What to do with toddler who can't go in the pool?

[nt13]

We are sailing on the Carnival Fantasy in April to the Bahamas. My daughter is 2.5 and working on potty training, but not quite there yet so she can't get in the pool. My 5 year old son loves the pool and water slides so I am sure he and my husband will want to spend good time at the pool.

My daughter loves the pool and water parks so I don't even want her to see the place since she will become hysterical if she sees the water and can't get in. I am wondering what to do to entertain her while my son and husband go to the pool? We will do some Camp Carnival but really I want to spend time with her too.

And on a related note, can parents stay and play with their children in Camp Carnival or is it only drop off?

Thanks for any advice!

[kitty9]

How about a small blow up pool? Lots of parents bring those for kids who aren't trained.

And no, no cruise line allows parents to stay in the kid's club, unless it's Royal Caribbean's Royal Babies program where parents stay with the babies for 45 minutes a day. But in the programs for the older kids, parents must drop off and leave.

[Kerry's Girls]

Originally Posted by kitty9

And no, no cruise line allows parents to stay in the kid's club, unless it's Royal Caribbean's Royal Babies program where parents stay with the babies for 45 minutes a day. But in the programs for the older kids, parents must drop off and leave.

Just FYI, Princess does - which is why it was a good choice for my family before my girls were potty trained.

For the OP, it sounds like a great opportunity for some one-on-one time. There is usually some music playing somewhere - my girls loved to go dancing at that age. Or bring a blow-up ball or some other toys to an empty lounge and have some fun.

Best,
Mia

[crusinmama06]

On NCL - now that they have raised the kids club age to 3, they have added some "parent and child" playtimes for the UNDER 3's. It might be a good alternative for you.

[nt13]

Thanks for the thoughts! I think she would love to hear music so that would be fun.

[nt13]

I do think she would have a hard time understanding why she could go in the blow up pool but not the regular pool so weight just avoid the pool altogether.

[Paumavista]

In potty training days.....April is weeks away and plenty of time to make significant progress in this department if given priority.

We were potty training my son prior to a cruise a few years ago and I was nervous they might not even let him go to kids club we were having a rough time.......about 2 weeks before the cruise he seemed to "get it". I think we had one accident over a two week period - and on the cruise he NEVER even had an accident!!! I was so impressed, given the changes but he did wonderful.

Don't give up hope.......you have lots of time. Keep working at it and she may surprise you! (of course watch your pool timing.....nothing after meals, etc & no drinking right before......you're a mom & know the drill) Good luck.

Judy

[snoopy5386]

Not sure how the Fantasy is set up, but on the Pride, the ice cream and the hot dogs/hamburgers are right in the pool area, very hard to avoid seeing a pool all together.

[nt13]

Originally Posted by Paumavista

In potty training days.....April is weeks away and plenty of time to make significant progress in this department if given priority.

We were potty training my son prior to a cruise a few years ago and I was nervous they might not even let him go to kids club we were having a rough time.......about 2 weeks before the cruise he seemed to "get it". I think we had one accident over a two week period - and on the cruise he NEVER even had an accident!!! I was so impressed, given the changes but he did wonderful.

Don't give up hope.......you have lots of time. Keep working at it and she may surprise you! (of course watch your pool timing.....nothing after meals, etc & no drinking right before......you're a mom & know the drill) Good luck.

Judy

Thanks Judy. I'm just worried that it will still be dicey and I don't want to be "that person"!


Sent from my phone so typing may be suspect

[nt13]

Originally Posted by snoopy5386

Not sure how the Fantasy is set up, but on the Pride, the ice cream and the hot dogs/hamburgers are right in the pool area, very hard to avoid seeing a pool all together.

Good point. That's going to be tough. I'll have to do some Planning for sure!


Sent from my phone so typing may be suspect

[cello56]

Originally Posted by nt13

Thanks Judy. I'm just worried that it will still be dicey and I don't want to be "that person"!

May I just compliment you on your wonderful attitude? So often on here we have parents complaining and wanting exceptions made for their little darling. You on the other hand are thinking about others and looking for solutions that will keep your daughter happy without potentially closing the pool! Your children are very lucky to have a Mother like you, and will undoubtedly grow up with outstanding values! Well done!!!

[092306]

Our son was 27 months when we last cruised and we did ALOT of walking around the ship. He always wanted to go for a "ride" in his stroller so we definitely logged some miles which didn't really bother us. We tried Camp Carnival, but they were a little disorganized the first day and kids were waiting in a line and crying and my son wanted no part of it after that. We also did mini golf which he loved! There was only one other couple playing when we were there so we just stepped to the side and let them play their game when they got up to whatever hole we were on since there wasn't any rhyme or reason to our play. He just wanted to hit the ball.

[nt13]

Originally Posted by cello56

May I just compliment you on your wonderful attitude? So often on here we have parents complaining and wanting exceptions made for their little darling. You on the other hand are thinking about others and looking for solutions that will keep your daughter happy without potentially closing the pool! Your children are very lucky to have a Mother like you, and will undoubtedly grow up with outstanding values! Well done!!!

You are so very kind and just made my day! But it just seems like the right way to look at things. I definitely care about others and by nature am a rule follower for the good of the whole.

Maybe I will be rewarded with a full potty trained child by April, but I am pretty sure that is unlikely and don't know that I would trust she would not have an accident yet. This one is a bit of a loose cannon! My son on the other hand potty trained in a day and on his own with no accidents after that. I'm not going to be so lucky this time though.

[nt13]

Originally Posted by 092306

Our son was 27 months when we last cruised and we did ALOT of walking around the ship. He always wanted to go for a "ride" in his stroller so we definitely logged some miles which didn't really bother us. We tried Camp Carnival, but they were a little disorganized the first day and kids were waiting in a line and crying and my son wanted no part of it after that. We also did mini golf which he loved! There was only one other couple playing when we were there so we just stepped to the side and let them play their game when they got up to whatever hole we were on since there wasn't any rhyme or reason to our play. He just wanted to hit the ball.

Oh mini golf! Good idea. I think she will like that. And really she also loves eating so we can have some little snacks and treats here and there. I;m thinking music is a good idea too. I will look into the blow up pool idea but wonder is she is too big for that.

I think the hardest part is going to be if she sees the pool and can't go in. That is what is worrying me to most now. She won't understand since she loves the water so much. But we will get some water time in port at least. Not sure how to keep her from the disappointment though.

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

Originally Posted by nt13

I'm just worried that it will still be dicey and I don't want to be "that person"!

Well nothing could be more embarrassing than the Undercover Boss episode where the Great Wolf Lodge waterpark employee had his boss get in the pool and pick up a deposit .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFgjLwIr4vE Minute 8:50

[ebrasl]

what happens when there is an accident in the pool? I mean it must happen. These are kids so even the potty trained ones slip up.

[crusinmama06]

Originally Posted by ebrasl

what happens when there is an accident in the pool? I mean it must happen. These are kids so even the potty trained ones slip up.

They shut down the entire pool for cleaning. It has to be entirely drained, scrubbed and then reopened - but it usually takes the entire day.

On two of our cruises - the pools were shut down for this specific reason - one was a Carnival kids pool and the other was Disney Wonder Mickey pool. My kids were shut out of the pool on a SEA DAY both times. They were not happy

[Nebr.cruiser]

Originally Posted by nt13

We are sailing on the Carnival Fantasy in April to the Bahamas. My daughter is 2.5 and working on potty training, but not quite there yet so she can't get in the pool. My 5 year old son loves the pool and water slides so I am sure he and my husband will want to spend good time at the pool.

My daughter loves the pool and water parks so I don't even want her to see the place since she will become hysterical if she sees the water and can't get in. I am wondering what to do to entertain her while my son and husband go to the pool? We will do some Camp Carnival but really I want to spend time with her too.

And on a related note, can parents stay and play with their children in Camp Carnival or is it only drop off?

Thanks for any advice!

2.5 may be a little young for this to work, but when our granddaughter was about to turn three, with no luck in potty training her, we were able to speed the process up, drastically, by really talking up the pre-school she was supposed to start at 3, which wouldn't take non-potty-trained kids (true).

She really, really wanted to go to school, and trained herself in one weekend! Absolutely true, and she never had an accident afterwards. Wanting to do something really badly can be a great motivator, depending on the child.

You can try using going in the pool as a 'carrot on the stick' to speed up the process. Of course, this will only work if she is physically and emotionally ready. But, it's worth a try. I suppose it could backfire if she gets too excited about the pool and still can't quite 'get' it, since 2.5 is just on the edge of when most kids are ready.

[European_CruiseGirl]

Originally Posted by Nebr.cruiser

She really, really wanted to go to school, and trained herself in one weekend! Absolutely true, and she never had an accident afterwards. Wanting to do something really badly can be a great motivator, depending on the child.

You can try using going in the pool as a 'carrot on the stick' to speed up the process. Of course, this will only work if she is physically and emotionally ready. But, it's worth a try. .

This is so true! Our DD seemed so ready to "abandon" the potty when she was almost 4 years old. Also we had a cruise coming up with meant a long flight for us and I was not overly excited about the idea of bringing a potty with us. So this is what we did:

We'd taken our DD to an amusement park approximately 6 months before for a half day trip. She was so excited and was constantly asking when we would go to the park again. We told her that we are going in x months but only children who are not using the potty anymore can stay for the whole day. Within one week she wasn't using the potty anymore.

But as Neb.cruiser says of course the child needs to be emotionally and physically ready for the change. However sometimes they just needs a bit of a push.

[cruizinisthebest]

I didn't realize your child couldn't get in the pool with a little swimmer pull-up on. But anyway, I wouldn't stress out before the cruise trying to accelerate potty training. Chances are that there will be some accidents anyway by being in a new environment and from all the excitement, etc. Just try alternate things activities and use the sprinklers if they have them on your ship. When in port, there's always the beach. Relax and have a good time. I'm sure you'll have a great time.