Food and Drink

Practicalities Getting Organised Food and Drink Feeding Babies 

Babies are more straightforward when it comes to feeding.

If your baby is still being breastfed delay weaning until after your trip. Breastfeeding is convenient, cheap and hygienic.

If you are bottlefeeding the reverse is true and it might be easier to delay your holiday until the child is settled on solid food. If you can't avoid using bottles when travelling, plan how you are going to keep them clean.

Tommee Tippee sells disposable bags suitable for sterilising on the go. Avent has travel kits with disposable teats and bottles plus re-sterilising solution. [Suppliers].

• Single feed readymade cartons of formula can be extremely convenient, or you could set things up so that you can make up bottles when on the move (pre-measured powder is useful), but you will need a supply of clean, warm water. Bottled water is not recommended because often not sterile and it may include levels of minerals which are unsuitable for a young baby's system. Bottled water low in minerals could be used but should still be boiled first.



• Pre-mixed feeds in bottles are an option but because it may be warm it is suggested that you keep the bottle or bottles cool in a cool bag and then warm them when required in a thermos of hot water or invest in one of the ingenious devices for the purpose [Suppliers].

Toddlers and Babies on Solid foods

If your child is used to eating commercial babyfoods, taking your own suppply with you will save you trying to decipher labels in foreign languages. Go for the options you know your child likes. It also means your child can avoid the added salt and sugar found in most prepared babyfoods on mainland Europe. Brands such as Gerber, Heinz and Nestle widely available, with Hipp found in some pharmacies.

• Babyfoods are available in all supermarkets and most pharmacies, nowadays in all but the least developed parts of the world. These will at least be clean, even if you are dubious about the actual content which is often less than inspiring.



• You should be able to find something suitable eating out, even if there is no children's menu. Restaurants are often willing to provide half portions for example and pasta and noodles are by now found in almost every corner of the globe.



• If self-catering it might be preferable just to pack a hand-held food liquidiser plus socket converter. Then you can just liquidise a little of whatever you are making for everyone else.