Marbella 2017

Flying from Bristol- Malaga with EasyJet- stayed for 12 days- self catered

Packing

1x infant allows 2 big items and one small changing bag 

Changing bag for the flight- no bigger than 45x36x20cm

The bag I used measured slightly less than these dimensions, it was a recent purchase from Primark. 

Contents 

Favourite toys- Sophie giraffe and Sofia the first dolly 

Comforter (sleepy rabbit)

Blanket

Muslins.x2

Dummies

Dummy clip

Bibs x2

Nappy bags, nappies (x5) and wipes all in changing roll (see below picture) 

Gripe water 

Spoons x2 

Sippy cup (empty) 

Milk bottle (see below re:making up formula milk on flight) 

Formula powder

Breakfast ( pouch) 

I later added an outfit to change Bon into when we landed and also her red book.


The best item of this bag was the changing pack. It was a fold up changing mat with pockets for nappies and wipes. It sat in the bottom of the buggy all holiday and it was a great portable thing to have.

As well as a small changing bag, you are allowed 2 large items such as a stroller, car seat, travel cot etc. We took a quinny base, (we have a stroller in Marbella already) and a car seat. We took them both in carry bags. The carry bags are brilliant. Not only are they good for keeping your items safe, but they are a lifesaver when it comes to luggage. We used these bags not only for our large named items, but for other essentials too. 

Stroller bag 

Things we managed to fit in these bags was a Bumbo with tray, and a bag full of milk, nappies and Ella's kitchen pouches. (Heavy items you don't want to take up your allowance!) 

In the car seat bag we put the sleepyhead and a blanket. Again, bulky items that would normally take up a whole suitcase!! They didn't check these bags, well we watched them go through the security scanners and they didn't say anything. My sister once weighed over on her luggage so she took clothes out of her suitcase and put it in the car seat bag in front of the lady at the check in desk and she didn't care. Honestly there is so much space in these bags, they are fantastic for packing extra items at no extra cost. Plus, how else are you going to take a Sleepyhead Grand abroad with you? Those things are HUGE!

If you are self catered and you don't have the use of a high chair, I highly recommend this Phil and Teds one- it collapses pretty flat to fit in a suitcase and we used it a lot.

For Bonnies wash bag, we packed the following:

The best item in this bag? The bottle of 'Skin so soft' by Avon.  Its a dry oil that makes your skin soft. However, thats not the main reason why this product is a good seller. Apparently mosquitoes hate this stuff- and stay away if you have it on. Ive put it to the test with Bonnie and well, it works! We were all bitten so much this year, and Bonnie wasn't bitten once. I only used it on her at night as obviously it is an oil.  Rumour has it that the British Army buy this stuff in bulk as it is better than jungle formula.

The Flight

Our flight out was at around 6 am meaning we left the house at about 3.  We got everything loaded into the car and put Bon in last. She woke up and then didn't sleep until she was on the plane. It was really cute actually, she was so excitable- almost like she knew she was going on holiday and couldn't sleep. The only problem with packing the car seat and stroller bag with so much stuff is obviously we would never get away with that at customs so we had to check in our car seat and quinny base and carry Bon the whole way from check in to baggage reclaim on the other side. This was only because we had a car seat and base-which would have been pretty useless without one another- if we had an actual buggy and car seat we would have packed the car seat bag up to the brim and checked it in and then taken the buggy all the way to the flight which all the sensible parents did. We will definitely be doing this for Dubai as we will have a buggy and car seat. 

If you're getting to the airport early, I would highly recommend booking into the airport lounge- especially if you want your baby to sleep while you wait for your flight.  If you are not familiar with the lounges, they are rooms that you'll find at every airport that  you can book into at a cost that have comfy sofas/ are quiet and is just a nicer atmosphere to relax in. Most food and drink are complimentary, and some even have spas. Check the lounge details for their kids policy before you book though. We also filled up Bonnies bottle with boiled water in the lounge, however you can take it through security anyway- they may just ask you to taste it. We took the powder formula in a separate tub and made it up once the plane had landed as Bonnie doesn't have a bottle until 11am. (She is combi fed). I was really worried about Bon's ears when we were taking off and landing so I just made sure that I breastfed her at those times (it was just the most convenient thing for me to do at that time, but obviously bottle feeding and a dummy would also do the trick) We also took an Ella's kitchen pouch to give her when we landed for breakfast and I fed it to her while we waited at baggage claim. 

In Spain 

Baby changing is sparse especially in very 'Spanishy' towns (as in not touristy)- I even found the touristy parts difficult for baby changing. So just bear that in mind. Be prepared for a lot of kneeling down on floors.

The positive thing about being in Spain is that everyone is very used to seeing children and babies out at night in restaurants- they don't bat an eyelid so don't feel guilty about having a pram/ child with you as it is very normal to have children up late 

Another positive? Spanish people LOVE babies- love them. And Bonnie loves attention so win-win. The one thing I would say is that it is a lot more acceptable in Spain to just pick up someone else's baby- do not be surprised if you find a Spanish lady (especially of the older generation) put her hands out to give your baby a cuddle. I was struggling with some bags in San Pedro while Elliott was folding down the pushchair and an old Spanish lady just took Bonnie off me to help me out- I was a little taken aback at first but I was ok with it- I understand some people may not like that especially if they don't expect it.

Water- Its best to research water before you go if you are travelling with a baby. You need to look for water with the lowest sodium count. Evian is recognised worldwide and is fine for babies. If you are travelling to Spain there is a brand called Lanjaron which is sold everywhere. We filled the kettle every morning with Lanjaron and poured it into her two bottles and water bottle every morning- then just made the bottle up with the powder when it was time for a feed.

Time Zone-  Spain is an hour ahead so before we went we just assumed that Bonnie's bedtime would change from 7:30 to 8:30 but for some reason it didn't and all her naps etc stuck to the same time while we were out there. A couple of days before we were due to fly home Bon woke up late so we used that as an opportunity to get her used to doing everything an hour later and when we got home she went to bed at 7:30 no problem. I did work very hard before we went away to establish a bedtime for Bonnie which I found helped so much while we were away as she was used to a bedtime. If we were staying in we would put her down as usual in bed with the monitor. If we were going out we would put her down as usual at 7:30 but in her buggy instead of her bed- we then put the buggy in a dark room while we all got ready and by the time we were all ready to go out she was in a deep sleep meaning she slept the whole time every single night we went out- through live music and everything.

I do put this down to the fact that she is a good sleeper- we used a Maclaren techno xlr stroller while we were out there which seemed comfortable, it lay right back and she slept in it well. It was also easy to collapse and light.  The one thing I would say is that the basket is a good size however it's near impossible to get to if the seat is in the lay flat position.  The other negative about this pram is that we had to purchase new handles as they melted- yes melted- in the heat, however I have noticed that the handles are different on the newer models now. All in all a good buggy- it's the first time we have used a buggy (they always feel so flimsy don't they?!) It will be good to see how it compares to our Silver Cross Pop which we will be using on our next holiday as that is a lot cheaper price wise. We have bought the Pop for when we go travelling for 7 months so I'm hoping it will be good!!  

I would definitely recommend a Snoozeshade too- this was great for naps in the day meaning Bonnie would be able to sleep in the shade and not get over heated and also meant that at night her buggy was nice and dark

Useful values

So we went for just under 2 weeks and we took-

4 packs of 28 nappies (we had one full pack left) 
1 x box of Aptimil powder (we had half left at the end)- Bonnie has 2 bottles of 7oz a day.
8 x ready made 7oz bottles Aptimil
A box of Milton tablets
Enough Ella's kitchen pouches for her to have at every meal- we planned to make Bonnie meals like we do at home but the ease of Ella's kitchen pouches made us see sense and sack that idea right off- they are so easy and convenient. She had Weetabix or toast and fruit most mornings for breakfast.

I would say my main tip for travelling with a baby for the first time would be is to go in with an open mind- I thought packing would be an absolute night mare and so stressful-it was absolutely fine! if anything, I was the most organised I have ever been as I started packing so well in advance.  I am extremely surprised to say that there is nothing that I forgot to pack or left at home accidentally! I also thought that this holiday would just be too different- which in a way it was- but I thought we wouldn't be able to do any of the things we did before having a baby- I thought that we would have to stay in every night and wouldn't be able to enjoy those less than baby friendly places such as beach clubs- but thanks to a very well behaved baby we managed to do a lot of things that we have always done. When I say beach clubs- if you're talking Marbella or somewhere like that avoid somewhere like ~Ocean beach and opt for somewhere like La Sala instead.  The key I found to being so relaxed was we just followed Bonnies lead and had no expectations to our holiday. We didn't book one thing while we were out there- apart from our beach club beds- as as soon as you need to get somewhere for a certain time thats when it gets stressful.

This is totally my friend in that above picture and not me- I would love to say thats what I look like in a swimsuit but, no.

...And Finally

You have probably heard me say a few times before that I consider Marbella as my home from home.  I have a lot of memories out there as I spent a lot of time there as a child.  In the UK, my family have all moved on and as we have all found our own homes to live in and our family home was sold, there is one base, although my parents are now separated, its a place we all share, where we can always come back to and feel completely at home and it just so happens to be in sunny Marbs.  It is filled with memories that will grow over the years as our family grows. I literally can't wait to see Bonnie swim from one side of the pool to the other for the first time in the exact place myself and my sisters did and maybe one day Bon will do the same with her children.

I would love to think that something in this post has helped or answered any questions in some way for anyone who is going abroad with their little one.  If you do have any questions at all I am always happy to help, just comment on this blog post or send me a message via Instagram- (@lalas_sw)

A little disclaimer- 

I know it can seem very easy for me to say a lot of the stuff I have on this blog post.  I am very lucky to already have a lot of baby items in Marbella already thanks to the fact my sisters have had 4 children so have kitted the gaff out pretty nicely.  Cheers for that sistas. I know the area very well- I probably know it better than I know Bristol- which also makes it a lot easier for me too.  I also had friends come out to join us out there for part of it and the extra couple of pairs of hands also made it easier. 

Bonnie, 6 months
Marbella July 2017

A.M.L

LaLa

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