I have been a frequent traveler to Bali and a frequent poster on this forum over the years but recently I faced my greatest travel challenge - Bali with a baby. So I decided to sit down afterwards and write this post for anyone that is facing the same challenge and hopefully answer some of your questions and allay your fears.
We just arrived home a few weeks ago, so this info is current. Before we left I trawled this forum for tips and tricks and any info I could get my hands on to make the trip easier. We are both Scuba Divers as well so we had a huge amount of luggage to take with us, as well as the baby!
Overall it was a good experience. I won't say it's not physically hard work, carrying a 1yo through airports etc, but he was a little champion.
TIPS FOR THE PLANE
Give baby a bottle or sippy cup for takeoff and landing. This helps the ears. A dummy with teething gel will also suffice so they suck on it.
If you haven't been allocated a row of 3 seats at check in and you see spare seats on the plane, speak to the cabin crew as soon as possible. They will do their best to move you so no-one else has to be uncomfortable. Don't even hesitate with this request, otherwise you may be jammed in with baby strapped to you.
Take more formula than you think you will need, in case of delays.
Pack a small bag of toys, books, flash cards, match box cars, pack of playing cards etc. Pull them out one by one, this will keep them occupied.
If baby is restless, don't fight them. This is new territory, let them explore within reason. We attempted to fight our little man and he just started screaming. If they sleep in a sleeping bag, take it in your hand luggage or a small blanket plus comforter. This will help if they fall asleep. Put them in the seat between you and coax them to sleep if you can.
Bali airport will let you take the pram right through customs and immigration and let you check it on before you board the plane at the plane door. Australia will not.
You can take 1 x bottle of water right through customs in Bali and Australia if you tell them it is for the baby formula.
GENERAL TIPS
Take snap lock bags, they are invaluable. You use them for all sorts of things. At breakfast I would grab a few danishes or an omelet and pop it into the bag, put it in the fridge back in our room and use them for morning tea or lunch later on.
Don't take too much baby stuff. We survived with 3 sippy cups (milk) and a water cup for the whole time. You can buy just about everything over there. We did take our own formula though as they did not sell the brand we use in Bali. You can get wipes and nappies there (we used mammy poko for day nappies) and they were fine. You can buy pretty much everything else from Carrefour Supermarket. S26, Nestle formulas, Heinz baby food, cups, bottles, bowls etc.
Take your bottle brush and use bottled water to wash your bottles or cups. Buy some dishwashing liquid to help.
Pack about 8 days worth of baby clothes. Washing is cheap and it is usually back to you in 24 hours.
Hire your baby stuff, cot, safety gates etc in Bali. We used Bali Baby Care (Australian owned and operated) and they were brilliant!! I cannot recommend them highly enough - Do a search on Google. They came and set up everything for us. Put the mosquito net on the cot just after baby has gone to sleep. The first night our little man got eaten by mossies. Take a good repellent with you and good sunscreen. We used Bug-o-Bug by ekokid and it was great.
Try to keep your routine and work around it. Go to dinner early, say 5:30, you will always get a table. Allot of places did not have high chairs so be prepared. We bought a cloth seat called 'my little seat' and they strap onto any chair -fantastic invention, used it everywhere.
Take Milton sterilising tablets for the bath water. 1-2 per bath should suffice. They are pretty strong so watch when washing hair.
Take a rash sun shirt or buy one there. They are cheap enough. You can buy swim nappies over there.
FOOD
This was the easy part. There are so many options (western food). Toasted sandwiches, nuggets, chips, fish bites, spaghetti, omelets, eggs, toast, fruit. Baby will have a great time tasting everything!
BABYSITTER / NANNY
I was very apprehensive about this part. Even though he goes to a good daycare here in Australia, I wasn't sure if a babysitter in Bali would know the 'western way' of doing things. But I was lucky enough to make contact with a lady on this forum who used a babysitter in Bali and told me she was brilliant. She was not wrong! The babysitters name was Rini and I wanted to bring Rini home. Rini was amazing with our son and I could not have gotten luckier. As the days went by I felt so comfortable leaving him with Rini and realised that it was better for him than trying to break his routine all the time. I also realised I needed a holiday too and our son was in the best hands. At the end of each day, Rini would give me a run down on everything so I knew where he was up to for the day. The best part was that it is really hard to find a babysitter in Bali that can swim really well and Rini can swim very well. This is important with all the pools around. I cannot recommend Rini highly enough. She was trained in Singapore where she worked with a family for 4 years so she understands the western culture, routines etc. You can find Rini on Facebook under 'Balis Best Babysitting' or do a Google search. Also call or txt +In Bali Call: 0853 3303 1754, Overseas call or text: + 62 85333031754.
I have left my email open if you have any further questions.
Danielle