Hi Hive 👋 It's been awhile as it seems I dropped the ball with my new years resolution of posting regularly 🙈
But @vcclothing and I recently got back from our first overseas holiday post Covid!. And it was nothing short of amazing, well worth the wait and I'm keen to share the experience with you all 😀
Now, we actually booked this trip with a travel credit that we had from our cancelled trip to India. However, there wasn't an option to take bub there, so we had to find a new destination - Hello Maldives 🏝
The beautiful and sunny Maldives are a popular honeymoon destination, but can they be done with a baby?
Well, of course! Ok, but how about staying in a water villa with a baby? Still yes, with some careful planning.
I would think staying in a Maldivian water villa is probably on most people's bucket list.. And we're no different. So, if we were going to the Maldives of course we had to stay in one! But how would that work with a baby?
Now when we originally booked, bub was only 9 months old and not walking. Then when we were travelling he would be 13 months. So we knew there was a very good possibility that he might be walking by then..
But what we weren't expecting was that he started walking literally two weeks after booking!..
So fast forward, and now we're really not sure how this will go with a walking, running and climbing toddler.
As you can imagine the lead up to the trip was filled with some anxiety. I scoured YouTube trying to find videos so I could suss out if the water villa was "baby proof" enough.
From what videos I could find, the villa doors seemed secure enough, and at least there were railings on the balcony. But they weren't exactly toddler friendly..
So I decided to invest in an infant life jacket. Which bub was just going to have to wear while we were in the villa.
Also brought a wrist buddy so that when we were walking along the board walk, I wouldn't have a lil man overboard situation.
Buying these things made me feel a little better about the situation. But as the trip neared closer I was still equal parts excited as anxious.
Flying to the Maldives with a baby
We knew flying with a baby would be tough. But we were hoping for the best. Tried to be strategic and booked a night flight as bub usually sleeps through.
We also booked our flights as soon as our accommodation was confirmed, and when travelling with an infant on Singapore Airlines you can preselect your seats. And since we were booking five months in advance, we were able to secure the bassinet seats.
While we started off strong, about two hours in our best laid plans turned to shit. Somehow, though, we all made it the 1st, 2nd and 3rd leg. But only just.
A 24-hour transit is never ideal at the best of times. Let alone with a little person, who just so happened to be teething 😬
Massive shout out to all the people on the flights that were awesome about it though. I know there would of been alot of people hating us as we were THAT family!.
But was surprised how many people were actually nice, helpful and supportive. And thankfully our trip home was much, much better!
Tips for taking a baby to the Maldives
- When booking your accommodation, try book a place that has a clinic on the island. Or at least research where the nearest one is. As all islands are either a speedboat or seaplane transfer away. So best to keep location in mind in case of emergency.
- Make sure you visit the Dr before your trip. That way bub can get any recommended travel vaccinations.
- While there get some scripts for any meds that you might need. For example: basic antibiotics, something for travellers diarrhoea, antibacterial ointment etc.
- Get bub some swimming lessons. Trust me you're going to be in that turquoise blue water pretty much the whole trip! So best to get bub familiar with the water 💧
- Pack enough nappies, wet wipes, sunscreen, etc. because if you have to buy them at the resort it will be expensive.
- Try book a bassinet seat if possible (most major airlines have them but age/weight limits vary)
Packing list for taking a baby to the Maldives
Since we were staying quite far out, we knew a trip to the local supermarket or store wasn't quite possible. So, we made sure that we packed anything that we thought we might need for a week 🎒
- Life jacket
- Floatation ring or arm floaties
- First aid kit
- Prescription meds (just in case)
- Any other meds - paracetamol, antihistamines etc
- Nappies
- Wet wipes
- Formula and pre packaged baby food
- Sunscreen
- Hat and sunglasses (Whether bub wears them is another story 🙃)
- Lots of summer clothes
- Couple of light long sleeve shirts and pants in case it gets cold at night
So, as you can see you can def visit the Maldives with a baby or toddler!
The scenery is absolutely beautiful, the locals and staff are friendly and helpful, and it's a great place to chill out and make some awesome memories as a family ❤️
Looking back on our trip I probably went a bit overboard with the precautions. As we didn't really end up using the life jacket while in the villa.
Or use the wrist buddy, as bub wouldn't keep his shoes on, so we had to carry him everywhere instead! And thankfully we didn't need to use any of the prescription medication either.
Although the whole trip didn't completely go off without a stitch...
Luckily, it was just Dad who needed them 😆 and that the island we were staying on had a clinic 😏
Which just goes to show, better to be prepared and safe than sorry - because anything can happen!
Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for more Maldives blogs 🇲🇻 🏝😁✌️
Parts of this blog first appeared on our website www.fourwornsoles.com
Check it out for more travel blogs 😊