Sleeping and Packing
Another thing to work out was how do we carry all this stuff! We need to have a travel cot suitable for backpacking and still have room for nappies, food, toys a whole load of accessories and still have room for our own clothes and toiletries.
The Travel Cot
It took quite a bit of research, but we came to the conclusion that the Deryan travel cot was the one for us. I must mention that we’d previously already bought the Phil and Teds travel cot for a trip in the UK (with a car!). And it served us well for that kind of holiday, however we needed to find something that would fit into a bag that would fit onto a back, and be light enough and small enough to be able to fit other stuff in too. This pop up tent-like travel cot is ace. It fits into the end of a large size (95 litre) duffel bag, is super light, comes with a mattress and a sheet and takes seconds to put up and assemble.
Milla is a fairly tricky sleeper. The first time we traveled abroad (with hire car), to Portugal, we had the Phil and Teds cot. I found that doing the zips up was a bit of a nightmare as they woke Milla, and when they didn’t, trying to get the top zip up in the dark and in fearful silence was a real challenge...one that frequently got the better of my patience. On several occasions I had to call Ol via the monitor to come and put me out of my misery.
Yes the Deryan still has zips - which it needs as it’s completely mozzie safe (unlike the P&T’s - we bought the extra mozzie cover but there are holes where it attaches?!). However, Milla is that little bit older at ten months and so seems more settled with the sound of a zip! We were worried that she just wouldn’t stay in there, or at least really freak out when she woke up, however on the occasions that she remained in there until the morning, she woke in good spirits and happily smiling at her environment. It seems comfy and cosy and we hope will last her for another year.
We decided against lugging a buggy around since we were mainly on beaches and the occasional city with bumpy pavements. And so opted for a the lightest harness we could find. We'd buy the same again if going back in time. The Baby Bjorn is comfortable, easy to put on on your own and Milla loved it. She even slept in it when the going got hot.
Other baby travel accessories to note.
We didn’t take a baby monitor, but used an app. One phone was used as the baby station and an iPad as the monitor. You need WiFi for this to work, and we didn’t find many places without WiFi, the places that had power cuts, we were undoubtedly within ear shot of her on the balcony.
A few other items that we used time and time again and can recommend to pack... UV umbrella, small sharp foldable travel knife, pegless washing lines and a travel fan that you can sit on a table.