Baby's first holiday: Tips and child-friendly destinations

When going on holiday with a baby you need to check with your holiday company or airline what their policy on flying with an infant is. While there is no minimum legal age for babies to travel, airlines and holiday company all have different booking policies. In general, most airlines ask that babies are at least two weeks old when travelling, although some may allow seven day-old infants to fly. Give them a call before booking to make sure everything will be OK.

Baby-friendly holidays abroad are great for both you and your baby, with a host of new sights and sounds giving the experience a new level of excitement. But there are a number of factors that will make the experience less stressful and more fun for you all. If you have a very young baby you may not want to travel too far, so countries such as France or Portugal are ideal destinations, especially if the resorts have specific kids’ clubs for babies. Try Opio en Provence in France or the beautiful Da Balaia in Portugal, with their baby clubs and natural environments to explore. If you think your baby could manage a longer flight, La Pointe aux Canonniers in Mauritius offers a tropical paradise with an overnight flight and no jetlag.

The golden rule of flying with a baby is to pack everything you think you need – then double it. So clothes, nappies, milk, food, wet wipes, teething ring, dummies (if your baby uses them), toys, blanket, spare clothes for you both – take more than you think you need and you won’t worry about running out of something vital when you’re 20,000 feet in the air. Most airlines are sympathetic to the needs of new parents and will allow you to keep your child in their pushchair right up until boarding. Remember that the air in plane cabins is very dry, so your baby may need feeding more often, and the changing air pressure when taking off and landing is likely to cause discomfort, so make sure you give them their dummy or feed them during these parts of the flight. Toilet changing tables on airlines are also notoriously uncomfortable, so remember to take a changing mat.