Are you traveling and will be sharing hotel room with baby? In this guide we will tell you all our top tips for staying in a hotel with a baby from our experience of spending a lot of time in hotels with our little ones.
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Sharing Hotel Room with Baby Tips
We always prefer to stay in a hotel room when we travel as opposed to AirBnBs and VRBOs for instance. We like the added security and reviews that you get for hotels. However hotels can pose a challenge to those traveling with a baby.
That is because hotel rooms are small, especially if you are traveling in Europe with a baby or even in parts of Asia. Therefore you have to deal with all the extra things that babies come with such as strollers, car seats and feeding and changing equipment.
In this section of the guide we will tell you tips and tricks we have used when sharing hotel room with baby to help everyone sleep better but also still enjoy their evening while also thinking about what you really need to pack for a baby in a hotel
Pick a Suite / Aparthotel if you can
Perhaps the hardest thing about sharing a hotel room with a baby is the fact that you can all be sleeping and living in one room.
This can be particularly challenging if your baby has an early bedtime that you are sticking to and you want to stay up and watch some tv or something.
Therefore if you can afford to we recommend booking a suite or an Aparthotel if you can. Suites and Aparthotel will have separate living spaces to bedrooms which means that you can put baby down to sleep and go in another room and watch a movie or play a game without having to worry about making too much noise and waking your baby up.
For more tips on how to pick a baby friendly hotel check out this post.
Plan your Sleeping Arrangement in Advance
However if this is not an option the most important thing to do is to plan your sleeping arrangements in advance.
Always contact your hotel in advance and ensure that they have cribs, cots or pack and plays available. Most large chain hotels will have these, but it is always worth checking.
Also if you are getting off a long flight, there is a chance your little one will be suffering from jet lag so I always request the cot is in the room for when we arrive as there is nothing worse than waiting for a cot and a baby crying to go to bed.
Another great choice is selecting a hotel room with a balcony especially if your baby is not yet mobile and so long as you supervise your children well. When we cruise with a baby we always choose a balcony room as we love to sit one the balcony once baby is asleep and enjoy the views and a drink and time together to just chat.
Bring all the Equipment
I always like to run a checklist when traveling with a baby. IN the days leading up to packing for our trip I like to check that everything I use as a matter of course is on my list along with quantities.
For instance I like to count out how many bottles my little one uses during the night so we have the right amount with us.
Also I always like to carry the right amount of formula with us to get us through the first day and night to give me a chance to find out where to get this locally.
Stick to Your Routine
There is nothing worse than an overtired baby, therefore when we travel we like to try and stick to our nightly routine as much as possible.
For instance we like to do a bath before bed, so we make sure that we book a hotel room that has a bath so we can do this.
On top of that we try to match the bedtime on top of that so they don’t get overtired on the trip.
Pack Lightly
FAmilidoo Air Stroller Review – best stroller for cruise ship
This can be a hard one when travel with a baby but we recommend packing lightly where possible. Now I don’t recommend leaving any essentials at home however just think about what you really need.
For me my baby travel essentials are:
- a stroller
- a car seat (if we plan to travel in a rental car or taxis on vacation)
- a carrier
however think about the size of things you are taking. For instance we always take a travel stroller with us as it is so much more compact. Hotel space in hotel rooms is at a premium particularly in Europe so it is important to pick the most compact versions of each of the above that you can.
Black Out Blinds
I will be honest and this is not something that I travel with for my baby however this is something that I know a lot of other parents find these a light saver.
If you have a little one that struggles with sleeping when there is daylight or you are visiting somewhere with exceptional long day time hours, Alaska or Norway for instance, a black out blind can be a great help in keeping your little one on schedule.
Click here to shop travel black out blinds.
Bring a Travel Kettle
No matter the destination I always travel with a travel kettle. I am a coffee addict so a travel kettle is a must for that. However the reason I bring a travel kettle when I am traveling with a baby is to make up bottles of formula.
Click here to Shop Travel Kettles
White Noise Machine
My little ones have never struggled with noise when sleeping, what can I say we have a noisy house. However if your little one is used to very quiet surroundings when they sleep it can be worth packing a travel noise machine.
Hotels are noisy places anyway and if you are sharing a room with your sleeping baby anything can wake them from dropping something on the floor to the TV being on low.
Click here to shop white noise machines
Entertainment for Parents
Tips for Sharing Hotel Room with Baby
While we try to keep to our babies routine, it isn’t very funny for parents to put their baby down for sleep and then have to stay quiet for the rest of the night.
Therefore we always take things such as an iPad and Airbuds with us so we can at least watch something when baby is down.
So there you have it, there are our tips for sharing a hotel room with a baby. Do you have any tips we missed – let us know in the comments as we always love to hear other tricks and hacks.