Helping Baby Feel at Home in Self Catering

Helping Baby Feel at Home in Self Catering

Wed, Nov 3, 2010

Even though they can’t tell us, babies know where their home is. At home, my son Euan has a bedtime routine which helps him to sleep.  We read a couple of stories, Daddy gives him his bath, he gets dried and into his jammies, has a feed and then goes to bed.  It doesn’t always work but I think the predictability of the routine helps him to settle.  When we’re anywhere other than home Euan doesn’t want to miss a trick and it’s more difficult to settle him at night.

When we stay in self catering accommodation there are a few things I do to help Euan feel at home quickly. I reckon if he feels comfortable in a place he’s more likely to sleep better.

1. Before we leave, I like to check what the self catering accommodation can provide to make my baby feel at home. You might be surprised at how much baby equipment some self catering properties can offer. One we visited in Perthshire even included an all terrain buggy! You know your own baby best – compile a list that you consider essential for your baby’s comfort and then check to see what your accommodation provides. A checklist might include:

• Cot
• Bedding (and spares)
• Baby monitor
• Blackout blind
• Highchair
• Bowls and spoons
• Microwave / steriliser
• Changing mat
• A bath
• Towels
• Stair-gate
• Play pen

For further ideas, refer to my packing list.

2. We always bring a selection of Euan’s favourite toys from home. Obviously you won’t be able to pack the entire toy box but I would suggest taking a good selection and then giving them to your baby one or two at a time. If you give your baby his/her toys all at once he/she may get bored of them quickly. We use a holdall as a makeshift toy box.

Euan’s Toy Bag

3. Do a safety check of your accommodation and then you can let your baby explore worry free. If your baby is a crawler or toddler then you can let them look around themselves (obviously under supervision!) Otherwise you might want to carry your baby from room to room so that they can get to know their temporary home.

4. I like to spend some time helping my baby become familiar with his bedroom. We play and read stories there for a while during the day and I think this helps him feel more comfortable sleeping there at night.

5. One of the benefits of choosing self catering is that if you have a routine at home you can stick to it on holiday. I don’t have a strict schedule with Euan but as I mentioned in my intro he does have a bedtime routine of story, bath, feed then bed. Keeping this up while we are away helps him to feel at home.

6. My baby needs a bit of time to settle in. On our recent trip to Ardnamurchan I saw Euan’s sleeping patterns improve over the course of the four day holiday. On the first night it took Euan an hour to settle to sleep. He just wanted to crawl all over the place and explore the bedroom. By the second day things were easier and he went to sleep quickly at bedtime.

Enjoying a cuddle with Euan before I put him down for a nap while we were staying in a self catering cottage in Ardnamurchan.

7. If I’m having trouble getting Euan to take his naps we take him for a walk in the buggy (stroller) or for a drive. Some people might not agree with this method but I’d rather he took a nap and got the rest and I’ve never been able to leave him to cry. If he’s well rested during the day he’s more likely to settle at night.

Euan taking a nap in the car.

8. I like to bring plenty of Euan’s favourite foods with me (after all, his daddy and I eat our favourite foods while we’re on holiday!) This is especially important if we’re staying somewhere remote and there aren’t many shops. Euan’s never been a big eater (which I find very surprising considering how much his parents love food!) and despite having prepared everything from fresh when I first weaned him I have recently discovered that he loves these Ella’s Kitchen Organic Pouches so I pack more than enough of those. They’re organic, gunk free and using a pouch rather than a jar means you don’t have to worry about germs spreading from spoon to jar so they can be used for more than one meal. They’re also really easy to transport.

Euan eating his dinner in the window seat in the self catering cottage in Ardnamurchan where we stayed in October.

These are just some ideas that work for me. I’m not claiming to be an expert but I do hope you find some of my ideas useful.  If you have any tips please share them below, I’d love to hear from you.