Taking your Baby on holiday to Spain - Taking children on holiday is always an exciting experience but with a baby it can be a bit daunting as obviously there are things to take into consideration such as food, nappies and even the high temperatures here during the summer.
Find average monthly temperatures and a daily weather report HERE
Baby Milk
Some UK brands of formula milk are available in Spain, but they may only be available in farmacias, and they may have a different name. Call the helpline number on your box of formula before you leave.
Aptamil = Milupa Aptamil
Cow and gate = Almiron
Heinz = Not known to be available
Hipp = Hipp Hipercor
SMA = Nestle. If you get Nestle Nativa it's the same as SMA little steps.
Others baby milk brands available in Spain:
Baby bio
Hero
Nestle Nidina
Pulevez
If you are worried you can use the Pre-Order service at your local airport.
Fresh whole milk is called Leche Entera in Spain and you can find this in the Chiller Cabinets of the supermarkets (as oppose to the long-life milk which will be on the shelf in the general milk aisle)
Taking your Baby to Spain
Water - Is the water safe to drink? Which brands of bottled water are safe for babies?
It's not advisable to use "normal" bottled water for making up your babies bottles, as this can have a high sodium content, so look for the brands Lanjaron and Font Vella ...... The ones that are baby-friendly will have a pic of a baby on them, some will say "muy debil" these are fine, anything with a low sodium content or if you want, you can buy specially distilled water for babies from Spanish Farmacias.
Tap water is generally safe to drink but does contain more chlorine and minerals than water back in the UK.
Baby Food
Supermarkets stock a wide range of baby food in the baby accessories aisle. Hero is probably the most popular brand of Baby food and has everything from puree to the chewy (with lumps!) food.
Baby food purees in Spain tend to be smoother than those in the UK.... In the UK "lumps" are introduced for babies from 7 months old, but the Spanish equivalent is for babies from 12 months!! The puree flavours are less varied than in the uk.... They come in four main flavours, beef (ternera), chicken (pollo), ham (jamon) and fish (pescado - often hake "merluza").
Baby friendly yogurts can be found in the chiller cabinets of supermarkets, with brands such as Danone making some yogurts just for babies!!
Baby cereals can be found in the supermarkets in the Baby food aisle.... These brands are Hero, Nestle and Milupa, they can be "sin gluten" (gluten free) or "con miel" (with honey) among other variations.... The baby porridge is available in a couple of different flavours (plain, galleta (biscuit) or chocolate!)
Nappies
Brands such as Pampers and Huggies are widely available.... Pampers are branded Dodot here in Spain and Huggies are called Huggies... They tend to be a bit more expensive here than in the UK. Supermarkets all have their own "in house" brands too which are cheaper than the named types and in our experience are just as good if not better sometimes!!!
Swim nappies are available from all major supermarkets such as Carrefour and Mercadona.... Either Dodot or own brand.
Baby wipes (Toallitas) - These are available from all supermarkets (in the baby aisle), sometimes these can be quite perfumed, so best go for the sensitive ones.
Sun creams - There are plenty of high factor sun creams available for babies, always buy from a reputable supermarket, so you know it will be in date their own brands are very good.
Dummies and good bottles - These can be quite expensive, so bring plenty of extras with you.
Calpol
There are 2 slightly different types that the Spanish use for childrens medication that are similar to Calpol - Aperital, which is Paracetamol based or Dalsey which contains Ibuprofen. Please ask the pharmacist for institution on dosage
Is there anything else I need to know when taking my baby to Spain?
Breastfeeding in public is not widespread in Spain. It is more accepted in the big resorts and the main cities. In rural areas that aren't used to tourists you may feel more comfortable breastfeeding discreetly.
Spain is a very baby-friendly country, though. Children travel free on public transport in most Spanish cities. Find information about local buses HERE
If travelling with a child who has a different surname to yourself, please read this page