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Packing Tips for Cruising with a Toddler and Baby


Libbywhite14
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Hi Everyone! We're cruising in 2 weeks on Carnival Liberty to Nassau and Freeport with our 2 young daughters. One is 3.5 and the other will be 9 months. Does anyone have any suggestions for packing items to make our lives easier? I've compiled my own list and also have done some reading around on various forums, but want to make sure I don't miss anything. This will be our first time cruising! Also any tips or tricks would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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bring EVERYTHING. literally.. including pediatric medicines and supplements. bring twice as many diapers as you normally go through in a week. bring your own baby food although they will happily puree any menu items like potatoes and peas for you.

 

blow up bathtub or tiny pool

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I'm a travel "light" kind of gal with three kids. Critical items for me - diapers, wipes, formula (if you formula feed), clothing/jammies, stroller, SUNBLOCK and a medical kit. For our family we have also have a couple of lovies/blankies that are mission critical. You'll want a swim suit for the 3 year old, but the 9 month old won't be able to go in any pools. If your infant is a picky eater you may want to consider packing along some tried and true foods, but we always used travel as a chance to try out new things. You don't really need anything different for a cruise than you would for any other vacation.

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We always grabbed a couple of cartons of milk from the buffet to put in the mini-fridge for my Grandson when he was three. We would also keep a box of the cereal from the buffet in the cabin for an "emergency" snack. We often took a box of the cereal and a bottle of water on an excursion to keep him from getting hungry if lunch ran late. We stuck an extra outfit in a zip-lock baggie with us on excursions too. Best Tip: Carry the Grandmother. We love babysitting while you go out in the evenings...lol

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  • 2 weeks later...

I recommend grabbing some of the non-perishable food items from the buffet to bring with you in the port. Unless your infant has a lot of food restrictions, I wouldn't waste space in your luggage with food items. There will be plenty of infant friendly food items on board. Definitely plan to stop by the Camp Ocean area to enroll your kids and plan to use it. My kids loved it and sometimes were upset when we picked them up. Also, consider a carrier to wear the baby. I found that putting my youngest in a carrier was a lot easier than trying navigate the ship and busy streets with a stroller, plus we didn't have a stroller taking up space in the cabin. I also brought several bathing suits for both the kids so that they would always have a dry suit to put on.

 

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If you want to take food off the ship it has to be sealed in factory sealed original containers or you may be violating the local law and if you get caught you could get a huge fine. So a sealed box of cereal is OK, but a piece of fruit is not.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 11 months later...

Ideally you don't want anything that is too wide, so a side by side might not work. Ship hallways are narrow and when the cleaning cart is in the hallway it might be difficult to get through.

An inline stroller is your best bet, but I don't see any like there used to be back in the 70's. This is the closest I could find. You really don't want anything huge, something that will fold up small because you won't have a lot of room in the cabin to store it. It is against the law to park anything in the hallway -- so you'll have to work around the thing when you're not using it.

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With kids that young, you will be packing BUNCHES of stuff. You need to bring ALL the baby stuff you'll need. Diapers, wipes, multiple changes of clothes (I know my kids "leaked" frequently...ick), any medications you MIGHT need, as the ship doesn't sell pediatric stuff at all.

 

For the older tot...it won't take as much stuff...and they are "of age" for the kid's clubs, if you might want to utilize that. Most kids enjoy it a lot!

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With kids that young, you will be packing BUNCHES of stuff. You need to bring ALL the baby stuff you'll need. Diapers, wipes, multiple changes of clothes (I know my kids "leaked" frequently...ick), any medications you MIGHT need, as the ship doesn't sell pediatric stuff at all.

 

For the older tot...it won't take as much stuff...and they are "of age" for the kid's clubs, if you might want to utilize that. Most kids enjoy it a lot!

Since OP asked the question April 2017, stating that her cruise was "in two weeks", I'm fairly certain she's figured out what to take.

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What double stroller did you have? Trying to decide what stroller to purchase for a cruise in August with 7 month old & 2.5 yr old. Thanks

 

Since OP asked the question April 2017, stating that her cruise was "in two weeks", I'm fairly certain she's figured out what to take.

Well Schmoo, Khar1852 resurrected this thread yesterday asking about what type of stroller was used I answered that post and the next poster just piggy-backed on bringing EVERYTHING that the infant needs.

 

 

Just answering questions when asked.

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Hi Everyone! We're cruising in 2 weeks on Carnival Liberty to Nassau and Freeport with our 2 young daughters. One is 3.5 and the other will be 9 months. Does anyone have any suggestions for packing items to make our lives easier? I've compiled my own list and also have done some reading around on various forums, but want to make sure I don't miss anything. This will be our first time cruising! Also any tips or tricks would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

I've heard the suggestion for an over-door clear shoe holder as a great way to store/keep and divide supplies (out of reach of young arms). And some lines let you pre-order baby food.

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