Travel w/ 2 kids to Netherlands in mid-March

[wolfbaby]

Hi - I'm looking for some advice from Dutch or expat mamas on travelling to the Netherlands in mid-March. My husband and I are bringing our 5-year-old and our 11-month-old. We'll mostly be in The Hague/surrounding cities and Amsterdam.

My main questions are:

- what sort of jackets should I pack for the boys? heavy winter coats? rain/waterproof jackets? both? We'll be using public transportation and possibly bicycles so I want to be prepared for the weather.

- what sort of baby carrier do you recommend? I have a moby wrap but my little guy already weighs 19 lbs. (8.5 kg) and I don't know if I can handle a whole day with him in it. I'll definitely bring it for shorter outings but I'm also considering a baby backpack, also b/c it has a rain cover.

- how common is breastfeeding in public with an older baby (11 months old)? I'll naturally try to be discreet about it but he gets so distracted that discreetness is easier said than done.

Thanks for the help! I can't wait for our trip!

[sarahmck]

Amsterdam weather is a lot like New England. In March it could be anywhere from the 40s to the 60s. It's likely to rain heavily on at least one day of your trip, so I would recommend bringing rain coats and such. If you're going to be biking, rain pants are highly recommended. At that time of year if it's raining I personally tend to wear my very thin fleece jacket with my Gore-Tex rain coat over it. It would be a bit much to have to bring a heavy winter coat and rain gear for each person, so I recommend trying to figure out a layering solution so you can just have something light and waterproof that goes over your dry weather gear.

My son is almost 2 and is 12kg and I still wear him all day in my wrap when we travel. I find it to be the most comfortable carrier. But if you'll be biking, that will take a lot of the load off for you. The baby can sit in a seat on the bike. Every bike shop will rent you a baby seat. For Amsterdam, check out the Mac Bikes web site. I wouldn't bring a stroller if I could avoid it. Anything particularly portable won't be all that great on the road surfaces here. Most sidewalks in the historic areas, where you're likely to be, are made of either brick or paving tiles and it's a reasonably bumpy ride on Maclaren wheels. Also there are tons of places where the sidewalk gets narrow to accommodate stairs down to the basement level of a building.

Nursing will be no problem. The Dutch typically wean around 3-4 months because that's when their maternity leave ends, but they are an extremely tolerant people and definitely are into live and let live. Just act as you would at home.

Have a great trip!