Thursday 18 October 2012

Barcelona with a Toddler

We have recently returned from a lovely family holiday to Spain with our toddler son and Barcelona was an amazing place to visit with a small child.  We are already missing the warmth as we snuggle under blankets back home! 

family in Barcelona, toddler Barcelona

We had a fantastic time although I was initially worried about taking a 14 month old who has just learnt to walk on holiday.  Luckily it all went rather smoothly and we managed to keep him awake for long enough that he slept through most of both plane journeys - result!  We found that Barcelona was the perfect choice for a holiday with a toddler as the country is very family friendly and Dylan absolutely adored all the attention.

baby asleep on plane, baby on airplane

We stayed in an apartment a few stops away from the main attractions so as to have a bit of a quiet place to wind down in the evenings.  It did mean having to get the Metro complete with baby and buggy, but luckily it was much easier than using the London Underground with a child.  Most of the stations had clearly marked lifts that meant getting around was easy.  There were a few that didn't and luckily we had bought our lightest stroller (Cosatto Super-Lite) as the bloke ended up carrying both buggy and baby up and down the stairs in an effort to be chivalric and not make me do any lifting whilst pregnant. ( I think he secretly enjoyed the exercise as there were usually offers to help.)

metro with a baby, carrying pushchair up steps

On the tube Dylan never had to sit in silence.  Everyone wanted to wave and blow kisses with him and they all marvelled over his chubby cheeks and blonde hair.  Even the most unlikely candidates were cooing over him and he never tired of this, playing up to it all every time!  I found that without fail I was offered a seat on every train so I think my bump must really be protruding now!

21 weeks pregnant, 21 weeks pregnant on holiday, pregnant in Barcelona

Out and about we found that every restaurant had a high chair and although none did children's menus, it is not really necessary with tapas and Dylan loved each and every thing we gave him to try!  Some places were amazing with him and bought over colouring, bubbles, toy cars and took him for walks around the place too which made eating out very easy!

Barcelona aquarium, pregnant mother and child

Attraction wise we did things for each of us.  There was plenty of time for shopping and looking at the architecture but we also visited the aquarium and the gorgeous Park Guell where we let Dylan explore and his fascination with going up and down the steps began!  

learning to climb stairs, Park guell, barcelona with a toddler

After a lovely day in the gardens and parks of Montjuic we saw the amazing light, music and sound show at the magic fountain as the sun set and although the little dude was getting tired he loved to watch it.  It was a complete highlight for me as it was in a beautiful place at the end of a long day walking and exploring and it made for some beautiful photos!

magic fountain, montjuicfountain show at montjuic, magic fountain show Barcelona, barcelona with a toddler

Having an apartment was the best choice we could have made as when we got back of an evening, Dylan went straight to bed and we could have a lovely sofa and kitchen space to wind down ourselves and make snacks.  He loved being able to walk around and explore and luckily there were no proper accidents considering it had a very hard floor and he had been walking all of a week unaided before we got there! 




The three of us had a fantastic holiday made easier by the fact that Barcelona is a great place to take a toddler, and his naturally flirty personality was very welcome! We enjoyed our last week away as a family of 3 and are already pining for the sun!


family photo in lift


25 comments:

  1. Aww looks like you had a wonderful time! Gorgeous pics x

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  2. Smashing stuff! It's a lovely place to go and so child friendly too. We went pre-Scamp without kids but I'd deffo go back again !

    Super photos, looks like you enjoyed it!

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    1. I think if we didn't have Dylan I would just want to shop constantly! hehe

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  3. Sounds like you had a lovely time-really nice photos too. The magic fountain looks amazing!

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  4. So pleased you had a nice time! You look amazing xx

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  5. Looks like a wonderful holiday and like you had nice weather. You are looking lovely. I am glad you had a nice time, barcelona is a fantastic city, I would like to take Mads there one day. xx

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    1. Bet she would love it! I would love to go back in a few years although there are so many countries on my list!

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  6. Wow what awesome photos you've got! I must admit, I'm really quite jealous! We couldn't afford a holiday this year :-( Looks like you had a brill time and your bump is certainly coming along! How long do you have left? xx

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    1. Still have over 4 months left! I just look quite big hehe x

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  7. Fantastic photos, and what a beautiful bump you have! I'm incredibly nervous about taking my 3 anywhere abroad but this sounded like a great, family friendly holiday x

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    1. I was terrified of the train and flights but Dylan was so good and being out there was a breeze! Spain is definitely a great family friendly place, would really recommend it!

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  8. Lovely photos and glad you all had such a great time! xx

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  9. That sounds like a fantastic holiday. I love the picture of daddy and baby asleep on the flight.

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    1. Hehe that is my favourite too. I have some of them both asleep on the way there too!

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  10. What a gorgeous post. Lovely photos and you look amazing. Precious family time x

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    1. Thank you, was lovely to enjoy some quality time together

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  11. LOVELY! I love Barcelona, and that photo of you and Dylan infront of the fountain is gorgeous xx

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    1. Thanks. There are not many pics of me and him so was nice to find one I liked :) x

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  12. Looks like it was a family break that worked for all 3 of you. I love the way that the continent, especially the Southern European countries are so tolerant and welcoming to children, as you say it makes such a difference in restaurants. That lights and sounds show does look quite spectacular, I was mesmerized just by your photos! Thank you for sharing your adventure on Country Kids.

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  13. glad you had a lovely time. we did barcelona several years ago and loved it. found the city so huge though took a few days to get used to and find way around. we missed the fountain light and music show though as saved it to our last night and the weather was atrocious! Looks like you had a lovely time and has inspired me to want to go back x

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  14. I love that shot of you in front of the fountain x

    Linking up from Coombe Mill's linky

    http://adventuresofayorkshiremummy.blogspot.co.uk/

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  15. Lovely photos, sounds like you had an amazing time. I would love to see Barcelona, I would be so nervous about taking Lucas but seeing your post has given me a bit of confidence!

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  16. Lovely pictures. Ive been to Barcelona but for only 1 day and it was really nice, the best part was the fountin and light show.

    x

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  18. Thanks for sharing... I would like to go to barcelona with my toddler as well this year.. I am just a bit concerned with all the pickpockets while having to watch a toddler run around. How did you guys manage to have a safe trip with the little one?

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