The Travelin’ Two-Year-Old

I received a lovely email recently from Judy, who will be flying with a toddler soon to Florida. And it worked out that she’ll be flying solo with her toddler daughter, and their travel day will include a fairly long layover:

My daughter and I will be traveling to Fort Myers via a 4+ hour layover in Chicago this February (my husband is following two days later and flying home a different route). My daughter and I are on comp tickets that we won at my husband’s Christmas party last year and it was too expensive for him to get the same flight (especially with seat sales available!). I’m a tad worried about flying with an opinionated two-year-old & how do I keep her entertained for eleven or so hours?

Well, Judy, flying with a toddler is work. This will be a very long and tiring day for the both of you, and you have a number of things working against you, but also a lot in your favour!

She’s two. Which means she gets her own seat and also her own luggage allowance. But because she’s two, ultimately you will be the one shouldering the luggage when she’s tired of “helping”.

If you haven’t got one already, invest in a cute toddler-sized wheeled luggage bag (I love the new ones from Skip Hop). Make sure it has a shoulder strap so that you can manage it easily when she no longer wishes to pull it. You can get her excited about the trip by allowing her to pack a lot for herself – Bub loved packing his woobie and a few toys, and I did a final once over to ensure there was nothing to trigger alarm bells and include a few extras. Make sure there’s a variety of activities – coloring books and crayons, a travel etch-a-sketch (more popular than you might think). If you have a tablet, bring it. This stays in your bag, of course, but if you have a number of low-tech toys mixed in with some new apps, movies, and/or shows, cycling between them will help pass the time. During your four-hour layover, never underestimate the power of a movator. When we had a five-hour delay at Orlando airport, the many movators saved us. Seriously.

She’s two. Which means she’s probably eating and having snacks at fairly regular times. But because she’s two, she probably gets super cranky when she’s hungry. Arm yourself with snacks. Obviously the healthier and lower-in-sugar the better, but don’t be afraid of packing a few reward/bribe foods. You can re-enter the race for Mother Of The Year when you get back

She’s two. Which means she is probably still napping. But because she’s two, she probably often resists her nap, resulting in a grumpy afternoon for the both of you! In a perfect world she’ll nap at some point during your journey. Make it easy for her to do so by making sure you have everything she would usually have with her for a nap (blankie, binky, etc.) and my friend Lianne from Sprout Right recommends oatmeal to help toddlers sleep on planes.

To make life easier for yourself, make sure you can manage your carry-ons yourself – either with her in the stroller or not (you’re bringing a stroller, right?!) When I flew solo with my five-year-old and 20-month-old, I had my system figured out with shoulder bags, car seat strapped to rolling suitcase, booster seat and diaper bag in stroller basket, and Bub strapped into the stroller even if he was not entirely thrilled about it! Make sure you have at least one new outfit for each of you, and wear comfortable clothes that you know will stay that way throughout the day. On my solo journey with both kids I wore a pair of new jeans that felt great and fit like a glove. Except after a few hours of wearing them they stretched out so they were continually falling down. Since I had my hands full, I had trouble yanking them up. A lot of people saw my bum that morning…

My motto with almost everything parent is to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. You might be surprised at well things go! Aside from a barf-o-rama episode on the plane, our day went fairly smoothly and we all gained new confidence and respect for one another since it was just us with no Dada to swoop in and save the day. Due to the aforementioned barf-o-rama, our first stop at Disney’s Polynesian Resort was the laundromat instead of Magic Kingdom, but by the time we got the castle we all smelled a bit better.

Have a fabulous vacation with your family, I know you and your daughter will rock your flights!

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Vegas, Baby

My baby will be six months old when my little sister gets married in Las Vegas. I’d love to attend the wedding, but I’m a bit overwhelmed about our first trip with him. He’s bottle-fed and the flight for us will be roughly 11 hours. Can we do this?

This will not be the most relaxing trip of your life, but you will have wonderful memories of your sister’s wedding AND your first trip with baby!

Let’s start with surviving the flight. If buying a seat for him is an option, do it. 11 hours is a long time to have a baby on your lap – both for him and for you. If not, check with your airline to see if they offer bassinets for infants. Book the bulkhead in advance and they’ll (in an ideal world) have the bassinet ready for you as you board. If all else fails, ask the counter agent what the likelihood is of having the seat next to you free, and if it looks promising, don’t check your car seat. Bring it on board and use it and if not you can gate check it along with your stroller.

I have an extensive carry-on list, but essentially you should pack 1 diaper for every hour of your journey, at least 2 more feeds than you think you’ll need, a couple of changes of clothes (for you and for him), plus a big package of wipes. At six months, your son likely won’t be too mobile, and should be fairly easily distracted with a few toys. Try to stick to his usual routine, even on the plane. A great tip is to get him used to room temperature bottles and food – that way you don’t have the bother of heating his meals while you’re en route. For take-off and landing, try to have him sucking to help with his ears – a pacifier is a big help for this as most flight attendants will tell you to hold him in the “burping” position during this time, making feeding difficult.

At 6mos, you no longer need to sterilize bottles, but if you still do you can bring along a Travel Kettle to pour boiling water on them after you’ve washed them in the sink. He won’t be eating much in the way of solids at this point, so a box of dry cereal plus a few jars of puree should be enough to hold him over. Don’t introduce new foods while on the road, so there’s no chance of a reaction. If you’re fussy about brands, bring all that you’ll need with you, unless you’re absolutely certain you can find what you need locally. You’re going to Vegas, so you won’t have concerns about the water being potable and you can pick up supplies if you need them. Check ahead with your hotel about cribs, and make sure your room has a fridge or that they’ll empty the mini-bar.

Have a great trip!

**Image courtesy Stock Xng**

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Spectacular, But Worth The Splurge?

I’m cheap.

There, I said it. When it comes to travel, I totally agonize over and completely over-analyze plane fares, package prices, taxes, and fees. If I find out someone paid less for the same trip as me, I’m irked. So had I not been invited to visit Beaches Resort & Spa in Turks & Caicos, I’d probably never know what I was missing.

Of course I’d heard about the Beaches brand, they were supposedly the be-all and end-all of family travel brands. They tout themselves as “ The Luxury Included Family Vacation “, and that they are unparalleled when it comes to services and amenities for all guests, especially families. Those big claims made me skeptical. And I was happy to be proven wrong. Simply put, I thought Beaches could never live up to the hype, and – in my opinion – they surpassed it.

Their new family suites in the year-old Italian Village, are pretty awesome. They’re spacious and well-appointed, and can connect to house a family as big as 12 people. All the villages are lovely – the Caribbean being the oldest one – but even the most basic room is more than equipped to fit a family of four and all the related gear. The nice thing about Beaches is even though the rates vary (incredibly) wildly depending on your room, all guests are welcome to utilize all the amenities. There are no wristbands saying what you do and don’t qualify for; in fact, there’s no wristband at all. (Nice)

I Couldn't Compete With Elmo...

Everything is included at Beaches. Everything. From one scuba dive per day to the excellent baby and kids clubs (from newborn on up), from the delicious lattes to the fantastic teppanyaki restaurant (reservations needed), it’s all included. You don’t have to open your wallet at Beaches unless you want small extras like having your hair braided or a professional family photo. WiFi is reasonable* at under $50 USD for the week (per device).

The resort is spotless. The food was excellent. The people are super-friendly and the beach is spectacular. But the question remains… Is it worth the money?

The answer is, that depends.

Like I said, I’m cheap. And Beaches Turks & Caicos ain’t cheap. A few weeks after my Beaches Turks press trip, I went to Cuba for a week with my family. The cost for our entire vacation to Cuba would have been the cost for one of us to go to Beaches. But is it worth it?

SUCH A Beautiful Beach...

I met a number of families who go to Beaches Turks & Caicos every year, or were there for their 4th or 6th or 8th visit. And I asked why. The resounding response was that they work hard, and they know exactly what they are getting when they go to Beaches Turks and Caicos. They know every member of their family will have a good time. They know the resort is beautiful and clean. They know the food is good, and the water and the island is safe. They can truly relax, because they know everything and everyone is taken care of. And that’s worth something.

Beaches Turks & Caicos spoiled me. Our resort in Cuba was a (Cuban) 3 star in an area that’s still developing tourism-wise. I can attribute some of my initial distress to the fact that I was operating on 1 hour’s sleep, but I thought there was no way we could stay there. Our room was small, with decor that was kind of mid-renovation. The grounds were tidy, but a little on the sparse side. There were 3 restaurants (as opposed to 16 at Beaches). The pool was  a little run down. But what was funny was my daughter couldn’t tell the difference. Obviously there was no storytime with Elmo or baking with Cookie Monster (!), but my daughter was as delighted to be at our dilapidated Cuban retreat as she was at the truly luxurious Beaches.

And that’s when I gave my head a shake and realized the whole point of a family vacation. To relax with your family. If the unknown or unusual little things stress you out, you can save your money and splurge on a Beaches vacation knowing all will be taken care of . If you’re cheap like me and not terribly fussy, cheap vacations are where it’s at. I will say this, though. If money were no object, I’d go back to Beaches Turks & Caicos in a heartbeat.

See also: Club Med Ixtapa Pacific.

*I think Wifi should be free wherever you go, but if it’s under $10 per day I won’t complain (too much) about it.

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Before The Great Cuban Milk Mutiny Of 2010…

One of the more popular articles on my site is my Cuba Family Travel information. Recently Veronica left a comment on that piece, and when I went to reply to her, I realized I was writing a whole post!

Here is her query:

My husband and I want to bring our 17 month-old son to Cuba this March. He drinks approximately 30 oz of homogenized milk each day. We do not know if it is safe for him to drink the milk in Cuba. Does anyone have suggestions as to what we should do regarding bringing milk to Cuba or buying milk in Cuba? My husband and I do not drink milk and have been to Cuba many times. We can’t remember if the resorts had milk for us to drink.
Thank you for any advice you may have.

Contrary to popular belief, the milk in Cuba (at least the milk they serve in resorts) is Pasteurized, and usually served from Tetra Packs. It is cow’s milk, and it is completely safe to drink. It does taste different, and we think that’s why the cafe con leche tastes so delicious.

But I digress.

We’ve now been to Cuba 4 times with the kids in tow and two of those times had milk-guzzling toddlers.

The first time we went my daughter was on formula, so I brought the powder we were using and mixed it with bottled water. No problems. The next time we went, she was 23-months-old, and long since finished with bottles. I was concerned, so I brought a couple of the Tetra Packs of milk from home. Turns out that was a waste of luggage weight, as she drank the milk there from cups with no issues.

The 3rd time we went to Cuba, our daughter was 4 and Bub was 8mos. He was on solids but still nursing at that point, and I hadn’t yet introduced formula. I did however, bring a couple of Tetra Packs of soy milk with us, as my husband discovered he is lactose intolerant, and though he can last a week without milk, ever since my daughter tasted soy milk, she refuses to drink regular milk unless it is chocolate.

The last time we went to Cuba, my son was 19-months-old, and a big milk drinker. Usually around 24oz per day. In this particular area of Cuba (Cayo Santa Maria) the milk was Pasteurized, but it wasn’t homogenized – meaning it separated. At first, Bub drank it no problem. But his consumption started to dwindle, and by day 4 of our week there he outright refused to drink it.

I was pretty concerned, but nothing could convince him to take it. You can revoke my Mother Of The Year badge now, as I even tried mixing it with chocolate and sugar. No way. I ended up rationing his sister’s soy milk to give him smaller bottles, and both kids each had loads of ice cream for dessert. A trick that worked a few times was putting yogurt in his bottle (the yogurt at the buffets is quite runny), and he seemed to like the strawberry-ish flavour. One thing I’ll mention about the yogurt at the buffets is to make sure it’s cold and hasn’t been sitting there all morning.

I was delighted on our flight home to see that Sunwing Airlines had cartons of milk on board, and the flight attendant was able to pour him a bottle (she even offered to warm it – Bless!) which he absolutely chugged. I think he even had another one.

The moral of the story? The milk in Cuba is totally safe to drink, and tastes great in coffee, but your baby may not drink it because it tastes different.  If you’re concerned, I might try him at home with a follow-up formula, and if he takes that, bring the powder with you. Or you can lug a few Tetra Packs of milk along as insurance.

Have a great trip! I can’t wait to hear all about it!

The post Is It Safe For My Toddler To Drink The Milk In Cuba? appeared first on Have Baby Will Travel.

Rub A Dub Dub, A Bub In The Sink...

I love, love, love getting questions and being able to answer them – so I was happy to receive this question from Jessica:

Just wondering about what you’ve done on holidays in Mexico or similar destination when bathing a baby? Has the water ever been a problem? Have you encountered any water sickness at all? Our son will be 9 months when we go….
Thanks for any wisdom!

My daughter was a massive bath-water-drinker. Like, would down cup after cup if we let her.

Our boy enjoys big sips but is really more of a bubble blower. However, I know that save for some soap and probably pee (ugh!), our tap water is clean and they won’t get sick from consuming it – accidentally or otherwise.

For our first trip to Cuba, I was definitely nervous. Even though the tap water in Cuba is safe (we drank it on subsequent trips), to be on the safe side I used bottled for drinking and tooth-brushing. After all, safe does not necessarily mean that it doesn’t have micro-organisms that would upset tender tummies.

Depending on where you stay in Mexico, your resort may have its own purification system, as it did when we went to Club Med Ixtapa Pacific. Our room there had a shower only, but I still worried about the trickles that may enter her mouth and what they might do.

We took extra care to make sure that baths were fast and we didn’t dump water over her head to rinse her hair. I took a very wet washcloth to wet her hair and rinse it afterwards. It took a little longer, but not having a cup as a tub toy removed the temptation for her to drink.

For smaller babies who aren’t mobile, you could probably get away with a sponge bath, but 9-month-olds are likely to be very sandy and sunscreen-y at the end of the day and could use a good wash!

Have an an awesome time in Mexico, Jessica! Although the jokes about Montezuma’s Revenge are still prevalent, the truth is the more touristy parts of Mexico have stepped up and cleaned up. Stick to bottled water for drinking and tooth-brushing, take precautions against insect bites, avoid fruits and vegetables that can’t be peeled or cooked (unless you are certain they were washed in safe water), and try not to sweat bath time too much – just make sure to pack your little guy’s rubber ducky!

Happy Travels!

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Bub, Safe And Snug.

This past weekend I was attending a travel writer’s conference in New York City – sans kids. Although I was having a good time and learning a lot, I was also pining for the two small people I left at home with their daddy. As a result, I gravitated to the lovely Brandy Keener, who along with her husband, had traveled to New York from Oregon with their adorable 8-week-old son, Kai.

Now when my first-born was 8 weeks, I think I was still stumbling around in my maternity wear and intermittently crying for no reason, so I completely admire Brandy and her husband for picking up and carrying on with little Kai along for the ride.  They mentioned an issue with a cab driver that I found pretty surprising for a couple of reasons…

When they arrived in New York, the cab driver almost refused to take them into Manhattan because they didn’t have the base for Kai’s car seat.  Now Kai’s seat was your typical infant carrier car seat that does attach to a base but also has slots on the side to insert a seat belt, for use without the base.

I must say I admire the cab driver’s commitment to safety, especially since New York is one of the many cities that doesn’t require the use of a car seat AT ALL when traveling in taxis with infants and toddlers. However, he was mistaken, since if the seat has the slots for a seat belt, you can use it in a pinch in a car and an airplane.My son was 10.5 weeks when we traveled to Quebec City, and we also used our car seat without its base. Ours was a Peg Perego Primo Viaggio, and I consulted with our user’s manual before taking it to travel with us. Here’s an excerpt:

Installing the Car Seat without the Base:
Important! The base is designed to avoid consumer misuse by reducing the number of times the seat must be anchored to your vehicle. Please, use and install Primo Viaggio without the base only if needed.

I checked out the owner’s manual online for the Graco Snugride, and it pretty much said the same thing.

Clearly it’s preferred to use your infant car seat with the base, but if you’re traveling with baby, it’s much safer to use your seat without the base than to not use a car seat at all. Do ensure that your seat CAN actually be installed without a base.  The Primo Viaggio we borrowed when my daughter was in it was an older model and did not have the slots. We couldn’t have used it for travel if we wanted to.

While baby still fits in the infant car seat carrier (and you’re not a hysterical mess like I was) – travel! It gets a lot more complicated once they’re in the larger, convertible seat and you have to start thinking about car seat travel accessory shopping and the like!

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Got Proper Voltage?

When I’m not making my own, I love to hear about other people’s travel plans.  And if you’re planning your first trip with baby, then you’re bound to have a question or ten.  I’m happy to answer as many as I can!

Recently I received an email from Samantha, who is exclusively pumping for her 6-month-old son.  That is a full-time job in itself, so Samantha definitely deserves to get away! She wrote to me regarding traveling with (and using) her breast pump…

I am looking at going to Varadero, and currently I pump and bottle feed. I want to bring the pump with me and continue but wondering about getting a converter for the power outlet because I can’t afford to fry my breast pump. I bought one 2 years ago but it didn’t work when I got down there..which would be disastrous! Just wondering if you have bought one and if so from where?

AND do you think it’s doable to pump and bottle feed with a 6 month old on vacation (my husband is coming as well LOL).

Firstly, kudos to you, Samantha, for pumping for as much and for as long as you have! Your best bet would be to get in touch with the resort directly with regard to power. One place we stayed advertised that they only had the 220v but when we got there our room actually had both. Not to mention, the plugs can be/are a different shape…

My husband bought our converter at an electronics surplus store downtown for around $20. It’s an RCA Foreign Voltage Adapter Kit (AH260R) (AH260R) and it worked fine for us on our last trip to Cuba. Once you’re there, test the adapter you end up getting on a less precious electric item to make sure it works.

If you can pump and bottle feed at home, you most  certainly can pump and bottle feed on vacation. Make sure to eat well and keep properly hydrated – but don’t deny yourself the odd pina colada – you deserve it!

Just a couple more notes… at 6 months you may be thinking about starting cereal and solids. On vacation is not the time to try new things, but if you’ve started on a cereal it’s fine to bring along a box or two for your trip. Make sure it’s the kind you can mix with water and that the bottled water you use has little/no sodium in it.

Don’t forget to pack your bottle brush and a small bottle of dish soap!

As for your second question, your husband will get to see just how much you actually have to do when you’re home looking after a baby!

Take care & Happy Travels!!

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St. Kitts

Currently I’m trying to figure out where we’ll be going this winter, and the lovely island of St. Kitts popped up as a possiblilty…

Conveniently, I received an email from Julie, who will be traveling with her children to St. Kitts and was looking for a bit of babysitting for an adult dinner out.  The quote she received seemed mighty steep…

I just found your site while searching for babysitting services on St. Kitts, which I am exhausted trying to find. The Marriott will arrange for babysitting for a fee of $35/hour (4 kids) plus transportation. Can you imagine that the 3 hour minimum for dinner will cost $116 in babysitting fees. And believe me, I called twice to confirm this wasn’t a mistake.

I don’t know what you think about this, but I believe this amount is exorbitant! If you know of any babysitting services on the island of St. Kitts, I would really appreciate it!

Um, yeah. $35/hr with a 3 hour minimum is a lot more than I’d expect to pay for babysitting services on holiday.  So I decided to search a bit around on the ol’ Internets, and thanks to the power of said Internets, we’ve found someone!

Her name is Krista and she’s an American living on St. Kitts and working at a school there. She comes highly recommended from someone with a vacation home on the island, and she also has a handy-dandy website all about St. Kitts. I’m presently surfing that site like a madwoman, ’cause if St. Kitts is where we end up in January, I want to know all about it!

I’m considering creating a page on Have Baby Will Travel that lists babysitting/nanny services for vacation and tourist destinations. Whaddaya think?

Have a wonderful time on St. Kitts, Julie – can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back!  In the meantime, check out what other parents had to say about their visit to St. Kitts w/kids.

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Tulum, Riviera Maya

A lot of people are nervous to bring their little ones to tropical destinations for a lot of reasons – strong sun, possible bug bites, different water… but the latest illness that’s scaring people away (especially from Mexico) is H1N1 or Swine Flu.

It is scary, and the fact that it’s now a global pandemic makes it even more so.  It’s widely believed that H1N1 originated in Mexico and Bonnie wrote to me wondering if it’s safe to bring her baby there…

I love your web site. I especially love people’s reviews on their holidays at specific hotels and destinations. I wanted to ask if you have any info on your site about travelling now that there’s the swine flu.
My cousin is getting married in Dec in the Mayan Riviera. My husband and I have been debating on whether it would be safe to travel there with our baby who will be 10 months old in Dec. I’d love to hear/read your views on it. I’ve tried doing some google searches on the saftey of travelling with a baby there but I can’t really find anything.

I’m also thinking about our upcoming winter travel, and I’ve always looked to the Riviera Maya as a great option.  But is the risk of traveling there greater now that we have H1N1 to deal with?

Back when H1N1 was known as Swine Flu, and the initial hysteria was swirling surrounding the outbreak, I will admit that I probably would have changed my travel plans if we were headed to Mexico.  However once the CDC lifted their travel advisory and the panic subsided, I figured Mexico was just as safe as any other destination and I was pleased to see that Peter Greenberg, travel editor for CBS News, agreed with me. (Especially since now Mexico is such a deal!)

But now that cold and flu season is upon us, there appears to be a resurgence in fear about H1N1.  But it’s a global pandemic now, and you’re essentially just as much as risk at home as you would be on vacation.  Those most likely to have complications from H1N1 include children under 5, and I shudder to think about my 5-month-old (or 3.5-year-old for that matter) coming down with such a serious flu.

That said, would I travel to the Riviera Maya this December to attend a family wedding? Absolutely.  I’d be extra cautious, of course.  Be scrupulous about hand washing and using hand sanitizer.  Get extra travel insurance and read the fine print (the knowledgeable Peter Greenberg strikes again re: out clauses because of the pandemic).

Consult with your doctor beforehand regarding any vaccinations you may decide to get (some choose to get Hepatitis A&B vax + flu vaccine will be out by then), and be sure to pack your usual arsenal of meds “just in case” (I’m talking Tylenol & anti-histamines here).

Have a wonderful trip with your baby, Bonnie.  A family wedding is a great excuse to take your first trip together – you might even have a few babysitters on hand!

Related Articles:
Planning Your Vacation: Keep Your Family Safe & Healthy On Holiday
Feeding Your Baby On Holiday: It’s Not So Tough, Honestly!
Mexico Trip Reports: First Hand Reviews From Parents Who’ve Traveled With Their Tot

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Travel With A 2.5 Month Old...

Travel With A 2.5 Year Old...

I think the answer is yes, and no…

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