What to do at night w/infant/toddler on cruise?

[KJENN]

We are going on the Oasis next month with our then 17 month old. Just wondering what your evenings were like with your baby. We've been on a few cruises and it obviously won't be the same, but we were thinking of maybe trying to get him to fall asleep in the stroller after dinner so that we can walk around the ship a bit. Did this work for anyone? We were going to bring an umbrella-type stroller but after reading other comments, will prob bring our City Mini stroller which he tends to sleep really well in (deep recline and almost cave-like). Did a lot of people walk around babies at night?

 

We will prob use the nursery a night or two as well.

 

Also if anyone wants to share what their days were like schedule-wise, i'd love to hear. Having a hard time picturing what our days on the ship will look like with the baby.

 

Thanks in advance for the advice!

[Kerry's Girls]

I went dancing with my toddlers after dinner and then back to the cabin to get them changed into jammies for a walk around the ship in the stroller. I used the beach towel from the room to put over the stroller hood when it was time for them to sleep and they usually did.

 

Best,

Mia

[airwick]

My DD was 13 months when we took her cruising. We definitely but her to sleep in her stroller, we took a nice long walk around the deck. We even took her to the midnight buffet! I'm pretty sure we took her to a show or two as well! We mostly did beach days at our stops, with one trip to the ruins carrying her in the back pack. She was always ready to sleep shortly after dinner. The wait staff was great too, they always brought exactly what she wanted to eat too, tomatoes and pickles! :) She was a pick eater as a little one!

 

Have fun and enjoy!

[B_Mc]

We thought we would try what you're describing - get DS to sleep, then walk around or go to a show - but we ended up being so exhausted that we were in bed much, much earlier then we planned. His 5 or 5:30 am wake ups didn't help! We ended up putting him to bed in our room and hanging out on our balcony or taking turns going out to the casino or a wander around the ship.

 

Our days were pretty low key. We ate in the dinning room very frequently so our days revolved around the schedule there and DS' naps. We squeezed in trips to the pool and walks around the port in between!

[jhdoublin]

I think the best advice that I can give anyone wanting alone time- is to pay the extra for 2 rooms and take someone with you specifically to watch your child for you. That is the only real way you can guarantee that you will be able to do some of the things you want to do- of course it would have to be someone they were very comfortable with- and connecting balcony rooms would be fabulous.

 

 

I haven't taken this advice myself- because I don't have anyone like that- but that's just my observation.

 

You can write out and plan all you want with times of in-room babysitting/ group sitting/ falling asleep in stroller to walk around- but honestly- you can't depend on those things working out and you might end up disappointed.

 

If you don't have someone like me- you just suck it up- and say "we'll make the best of it- it is what it is" that's really the only way you aren't going to be disappointed in your cruise since you won't have high expectations to be disappointed.

 

Look at it this way- you are not at home, not cleaning, not cooking, someone making your bed and cleaning your room 2 times a day, looking after you hand and foot- that's enough to make me want to go lol!

 

We did rent a house in Mexico when son was just over 2 years right on the beach- and it was pretty relaxing, more than a cruise I guess- other than we had to cook- so that might be an option for people that cruises don't work out. South Akumal was the town just down from Playa Del Carmen.

 

Julie

[KJENN]

Thanks all. We don't have someone who can come with us unfortunately. We are planning to use the nursery for a night or two, so we can plan our nights around that and hope for the best the other nights. I'm hoping we can wear him out enough to get him to fall asleep LOL, but if not oh well.

 

Julie- we actually honeymooned in Akumal @ Akumal Beach resort...the beaches tehre are gorgeous. We took DS to an all-inclusive in Puerto Morales (between Cancun and Playa) when he was 9 months and we had a blast. Of course he was smaller, so he fell asleep in the stroller while we walked the resort. But there wasn't nearly as much to do as there is on a ship, so looking forward to that.

[LisaT91403]

We took our 12 month old on Mariner, and we used the in-cabin babysitting at night. They didn't have a nursery on Mariner, so that wasn't an option. We fed our son in the cabin while we were getting ready for dinner (late seating), then gave him a bath and got him ready for bed. We put him down at around 8:00, and the sitter came at 8:15 after my son was already asleep.

 

During the day, we would take him to the Fisher Price play session, stroll him around the promenade and pool deck, and let him play in his inflatable pool on the pool deck as well. He went to the ice show, and ate his first ice cream :-) He didn't really nap on the cruise (not in the stroller or in the cabin), so that was a disappointment. But it made it easy for him to fall asleep at night, so it all worked out.

[angielane]

Just came back from the Jewel of the Seas yesterday with a one-year-old. We tried to take our sleeping baby out in the stroller in the evenings a couple times - but it just didn't work well for me.

 

We'd stroll around the ship a couple times...but I didn't feel comfortable in the music/activity venues....frankly, too many looks and comments from people. didn't seem worth the effort...plus, like others said, we were tired from the early morning wake-up call from DS.

 

Of course, the average age was older than what I imagine the oasis will be...plus there were only a handful of infants/toddlers on the cruise (and no one else did it). The baby would've been fine with it. (Though we did use it nearly every day for his naps - just carted him around).

 

definitely would recommend a reclining stroller, we bought it specifically for the cruise, and I'm glad we did. He LIVED in it...and enjoyed his "buggy rides".

 

sometimes it was difficult to find room in the elevators - but my hubby and I took turns taking him in the elevator, while the other took the stairs. that helped a bit.

 

no nursery on the jewel but we did do babysitting two nights. the staff were excellent. $19/hour. that was a nice way to experience some night life.

 

they had family disco one night...and my little guy LOVED that. we were the first ones on the dance floor. :)

 

We did do a lot more in the morning than I've done on prior cruises...and it was fun to stroll around on deck before most were awake...see the sun rise and let our guy explore areas that were more crowded later in the day.

[NewSalt]

Just came back from the Jewel of the Seas yesterday with a one-year-old. We tried to take our sleeping baby out in the stroller in the evenings a couple times - but it just didn't work well for me.

 

We'd stroll around the ship a couple times...but I didn't feel comfortable in the music/activity venues....frankly, too many looks and comments from people. didn't seem worth the effort...

 

May I ask what kind of comments?

 

We're sailing this summer with our DD, DSIL, and DGS, who will be 14 months old, as well as the other grandparents. DD worries about getting "the look" from those around her.

[angielane]

May I ask what kind of comments?

 

We're sailing this summer with our DD, DSIL, and DGS, who will be 14 months old, as well as the other grandparents. DD worries about getting "the look" from those around her.

 

Overall, I have to say that people were wonderful! Our 12-month- old was a star and got lots of attention. We were on 10 days and by the end, he was widely known either by name or as "that blue-eyed baby"...he LOVED every minute.

 

Though, in fact, after a few days, even this very well-intended attention became a little overwhelming for us because we always felt "on display".

 

I did get few comments - mostly around dinner and ships activities - that my baby shouldn't be there. He wasn't particularly fussy, mind you...but he's prone to happy babbel from time to time.

 

I really felt that we - and he - paid to be there just like they did...and as long as he wasn't screaming, no one was guaranteed a "kid-free" cruise. that's just life. Of course, we honored ALL stated age restrictions (pools, restaurants, excursions, etc.)

 

At night, the comments weren't mean...some disapproving looks from older women in particular...but also people asking "where's the baby"...and, "oh look, he's in the stroller"...constant attention doesn't lend itself to relaxation. :)

 

honestly, what I wasn't fully prepared for was the RCI staff. They were phenomenal, as most here will say. Very accomodating and helpful! More than a dozen men and -- what really tugs at the heart strings! -- women said they have a baby at home the same age. Knowing they were away from their little one for 5-6 months at a time, made me very sad.

 

p.s. There were only 5 infant/toddlers on the ship, and we almost never saw the others. I think it might have been different if we were on the Oasis or Allure - apparently they get A LOT more little ones.

[NewSalt]

Thanks for the reply. I can understand where it might be more pleasant to blend into the background a little.

 

I'm glad to see that you didn't get a lot of tsk-tsks; some people seem to have such an anti-baby, anti-child bias that I wonder if they know how our species reproduces itself.

 

DD is very conscious of others' disapproval. When she was pregnant, she wouldn't even have one glass of wine at dinner on New Year's Eve, even though her ob/gyn told her it would be perfectly all right, because she was afraid someone would confront her about it. (She must get that from her DF's side!)

[donaldsc]

I just bought something at my local wine store called "Brown Cow" chocolate wine. It is delicious and tastes just like chocolate milk but is 13% alcohol. That would help him to go to sleep.

 

LOL!!

 

DON

[IttaBit]

Personally, I am probably one of the people who gives a look. I'm a mom of two, soon to be 3 and I don't think infants and toddlers should out at mid-night, even if asleep in a stroller. I think the latest we stayed out with our daughters was about 10 pm. When you have small kids, I think you have to be realistic about their limitations. If you can't get babysitting, grab a bottle of wine, put the baby to bed, and hang out on the balcony with your significant other. Maybe you aren't out dancing and whooping it up, but it's still alone time. Besides, you'll have plenty of time to be alone with your spouse when the kids are older...just my opinion, of course.

[cnote100]

Personally, I am probably one of the people who gives a look. I'm a mom of two, soon to be 3 and I don't think infants and toddlers should out at mid-night, even if asleep in a stroller. I think the latest we stayed out with our daughters was about 10 pm. When you have small kids, I think you have to be realistic about their limitations. If you can't get babysitting, grab a bottle of wine, put the baby to bed, and hang out on the balcony with your significant other. Maybe you aren't out dancing and whooping it up, but it's still alone time. Besides, you'll have plenty of time to be alone with your spouse when the kids are older...just my opinion, of course.

 

Just my opinion, but I think it's rude to give someone a look just because your opinion of what they should be doing with their kinds is different than theirs. Is it ok to let the baby nap in the stroller? What about those that don't have a balcony? In addition to the various time changes some go through when travelling from home to a cruise, many familes/children may just run on a different schedule than you do. Why are people so quick to judge?

[angielane]

Just a point of clarification...I didn't take my little one out at midnight in his stroller..

 

I got looks at 7:30 pm, and frankly at dinner and at ships activities when he squealed, babelled, or simply wandered off from us (again, not far, but a few feet - as he's just starting to walk). And certainly not from everyone...the vast majority of people seemed to enjoy him!

 

Seemed like it was mostly older women that were "judgy". I think I let it affect me too much...It just didn't occur to me before that there'd be women who weren't baby-friendly.

 

Of course, we didn't take him to the disco (except on family disco hour, where he was first on the dance floor :)...just to the schooner bar and the safari club for live music (piano/violinists) and a glass of wine.

 

I agree fully that you will have to make compromises with a baby/toddler, and it won't be near same as cruising child-free. Still we had a great experience, and looking forward to doing it again as soon as we can.

[Kerry's Girls]

Personally, I am probably one of the people who gives a look. I'm a mom of two, soon to be 3 and I don't think infants and toddlers should out at mid-night, even if asleep in a stroller. I think the latest we stayed out with our daughters was about 10 pm. When you have small kids, I think you have to be realistic about their limitations. If you can't get babysitting, grab a bottle of wine, put the baby to bed, and hang out on the balcony with your significant other. Maybe you aren't out dancing and whooping it up, but it's still alone time. Besides, you'll have plenty of time to be alone with your spouse when the kids are older...just my opinion, of course.

 

Families on cruises come from lots of different time zones on lots of different schedules.

 

Best,

Mia

[angielane]

Also if anyone wants to share what their days were like schedule-wise, i'd love to hear. Having a hard time picturing what our days on the ship will look like with the baby.

 

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

 

Back on topic to the original post...our sea days looked like this. our guy generally naps twice a day still -

 

Breakfast

Royal Babies Play Group (which actually went for almost 2 hours, and he loved!)

Baby naps in Stroller while we walked the ship/ship activities (like Trivia)

Lunch

Royal Babies Play Group

Pool - we brought a blow up pool (highly recommend!), and DS played in that while we took turns in the big pool

Nap in stroller/Ship Activities/Balcony time

Dinner

Royal Baby Bed Time Hour

Bar for drink/music (baby in stroller/sleeping), or TV in room/Balcony time

 

In general, we took advantage of the live music whenever we could -several times throughout the day. My little guy enjoyed that and would dance and walk around.

 

On the advice of other posters, we'd often go to the disco or other lounges during the day when they weren't crowded...and let our guy wander/explore...I would take a book, and hubby would watch him, or vice versa.

 

we took full advantage of the Royal Babies/Tots activities. Basically the whole day is spent entertaining our little guy while balancing some time for us.

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

Brought my son for his first cruise last summer when he was just 9 months. Clearly he was too young for the kids programs, but that's fine because I preferred him being with me the whole time. We had a fantastic time. After dinner, we usually walked around the ship & he eventually would fall asleep, so then we would go to a show in the main theater & he never woke up, and if he did, he never made a peep. He was great the entire cruise. My mom was also there with us, so she offered to take him so my fiancé & I could see a comedy show occasionally. Also, because we always started the day so early & was constantly doing something all day long, we usually never stayed out later than 11:30 PM.

[IttaBit]

Granted, there are time zone differences but usually by day 3, our bodies have adjusted and midnight is still midnight...and just like the parents that have no problem taking their kids out that late, I'm entitled to think it's inappropriate. :)

[KJENN]

Personally, I am probably one of the people who gives a look. I'm a mom of two, soon to be 3 and I don't think infants and toddlers should out at mid-night, even if asleep in a stroller. I think the latest we stayed out with our daughters was about 10 pm. When you have small kids, I think you have to be realistic about their limitations. If you can't get babysitting, grab a bottle of wine, put the baby to bed, and hang out on the balcony with your significant other. Maybe you aren't out dancing and whooping it up, but it's still alone time. Besides, you'll have plenty of time to be alone with your spouse when the kids are older...just my opinion, of course.

 

So 10 PM is OK, but midnight isn't? My thoughts are if he's sleeping, he's sleeping, whether its in a stroller or a crib. Obviously if he wasn't sleeping or was miserable, we'd be back in the room, but I think based on the other responses we'll give it a try and see how he does!

[IttaBit]

Well, that is two hours and when you're a small child, that's a very long time. I'm not saying don't do it, heck it's your child and if you think he'll be fine, go for it. I just won't be out there at midnight with small child. They'll be comfortably asleep in bed because I think that's where they belong at midnight. :D

[AandBmom]

Granted, there are time zone differences but usually by day 3, our bodies have adjusted and midnight is still midnight...and just like the parents that have no problem taking their kids out that late, I'm entitled to think it's inappropriate. :)

 

I find it better to keep my kids on their home schedule rather than adjusting to the new time unless we're on vacation for more than 8 days. It just makes the transitions to/from vacation much smoother.

 

I used to have opinions of other people's parenting but I've learned to relax and realize that we all do things differently and kids thrive within many different styles of parenting.

 

I appreciate the info in this thread. We're sailing w/ our 7.5mos old next week and we were hoping to catch a show with her sleeping in her stroller or bucket car seat. I think we might just give it a shot. Our older 2 can go to camp for a bit so that just leaves the baby with us.

[LynneL]

"Interesting" thread....looked at this because we just booked a cruise for Dec. and my son & family talking about going. My granddaughter is a year old and I am laughing away at this what time kids must be in their cabin to get their proper rest. I'm thinking DG has been know to sleep to 11:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. her norm, while my husband is the one prowling around the house at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. on days off. I'll be the one more in need of having to be tucked in my 10:00 pm than she - lol.

[Seraphine]

Well, that is two hours and when you're a small child, that's a very long time. I'm not saying don't do it, heck it's your child and if you think he'll be fine, go for it. I just won't be out there at midnight with small child. They'll be comfortably asleep in bed because I think that's where they belong at midnight. :D

 

No, you won't be, but you'll be shooting mean looks at those that do.

 

We fly from Europe to be able to cruise in the Caribbean... meaning we can usually only afford inside cabins. So, no balcony, and a whopping time change... if that means that taking my infant with me in a stroller late at night to keep her occupied during a bout of jet lag, so be it.

 

I just dare anyone to give me a dirty look for it.

[tunseeker1]

I have been on many cruises and the best conversation about kids on a ship I have had was an elderly man that was complaining about a cruise during winter break and how no kids should be allowed on a ship ever period. The only problem was his idea of a kid was under 25.(I was 19 at the time)

 

As for children and bed times, my 2 yr old usually is up until around midnight every day because I work late and get home at 11 at night and he wants me to put him to bed. He still wakes up at 7am and only gets about an hour of a nap a day, but is still a ball of energy :rolleyes:

 

Before people judge what the proper bedtime is for anyone remember that the world is a 24 hr a day thing. Just because you think bedtime is before 3am doesn't mean I do;)