How to choose your holiday destination and accommodation when traveling with a baby!

June 30, 2018

Summer is definitely here, and hopefully you have already made all the arrangements for an amazing family vacation! But, if you are like us, a last-minute vacationer, maybe we can help you out with some ideas.

Where to go? Beach? City? Mountains? Hotel? Rental? So many choices.

Here is what we have learned when traveling with a baby or smaller child.

Beach Vacation

vacation with kids at the beach Beaches are always fun, the sun, the sea and plenty of sand to play with. We definitely love beach vacations and it is a great family destination when traveling with a toddler or baby.

Obviously, the most important thing to do when going to the beach, is to protect your child from the sun. Keep in mind that if your baby is under 6 months, Sunblocks are not recommended, so the best option here would be Sun Clothing for babies. We actually prefer this to Sunblocks, as many have ingredients that we don't want to expose our child too. If you choose a Sunblock, make sure to read the ingredients and go as natural as possible. Though the sun is packed with Vitamin D, exposure to the direct sun for a longer period of time is not good for your child, or for yourself.

We always carry a small zip-up tent, this will create the ideal shady and cold place for your child to take a nap and get out of the sun. It is also great to keep your snacks and drinks cool.

We always make sure to get to the beach early. We take our little ones around 9 AM, that way we get to enjoy the beach without all the crowds and our daughters are exhausted by the time the sun is at its highest and we can head back. Make sure you take enough fluids to stay hydrated for all of you, also fruits such as organic watermelon are great for you and your baby to stay hydrated while snacking on something healthy and yummy. You can even freeze some fruit to keep it extra fresh and chilled. As always make sure to keep all snacks (especially fruit) organic if possible.

Keep your kids entertained by playing fun games such as treasure hunt, which consists of you burying colorful objects (like golf balls) and let your children find them. When you are ready to head home, you can get rid of the extra sand on your child by using organic baby wipes or even organic baby powder.

Going into nature

At the Organic Baby Food Shop, we love everything about nature. This includes family vacation. Either if you are planning to go camping in the mountains or just for a nice hike, we adore nature! We are lucky enough to have plenty of natural lakes and ponds here in Austin, Texas which we love to take advantage of whenever we can.

The great thing about nature is that it usually is quite shady, due to the many trees, so sun exposure is not as aggressive as on the beach. Either way, make sure to use clothes that block the sun and always choose a natural sunblock to avoid exposure to harmful toxins.

One of the downsides of going into nature can be mosquitos and other annoying bugs. We always try to avoid as many chemicals and toxins both in our food as also on our body at the Organic Baby Food Shop. Instead of using chemical mosquito repellent, look for an all-natural equivalent, which is just as effective but nowhere near as dangerous as the synthetic ones.

We recommend California Baby, which is made out of citronella and lemongrass, it smells great, but bugs hate it. (link not sponsored)

One of the things we love most about going into the woods is teaching our kids through fun games everything we know about nature, like bird watching, looking for fish in the water or smelling the different kind of wildflowers and herbs we find on our way. We love going back to the basics and feel it is a great way to create amazing memories.

City vacations

City vacations can also be a great option, just make sure you choose a city that has plenty of fun activities for your child too, such as parks, beaches, amusement parks or child-friendly museums. If you choose a city destination, plan your agenda according to what the city can offer to you and your kids and book activities online to avoid missing out or having to wait in lines.

Where to stay?

Both renting a vacation home or a hotel have their ups and downs.

While hotels can have a lot of extra goodies such as a pool, room service, restaurants and kid-friendly activities, on the other hand, rooms are usually much smaller, and you most likely will be missing out on your own kitchen, which for us is essential to prepare our organic formula and the other organic food we prepare for our children. Being cramped into a room also for us is more stressful than having an entire apartment or home to ourselves.

Vacation rentals

Packing List For us, if we are not going camping, a vacation rental is usually what we choose as our accommodation. Not only is it often cheaper than most hotels, but you also have plenty of more space than in a hotel. It is easier to make our kids feel more at home if we can cook for them and they have plenty of space to run around and play freely. If you choose a rental, make sure it is child-friendly and safe.

Whatever accommodation you choose, we are happy to announce that we can ship you any of our organic formulas to your vacation address, with our usual fast and free shipping we offer at the Organicbabyfood.shop. Great, right? One less thing to pack!

Talking about packing, at the Organic Baby Food Shop we prepared a list of our essentials to take on vacation with us, we hope it helps! You can download it in PDF clicking here 😉

Happy Summer Vacationing, everyone!