My husband, Rob and I love the mountains. So when our friends invited us to join their ski trip, we said yes – despite the fact we have a 14-month-old baby.
After the initial excitement, it felt SO daunting.
And I’ve already travelled a lot with Eddie – including long haul flight and a solo trip to Portugal for a surf and yoga retreat!
However, I needn’t have worried. You can go skiing with a baby and enjoy it!
If you’re thinking about a ski trip, I’d say do it. Here’s my tried and tested advice for a ski holiday with a baby – and how you can make it a success.
The super family-friendly resort
We headed to Tignes in the French Alps and it was brilliant for skiing with a baby. It’s super family-friendly.
There’s a really good swimming pool you could visit every day if you wanted. You get unlimited free entry if you buy a 6 day lift pass and it’s suitable for all ages.
It’s got amazing slides, colourfully-lit caves, a heated baby pool (with great toys!) and a new wellness area for adults. When we visited, we took turns with Eddie in the baby pool whilst the other enjoyed a steam and sauna session.
In addition, there’s a play park, nursery ski slopes and great sledging options for little ones. And children get a free lift-pass up until the age of eight, which is pretty rare with ski resorts.
Plus, for parents with babies (or older children) there’s childcare options for leaving your child in safe hands if you want to ski.
Also, no matter what the snow forecast, you’re pretty much guaranteed good skiing in Tignes because of its height. That was important for us.
The childcare we booked...
We booked Eddie in with ‘adventure nanny service’, Boubird Childcare.
It was the part of the trip I was most worried about. Eddie hadn’t been to nursery yet, and mum guilt fully crept in. But Boubird’s founder, Catissa, a British mum who moved to the Alps (also a trained teacher), emailed me such a lovely reassuring message ahead of our trip:
She wrote: ‘I can honestly say, as a parent who enjoys snowboarding, I was nervous to leave my son when he was little. However, as soon as I got to the top of the mountain, those feelings completely disappeared. I remember the first time me and my husband went out for a couple-ski after my son was born and it felt so good! To be able to have that time together, reconnect and do something fun and adventurous was refreshingly exhilarating. And this is the general consensus of most first time Mums. You imagine you will feel really guilty, but then you almost forget that you have a child! A really nice thing about having a Whatsapp group is that when you stop for a coffee, you can check-in with the nanny, receive some cute photos and know your child is having a good time.’
It was like she’d read my mind.
Catissa was Eddie’s nanny for the week, taking him for a few hours each morning (you can do four or eight hours a day or ask for a bespoke package).
When she arrived with LEGO and books, Eddie went straight to playing with her. My husband and I slipped away without any drama and had our first ski post-baby together. It felt so freeing. And we got some adorable updates of Eddie exploring igloos, sledging and going on the snowy swings.
It works out about 25 euros per hour. You just drop them an email to enquire.
For any mums nervous about leaving their little ones, Boubird Childcare should be your first port of call in Tignes. It absolutely made our week leaving Eddie safe and happy with Catissa.
You'll need to book a private transfer
Pre-kids, we used to hop on the cheapest group transfer bus going. But that’s not suitable for a baby.
Most group transfer companies wouldn’t offer a car seat. And the roads to mountain resorts are notoriously twisty, so if your child gets carsick, it definitely pays to have a private transfer.
We booked with family-friendly 4F Transfers. Our drivers Edgar and Aldis were brilliant, extremely safe (on all those twists and turns!) and offering us stops when we needed.
Eddie slept pretty much the whole way there, but on the way back we had a leg stretch and coffee from a roadside cafe (and a delicious pain au chocolat).
It’s a little bit more expensive to go privately, but the flexibility is so worth it. It also meant we didn’t have to worry when British Airways left one of our bags behind – our driver just waited for us. Also, the day before we flew back, there’d been a landslide on to the road to the airport. With still huge traffic delays, our driver knew a shortcut and we avoided the massive congestion – a godsend with a baby. We’ll definitely be booking with them again.
Where we stayed
We booked an airBnB in Le Bec Rouge in Le Lac area of Tignes. That’s a perfect location for a ski trip with a baby. It was ski in / ski out and just a few minutes walk to the shops and family-friendly restaurants and facilities.
Because it was quite a last-minute trip, the prices were higher than normal. So if you can book ahead, you’ll definitely save money.
The apartment had everything we needed, including a travel cot, bath and sledges for Eddie. We loved having a play in the snow with the sledge – and it’s quite a handy way to get around the resort with Eddie.
For Eddie’s high chair, I’d packed the amazing Nuby Travel Booster Seat. It folds away easily but is a safe secure seat for toddlers that you just clip onto a normal chair. We also packed the Doddl Toddler Cutlery Set, which was game-changing for helping Eddie hold his cutlery to eat. They’re specially designed to help toddlers hold their cutlery properly and develop finger strength. Eddie was able to use them within minutes. Both made mealtimes so much easier for us!
Where we ate
We did a big food shop at Carrefour and Sherpa, two brilliant supermarkets in the ski resort. Despite being in the mountains, their fresh produce was better than home! Eating in is definitely easier with a 14 month old (and cheaper!)
We did venture out one night to eat at Kodo Bar – a 15 minute walk from our apartment.
They served delicious pan-asian inspired shareable plates along with a variety of curries and noodles. But our mains had to be eaten pretty quickly as Eddie got tired and wanted to leave. However, he perked up for the 5 minute free bus ride home.
Can you aprés-ski with a baby?
Yes! Despite Eddie needing to be in bed by about 7.30pm most nights we managed to get in some après-ski fun. Our favourites were Jam Bar, Loop Bar and Marmottes. He loved the live music at the latter two, dancing away in the front pack – much to the delight of other revellers.
We found a balloon whilst at one bar, and it kept Eddie entertained for ages. I’ll definitely be taking one in future as a way to keep him happy. Watching the piste bashers was also a big hit for my vehicle-loving boy. The French were totally welcoming of Eddie in the bars, although I did overhear one British woman saying to her partner she thought I was mad for bringing a baby.
But I only had to take one look at Eddie’s smile and jigging legs to know he was happy.
What we packed
You need to be organised for a ski trip to go smoothly. And you definitely need to buy some warm baby kit in advance.
Thermal layers are essential. We found brilliant ones from Smalls Merino.
Merino wool is a gift from nature as it offers thermal control. So it kept Eddie warm and cool as needed. He wore their bodysuit, with matching leggings and snood (so adorable!) in the apartment and then we just layered up when we went out. They also do matching thermals for Mummies – I couldn’t resist! They start from £72 so not dissimilar to a pair of Sweaty Betty leggings.
But when you consider they’re called ‘The 24 hours trouser‘ and you can wear them ALL the time, the price isn’t that bad!
You then need mid-layers. The best ones I found were fleece-lined from Voksi. Eddie wore these every day over his thermals and they were easy to whip on and off. They also have great colours that don’t show any dirt either, so he could wear literally all week and I didn’t need to wash them.
He was never cold!
I honestly thought there’d be tears from how cold he was, but he did not stop smiling. He loved every minute of being in the snow.
A warm onesie is essential – we took two. One we bought cheaply from Facebook Marketplace that was brilliant as it had parts to pull over his hands and feet (great for when I couldn’t keep his gloves on him).
And then a waterproof one – Hippychick’s Waterproof Toddler All in One was perfect for playing in the snow.
Pre-loved snow kit and baby balaclavas
I tried Eddie with mittens you thread through the sleeves, but he hated. The best gloves I found were Didriksons.
They went over his arm sleeve and had a strap you could pull tightly to secure them on. We got a hat from the second hand section on PO.P and it covered his ears and you could tie under chin to keep it on. Their stuff is brilliant for the outdoors, and I just love how they sell ‘pre-loved’ items for a lot cheaper. It’s all top quality and they even ‘ozone’ clean it to ensure all bacteria and odours are removed. They also do a brilliant ‘baby balaclava’ that gave Eddie an extra layer of warmth outside. We took our Baby Bjorn front pack, for walking around the resort with Eddie. I love this one as it goes from newborn until aged three. We even used it for a little ski on the baby slope with Eddie, which he absolutely loved.
We also bought mini skis to attach to his pram from Mybuggybuddy.co.uk, which worked really well for us!
Ski helmet and goggles for a baby (and Daddy!)
If you’re planning to ski with your baby, you’ll need a helmet and goggles. We knew we weren’t going to attempt to put him on skis, but my husband who is a trained military ski instructor felt confident enough to wear him for a ski.
No chair lifts were involved (you’re not allowed to take children under 18 months on lifts in Tignes) so we just went on the nursery slope. The best place for baby helmets are Decathlon. Eddie wore the Wedze Children’s Ski Helmet and it worked perfectly. It comes in a few different sizes, so just measure your tot’s head before buying. It’s also the only place I could find thick baby ski socks in stock! We’ve used the socks loads since – brilliant for the current winter weather and when Eddie flings his shoes off on walks.
Eddie’s goggles we got from Bling2O and I think they were my favourite baby ski item! Rob was testing out the new Oakley Flight Deck L Goggles from Snow and Rock (our favourite shop for adult snow kit!). I needed Rob to be able to see well if he was going to be skiing with Eddie! But it was also brilliant when both sets of goggles arrived in the post and Eddie copied Daddy trying them on. I’d def recommend doing something like that to get little ones into wearing goggles.
On the day, Eddie loved wearing his. And Rob adored his too! The sleek frame allowed for a much wider vision than previous goggles, which reassured me we would all be safe if the weather changed.
Eddie stayed safe in his mini front pack ski with a baby helmet and goggles
Other things to consider on a ski holiday with a baby.. pack some treats for you!
I was worried about the challenges of skiing with a baby outweighing the good bits.
So I planned ahead and packed a few treats for me. First up, a Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser so I could enjoy an indulgent hot chocolate in the apartment (rather than out on the slopes). And it was one of the best things I packed. The whole group loved it! Whereas before we may have been downing aperol spritz, this trip it was salted caramel hot chocolate – and I was pretty happy about it.
While there’s not much chance of post-ski spa trips, I planned for a pamper night in instead. I took Damage Repair Method from Hair Story for my hair. It’s worth noting their The hero product New Wash is nourishing hair cleansing cream that’s suitable for babies too. So I could use it while sharing a bath with Eddie (multi-tasking childcare and having a soak myself!) and not worry the chemicals would hurt his skin.
I also tried out a Hada Labo Tokyo Moisturising Sheet Mask, which felt absolutely divine on my skin after skiing. Their suncream is also suitable for all ages, so I took some of that to avoid any sunburn.
Make sure all parties know a baby is travelling
Are you sure you want to go away with a baby?’ I checked with our friends, Alex and Emily and Rob’s sister, Fiona, who also joined. Luckily, they’re all super chilled and were just keen to ski. But Alex did come armed with a ton of ear plugs!
When is the best time of year is to go skiing with a baby?
When my husband and I discussed a ski holiday with a baby, I thought we’d go towards the end of the season in March / April, when temperatures are warmer.
However, I’ve learnt that doesn’t matter. Weather is hard to predict. You could get blistering cold in spring and an unseasonal warmer December. The best thing is once you’ve booked to check the weather forecast and pack accordingly.
We actually got lucky and got two fresh dumps of snow when we were there. It meant we got every ski-lover’s dream – powder days. Perfect for our first ski back post-baby.
