There are so many firsts to treasure with your new baby – Christmas, Birthdays, food, smiles. One of the firsts I was most looking forward to was taking baby on her first holiday! But where is the perfect destination for baby’s first holiday? Here are my family and some other family travel bloggers favourite places to go for Baby’s first Spring holiday.
Spring is a great time of year to travel whether you are in the Southern hemisphere or Northern hemisphere so whether you want a city break or a beach break we have you covered with some great global suggestions for baby’s first holiday ideas – a month by month spring destination guide.
MARCH
For a guide to best places to visit in Europe in March click here!
San Diego with a baby, California by Cheyenne
New Zealand Road Trip by 5 Lost Together
Age: 6 months
Hong Kong with a baby by Mum on the Move
APRIL
The Maldives with a baby by Wandermust Family
The Maldives with a baby aged 1 year
Most people think of the Maldives as a honeymooners destination. It isn’t the first place that springs to mind when you think baby’s first holiday. But it really should. The year round good weather, beautiful blue waters and great resorts mean that it is very child friendly.
We stayed at Bandos Maldives which is one the family friendlier resorts being close to Male and reachable by speedboat. This was the perfect place to spend a relaxing time with Baby!
Thailand by A Baby Abroad
Age: 9 months
We took our nine month old son to Thailand in April. It is a hot time of year to visit, but quite good because chances of rain are low. Thailand is a great place to go with a baby: people are extremely friendly and love them, they will go out of their way to help you out – even offer to baby sit while you sit and have a whole uninterrupted meal!
The highlight of our trip to Thailand was Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai and Koh Phi Phi. At the park we interacted with rescued elephants who are being rehabilitated. It was an amazing experience and our son loved being up close to these giants and feeling their rough skin. Koh Phi Phi has magnificent, white sand, clear water beaches. We stayed in Long Beach, the laid back, relaxed area of the island – away from all the parties, and loved our stay. This was our son’s first experience with a beach, and having calm, warm water to waddle in helped him feel confident and safe.
Another great thing about Thailand is that it’s possible to pack light! It’s warm and sunny the time of year we visited, so swim diapers was what took most of our luggage space. We were a bit worried about mosquito bites and food, but luckily we got a green light from our pediatrician, and stuck to mostly breastfeeding our son, who at the time was being baby led weaned. We loved Thailand, and we are dying to go back!
London with a baby by Family Off Duty
Age: 4 weeks
Ambergris Caye, Belize by Milanas Travel
Age: 2 years.
Ambergris Caye, Belize is the perfect destination for baby’s first trip. We went in April and June of 2014 and August 2015. My daughter was 2 (first two trips) and 3 at the time of travel. This is the perfect destination for those traveling with kids! Our resort (X’Tan Ha) is a child’s dream come true. Our villa was just steps to the calm, turquoise ocean and the resort has 2 pools, one with a shallow area for kids to play in. The staff loves kids and they even provide beach toys for them to play with. Golf carts are the preferred mode of transportation, and I highly recommend renting one to explore the area/San Pedro.
https://milanastravels.com/2016/02/14/ambergris-caye-belize/
MAY
Banff with a baby by Travelling Teacher
Banff with a baby aged 5 months
We went to Canada when our little one was 5 months old this May. Visiting the National Parks of Jasper and Banff was really easy with a baby despite seeming like a big challenge at first. We decided Canada would be perfect for our baby’s first overseas holiday due to it being English speaking and the fact we would be able to buy and hire the majority of the baby things we would need whilst there. We hired a car in order to visit all the must-sees and was able to do a fair amount of the hiking trails with baby in a carrier.
May is the perfect time to go as it’s just before the busy Summer season starts meaning you get to see more of the parks with less of the crowds so perfect for taking it your baby’s pace. It also meant we could comfortably eat out in restaurants without worrying about reservations and waiting times. Our girl thrived being in the outdoors for 2 weeks and seemed to take so much of our surroundings in, she was constantly looking around and loved being around new people enjoying the attention she received.
Paris with a baby by Ms Ayla Adventures
Costa Rica with a baby by World of Travels With Kids
Costa Rica with a baby aged 10 months
We enjoyed a trip to Costa Rica (Tamarindo Beach) with our 10 month old daughter where we stayed in a kid friendly apartment. It was a lovely age where she fully interacted with us; and was incredibly interested in the world around her, but wasn’t yet super mobile – crawling but not yet walking.
Thailand by a big Adventures for little feet
Age: 8 months
For my first daughter’s trip we travelled to Phuket, Thailand. It was a fantastic trip as the direct flight from Australia was manageable with an 8 month old and the resorts in Thailand are very well set up to cater for young children. Additionally we love the warm and friendly welcome you receive from the Thai people when you are travelling with children.
It was so easy to fill our days swimming, playing and doing a little sightseeing. For us we needed a travel spot that would allow us to rest and relax after months of very little sleep! Thailand was the perfect solution.
Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt by Our Globetrotters
Age: 3 months
Our first family holiday was from London to Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt. It was a great time to visit and de-thaw from a long cold UK winter with a newborn (and a taster of more Middle East weather to come for us!).
As nervous first time parents of a 3-month-old, we were keen to travel off peak and avoid the summer rush and price hike. We also wanted somewhere with a direct flight less than 5 hours. It was brilliant being able to travel on a week day! Being more adventurous travellers before kids, this was our first introduction to resorts and all inclusive, staying at the Hilton Sharks Bay Resort – minutes from the airport so short transfer times.
Whilst we travel far more adventurously now with three kids, for new parents the resort was the perfect setting for feeling like we had actually gone somewhere, got some vitamin D and we could really do this travel with a baby thing. It also proved to us how little you really need to pack for a baby, especially when it’s all inclusive, and the child basically doesn’t move!!
Our trip was made back in 2010. Since this time political unrest in Egypt has made it a more challenging destination to visit. An aviation disaster in 2015 resulted in the FCO (UK Foreign office) banning flights to Sharm El Sheikh airport, all but closing it off to UK tourists. Head across the Red Sea though to Hurghada, still welcoming tourists to its amazing beach resorts, restaurants and diving opportunities if you want to enjoy the best of late spring in Egypt.
Port Douglas, Far North Queensland, Australia by Kirralee at Escape With Kids
Age: 8 months old.
“Combine sightseeing and adventure with tropical relaxation in Port Douglas. Take your pram out to the Great Barrier Reef and on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. You’ll just need to take turns snorkelling at the reef! Enjoy the fabulous coffee and restaurants in town. And make the most of the splash-friendly climate in your resort’s pool.”
Where did you or are you planning on taking your baby on their first spring holiday?
Want ideas for Summer, Autumn and winter Holiday Ideas then we have you covered
Sharon
Saturday 7th of April 2018
Fabulous travel destinations. Will have to pencil some of these in.
Great pictures also. Love the ones at Banff Canada and the Eiffel tower.
Cheers Sharon...
Cathy (Mummytravels)
Wednesday 12th of July 2017
Some really tempting ideas - Belize and The Maldives would be amazing but lots of great suggestions wherever you are in the world. Just goes to show that travelling with a baby is doable and you have lots of choice. Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
TraveLynn Family - Jenny
Tuesday 11th of July 2017
Some fantastic ideas here! Would love to add in Morocco - it's the perfect time to visit this time of year and so easy to get to for those living in the UK and super family friendly (pampers nappies on sale everywhere!) I love that a trip to HK happened at 10wks and London at 4wks! #citytripping