed far too many outfits for Isabella and myself, MAM self sterilising bottles are so convenient and taking a Gro Anywhere Blind is a must! However this time we have a whole lot more to consider, plan, prepare and pack. 

Here's are the five simple steps I've used to pack for a weaning, cot using, requiring entertaining baby...

1) Plan outfits - this isn't about creating the most instagram friendly flat lay, it's about ensuring you have enough clothes but not too many. Space is precious people! We were going away for 4 days, so I packed 4 outfits for Isabella and 3 for me, just in case. The first day we'll get dressed into travelling comfies at home, so no need to pack an outfit for that day. The outfits I packed suit a variety of different weather conditions, some warmer clothes and a lot of layering. You never know how warm/cold the place you're staying will be, or what the weather will do. 
2) Plan entertainment - Can your baby sit up by themselves? If so you don't need to worry about taking a bumbo, breastfeeding pillow, bouncer, play gym type device - save on the space. Isabella can now sit by herself, so we plan to just use pillows from the sofa to provide a soft landing when she's sitting on the floor. Toy wise we whittled it down to one or two of each type - 4 small books, 2 noisy toy, 1 cuddly toy, 1 musical instrument etc. I also noted down in my phone what we were taking, so that I could make sure we were bringing everything back with us!
3) Plan feeding equipment - If you can request a high chair...do! This is a new area for us, as we only started weaning a couple of weeks ago and are still finding our feet with feeding on the go. There are a few products that have made feeding when we've been out and about easier - NUBY Food Pots and Lids* are an idea size for putting pre-prepared purees in as well as being big enough to mash a fresh fruit/vegetables in. The NUBY Garden Fresh Steam N Mash is very convenient and compact for using on holiday because you can steam fruit/vegetables and then mash it all in the same bowl. I wouldn't use it all the time at home because I prefer to make big batches of purees, but for on holiday this will be ideal. I find it hard to get the food completely smooth, which is fine for Isabella but worth baring in mind if your little one is still having completely smooth purees. We're also taking the Brother Max Catch & Fold Bib*, Cath Kidston Lunch Bag (similar here), MAM Snack Box, Tommee Tippee First Cup. 
4) Plan food - Doing an online food order before leaving for our holiday was a must again, it was just so easy to do last time. We knew when we would arrive at the holiday cottage, so we simply organised the delivery time for an hour or so after arrival. Last time we ordered Isabella's Aptamil and nappies to be delivered there too, but this time we're not going away for as long so won't order any Aptamil. Food wise for Isabella we are taking Heavenly Tasty Organics Coconut Squishies*, Organix Strawberry and Banana PorridgeOrganic Weetabix and HIPP Organic Fruit and Vegetable Pouches. We're also taking a sweet potato (to bake, scoop out and mash), cucumber, avocado, oranges, bananas and Sandwich Thins. 

5) Plan sleeping - I did chuckle to myself when I just wrote that...sleep...what is it?! Teething, need I say anymore? We're going on holiday with my family for the first long weekend and my husband's family for the second long weekend and they're not used to getting up 4 times during the night. So we're going to do everything we can to create a comforting environment for Isabella, with the hope that she will sleep like a baby (the irony of that saying is unbelievable). We're taking the NSAuk Deluxe Large Pop Up Travel Cot* (see full review here), Gro Anywhere Blind, Isabella's sleeping bag, Lindam Nursery Safety Sensor Light and our BT Video Baby Monitor 7500. Ensuring it's dark enough in the morning is important, if it's even a little bit light Isabella wakes up and is ready for the day. 
We have somehow managed to fit almost everything for Isabella into this one bag....now on to grabbing some clothes for me to wear!
Have you got any other tips for packing?

Feel free to leave a comment :)

Helen x
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7 comments

  1. Great tips. There's always so much to take on holiday when you have kids isn't there! Thanks for linking up to the #BinkyLinky

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  2. Great tips! I find packing for Bean really stressful, so I have a standard list I refer to when we go away. It has the headings: food/meds, change stuff, sleep, entertainment, clothes. Linking up via #TheList :-)

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  3. Ah I remember this! We went away when my girlie was14 months so needed a bit less than this but still a tonne of stuff!! Great tips xx #binkylinky

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  4. Sounds like you've got it all figured out. Great tips :) #binkylinky
    Debbie

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  5. Great post and tips. I will refer to this when / if we go away. It does fill me with worry now :) you need to take so much!! Eeek!

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  6. Great tips thanks for linking to the binkylinky

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  7. Great post -I love how you've separated everything into 5 stages! I did a post about this a few years ago but it was just one long ol' list - this is way better ;) Thanks for linking up to #TheList xx

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