This is a decision that seemed a little ambitious, a little crazy even, when I discussed it with some people in my entourage: "Is it really reasonable to go on holiday in the middle of summer with a baby less than 4 months old?!" For my husband and I, it was unthinkable to spend the summer at home: We rarely go on holidays, except for a weekend here and there, and we always book a nice break of 2 weeks once the summer arrives. The birth of our daughter Inès forced us to think about the destination, and the organization in general, but this break seemed to us essential. So I meet you today to give you my humble advice and my experience during my 15 days of vacation at the other end of France.
The Destination
I advise you to avoid crowded places, such as the French Riviera or very popular tourist places all summer long. Same for the climate. Avoid the south of France if possible, unless you choose to stay in your holiday accommodation from 12:00 to 16:00. We chose to travel to the South-West, a few kilometres from Biarritz; it is a destination well known to us already as we went there as a couple in 2014 so we knew that the temperatures were not tropical. Of course, the destination is popular with vacation tourists, but it is quite easy to escape the crowds by getting to the right places at the right time. For example, the beach is always deserted before 11am. The sea air and constant wind made the temperature very easy to bear. We never had more than 25 degrees in our week on the spot, and never had a rainy day!
The Place of Visit
You have several choices, according to your desires, and especially your budget: we started our journey with 4 nights in a hotel, which were offered to us by a member of our family. I was very apprehensive about this forced cohabitation... with good reason! Ines has been sleeping in her room since she was born, and we had a really hard time sleeping beside her in the hotel room we shared. Babies are very noisy at night (suction noises, micro alarm clocks, chirping...) and my sleep, which was very light, prevented me from sleeping properly.
I was in a hurry to arrive at our final place of holidays: an AirBnb rental that we had booked shortly before I gave birth. I strongly advise you to choose an accommodation with a minimum of 2 rooms (to allow you to sleep in the bedroom and place the cot in the living room, for example). If you choose, as we did, for this holiday booking platform, here are the options that I advise you to check when searching:
A washing machine: it was essential for us, since our car is small enough, and we did not want to leave with tons of clothes. I made 4 machines on the spot, and it was a real joy! Especially since the Basque Country can be a bit unpredictable in terms of weather conditions: we had to leave with clothes for all seasons, as much for us as for our daughter... The suitcases were full!
Childcare equipment loan: this was not the case for the owners of our rental, but I know that many offer to lend you an umbrella bed, a baby bath, a high chair or other... everything is informed in each ad. We had to travel with our umbrella bed, and even if its price is exorbitant (and we had a hard time putting so much money in such a purchase!), I can only recommend the model we have chosen: the Babybjörn Light*, very light, very small and super comfortable! Please note: you can also make your baby sleep in the buggy of his stroller if he is not too big (I would say 3-4 months maximum!).
Wi-fi connection: I'm a real geek and I have a hard time without Internet, even for two weeks. We especially wanted to have this connection, because we knew that we would often be at the apartment' in the evening rather early, the time to give our daughter a bath, to feed her... and especially, that she would be in bed early! Wi-fi enabled us to watch movies on Netflix, or watch replays on our iPad.
A swimming pool: this is a must if you want to enjoy the sun and warmth while your baby is taking a nap. Ours was shared with the owners of the premises, which was already very good (a rental with a pool not shared being very expensive). We loved being able to bathe in the middle of the day while our daughter was taking a nap in the apartment! Don't forget to bring your babyphone so that you don't miss its alarm clock.
The Trip
We did everything by car, so I won't be able to give you any advice for the train or plane, since we haven't experienced these modes of transport with our daughter yet. The car does not pose any problem with a baby, as long as you respect breaks every 2 to 3 hours. Quentin and I alternated the driving during these different breaks, so that none of us were tired when we arrived, and so that each could rest while the other was driving.
We made the choice to leave at night, after the last bottle of the evening, a few hours before the first of the morning. We have a great chance: Inès is very wise by car, sleeps from the first few meters and wakes up only for her bottle: we were able to make long and perfectly peaceful journeys! Keep the changing bag close by (= away from the mess in the trunk!), so that you can change a diaper or give a bottle in complete peace of mind.
For clothing, I advise you to make your baby travel in pajamas: this will make changing easier and faster, and your baby will be more comfortable than wearing tight clothes (no risk of a pimple getting into his skin, or a garment being completely wrinkled in his back).
Keep nearby, also:
a spiral of activity: ours has been given to us by friends; it is one of the best gifts we have ever received, because it allows us to keep our daughter busy when the trips are a little long. It is simply wrapped around the handle of the cosy, and this allows you to keep your baby busy and avoid boredom. The slightest curve or jerk in the car shakes the various objects: it's really the perfect toy!
a baby mirror: if your child is under one year old, he or she will most likely travel in what is known as a cosy car seat (very often adaptable on a stroller) with back to the road, which guarantees maximum safety. Unless you travel next to him in the back seat, it is sometimes difficult to keep an eye on his baby. I strongly advise you to buy a mirror, designed for this purpose, that attaches to the headrest of the seat on which your baby is sitting. At a glance, you will see if he sleeps, if he needs you...
a lollipop: our daughter didn't need it at all during her first months of life, and it looks like she's interested in it now... we've always made sure to have it handy in the car. This sometimes helps her to get back to sleep after a break. If possible, use it on a lollipop clip, which you can then attach to the car seat clips!
wipes: a little accident happened quickly and we don't really want to go through the changing bag to find a pack of wipes! I always have one in the pocket behind my seat. These* are my favorites: they are soaked with water and fruit extract, so you can use them for anything and everything!
The Preparation of Suitcases
I'm not going to tell you about the contents of the suitcases... plan of course for all temperatures, and what to expect several changes per day! I just want to detail a few small things that we tend to forget (or find superfluous on the spot - believe me, they were really very helpful! :
compresses + physiological serum: I had foreseen only a few of them in the Inès toiletries kit, but it turns out that she had a small infection of the eye during our stay (nothing serious (nothing serious - this is quite common since birth - but which requires regular cleaning). I bought some right away in the first pharmacy we came across!
health diary, thermometer and Doliprane: because we are not safe from a small visit to the pediatrician for a serious problem or not... for the little anecdote, Inès had her first outbreak of fever during our holidays,"as if by chance"!
baby fly: we were going to a destination where the climate was wet enough, and I knew my daughter would end up getting too busy. I'll talk to you again in video about this absolutely great baby fly* (which, believe me, is worth its price!); it's very cumbersome but we made sure we could take it with us... It was a great help!
bath thermometer and bottle brush: these two objects are carried proudly in your apartment... so much so that you don't even notice them when you pass by. These are the two items that I almost forgot when I made the suitcases, so I wanted to point them out to you!
Exposure to the sun
It is of course strongly advised against exposing your baby to the sun (I guarantee you that I have seen rather dangerous behaviours on the beach... so it may not be useless to specify it again! Inès has only been exposed to indirect sunlight, when travelling (to get to the beach for example), or by means of the few rays that have passed through the sunshade or the roof of her stroller. Here are a few tips I can give you to keep your baby healthy:
no exposure between 12h and 16h: even behind a sunshade, even with sunscreen... these are the sunniest hours of the day, and you have to be particularly careful in this respect, especially with a baby of a few months!
beach equipment: the perfect equation is anti-UV jersey + parasol + sunscreen + sunscreen + bob + sunglasses + sunscreen. Yes, that's a lot! We respected this religiously during our holidays, and our daughter did not suffer from any kind of heat and did not take the slightest color on her skin.
Maximum hydration: a bottle of water + a mist of thermal water are essential to always have at hand.
Here is a small selection of articles to help you find your way around:
1 - Anti-UV jersey DPAM
2 - Sunglasses (0-18 months)
3 - Izipizi Sunglasses (0-12 months)
4 - Anti-UV Trixie
5 - Anti-UV hat
6 - Anti-UV suit
I sincerely hope that this article will help those who are planning to go on holiday with their baby!