A Guide to Baby Friendly Holidays in Devon

For new parents, life can suddenly seem very tiring and demanding. With a new baby in the house, there is little time for relaxing or spending quality time together. In other circumstances, a couple might plan a holiday to recuperate but with the arrival of a new-born the prospect of a holiday can seem like an unrealistic idea, especially with all the travel involved, the health-protection needed and the exposure to unfamiliar climates. However, many parents are aware that there is now limited time for a holiday. Within a few years, the baby will be at school and the opportunities to travel will be more or less dictated by the school term-times, meaning that holidays will have to be taken at the most expensive times of the year. Yet there is a compromise available by holidaying in the UK.

Holidaying in the UK instantly reduces the time spent travelling, which means there is less stress involved for both the parents and the child. It also ensures the parents peace of mind, knowing that the baby will always be in their care. In addition, there is no need for immunisation against foreign diseases, which can cause great discomfort for both the child and mother. Whilst the child is building up its own immune system, the mother’s system is also recovering from the process of giving birth and can take up to a year to do so fully. With this in mind, a holiday in the UK also means that the mother and child do not risk stomach upsets from drinking water or unfamiliar foods – an extremely important consideration if the mother is breast-feeding as she can pass on any upsets through her milk. There is also no need to worry about finding electrical adapters for items such as bottle-sterilising units and baby monitors.

Many new parents are discovering holidays in Devon as the ideal location to holiday with a baby. While the temperatures can be very warm during the summer months, they are never as extreme as certain sunspots abroad, ensuring that the baby is protected from potentially harmful effects of extreme heat and extreme cold. With its warm yet temperate climate, baby friendly holidays in Devon offer the chance for parents to enjoy a change of scenery without being too far from home and familiar medical facilities, should they be needed.

Baby friendly holidays in Devon are becoming more and more popular amongst new parents and they are very easy to research. An obvious port of call is friends and family; if you know someone who has taken holidays in Devon with a new baby, ask them for recommendations as to which companies to use. They will be able to inform you as to the facilities offered by self-catering, bed and breakfast and hotels in the area. Alternatively, by using a UK holiday company you can visit their website to see whether they offer facilities such as high chairs, cots and pushchairs, in which case you won’t have to take extra luggage of your own. You can also see whether there are stair-gates and anything that might concern you, such as outdoor ponds and swimming pools.

A baby requires constant attention, but holidays in Devon can offer new parents the feeling that they’ve had a break from the often-punishing regime that children enforce. With beaches, countryside, good restaurants and many attractions, holidays in Devon provide the perfect solution to fatigue without the stress of a holiday abroad.

Coast and Country Cottages offer a wide range of luxury self catering baby friendly holiday cottages in South Devon; with over 400 properties across the South Hams, Dartmouth, Salcombe and Kingsbridge.