The packing list for a ski season is different to packing for travelling, as we will be in one place for a long period of time. Plus one of us was travelling by ferry and car, which means we had rather more flexibility in what we could take. This post covers what general baby stuff I found it useful to take with us.
Packing list: 3 useful tips
- Definitely make a comprehensive packing list. And keep it, as it will form a useful basis for future trips, even if they are to the beach rather than the mountains.
- Even if you are travelling by car, get all your stuff together in advance so that you can see just how much there is. Babies have a considerable amount of paraphernalia for 5 months. A baby seems to have approximately 4 times as much stuff as 2 adults! Practicing how much you can fit in the car in advance means that you can edit the pile of supplies based upon what you can probably do without. Rather than under stress because you are going to be late…
- Do some quick research online to see what you can easily buy in local shops to save you carting several months’ supplies with you. Although do check the prices too, as some things can be expensive up in the mountains because of the extra transport costs.
Things I was glad were on my packing list
Based on my experiences, these were the items we could not have lived without over the 5 months in the mountains.
Cloth nappies and liners: because we knew we had washing facilities, we planned to use cloth nappies. We went equipped with BumGenius Freetimes (for daytime use) and Grovia Ones (for nighttime use). Plus enough paper liners to last for 5 months. These would not have been easy to source. It is rather off topic, so if you are interested in finding out more about cloth nappies, check out The Nappy Lady. Of course, cloth nappies would be no use if you were moving around alot as you need frequent access to a washing machine!
Water Wipes: these were our wet wipe of choice and not readily available at our destination.
Chicco Next 2 Me Crib: not a travel cot, but pretty portable if you are travelling by car. It provides a nice middle ground between co-sleeping and a separate cot if you are breast feeding.
Bouncer: for us this was completely essential as it was the only place she would take a nap in the daytime (unless out in the pram).
Playmat, books and toys: she certainly used these every day. You don’t need too many, but a few items like cloth books are useful, particularly if you want them in your native language. You can supplement with home made toys, such as rattles made from rice in a small plastic bottle.
Things that were useful but not completely necessary
Some clothes in 0-3 and 3-6 months: buying clothes necessitated a trip to the nearest town, so it was good to have a supply on hand in different sizes. Plus clothes are cheaper in the UK.
Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep and Electric Steriliser: I was always planning to move to mix feeding and these were much easier and cheaper to source in the UK, although of course Amazon could deliver to you in Europe! The Perfect Prep has had some bad press recently, so please do read up on it to make an informed choice – personally I thought it was brilliant.
Baby bath: I liked having this with me, particularly until the baby was happy sitting up, but I probably could have coped with using the kitchen sink!
Things that didn’t really need to be on my packing list
Hipp Organic powder: this is of course a German brand, so if I had taken a minute to check online, I would have discovered that it was widely available in Austria and not markedly more expensive.
Bottles: again, these were widely available at stores in town.
Weaning equipment, such as bowls, spoons and bibs: surprisingly, St Anton has a BIPA (a bit like Boots) well equipped with baby items such as this.
Questions for you
What general baby stuff have you found you cannot live without?
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