Taking a baby to the mountains is possible from the first few months, as long as you respect altitude limits linked to age. French paediatricians give simple guidelines: avoid stays above 1,200 m before 6 months, 2,000 m before 1 year and 2,500 m before 2 years. The rest comes down to three things to watch: the ears on the way up, the cold and the sun. Here is what the sources say, and how to organise your stay without having to cut it short.
What altitude can you take a baby to in the mountains?
It all depends on their age. The Vidal (the French medical reference guide) dossier “Protéger ses enfants à la montagne”, updated on 1 July 2022, sets clear limits for stays for children who do not live at altitude.
- Under 6 months: avoid stays above 1,200 m.
- Under 1 year: above 2,000 m.
- Under 2 years: above 2,500 m.
- Under 10 years: above 3,000 m.
The main reason concerns the very youngest: the Vidal points out that the risk of sudden infant death increases in babies at altitude. Dr Andréas Werner, a paediatrician writing for mpedia (Association française de pédiatrie ambulatoire, the French association of community paediatricians), cites an American study from 2015. It links a slight rise in this risk to altitudes above roughly 2,400 m, with no effect shown below 1,800 m. He too advises not going above 1,200 to 1,500 m before 6 months, while stressing that this is precautionary advice rather than proof.
These figures refer to where you sleep. A few hours at 2,000 m with an 8-month-old baby is not a stay. Most French village resorts sit between 1,000 and 1,800 m. A baby under 6 months is therefore better off in the lower mountains, and a 1-year-old can sleep in most resorts.
And what about flying?
A useful benchmark from Dr Werner: an aircraft cabin is pressurised to the equivalent of about 2,000 m, and babies fly from 2 months. A child who copes with flying therefore copes with 2,000 m without any particular risk linked to oxygen. Above that, he recommends going up in stages to give the body time to acclimatise.
Baby in the mountains: why ears hurt
This is the most common problem, and the most avoidable. A rapid change in altitude, in the car on a mountain pass or on a ski lift, changes the air pressure. If the Eustachian tube does not open quickly enough, the eardrum tightens and hurts. The Vidal and mpedia agree: the risk is higher if the child has a cold, a nose and throat infection, a current ear infection or a history of ear infections in babies. The Vidal advises against rapid changes in altitude, such as a cable car, for children with a cold. In extreme cases, mpedia warns of a risk of a perforated eardrum.
How to protect your baby’s ears going up and coming down
- Go up and down in stages of about 500 m, stopping for a few minutes at each stage.
- Let your child drink, at the breast or from a bottle, while crossing passes and on lifts: swallowing opens the Eustachian tube and relieves the eardrum.
- Rinse the nose with saline solution before a journey, especially if your baby is congested.
- Skip the cable car or gondola on days with a cold. A walk round the village beats a fast descent with a screaming child.
- Plan the journey like a long car journey with a baby: breaks, feeds timed for the climbs, arrival in daylight.
The cold: a baby who isn’t moving feels colder than you
In winter, the challenge is not the altitude but the wind and lack of movement. A baby in a pushchair or a carrier does not move and produces no heat through effort. Dr Werner recommends going out during the sunniest hours of the afternoon, and limiting outings in freezing weather, especially in strong wind. In a carrier, he advises keeping an eye on circulation in the limbs: cold, pale hands or feet are a sign that it is time to go inside or change position.
Clothing follows the same rules as in town, one notch warmer. Several thin layers rather than one thick one, a hat covering the ears, mittens and booties, and a closed footmuff for the pushchair. An ergonomic baby carrier under the parent’s coat is still the most effective way to keep a young baby warm outdoors. Our tips on dressing your baby in cold weather cover the number of layers and the signs of overheating, which is just as real in the mountains as the cold.
The sun at altitude, summer and winter
Ultraviolet radiation increases with altitude, and snow reflects a large share of the rays. A baby can get sunburnt in January, in the shade of a terrace, in twenty minutes. Dr Werner places as much emphasis on the sun in summer, when “the cold is not a problem” at 2,000 m, as in winter. The rules are the same as at the beach: no direct sun before 1 year, a wide-brimmed hat, wraparound sunglasses suited to their age, covering clothes. High-factor sun cream on exposed areas, and water offered often. Dry, cold air dehydrates as much as heat does.
Altitude sickness: the signs that mean you should go back down
Acute mountain sickness can appear from 2,000 m according to the Vidal, and mainly above 3,000 m according to mpedia. A baby cannot tell you something is wrong: the signs are atypical, so you need to be even more vigilant. The Vidal describes mild symptoms: headaches, dizziness, excessive tiredness, breathlessness. Then severe symptoms: severe headaches, dry cough, breathing difficulties, impaired consciousness, vomiting, swelling of the face or hands. In a baby, look out above all for unusual irritability, inconsolable crying, refusing to drink, vomiting, rapid breathing or unusual drowsiness.
What to do is not up for debate: if there are severe symptoms, going down is urgent, without waiting for things to improve. The Vidal mentions preventive medication, but only for children over 6 and on medical advice. It does not apply to babies, for whom the only prevention is choosing the right altitude.
Organising a mountain stay with a baby
Choosing where to stay
Accommodation in a village resort, below 1,500 m, with a pharmacy and a doctor nearby, makes everything simpler. When booking, check there is a cot that meets safety standards, adjustable heating and a room where your child can sleep in peace while the older ones get on with their day. Our tips on sleeping arrangements in a hotel with a baby also apply to a rented flat.
Plan a spot on the floor
Mountain rentals often have cold floors, tiles or old parquet, and little space. A foldable play mat slips into the boot and gives your baby a clean, insulated place to play while everyone else gets kitted out. It is also where they can recover after outings, better than in a seat.
The rhythm of the day
A baby at altitude sometimes sleeps less well for the first few nights, and cries more: Dr Werner reports families who cut their holidays short for this reason. Keep to nap times, plan a short outing in the morning and a longer one in the warmest hours, and accept that one adult will sometimes stay at the chalet. Sledging and first slides can wait until your child can sit up unaided and wears a suitable helmet.
The first-aid kit
Saline solution, nasal aspirator, thermometer, paracetamol at the current dose, high-protection sun cream, barrier cream for the cheeks, and the usual prescription. The health record book always travels with your child.
Should you give up on the mountains with a newborn?
Not necessarily, but the options are narrow. Before 6 months, the 1,200 m limit rules out most ski resorts. A house in the lower mountains, at 800 or 1,000 m, is still possible: Dr Werner describes 1,000 m as a “low altitude”. What matters then is travelling in stages and protecting against cold and sun. You also need an arrangement that lets you go out with a newborn without exposing them to the sniffly crowds of the resort shopping arcades.
Key takeaways
Baby in the mountains, yes, with three limits: 1,200 m before 6 months, 2,000 m before 1 year, 2,500 m before 2 years. Protect the ears with 500 m stages and by letting your child drink on the way up, and the cable car can wait until the cold has passed. Handle the cold with layers and timing, the sun with a hat, sunglasses and sun cream. And any unusual sign at altitude, inconsolable crying, vomiting, drowsiness, means going back down.
Sources
- Vidal, “Protéger ses enfants à la montagne”, vidal.fr, updated 1 July 2022.
- Dr Andréas Werner, “Quelles précautions prendre pour amener bébé en altitude ?”, mpedia.fr (Association française de pédiatrie ambulatoire), updated 10 January 2015.
- Dr Andréas Werner, answer “Partir avec un bébé d'1 mois à la montagne ?”, mpedia.fr, question of 8 February 2021.
