A holiday home in Normandy with a baby: the house and coast at toddler height

The house has been equipped to welcome babies and young children. Upstairs, the landing doubles as a play corner, with a fabric playhouse, a hopscotch mat, a toy kitchen and a chalkboard. You will find 2 travel cots, a high chair, a baby bath, a bed rail, toys and games, and indoor dens. The dens often make the difference on the first evening: a 2- or 3-year-old discovering an unfamiliar place settles in faster when there is a corner of their own, at their size, to hide in with a favourite cuddly toy.

That is where the list ends, and we would rather say so. In particular, there is no stair gate: keep an eye on toddlers near the stairs, or bring your own. If your child needs another specific piece of kit, do not assume it will be waiting: ask the Idylliq concierge service before you arrive, or pack it in the boot. Bedding for the travel cots always has to be brought, unlike the sheets and towels for everyone else, which come with the rental.

Think about the head count as well. The house sleeps 11 people plus 2 children or babies: two families each with an infant therefore fit within capacity, as long as you say so when booking. Details of the equipment for older children, bunk beds and swing set included, are on our page about a family-friendly holiday home in Normandy.

Sleep decides whether a holiday with a baby works. Upstairs, the bedrooms have blackout curtains: the early afternoon nap happens in the dark, and a 7 pm bedtime is not a battle against summer evening light. On the ground floor, electric roller shutters do the same job. Choose the room for the travel cot according to where you sleep yourself, then keep it for the whole stay: a child who finds the same corner every night falls asleep more easily.

On arrival day, check-in is from 4 pm. With a toddler that tends to be good news: the drive fits around the nap, and there is still time for a bath, dinner and a stroll in the grounds before bed. The upstairs bathroom has a bathtub, much easier than a shower for a child under 3, and the house provides a baby bath for the youngest. Keep the last hour for quiet play, dens included.

Out of season, the heating works throughout the house. As for noise, the house rule works in your favour: no noise outdoors after 10 pm. If you are sharing the house with another family, simply agree a time after which voices drop near the stairs.

A child who started walking three weeks ago wants to go everywhere, fast. The grounds cover more than a hectare and are fully enclosed, with an electric gate at the entrance and parking inside the property: you lift the baby out of the car without ending up at the roadside. And the house has no swimming pool, which is one less worry with a child who has just let go of your hand.

Enclosed does not mean you can stop watching. Trees quickly hide a toddling child, and the fire pit on the terrace stays out of bounds while it is hot. A practical tip: agree as a family on a small play area near the terrace, visible from the table, and keep the rest of the grounds for walks hand in hand. For everything else the land allows, read our page on a holiday home in Normandy with a large enclosed garden.

On rainy or windy days, the open-plan ground floor becomes the playground. It opens onto the kitchen, so you can cook while keeping an eye on the rug where the toys are spread out.

The beaches of the Alabaster Coast are shingle, and that is the first thing to know before booking a holiday home in Normandy with a baby. A pushchair struggles on pebbles. Use a baby carrier on the beach itself, and keep the pushchair for the seafront promenade at Veulettes-sur-Mer, 10 minutes away, where parking along the beach is free. For a child who is walking, water shoes protect little feet on the stones and in the sea.

Go in the morning, at low tide if you can: the sea then uncovers sand and rocks, far nicer to play on than the band of pebbles at high tide. Settle on the seaward side, never at the foot of the cliffs, where rockfalls happen. And bring a windproof layer even in summer, as the coastal air is cool for a little one who is not moving much.

With only 10 minutes by road, nothing forces you to last a whole day: an hour on the beach, home for lunch and the nap, and the afternoon in the grounds. In July and August, swimming at Veulettes is lifeguarded every day from 11 am to 7 pm, with a shower to rinse off the salt. Our guide to the best beaches on the Alabaster Coast helps you choose the others, avoiding those reached by long flights of steps.

Before the age of 4, a good outing lasts a morning and needs no more than 30 minutes in the car. Here are the ones that work with the youngest, without repeating the full guide to activities by age, which you will find on our page of days out with children.