Tips for traveling with baby

[cgajdzisz]

We will be sailing on the Wonder April 21. My DH< DD age 5 and my infant DD who will be 8 months old. Any one have any tips or suggestions? I'd really appreciate it.

 

[CamColt]

We traveled with an 8 month old. Heres what I found to help...

If the child is cruising(no pun intended), be sure the closet door is shut at all times. Our DS would start to toddle around the room and fall, hitting his head right on the tracking for the closet door.

If the child is on formula, buy those ready made glass nursette bottles before you leave. It was so convenient to just pop off the cap and stick on a nipple. There was no mixing, measuring, pouring, keeping cool, warming up, etc... and then we just threw the bottle out when done. They are more expensive than the other formula, but well worth the ease while vacationing.

Also, be sure to bring a carriage/stroller. DS would take his naps by the pool, or on the beach in his carriage, while we got to enjoy ourselves too.

This isnt a tip, but the staff is wonderful with the kids. Our waiters entertained our son for dinner, and one night, the waiter even carried him around with him. For the longest time when we got home I would say to DS "Wheres Iggy?" and he would look around for him and laugh.

We never used Flounders, so I dont really know much about that.

Enjoy!

 

[dizneykids]

traveling with an infant is a challenge, but very manageable. i agree camcolt's tips, but thought i'd point out that you don't have to bring your own stroller...dcl has jogger-type strollers available (last i knew, free of charge) on board for you to use throughout your cruise. there aren't many, so as soon as you board, head across the lobby and check with guest services to borrow one. the only problem is they are big and hard to store in your stateroom. we just left ours tucked into one of the areas (you'll see what i mean when you board) outside our stateroom.

we have used flounder's reef several times (two different cruises) and heartily recommend it! as soon as you can after boarding, go to the reef (on deck 5) and check him in. you will be asked to prioritize the days/times you want to use the reef and then they will contact you day-by-day to let you know if he has a reservation. what we did to ensure our ds was in club when we wanted to do palos was use our walkie talkies...dh was getting palo ressies while i was signing into club. he let me know which night, so i made that our priority #1.

ask your stateroom steward for a diaper genie. we didn't know until our last cruise that they have them available. you should already requested a pack-n-play with your reservation, but if you haven't, just call and have it added. you'll probably still need to ask your steward for it, but at least it'll be in your record.

if you need anything warmed at meals, ask your servers. they're very good working with the little ones.

bring his bathing suit and swim diapers. the "ears" in the mickey pool are the perfect depth for sitting with baby in your lap and relaxing. and since they are smaller, there's less chance of problems. the kids will still crawl in and get rough, but we just pointed out that i had a baby in my lap and they would settle down.

 

[cgajdzisz]

Thanks so much for your posts. you both sound like you enjoyed your trips and I'm starting to relax a little about going. I really appreciate your answers.

 

[eaturpasta]

My family is taking its first cruise on April 21st. My DD is also 5 an can hardly wait. I also have another DD who will be 6 months! We will probably live at the pool My main concern is for sunburn, my 6 month old has fair skin (only thing she inherited from me ). Any suggestions as to the best sunblock for a baby?

 

[dizneykids]

well, my youngest is 3 now (and FINALLY (dare i say it???) potty-trained and ready to go to the kids' club ), but when he was a baby (fair-skinned and sensitive-skinned to boot), we used Eckerd Drug Store's generic kids' sunblock. Consumer Reports had (at that time...don't know where it stands now) rated that brand best. He had no problem with it.

Now we use Coppertone kids' stuff...the stuff that comes out colored but disappears...as it is easiest to ensure we have the kids well covered. Coppertone does make a baby's formula, but i've used it on myself (hyper-sensitive skin) and have had it burn my face.

my advice? use whatever works for your 5yo and buy either one of those desert-type caps (you know, the ones with the material on the back to cover the neck and a big brim to protect the face) or a bucket hat. i've found several over the years that can go in the water without a problem. my little one only fussed over using it last summer. before that, he took it as a condition of being in the pool. of course, it had helped that i'd been putting hats on him since he was an infant (i wasn't so smart with my older two!).

 

[jlima]

We had a high chair delivered to our cabin on the 7/7 Magic cruise. It was quite convenient for DS16mos when room service was delivered.