What’s worrying you about Weaning on Holiday?

First thing is to identify what your worries are – if there are any? For some the prospect of choosing food outside of the home, possibly even in a foreign country feel overwhelming. But I’m here to reassure you and get you excited about some time out of normal routine!

No Need to Wean Early to be Holiday Ready!

So many people I see feel they need to start weaning ahead of the 6 month mark to make sure they are ‘ready’ for holiday, but milk intake doesn’t change for a long time and milk still remains priority. There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t start weaning whilst away. Equally you can wait to return. But realistically, nothing is going to change whilst you’re away – in fact you’re going to need lots of patience with weaning (read this blog for more!). If your baby is 6 months and you’re planning on BLW then starting when you’re all relaxed around a table on holiday is actually quite nice!

Do Your Research

When we know what to expect we can feel more relaxed about what is to come, so do your research!

Check what provisions your hotel/villa has for babies who are weaning. i.e., highchairs, making fresh baby food, offering a special baby section on the buffet for baby led weaning, providing sterilisers, a blender and baby cutlery, 

If you’re moving about a lot on holiday then you might want to think about a travel highchair, although I’ve never bothered with this and have always managed with the highchair on offer, a lap or the pushchair. You can also get portable baby blenders but I’d question if you really need this!

Allergies

If baby has any allergies, then contact the hotel in advance via email to ensure that you have all your questions answered. For example, what milk alternatives do they offer at breakfast, are allergens listed on all foods at the buffet, is there someone who can advise you of what is suitable at each meal time?

Think about saving some translations in your phone – simple phrases that explain the situation and what you need.

Don’t forget to pack any medication such as antihistamines/epi-pen/ eczema cream as well as your Allergy Action Plan from the consultant.

The Journey – Flying

Don’t forget if you are using formula you can order and collect at the airport. Make sure you are still prepping bottles as per the recommendations. I’ve seen some awful influencer advice that could cause food poisoning – and yes I did politely explain the risks – at which point I was blocked!

“Providing the baby is travelling with the parent, you are allowed to take sufficient baby food and/or milk for the journey, in your cabin baggage. In some cases this may include containers over 100ml.”

“Cooling gel packs and frozen ice packs are allowed in hand luggage when used to cool infant food and drink if an infant is present.” Alternatively, you can freeze some snacks and use an insulated bag to keep things cool.

Weaning Travel Foods

rice cakes

breadsticks,

oatcakes,

fruit (easily purchased or acquired from your hotel for the return, can be kept whole and cut when needed, or prepped before),

home-made muffin from the freezer,

boiled eggs,

avocado (keep whole and open and spoon out on flight),

hummus,

cold pasta,

cold cooked veg,

cucumber,

tomatoes,

porridge (remember it doesn’t have to be warm but you could use a thermos),

Weetabix,

mini shredded wheat

Also think of dry snacks that don’t have to be chilled. These might be good to pack for use on the return journey. If you follow my advice to avoid packaged baby/toddler snacks now is one of those times when you can loosen those rules to make life easier! But having said that there are often an adult (unsweetened version) in a bigger packet that will work just as well as expensive sweet toddler snacks i.e. rice cakes

Don’t forget to request a children’s meal if your baby is on your lap!

If you take pouches, don’t forget to have a spoon handy and avoid all fruit purees (p.s. don’t feel you have to buy the ones for the recommended age group. Anything suitable under 12 months will be fine – it’s just about texture.)

Take a change of clothes with you in case of any big accidents – food or otherwise related!

Pack a few muslins to place on your lap when feeding without a highchair.

The Journey – Car

Don’t forget to factor in some breaks on any car journeys so that baby can have their regular milk feeds and meals. They also need a break from the car seat, ideally. See your car seat manufacturer for more advice on this.

Don’t be tempted to feed in the car seat whilst they are strapped in a driving – should they choke it will be very hard to do what is needed in the moment.

Essential Items to Take

Decant some washing up liquid into a travel bottle

Take a travel detergent or decant some of your normal liquid into a travel bottle

A stash of reusable snack pouches are excellent for taking things out for the day. Nom Nom pouches are great! Or use silicon ziplock bags and wash when needed. Also you can wash and use any pots used when travelling. 

Larger ziplock bags are also ideal for transporting dirty bibs and cutlery when out and about.

You child’s favourite cup for water. One for during the day and one for meal times. 

Take baby spoons and any cutlery that your child is familiar with. A small plastic bowl will also be helpful when you are worried about it being thrown around!

Pack muslins to use if there is no highchair available and you have to use your lap or the pushchair

Bibs. Take a mix of sleeveless and long sleeve and enough so you can have one drying whilst you use another.  You might find baby objects to long sleeves if it’s hot but you might want them to protect nice holiday clothes at dinner time

You might want to take wipes with you for clean up but it’s better for the environment (and cheaper!) if you can take a few flannels that you can wash and dry the same time as any bibs/other equipment. Fill a sink with warm water and a little of baby’s normal wash, dunk the flannel, wring it out and place in a ziplock or reusable bag.

What about the Water?

Check before you travel if the water in the area you are staying is safe for consumption. If not, then choose bottled water with a picture of a baby (indicating they are suitable for infants) or choose those that have less than 200 milligrams (mg) a litre of sodium (also written as Na) and less than 250mg a litre of sulphate (also written as SO4). 

Food Shopping Abroad

Make yourself familiar with the words for salt and sugar, and any relevant allergens in the language of your destination so that you can read the labels. And don’t forget google translate!

Supermarkets abroad will often have a huge array of fresh, unprocessed foods that are perfect for little people. Fruits, veg, fresh fish and meat, lentils, beans etc. Unless you’re going trekking through the Amazon (tag me if you’re doing something as exciting as this with a baby!) you’re going to be able to find something suitable!

Hotel restaurants

Always ask if you need something prepared for your baby. People are generally very accepting and accommodating when it comes to babies. They will often blend things for you.

If you need porridge made with a specific milk or without sugar/salt then ask.

Other things you may want to request – unsalted vegetables, unsalted fish/meat, leaving salt of any meal that is ordered, smaller portions

Don’t forget you can offer things from your own plate rather than ordering something specific for baby

Don’t worry if things are not exactly how you would feed them at home – it’s only a short period and you can get back to your preferred foods as soon as you’re back

Managing meal times

This is one of the tricker aspects of a holiday with babies and children. Here are some tips from my experience. 

Get up and get to breakfast as per normal (or as soon as they wake up if they are later)

Try and stick to normal mealtimes, or at least the same sort of gap between meals. Dinner is often the tricky one, if you’re in a hotel, you can choose to feed your baby in your room before you go out (many hotels will offer room service for kids) or give a snack to tide them over for a slightly later dinner. Whatever happens you’re likely to be eating earlier (and going to sleep earlier than you’ve ever done on holiday!)

Remember in the early weeks of weaning your baby might not even need those 3 meals a day! And if you’re happily eating your food, there’s no reason not to offer your baby something to explore if they are over 6 months.

Take items from the breakfast/lunch buffet and use your pots/bag and insulated bag, if needed.

Honestly, the reality of holidaying with a baby on solids is far less worrying than most people imagine.

But if you want more support then don’t forget you can join The Weaning Hub for only £30 for 6 months access. You’ll have resources, recipes and most importantly, access to me, whenever you need to ask a question or have a concern!

All that’s left for me to say is don’t forget the sun cream and have a fabulous time making memories!