Travelling as an adult is easy. All you have to do is pack a bag and leave. As long as you remember to take your wallet, it doesn’t matter what happens, you have it covered. Staying in a hotel with a baby is very different. IHG Hotels Birmingham, for example, are very accommodating to parents with children, but you still need to be prepared. Here is a list of things to think about or request in advance.
Request a Travel Cot
Babies need a place to sleep. A bed is unsuitable and they certainly can’t share your bed. If you are travelling by car, you have the option to take your own travel cot, but most hotels will provide a travel cot if you put in an advance request. Always check the cot to make sure it is safe to use. If there are any doubts, ask for a replacement.
Book a Quiet Room
Hotel rooms tend to fall into two camps: those that are tucked away and therefore nice and quiet, and those that are located near the pool, restaurant, bar (delete as applicable). Since it is hard enough to persuade a baby to sleep in a strange room anyway, it is sensible not to make your life any more difficult by staying in a noisy room. When you make the booking, ask for a quiet room if possible.
Pack Plenty of Changes of Clothing
Small babies can easily go through multiple changes of clothing in one day. Larger hotels may have laundry facilities for guests to use, but it is safer to pack plenty of clothing for baby, just in case. If you do have access to a laundry, perfect, but if there isn’t one, you are covered.
Ask for a Room with a Bath
Washing baby in the shower is difficult at best and dangerous at worst. Hotel sinks are not much better, as they will not be large enough for a wet and squirming baby. Try to make sure any hotel room you book has a bath tub. That way you can give baby a bath if he needs it.
Take a Bottle Steriliser
Bottle feeding is not easy when you are away from home, as you need to sterilise bottles and prepare feeds without any of the normal equipment at your disposal. Since the average hotel room is not equipped with this type of thing, remember to pack your own. Alternatively, look for a family friendly hotelwith a kitchen for parents to use.
Is there a Guest Kitchen?
Guest kitchens make cleaning bottles and warming baby food a lot easier. Larger hotel chains are usually very accommodating and will heat up baby food if you put in a request. However, if you expect to be warming up bottles in the middle of the night, or baby gets hungry very early in the morning, it makes sense to find a hotel with a kitchenette guests can use.
Travelling with a baby is not always easy, but as long as you plan ahead, you should be just fine.
