Essentials For Taking a Baby On a Ski Holiday

I've just taken my 4 month old baby on a ski holiday to Morzine, France. This was my first holiday with Noah and I was struggling with what to take so turned to the internet expecting loads of advice. But there was hardly anything! So I went with my initiative (always dangerous) but I think I did quite well. I decided to help out any fellow mum's, so here is my packing list & tips for taking a young baby on a ski holiday - 

We were on a package holiday with Alpine Elements, who fly with EasyJet. This meant that Noah didn't get a suitcase, but I could take a changing bag on board and between us as a family we had 3 suitcases in the hold and 3 hand luggage suitcases - the hand luggage didn't have a weight allowance so we stuffed those to the brim! I used my hand luggage suitcase for Noah's clothes and then spread bigger things throughout the family suitcases. 

The best thing I did, which my mum thought of, was lining each of the suitcases with nappies. I put about 15 along the bottom of each suitcase. I also packed more than I knew I would need for the day into my changing bag which also didn't have a weight allowance. I managed to get a packet and a half of nappies away with us, and didn't have to buy any more whilst out there so that was brilliant. 

Toiletry wise, I took a smaller version of his usual Johnson's Nighttime baby bath and moisturiser, so as to keep with the routine and familiar smells. This worked well and Noah actually slept better than he ever has whilst we were away - the altitude clearly worked wonders! I breastfeed so I didn't need to take any formula, however we took two bottles of formula as well as a MAM bottle in case I was hospitalised and couldn't breastfeed for a small amount of time - morbid I know! I also bought some baby safe Garnier Ambre Solaire suncream for his face, which I applied at least twice a day. Noah did get quite red cheeks but I think that was more from the wind than the sun.

Added this picture just because he looks so cute. And that background!

Noah loved the sun!

My absolute necessities for a ski holiday with a baby, aside from all the day-to-day things, were a snowsuit, a thick pramsuit and sunglasses. I bought this Trespass snowsuit for a very reasonable price. It had foldover mittens and feet, was fluffy on the inside and water & windproof. If Noah was a little bigger I would have sat him in the snow in this and been comfortable that he would have stayed dry and warm! He loved being in it, the only problem I had with it was that it was the same material as my salopettes so when I was trying to comfort him he'd slip all over the place.

My favourite was this thick pramsuit I bought from M&S only three days before we left! It was thick so he was always warm, but it wasn't waterproof. I didn't mind because it didn't rain or snow whilst we were away but if it had I would have put him in the Trespass one more! I had Noah in the pramsuit for travelling and it was perfect as it wasn't too thick or too thin, and neither England or the plane were particularly warm. I think he loved it, and he looked super cute in it so I loved it!  

The absolute best thing I bought were his sunglasses. I bought these BabyBanz from Boots Opticians (they have 15% off your first order with them too!) as they have a strap around his head so he couldn't take them off even if he wanted to. He was very content with them on his face, and he wore them for 90% of the holiday. If you've been on a ski holiday before, even without a baby, you'll know that the sun is quite bright and then it reflects off the snow which makes it even brighter. If he didn't have these sunglasses I'd have been extremely worried for his eyesight! We also got so many compliments on what a cool dude he is and how cute he looked in them - which I know isn't important but we both loved it!

I took with us a Disney throw from Primark for when we were out and about. It was much thicker and bigger than a typical baby blanket which meant I could fold it to create lots of layers and more warmth. Also it was Disney. You can't go wrong with that! Whilst this worked brilliantly, because it was so big it kept falling out of the buggy and dragging in the snow which was extremely frustrating as snow gets wet and muddy. I also took his normal blanket for overnight.

I only took with us sleepsuits for Noah. I took 10 with us for a week long holiday, but still had to do some sink washing. Poosplosions don't stop just because you're on holiday! I also took 10 vests and 5 long-sleeve vests. I didn't actually use the long-sleeve vests but was glad to have them just in case I needed an extra layer for him. I do wish I had taken at least one outfit, or at least a jumper, as sometimes it was too warm for the pramsuit but too chilly for just a babygrow! 

With EasyJet, as well as most other airlines, you can take up to two baby items in the hold. I chose to take a buggy, the Joie Nitro. This buggy worked excellently, it is lightweight but sturdy so you feel comfortable trusting it with your baby's life! It has a little handle on the side to make it easier to carry once it is collapsed, which is brilliant for travelling. 

I had read online that you could take the Sleepyhead as a travel cot but EasyJet wouldn't allow me to do this so that had to go into a suitcase! This took up a lot of room but for me, it was so worth it. Noah is a fussy sleeper...

I also took a couple of hats for myself, as well as some for Noah, and he wore a combination of both of ours. Most of the time he had his hood up from the pramsuit but if this fell down or if he was sitting up the hat worked better to ensure he didn't catch the sun too much on his head. Also, who doesn't love a baby in a bobble hat?!

All in all, we had a really good holiday. I got to ski everyday, not as much as I would have liked but that is mostly down to having a clingy baby! The weather was beautiful, and Noah was so well behaved.

 If you'd like any more tips please feel free to message me or leave a comment below! Hope you enjoyed reading this and if you are planning on taking your baby on a ski holiday this has helped, sorry for the length of it - I like to ramble! 

Sophie x