How I survived my Bali holiday with a toddler and a baby

We hopped over to Bali for a family holiday over the Easter weekend. Yes, the entire clan, including hyper-active baby J and little Miss chatterbox Vera. Needless to say, we had rather hair-raising flights to and fro, mainly because the baby doesn’t like to stay very long in a confined space, and anything more than 5 minutes is very long in his book. Thankfully we got him to sleep at least for some part of the flight, so it wasn’t too bad.

I’m proud to say we survived this inaugural family trip. How? Because of these 10 things / people…

1. Nanny-grannies - We were definitely blessed to have two of them along. Having two extra pairs of hands surely beats just having one, or none at all. Plus, it was nice to have everyone enjoying a holiday together. It was our small way of showing appreciation to them too.

2. Snacks - Definitely the more the merrier. We packed Gerber’s graduates puffs, Healthy Timez teddy puff biscuits, raisins, Rafferty’s Garden, and we even managed to squeeze in an entire loaf of raisin bread for good measure. And of course, baby’s breakfast cereal and brown rice.

3. Their lovies a.k.a. chou-chou (which means smelly in Chinese) - Erm, what can I say…Just don’t leave home without them.

4. A family-friendly hotel - We had an overall good experience at Nikko Bali Hotel at Nusa Dua. Of course, being in Bali means that you have to get used to things being terribly slow all of the time. So when it comes to meals, remember to get to the restaurant and order well in advance before the hunger pangs come. Because of baby J’s early bedtime, I had to stay back on some nights and just order room service. I guess it works out because I get more rest and me-time too.

Here’s our messy room. We had an adjoining room which meant added convenience for all of us.

And the kids’ room had a welcome pack for the kiddos (with T-shirt, toothbrush and soap), as well as simple toys such as Lego and toy cars. We thought it was a nice touch. The kids too.

5. Our daily dip - The kids were absolutely pool addicts! They just couldn’t stop splashing. It was a good thing we stayed so near the pool and private beach area. We were almost tempted to jump out the balcony straight into the pool…now if only the water was deep enough.

The hotel also boasts a variety of pools for different uses. Here’s the sand-play pool.

And the kids’ pool, equipped with a gentle slide.

There’s even a pool with a slide for the daddy.

6. Mini slow cooker - We brought this along so we could cook baby J’s porridge. We also brought bottled baby food to mix into the porridge. Since we had no fresh meat, I smuggled hard-boiled eggs from the breakfast buffet line every morning. I know it’s a totally aunty thing to do, but I suppose this is just part of the whole mummy package. (Please tell me I’m not alone in this…)

7. A superb massage - What’s a beach holiday without a couple massage? We chose a 4-hands version of the Balinese massage called the Mandura Massage - it involves 2 masseuses working in sync, and incorporates elements of Thai massage and others as well. Oomph level: 8.5/10

Tip: start your holiday off with a massage like this, and you’ll be totally primed to get the most out of the trip.

8. Lovely sunrises - Sunrises (or sunsets for that matter) can suddenly make you feel like everything is beautiful. My hair was all over my face and the sand made my feet feel icky, but it was all worth it. For this golden glorious moment.

9. Live entertainment - The daddy caught this hermit crab and the kids had a whole lot of fun watching it. Even Javier was fascinated and kept waving his arms up and down excitedly. At one point, he nearly grabbed hold of it, which was a heart-stopping moment, more so for the crab, but also for us adults as well.

10. A do-what-you-wish schedule - This was the absolute best part for me. Nothing on our plate. (Except good food.) We just wake up and do whatever seems to suit the moment. Extremely nourishing for the modern soul.

Here’s a shot of the daddy and little girl dipping their feet into a little wade pool at a private villa, just after our good friends had just said their vows to eternal love. (We used their wedding as an excuse for the getaway, by the way.)

So with these 10 things, we survived the trip. I’m not sure if we would actually do it again though. But then again, after catching up on some sleep post-holiday (I actually slept more after the holiday than during. Sad case, right?), and after looking at the photos of the kids having such a blast, we just might. But then again, we’ll see.

Vera says, “Big smiles! I love Bali!”

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