Travelling with children

Equipment
Young children can need a lot of kit which can make all the difference to your stay. We can provide equipment such as potties, toilet seats, bed guards and baby monitors to make packing that little bit easier. Please ensure you request equipment prior to travel to ensure we have it ready on your arrival.

Transfers 
For those travelling with young children on our coach transfers please note that that whilst seats are allocated to every party member, we cannot provide car seats for infants or small children on coach transfers. If you would like your children to sit in child seats you will need to bring your own child seat (please note these can only be secured with the coach lap belt and depending on the size of your seat do not always fit securely). If you are uncomfortable with the above we can book a private taxi transfer for you (supplement payable).

Food
Your chalet host will serve high tea for children around 5.30-6pm, at an agreed time that works for you and the children. Our children's menus are very adaptable and the chalet host will discuss with you on arrival to tailor meals to your children's liking. We will do all we can to cater for any food allergies or intolerances, and do our best to accommodate preferences and requests. All we ask is that you let us know before you arrive in resort!

Your children will enjoy dishes such as;

• Crispy chicken goujons with potato wedges and baked beans
• Spaghetti Bolognaise or carbonara with cheesy garlic bread
• Crusty Cottage Pie with peas and sweetcorn
• Make-it-yourself pizza with carrots and broccoli 
• Chicken and vegetable stir-fry

And for dessert; Apple crumble, Jelly and ice-cream, Molten chocolate pudding or Baked bananas with toffee sauce.

Babysitting
Our nannies and chalet hosts are often prepared to babysit, but please be aware that this is at their discretion and that we cannot guarantee availability. If you would like to request babysitting prior to travel please contact our UK Sales Team. All monies should be paid directly to the sitter, this will be charged at: €15 an hour before midnight (€20 New Year's Eve) and €20 after midnight (€25 New Year's Eve) by qualified nannies or €12 (€15) an hour by non-qualified staff.

Ski school
It’s imperative that you pre-book ski school for children as early as possible. On school holiday dates ski schools can be extremely busy and are often fully booked months in advance. We work closely with a number of ski schools offering a variety of tuition options so please do give us a call if you need any advice or information.

As you are travelling with an infant, a cot, cot linen and change mat will be supplied for you.

Infant Equipment
On request and subject to availability, we can also provide the following items free of charge: Highchair, Stairgate (available at selected chalets), Potty, Toilet step, Toilet seat, Bed guard, Steriliser, Buggy, Baby monitor, Baby bath, Baby Bouncer and Table Booster. To ensure these items are in the chalet/hotel on your arrival please request at least 2 weeks prior to departure directly with our UK Sales Team.

Nappies
We want your family ski holiday to be as hassle free as possible, so shopping for nappies on arrival is best avoided! We have nappies which you can pre-order to be delivered to your chalet for your arrival. This also saves you the inconvenience of having to find space in your suitcase for bulky items like nappies. Items must be booked at least 2 weeks before arrival

Nappies £25
Pampers Premium Protection 1-6 or Baby Dry Nappy Pants Sizes 4-6. Nappy sacs and Pampers sensitive baby wipes included. 

*Please note; Alternative products/brands may be supplied subject to availability.

Food
Breakfast and high tea as per our flexible children’s menu are available for older babies who can manage normal solid foods. We do not provide jars or formula milk, but your chalet host will happily make a fresh puree to your baby’s liking, or powdered formula can be pre-booked with the infant pack.

Babysitting
Our nannies and chalet hosts are often prepared to babysit, but please be aware that this is at their discretion and that we cannot guarantee availability. If you would like to request babysitting prior to travel please contact our UK Sales Team. All monies should be paid directly to the sitter.

Transfers 
For those travelling on our coach transfers please note that that whilst seats are allocated to every party member, we cannot provide car seats for infants on coach transfers. If you would like your children to sit in child seats you will need to bring your own child seat (please note these can only be secured with the coach lap belt and depending on the size of your seat do not always fit securely). If you are uncomfortable with the above we can book a private taxi transfer for you (supplement payable).

If you haven’t already discussed your nanny with our Sales Team, we will need to collate the following details to pass on to your nanny;

• Which children the nanny is caring for
• The agreed ratio
• The agreed hours
• Any dietary requirements for the children
• Any medical conditions
• If the children are booked into ski school
• Any other special requests:

All our nannies have mobile phones so are fully contactable during your stay. A Sunday night welcome meeting with your nanny gives you the opportunity to ask any questions and discuss the plan for the week

Flexi hours
We continue to offer our successful flexi-hours service, running from 8am to 8pm. All you need to do is select any 7 consecutive hours for your Nanny to work within this 12 hour period. If you have booked the reduced hours service, hours must be consecutive. Nannies work five and a half days per week from Monday to Saturday with a half day off, usually on Wednesday. On the Nanny’s half day off you can choose for your Nanny to work either 08:30 to 12:30 or 13:00 to 17:00.

Food provided by the nanny
Your nanny will provide a light nutritional lunch as well as mid-morning and afternoon snacks. Your chalet host will serve children’s High Tea between 5.30-6pm as agreed; your nanny will supervise high tea if within the agreed working hours. All meals will be age appropriate, and take into consideration children’s like and dislikes. Please note we are unable to provide organic foods or ready-made jars, but will be happy to prepare fresh purees.

Personal belongings
Every effort will be made by VIP Ski Nannies to ensure that children’s personal belongings are not lost or damaged. We ask, where possible, that parents label children’s clothing, bottles and feeding cups, and leave any expensive toys at home.

Here are a few tips from our Childcare Manager before you head off...

Food allergies or fussy eaters - All children's meals will be age appropriate and take into consideration likes and dislikes. We will do all we can to cater for any food allergies or intolerances, and do our best to accommodate preferences and requests. All we ask is that you let us know before you arrive in resort!

Children’s ski kit is expensive and kids grow out of it quickly, so borrow or share kit with friends from home. They need to be warmer than adults and one piece suits or salopettes with braces will assist in keeping out the cold!

Cold hands will ruin a child’s day, so bring 2 pairs of gloves as they will get wet at ski school or playing in the snow and may not dry in time for the next trip outside.

There’s no need to pack too many clothes, just base layers as kids will be happy to run around inside in their thermals or tights. Do remember to bring slippers or indoor shoes for the chalets as the floors can be slippery.

The sun’s rays are strong and reflect off the snow, so children need sunglasses for being out and about, as well as goggles for skiing (sunglasses can hurt under their helmet). And don’t forget sunglasses for babies too - ideally wraparound so that they can’t be pulled off and lost!

Suncream is expensive in resort, so remember to bring it from home. Children need easily applied sun block and a lip salve with a sun screen. Don’t forget you will need a separate one for you and the children if they are in childcare or have ski school.