5 Top Tips For UK Summer Holidays With Baby
Holidaying in the UK with a baby seems a little easier than trying to conquer airports, flights and foreign etiquettes. Even staying in the UK for a summer break can present difficulties when trying to enjoy your time with a baby. We've partnered with Snaptrip, who have given us their five top tips to make sure your break away is fun for the whole family.
Having a new arrival join the family is undoubtedly a very special time but we’d be lying if we said it didn’t bring some extra stress too. So, now the summer is well and truly here, you really are owed a holiday! To make it that little bit easier we’ve collected our top five tips for taking your baby on a UK summer break. In case you’re wondering whether to take our advice, let me tell you a couple of things about us: we’re a website offering over 50,000 holiday cottages and log cabins in the UK, plus lots of us in the office have our own young families.
1) Self-catering rules! If you’ve just had your first baby you’ll probably still be imagining holidays as a couple; with carefree Caipirinhas and visits to romantic restaurants. The reality of travel with a little one might be a little different, but to be embraced, variety is the spice of life after all! With self-catering, you don’t have to worry about your baby screaming down the hotel restaurant at dinnertime, or having to eat dinner in shifts as one of you rocks the baby to sleep back in the room. A self-catering cottage is a home-from-home, you can do things on your usual schedule rather than when a hotel tells you to, much less stressful.
2) You don’t have to travel far. We’re lucky to live in a truly green and pleasant land, blessed with National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty at every turn. Don’t drag yourself to the other end of the country just because you’ve seen some pretty pictures on Instagram, look local and you’ll be rewarded with a short journey time and the chance to get to know somewhere you might have previously overlooked. Our clever technical whizzes have created a special search tool that uses your postcode and the amount of time you’d like to drive to generate a personalised map of cottages to pick from - it couldn’t be any easier!
3) Drive there at night. Babies aren’t always the best at travelling in the car so reduce some stress by travelling with them asleep. By driving at night you should avoid traffic, allow baby to sleep in peace and sometimes get an even better deal by starting your break straight after work on a weekday rather than waiting until the weekend starts. If night time travel isn’t possible we recommend car window blinds to stop baby getting too much sun, some nursery rhymes to distract and plenty of toys so a new one can be placed in baby’s seat after the previous one is thrown on the floor. If possible one of you could even sit in the back seat next to baby to make entertaining easier.
4) You can’t pack too much. If you’re flying you really can take too much and have the horror of repacking in front of the check-in desk! If you’re driving to a holiday cottage in the UK you can pack everything you’d normally rely on at home. Take enough nappies to sink a ship, all of the baby’s toys and every gadget you’ve got. Not only can you just throw everything in the boot to travel, when you arrive in the cottage you can unpack it all in your nice spacious borrowed house. You’d be hard pushed to find a hotel room that can take all of your baby bits and pieces.
5) Take grandparents with you. You probably went off the idea of holidaying with your parents around the age of 15, so it will make the idea of willingly inviting them along seem a little odd but hear us out. You’ll benefit from some free baby sitting, help with baby chores and help with the cooking. This sounds a bit unfair but the reality is that most grandparents will happily help out and will cherish the extra time they get to spend with their grandchildren. Trust us - everyone should have a lovely time and actually get a holiday!
You can find out more about the types of UK short breaks and holidays that Snaptrip offer over on their website. Ranging from beautiful countryside cottages to lakeside lodges to ambient apartments, you'll find the perfect family getaway from their collection of holiday homes.