In our post on the realities of travelling with a baby, and our itinerary planning post, we talk a lot about how to plan a trip that works for everyone. That means your travel baby, your travel partner and well, you.
Here, we acknowledge that when you are travelling with a baby, you will often be waiting around while they sleep. Of course, if you have this dreamy ‘travel baby’ YOU can sleep then too, right? But if you’re in the happy position of wanting to do something more, we’ve compiled a few ideas that will put you in a holiday frame of mind. Naturally, if your baby happily sleeps in a pram, you’ll be able to time their sleeps with adult meals, swims by the pool and other holiday indulgences. But if that’s not the case you’ll enjoy this list:
7 simple ideas for enjoying a holiday with a baby while the baby sleeps:
1. Get a room with a balcony. If there’s also a view you enjoy, even better. You can eat meals here while the baby sleeps, raise a glass to the view, or get some extra sunshine.
2. Take a book. You may rarely get to read at home but here, when you have a day sleeping baby, there’s no housework to be done. If a book sounds too tiring (we know, you have a baby under one, sleep isn’t exactly your friend), then:
3. Load up your devices with audiobooks or podcasts. Audible has a ton of good reads (great for car journeys too).
4. Eat well. If you have the budget, many locations will provide a chef who comes to your accommodation and cooks up a meal with local ingredients. It’s a great way to indulge in the local foodie culture while being restricted about eating out in restaurants. If your budget is tighter, buy up big at the local markets, particularly on hor d’oeuvres and snacks. They’ll be perfect for indulging in back at your accommodation.
5. Indulge. Really, it’s a holiday. Why not buy that gorgeous dessert you saw in a café, and enjoy it in takeaway form later that day or night.
6. Watch movies. On screen in your room, or if you’ve been organised, previously loaded onto your laptop/device. (Try not to spend all your downtime on Facebook. You can do better in terms of a holiday vibe.)
7. Have a massage, pedicure or manicure in your room. Mobile massage services will happily come to you. Research before you arrive if you’ll have limited internet while you’re there, or ask your hotel concierge for tips if you’re in a hotel. (Explain that the sleeping baby means you can’t go to the hotel/local spa.)
We are sure there are plenty of other ideas. Let us know in the comments!