1st time cruising with 2 year old

Hi Everyone,

I have been on 30+ cruises and am a 1 st time grandmother. We r taking our granddaughter on Grandeur of the Seas (RCL) for her 2nd birthday, along with mommy n daddy. I am aware of her not being allowed in the pool or kids program since she is still in diapers and plan on bringing a small inflatable pool for swimming for her. I was wondering if u had any other helpful advice for us? I didn't start cursing with my kids till about 7 so this is a whole new world for me! Thanks in advance for any wisdom u can throw my way!

Adalyns Grammy ( AKA Jacki)

We sailed with our son at 13 months an when he turned 3. Some advise is to take any medication you think you may need. Items available on the ship are minimal. Take extra diapers and wipes as the change in diet can cause stomach issues. Make sure you bring their favorite blanket or stuffed animal for bedtime. A good umbrella stroller is a must. We brought one that reclined and had a sun shade.

The cruise activities will be centered around the child's schedule. Just go with the flow and have a great time.

Bring more diapers & wipes than you think you will need. Also, the scented trash bags and zip lock bags are good for disposing of diapers.

Take anything that will comfort her (special blanket, toy, etc).

Make sure her parents bring a medical kit....infant/children's Tylenol, ibuprofen, gas relief, nasal spray, powdered pedialite, a thermometer, etc. You won't be able to find those in the ship's shops. Also have them check with their pediatrician about what to give her for sea sickness just in case (rare with that age, but best to be prepared).

Disposable bibs work well. We also took some of the disposable (& Target $1 bin) toddler utensils and the sip & toss cups. That way we didn't have to worry about losing them. Take a cup with a lid to the dining room.

Try to get milk off the buffet in the morning & put some in the fridge for later even fruit & cereal). We also took some of the shelf stable milk to keep in the room. Possibly take some packaged snacks she likes to have in the room between meals, etc. we took some packaged crackers & fruit gummies to keep with us. Remember that, even though there is a children's menu, she can order from the adult menu. DD usually stuck with the kids menu, but ordered a couple of soup and pasta dishes from the adult menu. Every night after night 1, they'd have a bowl of fruit waiting at the table for her.

Have a back up plan for sleeping if she is too big for the pack & play. We started with the sofa bed (no way DD could have fit in the P&P at 2 1/2), but then the cabin attendant made up a little bed on the floor which worked great. If she will be able to sleep in the Pack & Play take your own sheets for it.

A stroller is a hood idea to have, but take one that can easily be stored in a cabin. We took an umbrella one which fit easily folded up in a corner (or under the bed). We barely used it, but we're glad to have it on a couple of occasions.

Just go with the flow and enjoy!!

Thanks so much... I wouldn't have thought of the powdered pedi lite, great idea! Also the alternative bed is good to keep in the back of my mind. Hubby n I will have a suite, but mommy n daddy have an outside cabin. Was wondering how I could babysit during pm hrs with out breaking the " no sleeping in bed with grown ups" rule.... Don't want to have sleeping problems after the cruise!

Jacki

When our parents watched DS (10 months at the time) on our last cruise we found it easiest to have them take him back to our cabin and put him to bed there. It would mean giving up the comforts of your suite for a few hours, but depending on sleeping arrangements and how flexible the little one is might be worth it. We had planned to get an extra key to our room for that purpose, but then realized that DS had his own key that could be passed around to whoever needed it.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks for the idea of the extra key! I'm gonna have to start making a list, I'm getting so many great tips!

Thanks again,

Jacki

We got a joining rooms for exactly that reason. Also check the ship you are on some have Royal Babies RCC and take little ones for a small fee plus some ships have small splash pool for non trained toddlers.

Thanks for the idea of the extra key! I'm gonna have to start making a list, I'm getting so many great tips!

 

Thanks again,

Jacki

Just hand off the 2 year old's key when you pass her back and forth :) She'll have her own since it will be needed for her to get on/off the ship.

Our oldest had 3 cruises under his belt by the time he was 3. The key is to know what the child needs to be happy and comfortable, and everyone will enjoy the cruise more. Every kid is different. Your mileage may vary.

Some can sleep anywhere in a stroller, or stay up till whatever time and be fine. Mine needed his bed at his usual time or he would be a hyper bouncy crabby-as-all-heck second-winded baby for his dad and me to suffer the repercussions. He was great at napping on the go though in the stroller so we could be out all day long and he'd be fine so long as we were back in the cabin for bedtime. It sounds like it might make most sense on evenings where you are babysitting to stay in the parents' cabin until they get back unless you're ok with your granddaughter staying in your room overnight and having her parents pick her up in the morning. It's probably easiest to not have to move a sleeping toddler. Whatever sleeping arrangements they have in their room (pullout bed or PnP) can probably be arranged in your suite as well if you ask the steward in advance.

How does she handle eating and meals? If there are certain snacks she absolutely has to have or will certainly make life easier to have, bring it with you. Prepackaged food can be taken offshore, but nothing else. Cereal boxes from the buffet in the morning were also handy to take with us for snacks during the day. Our son had a food allergy so we packed his snacks and drinks for port days, and worked with the restaurant directors as soon as we boarded to have his allergy accommodated (both CCL and NCL were fantastic with this!). He did great with meals in general and has a good appetite, but he got bored during a 2 hr formal dinner. We did much better with flexible meal times on NCL. Tailor your meal times around when she needs to eat, and with the style of meal that won't be too much of a challenge for her. I've found the servers on any of the cruises we've been on to be very accommodating with little ones and will work with you to make the dining experience as enjoyable as possible, whether it's knowing to have a plate of fruit out for him as soon as we're seated, to playing little games with him through out the meal.

Others have already given good advice on packing extra diapers (they fit well in the outer pockets of suitcases), medications, pedialyte, etc. Pack ziplock bags - they are useful for keeping messy clothes contained, organizing kids' stuff, I've heard some parents pack a ziplock with basically each day's supplies so that on port days especially, you can just grab the pouch and go. You'll find all sorts of occasions for wanting to keep things dry or keep wet stuff from contaminating the dry. Bring a few toys that you won't be upset if they don't come home (think little things of the happy meal toys variety). Bubbles were great for entertaining my toddler, whether blown on my balcony, or at the beach in port.

Enjoy your trip and enjoy the time with your kids and granddaughter!

Thanks so much for taking the time to give such detailed advice! Pre packing each day sounds like an awesome idea, I hope my dd thinks so too! I'm all about pre planning n being organized!

Thanks again,

Jacki

An idea I got from this forum to keep our 2 year old entertained at dinner was to pack a different activity each night. One of her favorite that I also found here, was Pom poms from the dollar store, she liked putting them in her empty snack trap and sorting them by color etc. The dollar store sells them.

When my kids were young, I use to make them personalized colouring books.

There are tons of free images on the internet. I would choose all their favourite charcters from books, tv, movies. I made a cover page personalized with their names, picture of the ship and sailing date and then printed on ledger paper, folded in half and had stapled.

If you can't do this, make up the file and take it to Staples or other copier store and have them do it.

the first night, they'd do nothing but look through the books and "wow" at all their favourite characters.