Camping with babies and toddlers

Camping with babies and toddlers

Camping with babies and toddlers

Camping with babies and toddlers in France normally leads to one question! Can we buy baby formula and nappies in France or should we take our own?

Baby formula in France tends to have slight differences in the ingredients and therefore may not taste the same. You may also find that the formula is slightly thicker which may not dilute as well and your baby may therefore not enjoy it as much.

Unlike the UK where the majority of parents use formula such as Aptamil, SMA, Hipp or Cow and Gate in France there are many different brands of baby formula available including Babybio, Bledilait, Enfamil, Gallia, Guigoz, Hipp, Milumel, Nestle Nial and Nutricia. You can find most of these brands at some of the larger supermarkets such as E.Leclerc, Super U and Intermarche. Formula can also be bought at various pharmacies in France, however they will sometimes have to order it which can take a day to arrive.

Even though you can get formula in France we would recommend that you take sufficient supplies with you. There are 2 reasons for this, firstly because there are differences in ingredients, you can find as we did that your baby may not like the taste and consistency meaning they refuse to drink it.

The second factor to consider is the price as a standard sized baby formula container in France can cost up to 17-20 euros compared with the £9-£10 in the UK.

Nappies on a family camping holiday to France!

In France nappies are known as couches and the well known brands such as Huggies and Pampers are available in the larger supermarkets. The swimming nappies such as Huggies “Little Swimmers” can also be found but do tend to be rather expensive compared to UK prices.

Nappies in France are sized by the child’s weight which is the same as the UK. We would suggest if you have the space available to take your own but this is only down to the price differences. Don’t forget that the space left in the car on your return journey can always be filled with some of the spectacular local wine!