Family Ski Holidays to Chamonix: Advice for Family Trips to Chamonix
also see Childcare in Chamonix: Creches & Babysitting in Chamonix

Creches, Childminding, Baby Sitting Services

Depending on the age of your child there are a number of options. However, there are currently very few options for the very young involving creche facilities.

The main winter establishments are the ski schools which offer a combination of tuition and childcare for children 3 years and older. You can book your child in for full or half day programmes and lunch can also be provided for an extra charge.

During the summer school holidays the MJC (Maison de la Jeunesse) run activities for children age 4-17 years old, including sports, photography, theatre, tournaments, and local places of interest, both in Chamonix and Argentiere. Contact +33 (0)4 50 53 12 24.

The main Chamonix Centre Sportif (sports centre) also hosts a kid's Miniclub from 1st July to 30th August which gives access to the centres facilities (swimming, climbing, tennis, basket-ball, ice-skating, etc.) and to an organised hike & picnic on the Wednesday. Entry can be bought for a ½ day, full-day, 4 half-days, or for the week. Contact +33 (0)4 50 53 28 40.

There are also babysitting and nursery facilities available in the valley; have a look at our listings for more information or you can contact the local Tourist Offices for a list of available baby-sitters. (There are several municipal crèches in the area but they are generally very French orientated, so we have omitted them here).

Baby Equipment Rental

To give yourself a bit of extra room in your luggage allowance, it is now possiible to rent a number of baby products locally.  Babykitrental.com is a Chamonix based company that has a whole host of baby items available for rent, that are often too heavy or just too big to bring with you.  Pushchairs, high chairs, cots, bedding, warm clothing, ski helmets.....they pretty much have it all.

Prices start from €10 per day for a pushchair or car seat (€50 for the week), travel cot €8 per day (€35 a week), high chair €8 (€40 per week), snow boots €2 per day (€10 per week).  In addition to these prices, you are also required to leave a deposit for each item from between €15 - €300 depending on the product you wish to rent.

The company also has adult ski clothing for rent - €50 per week for a ski jacket and €30 per week for salopettes.

Tips for Families & Kids

• When taking babies and toddlers on a ski holiday, you will need to take special precautions against the altitude, sun and cold.
• As you drive up to the resort, the rapid drop in air pressure may cause problems for a young child’s ears. Take a 15 minute break on the road up to the resort, and give young children a drink or something to suck to help them equalise the pressure in their ears.
• Paediatrician Nathalie Blot suggests not taking a child under one to above 1200m altitude. A baby may suffer acclimatisation problems due to the drop in air pressure and decrease in oxygen level. Avoriaz lies at 1800m, and a baby cannot always equalise the pressure in his or her ears as easily as an adult. The local doctor recommends taking the journey up the mountain to the resort slowly.
• She strongly advises against taking any child under three years on a gondola lift as they find the changes in altitude too sudden.
• The cold is another danger for very small children, whose temperature regulation systems are not yet fully developed. Waterproof boots, good quality mittens and ears protection are essential to protect from frostbite. Do not take a baby skiing with you on your back – immobilised, he will quickly lose heat, and the risk of collisions or falls on the piste is always present.
• Remember children lose heat faster than adults so dress according to the weather conditions and make provision for it changing - hats, waterproofs and gloves are essentials. Helmets are recommended for skiing and boarding too.
• Remember to protect your child's eyes and skin from the sun - not only are the infra-red and UV rays less filtered by the atmosphere at altitude, but 85% of the rays are reflected by the snow. Use category 3 or 4 UV sunglasses/goggles, and reapply SPF30 suncream at least every two hours.
• It's a good idea to have a contact phone number and address in your child's pocket in case you become separated on the mountain.

School Holiday Dates

France divides its school holidays into a regional timetable to ensure that the entire country doesn't go on holiday at once - however this staggered system can mean that some months (particularly February) can be busy from beginning to end as one region after another arrives in resort! Planning ahead can help you avoid the crowds...

• Zone A - Caen, Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lyon, Montpellier, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Rennes & Toulouse
• Zone B - Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Besançon, Dijon, Lille, Limoges, Nice, Orléans-Tours, Poitiers, Reims, Rouen & Strasbourg
• Zone C - Bordeaux, Créteil, Paris & Versailles