Master List of Items to Bring for Toddler

I seem to recall that someone posted a list of items to bring when cruising with a toddler. Maybe I'm wrong, but if anyone has seen it or is able to find it, can you please post the link?

TIA!

Here are a few I have done from personal experience:

extra Diapers and extra wipes

Disposable diaper bags (scented)

Bottles/sippy cups

A bottle brush and small container of dish soap to wash bottles/cups

A small fork/spoon set with a carrying case for meals

we brought a box of the disposable paper bibs instead of cloth ones

any medications you may need - fever, stomach, allergy, teething, etc

baby sunblock

small toys to use in cabin and at dining tables

baby blanket and/or any stuffed toys baby sleeps with

pack and play sheets - they provide the P&P but use regular sheets - the laundry soap they use may be harsh for your babies skin

snacks and teething biscuits (grab a few boxes of cheerios off the buffet in the morning for use during the day)

good umbrella stroller with cover and recline to use on ship and in port

Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

The list above pretty much covers it but I packed my son's pillow case; when he was 2 1/2 he was on the sofa bed and this let him know that was "his bed".

Also, the travel magic erase boards are good.

We also had his tablet that my husband had loaded some of his favorite movies on; not much kids programming on the cabin tv.

I think it depends on how old the toddler is. I know some of those applesauce/veggie pouches for snacks are great. I would also recommend a night light as the cabins can be really dark and also a good umbrella stroller. Other than that, it depends on the kid. If you have a picky eater you should maybe plan accordingly. I am sure you can find someone to nuke an easy mac if needed. Small bottles of dishwashing soap, sanitizer etc. Mr daughter is potty training and you can get covers/portable seats for that purpose. Scented disposal bags and a quick word to your room steward are important. They will check your room often. Overall, if you want something in particular the staff are so amazing. We cruised when my daughter was 16 months and she was going through a blueberry and grape phase. We sat down on lido at the buffet and asked if they had any and a waiter disappeared and came back 5 minutes later with a plate LOADED. Every time we went into the buffet after than we had a plate in seconds. The staff go out of their way to take care of the little ones :) For an older toddler, age appropriate coloring materials are great. Toddlers usually need less than babies. My DDs first cruise was when she was 6 months and 1 week and it was amazing. It will be much easier than you think, as long as you have diapers, wipes and age appropriate food. Most of the staff have family back home (either kids or grandkids) and will go out of their way to pay attention to your little one.

The last poster brought up a good point about potty trained children. On our last cruise my son was 3 and fully potty trained. We did bring a small fold up step stool for him to use in the bathroom. I kept it in the carry on so we could use it in the airports going and coming. It really helped him be independent on the ship. :D

Toddlers usually need less than babies. My DDs first cruise was when she was 6 months and 1 week and it was amazing. It will be much easier than you think, as long as you have diapers, wipes and age appropriate food. Most of the staff have family back home (either kids or grandkids) and will go out of their way to pay attention to your little one.

What about tips for babies too? We are cruising in January- our LO will be 7 months old.

Thanks for the many suggestions. DS will be just shy of 17 mths at the time of our cruise. I appreciate your help!

This was my list for when we brought our dd on a cruise over New Years. At the time she was 21 months. The only thing we didn't really use was the life vest and it took a lot of space. We also stayed in FL for four days before and were able to make a trip to Target.

We’re going again in March, just after she turns three, so that will be a completely different list.

I'll add some notes in ().

Baby powder (Great for getting sand off of hands and feet at the beach. Just left it in the beach bag)

Bibs - disposable/regular

2 sippy cups

Car seat with clip

Books

Medicing Bag: Eye drops, infant Advil, infant Benadryl, Band-Aids, Neosporin, baby nail clippers, cortisone cream, insect repellent, Pedialyte powder, thermometer

Diapers - day (bring 24 and get 120) and night (24) (got to many diapers, but would not wanted to have run out)

Miss Bunny (This is her lovie that she sleeps with)

Food/snacks for the plane

Pacifiers

Portable DVD player and DVDs

Stroller

Sun hats

Swim diapers (We used the reusables that are the bottoms of two piece suits)

Toys (The best were the magnets in a small tin. They ended up sticking to the cabin wall and dd sat on the bed and the wall was like a canvas.)

Pack and play sheet and waterproof liner (Highly recommend bringing your own sheet for pnp)

Wipes (got waaaaay too many)

Diaper baggies

Blow up tub (only used for baths, not for a pool)

Life vest

Shoe organizer and tabs (I got Command strips and stuck this inside the closet door. It was great for her little shoes, hair bows, etc)

Blanket

Night light (We were in an inside cabin. Always brought this, even before dd)

Harness backpack (Invaluable at the airport, didn't need it at the ship)

Silverware and plate/sticky

Bag that can be used at dinner

Laundry soap and stain stick

Backpack for diaper bag

Changing pad

Small changing pack

Buy in Florida:

Diapers: total 120 regular

Wipes - travel size and larger

Beach toys/bubbles

Snacks: yogurt, yogurt bites, cereal bars, applesauce packets, raisins

Thanks everyone. This is very helpful! :)

Thanks for starting this thread - we will need this list too. DD will be exactly one year.

My son wasn't really a toddler anymore when he first cruised, but he was still not used to using bar soap to wash his hands. So, I brought an unopened bottle of liquid hand soap with us. It ended up being used by the whole family. I had to leave the bottle in the room when we left because I can never re-close the pumps correctly, but it was worth it for him to be able to wash his hands well.

ALSO:

-personal snack favorites

-chargers for all electronics

-power strip for all chargers (not a lot of outlets in cabin, usually)

-pop-up folding hamper (found at dollar store--lay flat in suitcase)

-baby shampoo (only adult shampoo was provided on cruises I've been on)

-kid/baby sunscreen

-a sense of humor;)

I might be crazy, but when my kids were baby food age - I brought ALL their meals (yes I do not have to fly.)

I made breakfast, lunch and dinner packs with a disposable spoon, disposbable bib. I was just so worried some food reaction when introducing foods etc. it worked out so well, I put them in different drawers, and pulled out a pack when I went to eat.

We cruised when my middle child was almost 2 but developmentally like a 7 month old. It was awesome. We used the stroller exactly once, I used baby carriers constantly with her. She ate with us in the dining room--the staff loved her and made no fuss about the TREMENDOUS messes she made-- at the end of the trip we asked teh Maitre D' to bring in our busboy so we could tip him personally. Gave him a GOOD tip too. He earned it. They called her the "Leetel preencess" and brought her more desserts than I'd normally give her, but she was a slow gainer and put on 3 miraculous pounds on that cruise after almost a year of little weight gain.

Diapers were no big deal, though I seem to remember purchasing extra in some Central American drugstore. That was novel. We also brought sun protective clothing and relied on that far more than on sunscreen... when I use sunscreen only I burn, when I use sun protective clothing I don't. I'm extremely fair.

We brought our own life vest, IIRC. Theirs are crap for babies.

We are going on the RC oasis on Aug 10 I've never been on a cruise. My son is almost 2 I was wondering if I should bring my own pack & play? Not sure how the one on the ship will be size wise. Thanks in advance :)

I don't think there's a lot of size differences in pack n plays. the only difference would be if it's an actual mini crib and not a pnp. We didn't bring one and the ones in both the hotel and on the ship were fine. I would, however, bring your own sheet(s). The hotel had one but I think the ship was going to use regular sheets wrapped around it.

While not to "pack" remember if your LO is potty training, the toliets on board are really loud and can be scary -- so if you don't want to sabotage your toliet training, prepare the LO for the "really loud" noise before flushing. :D

Yeah that's what I thought I found a picture of RC with pack n play it looks standard I think it's carnival that has an actual crib.

I had a question on the pools...I heard they do not allow kids with swim diapers? I think there is a kid splash area on Oasis not sure if thats different rules or just all water activities on ship.

Yeah that's what I thought I found a picture of RC with pack n play it looks standard I think it's carnival that has an actual crib

Yep. Carnival had an actual crib for us when our ds sailed when he was 10m. When they are tots, they had a rollaway that was so much like his tot bed, he loved it and had no problems.

I second on bringing your own sheet though, I brought sheets and his blanket.

Definitely plan to come at least a day early (if not within driving distance), even though I recommend that for everyone, it'll help you more: you can get in a shopping trip for anything you left behind plus get more diapers, etc.

It's best to assume that the ship's store won't have baby/toddler specific items such as diapers, pullups, medications...

If you plan to leave the ship to go into port with the little one, and want to bring snacks, they need to be factory-sealed packages. Usually you can bring unopened cereal boxes from the buffet, but if your kid has certain tastes, you might not find all types of cereals (usually there will be just one brand). You should be able to find boxes with factory sealed goldfish, etc.

I noticed this thread was started some months ago, but someone was mentioning they were going with a 7-month old (presumably by the time of sailing). If you're planning a cruise with a baby who isn't born yet, you do need to be aware that the cruiseline will go by the baby's DOB. So if a baby is 5 months, 20 days at the time of sailing, you won't be allowed on the ship and you won't be entitled to a refund.

When we went on Royal Caribbean a few years ago, I called and specifically asked about coloring stuff for mealtimes. I was assured they had all that.

And they did. Sort of.

Same place mat to color each night. And our waiter had to scramble to find us some sad looking crayons on the first night. We held onto them the whole cruise since they were no easy task to find.

This summer when we go again; I am going to have large ziploc bags made up for each of my kids so they have more things to chose from.

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These lists have been sooo helpful. I will be on RC Explorer in March with my 3 yr old son. My husband and I have cruised many times but this will be the first time we are going with our son so it will be a whole new experience. My son is a very picky eater so I am keeping my fingers crossed that he'll adapt ok to the choices onboard. I do plan on bringing some snacks that I know he'll like... goldfish, Kixx cereal, and a package of juice boxes. We are right in the early stages of potty training and that is my biggest concern while on the ship. I wish I could bring our little potty to keep in our room, we aren't flying so in all actuality I probably could bring it?!?! We still have a month before we sail so I guess I'll see how things are with him then.

A few things I'll add to the list...

-Extra sun shield attachment for umbrella stroller. We had one when we were -in Disney and depending on where you are going the sun can be VERY strong!

-Small insulated cooler for bottle, cups, etc.

-iPad/iPhone loaded with movies, children's shows, games, music for naptime and bedtime. My son likes to fall asleep to relaxing music so I always have a bedtime music playlist that we can play.

Hope everyone has fun and safe cruises!!!

This is Princess specific, but for those sailing with infants and toddlers small enough for a PNP I recommend bringing magnetic hooks and a dark shower curtain. Princess has a closet area large enough to hold the PNP and you can put the magnetic hooks on the ceiling, hang the shower curtain on it, and they have their own little bedroom space while napping/sleeping so you can use the rest of the cabin to read a book or whatever.