We just came back from a Caribbean cruise on a Princess ship with our ten month old daughter. We had such a wonderful time that we are now planning our next cruise vacation.
Before we left on our cruise we had do some planning, making lists, checking lists, contacting the cruise line and so on - but all of our pre-trip planning was well worth the effort. Travelling with a baby means taking lots of extra things with you - and there are a lot of things to consider - but there are some items that you just cannot be without. Here is our list of the top ten items to take with you for your baby.
1. Number one on our list is a comfortable stroller. Comfort for your baby is important - but it also important that the stroller can be folded so that it can be taken on an airplane and so that it won't take up too much room in your cruise ship cabin. Our stroller was in constant use from morning to night. We walked our daughter on the promenade deck every morning; we took our daughter to all of our meals in her stroller; we didn't want to miss out on the night-life on the ship - so every evening after dinner we bathed our daughter, dressed her in pyjamas, and then placed her back into her stroller. We then walked the ship with her, went to some clubs on the ship with her and before long she would fall fast asleep.
2. Make sure that you have enough diapers for your baby during the vacation - but don't bring them from home. First figure out before you leave how many diapers your child go through in a normal day - and then multiply that number by the number of days on your vacation. If your vacation involves air travel (like ours did) you won't want to have to bring the diapers from home - if you do that means that they will have to be checked as checked baggage. Instead, do what we did. Our ship cruised out of Fort Lauderdale in Florida. We had time from when our flight arrived in Florida to when we had to be on the ship. So from the airport we took a cab to a nearby Target store and purchased the diapers that we needed for the cruise and some other baby supplies before getting another taxi to the ship.
3. One thing to do on a cruise ship - especially when it is hot is to go to the kiddies pool with your child and cool off in the pool. In order for your child to go into the pool they have to wear swim diapers or they have to be toilet-trained.
4. If your baby is on formula make sure that you bring enough formula with you for the length of the cruise. We brought powdered formula since it is more compact than pre-mixed formula. Rather than bring it from home, we purchased the required formula in Florida before embarking our ship. Keep in mind that any formula entering the ship must be sealed & in the original container.
5. We wanted to make it easy and safe to make our baby's bottles so we took a kettle (with a thermostat controlled shut-off) with us so that we could boil water and know that the water was safe to mix with the powdered formula.
6. Baby's food is obviously very important. We brought a formula dispenser with us. We did this so that we could fill several bottles with clean water and when it was time for a bottle for our daughter we just had to pour the pre-measured formula into the water and give the bottle a shake.
7. Scented bags for dirty diapers. Because you will not have a diaper dispenser for dirty diapers with you - taking a supply of these bags will help reduce any bad odours in your room. They can be purchased at a dollar store or Babies r Us.
8. You'll need soap for bathing your baby. Eventhough most ship cabins won't have a tub for bathing your child - you can still do what we did. We plugged the drain on the shower and put enough water in the shower in order to give our baby her bath.
9. Make sure that you bring something to protect your baby from the heat and sun, especially if you plan on spending much time in the sun with your child during the cruise. Before we left home we purchased a lightweight sun cabana. We used the cabana on two beaches and on the pool deck near the kiddies pool. It kept us and our baby comfortable and protected from the sun. To rent a cabana on the private island that our ship stopped would have cost us about $90. The cabana that we brought with us cost less than $50 and we use it all the time.
10. Zip lock bags - these are great for everything - snack holders, put really dirty/soiled clothes away until you get home. Use for things that leak - (ex. medicine). Use the bags on the ship to pack bibs, spoons to go for dinner so when they are dirty you can throw in the bag & clean when you get back to your room.
These are the essentials that can't leave home without. There are more items to consider, but start your list with these items. - 16492
Before we left on our cruise we had do some planning, making lists, checking lists, contacting the cruise line and so on - but all of our pre-trip planning was well worth the effort. Travelling with a baby means taking lots of extra things with you - and there are a lot of things to consider - but there are some items that you just cannot be without. Here is our list of the top ten items to take with you for your baby.
1. Number one on our list is a comfortable stroller. Comfort for your baby is important - but it also important that the stroller can be folded so that it can be taken on an airplane and so that it won't take up too much room in your cruise ship cabin. Our stroller was in constant use from morning to night. We walked our daughter on the promenade deck every morning; we took our daughter to all of our meals in her stroller; we didn't want to miss out on the night-life on the ship - so every evening after dinner we bathed our daughter, dressed her in pyjamas, and then placed her back into her stroller. We then walked the ship with her, went to some clubs on the ship with her and before long she would fall fast asleep.
2. Make sure that you have enough diapers for your baby during the vacation - but don't bring them from home. First figure out before you leave how many diapers your child go through in a normal day - and then multiply that number by the number of days on your vacation. If your vacation involves air travel (like ours did) you won't want to have to bring the diapers from home - if you do that means that they will have to be checked as checked baggage. Instead, do what we did. Our ship cruised out of Fort Lauderdale in Florida. We had time from when our flight arrived in Florida to when we had to be on the ship. So from the airport we took a cab to a nearby Target store and purchased the diapers that we needed for the cruise and some other baby supplies before getting another taxi to the ship.
3. One thing to do on a cruise ship - especially when it is hot is to go to the kiddies pool with your child and cool off in the pool. In order for your child to go into the pool they have to wear swim diapers or they have to be toilet-trained.
4. If your baby is on formula make sure that you bring enough formula with you for the length of the cruise. We brought powdered formula since it is more compact than pre-mixed formula. Rather than bring it from home, we purchased the required formula in Florida before embarking our ship. Keep in mind that any formula entering the ship must be sealed & in the original container.
5. We wanted to make it easy and safe to make our baby's bottles so we took a kettle (with a thermostat controlled shut-off) with us so that we could boil water and know that the water was safe to mix with the powdered formula.
6. Baby's food is obviously very important. We brought a formula dispenser with us. We did this so that we could fill several bottles with clean water and when it was time for a bottle for our daughter we just had to pour the pre-measured formula into the water and give the bottle a shake.
7. Scented bags for dirty diapers. Because you will not have a diaper dispenser for dirty diapers with you - taking a supply of these bags will help reduce any bad odours in your room. They can be purchased at a dollar store or Babies r Us.
8. You'll need soap for bathing your baby. Eventhough most ship cabins won't have a tub for bathing your child - you can still do what we did. We plugged the drain on the shower and put enough water in the shower in order to give our baby her bath.
9. Make sure that you bring something to protect your baby from the heat and sun, especially if you plan on spending much time in the sun with your child during the cruise. Before we left home we purchased a lightweight sun cabana. We used the cabana on two beaches and on the pool deck near the kiddies pool. It kept us and our baby comfortable and protected from the sun. To rent a cabana on the private island that our ship stopped would have cost us about $90. The cabana that we brought with us cost less than $50 and we use it all the time.
10. Zip lock bags - these are great for everything - snack holders, put really dirty/soiled clothes away until you get home. Use for things that leak - (ex. medicine). Use the bags on the ship to pack bibs, spoons to go for dinner so when they are dirty you can throw in the bag & clean when you get back to your room.
These are the essentials that can't leave home without. There are more items to consider, but start your list with these items. - 16492
About the Author:
BabyTravelPlanet is in Canada and they sell Dreamer Design Jogging Strollers to people in the USA and Canada. Visit their site to get their free ebook checklist Packing for a Cruise Vacation With Your Baby that is loaded with ideas when planning a cruise vacation.
