 Poster: A snowHead
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Sounds like madness, just go on your own, she’ll be ok for a week won’t she?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Maybe you could get one of those automatic cat feeder dishes which clicks the lid round to expose some new and delicious food each day?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Or go on separate weeks
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Or go on separate weeks
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Actually, for a couple who are both keen skiers, this is probably a good bet! It would cost more, and mean taking two weeks leave, but the benefit in terms of parental bonding would be incalculable, especially for the average dad who has probably not spent more than 36 hours in charge of a 12 month old baby. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| snowdave wrote: |
| dh900 wrote: |
We usually go in January to avoid the peak season crowds and cost which I still think is wise with a young child. I'd never thought of driving though, which I will look into.
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In my experience, early season has its limitations. We skied with ours from when they were a few months old, a few times a season, utilising almost every possible combo of childcare.
Late season (April) trips were the best because they could spend plenty of time outside. A bucket and spade are the most important accessories, followed closely by a sledge. With that, you can entertain them for hours. I have fond memories of one (non-skiing) child building a snow castle slalom course for their older sibling to ski around.
December and January trips were tougher because if it's -10C, it's almost impossible to keep a toddler warm enough for them to be active - the thickness of clothing makes them immobile. We had a Columbia one-piece, down-filled romper suit which was great, but allowed little scope to walk or use their arms!
We also found that dry air was more of an issue than altitude - I wonder if the two get conflated sometimes. Dry air can be partially solved with a humidifier, or just hanging all your damp towels up in the room the toddler sleeps in. |
Very good advice. April is best. At least for toddlers.
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No.
Too young.
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Our eldest stayed with his grandparents when he was 1 or, maybe 1 and a bit.
After that we went when he was old enough to ski, so 4 or 5, just before he started nursery. Although at that point we had a 1 year old.. He had great days with Esprit staff and I think was the only child not skiing so had a lot of attention and hot chocolates etc.!
So it can be done - it's just got to work for you.
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Grandparents came as child care when our daughter was 1, so we could ski as much or as little as we liked, and also spent time playing in the snow with her when not skiing. Never too young to start making family memories.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Yes, if grand-parents are around, and ready to help/share everything, that's ideal. I have lots of family memories of my grandparents - caravanning in the new forest, for example. And my mother, who as grandma came with us on our first family ski trip, and now as grandparent myself, taking grandchildren sailing and lots of skiing experiences. But families are different. A degree of mutual tolerance and regard is vital. It wouldn't work for everybody. We've also had great holidays with friends - it does make a difference to everybody if there are other people round, to share good company and, for example, help with cooking, child care, etc.
For small nuclear families without the "right kind" of grandparents or friends the "specialist" firms like Esprit seem a very good answer - but boy, can they be expensive!!
I would say that 12 months is not a good age. Younger, and immobile, or older and properly mobile, would be better. An active crawling baby is the very worst sort to take anywhere..... except one who is just learning to toddle, determined to do it, but constantly falling over, bashing into things, hating being restrained 
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Just coming back to this post. We have booked a week in Arc 2000 in Jan at a family friendly half board hotel, just the 3 of us,. Saw a bargain so just went for it!
My next questions are if anyone can help:
Has anyone taken a pram to a ski resort, is it practical? We have a baby carrier which may be easier but I can imagine walking on snow/ice increases the risk of a fall with baby attached.
Where is the best place or website to look to buy baby winter wear & warm clothes?
Can anyone recommend any childcare providers in Arc2000?
Thanks in advance.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Forget the pushchair - they don't work in snow or slush, go with the baby carrier, like a BabyBjorn or similar.
For clothes go for full footed onesies with the cross-zip, and I'd post a 'Wanted' post on Snowheads in the For Sale/Wanted section.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Only the OP can make the call, but we waited a while. Then we used daycare at the ski area, and here is a natural fact: doing so ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEES the kid will be sick in 2-3 days. Then you'll get it.
I keep a journal of my ski days, and the seasons that each kid aged into daycare (back at home), I was sick half the time. Wasn't prepared for it with kid #1 and hated it; knew it was coming for #2 so it was tolerable. It will be coming for you, too. Immune systems need practice.
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We usually brought a very light, aluminium fold-up travel stroller. We used it around airports and anywhere it could comfortably go.
For clothes - you could try a Trespass Outlet or Ebay, where people often sell on barely used clothes.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Mon 23-10-23 16:48; edited 2 times in total
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You know it makes sense.
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@dh900, you can rent strollers or little pull along toboganny type things for kids, in ski hire shops.
You might struggle through airports without a stroller, unless you are unusually disciplined about how much stuff you take with you.
How will you be getting from airport to hotel?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Definitely don't take anything resembling a "pram". And a front carrier is ideal in an airport - I used them a lot with all my kids but I'd have been nervous on icy pavements, I admit. A 12 month old with good head control would probably enjoy one of the little "street toboggans" you can rent.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I am trying to remember what we took when our daughter was one (more like eighteen months than twelve though). I know because there is a photo that we had one of those backpack baby carriers which we used around the resort, and I can't imagine we didn't have the umbrella-fold pushchair that our daughter would fall asleep in in the airport. It seemed easy to buy a suitable one-piece "skisuit", a standard item in the babywear department. You need mittens on strings or they will quickly be lost.
However we stayed in a chalet that had associated childcare so didn't have to work out how to book that.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The thing with advance planning for a 12 month old is that you don't know whether they will be reliably walking. If so, they'll need proper warm snow boots with a good grip, but you'd need those at home anyway.
If they're still crawling, or just learning to toddle and very unbalanced, that'll be hard work as they will hate being restrained.
Either way they'll need a proper waterproof all in one suit and mittens. Lots of mittens. And some toddlers will keep sunglasses on. Mine generally tore them off.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| dh900 wrote: |
Just coming back to this post. We have booked a week in Arc 2000 in Jan at a family friendly half board hotel, just the 3 of us,. Saw a bargain so just went for it!
My next questions are if anyone can help:
Has anyone taken a pram to a ski resort, is it practical? We have a baby carrier which may be easier but I can imagine walking on snow/ice increases the risk of a fall with baby attached.
Where is the best place or website to look to buy baby winter wear & warm clothes?
Can anyone recommend any childcare providers in Arc2000?
Thanks in advance. |
On the basis that based on everything here you've chosen to go relatively high altitude, in January, without your own childcare provision, I'm going to advise you take a buggy with small wheels, and summer clothes for the baby 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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On a slightly more helpful note... you need to decide if you're going to try and go outside no matter what the weather (could easily be -10 to -20C at 2000m in Jan; we had -15C at 1200m), or only if it's "warm" (above -10C). My kids loved being outside, so we had to prepare for very cold conditions.
Below -10C we needed 2 layers of thermals, thick fleece, mitts, two hats, goggles (harder to pull off) and one of these: https://www.columbia.com/p/infant-powder-lite-reversible-bunting-1864021.html? (although ours was an older version with built in down mitts at the end). That gets you about 15mins in extreme cold. If you need to change their nappy it's a 20+min job to get them back out of all that.
The problem with a carrier is that it compresses the insulation, so they get colder - and since you're also bundled up, you aren't sharing much body heat with them. A baby/toddler at -20C is a challenging proposition.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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At minus 20, with a baby, you just stay indoors. In 15 winters in the Alps I never knew it that cold during the day. You'd be unlucky to encounter that sort of temperature, though windchill is a factor, obviously.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@pam w, we have a coach transfer from Chambery. Booked an Inghams package. I know the things you mean, we will hire one and drag little one in the snow. I
@snowdave, If it gets that cold we will be indoors or at one the swimming pools. If it's anything like last Jan, the severe cold won't be an issue. Thanks for the Columbia link, will keep an eye on that around Black Friday!
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Personally, I wouldn't bother. I'd just have separate trips for each person if getting their snow 'fix' is important. And wait 'till they're 3-4 when they are more amenable and more likely to enjoy it. But of course, that's a personal view.
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We took our 11 month old skiing (he is now 21!)
In those days there was the direct eurostar ski train so getting there was straightforward.
We also used simply ski (no longer exist) and I’d say the holiday was poor due to their childcare being a drive from the chalet, a poor chalet host not clued up for cooking toddler meals at the time they are hungry, having a child who didn’t like sleeping in a travel cot and ending up as the only parents with a small child in the chalet. Clearly the organisation was struggling to fill their family chalets.
We didn’t manage to go skiing again until the second child was two and we then went with Snowbizz who were excellent. That time we went by train again (eurostar plus sleeper) and the accommodation was self catering which worked far better. The snowbizz childcare was A1 and located near the accommodation. The nannies were so good we also booked them to babysit on a couple of nights.
This was a long time ago but Snowbizz still get good reviews on here so I’d highly recommend them unless you have a non skiing relative coming who is willing to babysit.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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It can be a lovely family holiday whether you ski much or not IMO. Change the expectations to be a holiday with time in the mountains first and skiing second. Then you pay your money and make your choice. The likes of VIP ski at Bear Lodge have a great creche where you leave the babies all day in a lovely kids play room for a 1 year old.
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@snowymum, the trip with our one-year-old daughter I recounted above was also with Simply Ski (she is 23 now). We had a better experience than you, the childcare was next door and the restaurant-trained chef not only knew how to cater for little ones but cooked amazing adult meals. However as with you a few of the rooms had been sold as last-minute bargains to adults who had no idea they would be sharing with children. They were not very pleased that their pre-prandial drinks were disturbed by toddlers with a burst of energy after their suppers.
I think Simply was then bought up by Thomson Ski who didn't maintain the previous high standards and eventually dropped the separate brand name. (And then after a merger became part of Crystal).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@dh900, get on Vinted. There's no point buying new gear unless you want to. You can get the little Columbia down suits for a fraction of the price. Our daughter has been through 2 or 3 of them, all bought new and all still in almost perfect condition. We've gone the Vinted route for Jan 2024 and the suit we got is perfect, £12.
We brought an 'Out n About Nipper' pram with us and it was perfect in everything but deep powder. We went for a few long walks on packed snow trails and it was a breeze to push. We got the proper winter foot muff and some blankets and she was totally cozy in -22. It was handy for the airport, but im sure you could rent something similar in resort.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Skied with our kids from pregnancy through to finishing university without a year off.
It's generally possible and for us always enjoyable.
Though for us it probably helped that when they were very young we were living in Asia and grandparents lived the opportunity of babysitting on a ski holiday at the very early stages.
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If you bring family or friends as babysitter, be VERY clear about what you all expect. We did it, weren’t clear, and a fair bit of resentment during the week.
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You know it makes sense.
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Apart from being told off by an Austrian lady about not keeping my 6 month old's head warm enough, it was all fab ! 
That was 2010, but we still talk about what a naughty boy I was !
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Oh, and bobble hats might be super cute, but they're a PITA to keep in position under a hood, so go for plain beanies.
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Poster: A snowHead
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We did Ski Esprit with ours at 6 months then at 18 months. Was great with the childcare and everything laid on. We only had her in childcare half the day then went on walks / gentle sledging with her the rest of the time, or just relaxed in the chalet/hotel. Esprit had big all-terrain buggies you could borrow.
It was a great break for us apart from anything else, particulalrly at 6 months. One morning of childcare we didn't even ski... just took the opportunity for a nap in our room!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Great point about the meals. For years we would be s/c so we could eat when we wanted to and not wait 1-2 hours for a restaurant to open. Less relevant for a 1 year old where you just warm a bottle of purée but more for 4+
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Coming a bit late to this, but another vote for Snowbizz. We started when our daughter was just turned 4, but I have friends who have been with tinies. Childcare is fantastic. Kids can start skiing from 3 in the Totons group, which is essentially nursery with an hour of skiing. We ended up returning to Puy St Vincent for 8 years, as it works so well when skiing with kids. This year (daughter is 13 now) marks our first ski trip elsewhere. We haven’t skied the world, but skiing with Snowbizz has set a firm foundation and we all love it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I took my son skiing when he was 1. And have been every year since. Good childcare meant he was looked after all day long and happy whilst we skied.
I would do it again. We’ve always used crystal but I’m sure other providers will provide a similar if not better service
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| dh900 wrote: |
Just coming back to this post. We have booked a week in Arc 2000 in Jan at a family friendly half board hotel, just the 3 of us,. Saw a bargain so just went for it!
My next questions are if anyone can help:
Has anyone taken a pram to a ski resort, is it practical? We have a baby carrier which may be easier but I can imagine walking on snow/ice increases the risk of a fall with baby attached.
Where is the best place or website to look to buy baby winter wear & warm clothes?
Can anyone recommend any childcare providers in Arc2000?
Thanks in advance. |
Most places you can hire a pushchair (either one on runners for snow or wheels if the resort is clear of snow). I recommend taking your own universal fit liner as the ones we have hired have always been a bit grubby. Take your carrier, will be useful for travelling and again if not icy underfoot in resort.
For clothing try Polarn O Pyrat. Get their merino layers. We have been using their clothing since we took our then 8 month old on his first trip (he is 6 now and skis very well). Get the brightest outerwear you can, when they are small they can be hard for others to see, maybe not as crucial as a baby but if you are going to put them down in the snow to play and take photos you would be surprised how not visible they are. I also recommend Reima, Didriksons, Smafolk and Villervalla for mid fleece and outer layers. Remember sunglasses for them and suncream. Also more than one pair of mittens. Wool mittens for in the carrier, ski mittens for playing in snow, get the ones that zip open all the way down the back of the hand as they are so much easier to put on.
I am going to start selling my childs outgrown ski wear shortly as we are not having another child now, keep an eye on the sale thread, got things from 6-9 months upwards if anything suits you.
I hope you have a great time, dial down the expectations of lots of skiing and think of it more as a family winter holiday. Yes we didn't do a lot of skiing for the years 0-1, we had him on skis on the nursery slopes at 2, we missed 3 due to covid and he was in lessons at 4 and able to ski with us in the family areas. Last season at 5 he was in lessons and then with us skiing all the blues and outskiing his dad. I suspect that this year he will be well away and we will need to rest when he is in lessons! We still make time to do lots of other activities rather than ski all day every day, I quite like the added fun dynamic he brings and how it has changed our ski holidays.
Edit to add, get a bundlebean to go over your carrier, then they go in the carrier in regular clothes (fleece/merino all in one ideal) rather than snowsuits, much better for them.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| snowymum wrote: |
We took our 11 month old skiing (he is now 21!)
In those days there was the direct eurostar ski train so getting there was straightforward.
We also used simply ski (no longer exist) and I’d say the holiday was poor due to their childcare being a drive from the chalet, a poor chalet host not clued up for cooking toddler meals at the time they are hungry, having a child who didn’t like sleeping in a travel cot and ending up as the only parents with a small child in the chalet. Clearly the organisation was struggling to fill their family chalets.
We didn’t manage to go skiing again until the second child was two and we then went with Snowbizz who were excellent. That time we went by train again (eurostar plus sleeper) and the accommodation was self catering which worked far better. The snowbizz childcare was A1 and located near the accommodation. The nannies were so good we also booked them to babysit on a couple of nights.
This was a long time ago but Snowbizz still get good reviews on here so I’d highly recommend them unless you have a non skiing relative coming who is willing to babysit. |
We went with Snowbizz 11 times! Fantastic for kids of all ages, including evening clubs giving parents proper time for meals out.
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If you can get them out to play in the snow (if they're walking) that will make nap time all the more enjoyable for you. i would say to try to time naps (hopefully still 2x a day) with skiing, i.e. you ski, partner stays home with napping child. Child wakes up, fed/changed/playtime ==> tired again. You stay home to put down child, you nap at same time while partner skis in the afternoon. Not totally sure I would do child care but that's just me. Our kids were 4 and 6 when we took them actual skiing for the first time -- we didn't ski much until then anyway.
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From personal experience, I’d say ‘No’. It’s not worth it, with one caveat, if you are in the fortunate position to be near a resort and go for 1-2 days several times then go for it.
Started my son at 3 and daughter at 4. Daughter is, now, by far the better skier. Son loved it for two days and then had had enough … but we were there for a week. Daughter, at 4, had the mental and physical capacity to enjoy it for the week and it was hard to get her off the slopes (even with frozen hands since she’d managed to get snow in her gloves).
There’s so much individual variability though so I’d never be definitive. However, I think the idea of taking a child who cannot ski at all on a ski holiday is largely futile. It’s just not a holiday that they can enjoy and your enjoyment will be curtailed.
Taking a toddler, who is ready to start, is very hard work but ultimately rewarding … taking a non-skiing baby doesn’t, to me at least, make sense.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| snowymum wrote: |
We took our 11 month old skiing (he is now 21!)
We also used simply ski (no longer exist) and I’d say the holiday was poor due to (...) a poor chalet host not clued up for cooking toddler meals at the time they are hungry...
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At least in hindsight, you do realize that you tried to steal his pay, right?
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@dh900, We once went with our 5-month-old and another couple, self-catered. The drive was fine (all four of us sharing turns). The lunchtime baby switch at a mountain restaurant was an issue. It involved one short run to a restaurant where we could all eat together and a chairlift back up to the mid-station and a gondola down. Temperatures were below freezing. After being berated by well-meaning folk because of horror stories of babies needing limb amputation due to frostbite, we switched to handover at the base station. Mrs S then broke her wrist on day 3 which put a downer on it and made childcare more tricky! (No crèche/nanny.)
We went 2 years later with (now) two children aged 1 and 2-and-a-half in catered chalet with tour operator with a focus on childcare, crèche, etc.) Flight and transfer were very stressful. (Very nearly lost older one down baggage conveyor due to dad 2 being distracted on his mobile. Younger one screamed for a good portion of the 3-hour coach transfer). Youngest developed ear, nose and throat infection requiring trip to doctor and a big bill. I fell heavily and badly bruised my hip/thigh which required a trip to the medical centre and another big bill. Pretty miserable experience, but chalet staff were lovely. (Simply Ski, I think.)
I guess what I’m saying, is if you have a bit of bad luck, illness or injury, it makes things worse if you’ve got a baby with you, and very much worse if it’s the baby who’s ill! Still, it provides memories to laugh about (hopefully).
We didn’t ski as a family again till the (now) three boys were aged 7, 11 and 12 - a few years later than intended, partly due to outgoings on loft conversion and job security concerns flowing from 2008 credit crunch. But from that moment we’ve skied together one week every year for the last 13 years. It was certainly more enjoyable from that stage as they were skiing with us every day (minus a 2-hour lesson), which gave all of us the most fulfilment. (I don’t get parents who shove their kids in all-day ski school. Everyone misses out and kids often get put off skiing, which is a lose-lose situation!)
Hope you have many happy skiing days ahead as a family.
If ever I struggle to fall asleep at night with my mind whirring about other stuff, I cast my mind back to those early years skiing together and play the soundtrack of our youngsters chuckling as they fell over in powder on the side of the piste in Alpe di Siusi. Blissful memories.
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FAQ
