5 Best family holiday experiences when you have a baby

Have you had a baby recently and don´t know how to organize your next family holidays? Are you adapting to the new situation and need ideas about where to go with your baby? In this post we outline the 5 family holiday experiences we consider to be the best, based on our own experience.

We didn’t stop travelling when our first boy was born, but we became a little less adventurous on our trips. Our parenthood changed most aspect of our lives and the way we organized our holidays was one of them. To adapt to the new family situation, we explored some interesting family holiday experiences that would like to share with you now, hoping to inspiring you on your next trip.

Family holidays apartment:

When you travel with babies or small children, frequently you need to carry lots of staff with you to ensure their daily routines are appropriately accomplished. For this reason, travelling around one country becomes a little difficult when you have a baby. However, it could still be possible if you  choose a small area, and rent a car so you can explore the surroundings from a fixed location.

Islands like Canary Islands for instance, Madeira, or some Greek Islands are perfect for this, but you can also explore  cities like Rome or Paris.

Renting an apartment is an option which is increasingly gaining popularity. It is cheaper than a hotel room and you have more space. It offers advantages such as being able to cook baby meals, or the possibility to put the baby to bed in one room, while you enjoy the rest of the evening on a separate room, without waking them up. You can rent an apartment in almost any part of the world through platforms such as HomeAway or VacationRentals.com. We rented an apartment for our family holidays in Madeira when our new-born was six months all. Also did the same for visiting Paris a couple of Months after, and Asturias (north of Spain), when our second child was 9 months old. In all 3 times this experience probed to be perfect!. The pictures included belong to the trips mentioned.

Family holidays resort:

We had never considered this option before. It is just the opposite to the way we normally travel, but when our first boy was 1 year old, we went through a tough period, combining the baby care and sleepless nights, with long hours and responsibilities at work. We lived in constant unrest and were just exhausted, so for our family holiday we could only consider one in which we could just relax and catch up on sleep if possible. We booked a hotel on a nice beach resort, with a nice swimming pool, and an all-inclusive pack so we would not need to hassle for anything. We spent all holidays just resting and playing with our baby here and there, while trying the snacks and drinks served by the hotel, and were very    surprised how much we enjoyed doing nothing!

When the pleasure of doing nothing becomes the best option for your family holidays, an all-inclusive family resort, where worrying only about drinking one more orange juice, or rarther going for an ice cream, becomes your dreamed holiday. There are plenty of resorts offering this choice. They normally offer wide entertainment programs, which includes night shows after dinner and, if you are lucky, the baby might fell asleep soon so you can finally have some time off with your partner. Some resorts have integrated authentic aquatic parks in their inside, which is great fun for everyone. Here I have included information about the one we liked the most!. We opted for this holiday type several times when our children where still very small. I have also included pictures of the trips.

Family cruise:  

Theme Parks:

Theme parks often provide shows and attractions for the whole family. They provide adventure and fun for children and adults, as well as food, drinks and all types of entertainment, for which the best amusement is assured for all family members. In addition, they often provide a range of services for families and babies such as nappy changing or breastfeeding rooms, strollers available for rent, baby food on sale or microwaves for heating the babies´ food and bottles. All in all, they make an important effort in traying to make your family holiday a memorable one, whatever the age of your children. I have included here, a selection of the best 25 theme parks according to TripAdvisor.

One of the experience we enjoyed the most when our older boy was 2 and a half, was visiting Disneyland Paris. They provide pregnant women with a “temporary disable card”, which allows you, and your family to get on the attractions without waiting any cue. I was pregnant of my second child by then, for which holding this card made our holiday an unforgettable one.

Family travelling:

No. Travelling around the world with a baby is not crazy! When our second child was 1 and a half, we irremediably felt, we needed to unleash again our adventurous spirits and decided to take him, and his older brother to Thailand. We felt more confident on our parenthood, and lost much of the unfounded fears we previously had as first-time parents, so we were finally ready to become family travellers. For us, travelling with children, even if your child is a baby, is one of the most rewarding experiences you can ever have. The adventures shared while travelling, can hardly be overcome by any other daily life situation. Yet, nothing unites more a family than remembering those moments.

Of course, travelling with a baby requires some extra arrangements and considerations before and during the trip, but if you manage this with some common sense, your holiday can be extraordinarily enriching for all family members. Besides, travelling with babies offer some advantages that disappear when you travel with older children. The most evident is that children under 2 do not have to pay for the plane ticket, but also, you can share bed or request and extra baby cot for them in your hotel room, so no extra bed or room would be required for them at an extra cost. Also, the possibility to breastfeed them during the trip, provides some relief on our concerns to offer the baby proper meals during the trip, since they will always be well fed. In addition, you can hang them in your back on a baby carrier everywhere, so they can rest comfortably, while you are trekking though the jungle.

To conclude

Whatever family holidays you prefer, you have no excuse now to organize your next trip together! Having a baby may not stop you from living one of your best holiday times ever. You just need to adapt to the new family situation. It will, most probably, be a different holiday type, but not necessarily a worse one, since welcoming a new member to the family is one of the most rewarding circumstances that ever happens in life!

Which of the mentioned family adventures will you try on your next holiday? Or would you propose a different experience?

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