Would you take your 7 month old on a cruise

[glituner32]

Hi,

 

Me and my wife plan to take our daughter on a cruise this summer. She will be 7 months at the time we take the cruise.

 

I've gotten mixed reactions from friends and family. Do you guys think shes to young to go on a cruise? I'm not worried about the amount we have to pay for 3rd passenger. I'm more worried about safety and heath.

 

Thanks

Stan

[DHADEN]

NO!!

 

Sorry, but it really is a bad idea.

[cruisinfanatic]

NO!!

 

Sorry, but it really is a bad idea.

[kalliekae]

For me, I would say no. Not because of any safety or health concerns, but because I would want to enjoy the cruise unencumbered with a child. Who is going to babysit when you want to attend a show? Wouldn't you rather enjoy a nice dinner without a baby distracting you or your fellow dinners? I just wouldn't be relaxed if I had to take a 7 month old baby. When my dh and I were young, we didn't cruise. We took vacations with the baby or we left the baby with grandparents when we went to the Super Bowl one year. But again, that's me. You should do whatever you are comfortable doing.

[floridianny]

I'm not going to tell you whether or not to take your daughter on a cruise. People do it all the time. I never cruised until my kids were older so no experience with that. I did, however, travel with my kids from the time they were over 3 months old. I would say the best advice is to think of what it entails and then decide if you are comfortable. I would bring EVERYTHING you would need for the entire time plus some extra for delays, etc. Meaning maybe an extra suitcase with all the diapers,wipes,jar food, formula if you use it, baby tylenol, crib sheet and blanket etc. I wouldn't expect the cruise ship to be able to supply me with much. Also something to consider, is she a good sleeper? My kids woke frequently during the night, especially my oldest:roll eyes:

My kids were good travelers though. But a lot of that was our being prepared with toys, food, etc, keeping a schedule and still being flexible. Most babies love new experiences but some, like my niece, would scream all night in a hotel room. Many people will say not to take your child on a cruise or wherever , but once you have children all vacations are "working" vacations. LOL You just change your expectations. Only you know what you and your daughter will enjoy. Whatever you decide, enjoy, they grow up fast:)

[bouhunter]

Since you've asked - no.

 

Not for safety or health reasons necessarily. We LOVE to travel, it's our #1 passion in life. But we took a couple years off until our daughter was almost 3 years old. We just didn't see the point in spending the vacation time and money end effort (or as someone said above, WORK), to travel with an infant. We felt we wouldn't enjoy travel the way we liked to, and of course she wouldn't know the difference. But that was just us. Lots of people like to travel with infants, it just wasn't something we were interested in doing.

 

When we're on ships or at airports now and see people with infants hauling diaper bags, strollers, etc etc etc we just smile and are glad we never did that just to go on "vacation"...... :)

Edited May 3, 2016 by bouhunter

[BLAMBKY]

:eek: wow, I am surprised at the previous posters. I know when we just had one child, we traveled quite a bit with her. I think as long as you practice good hygiene, health wise you are covered. You come into contact with lots of people everyday when you go to the grocery. Do you take your child out generally in public? I would recommend researching a baby life jacket to keep in your cabin to know that you have the proper size for an infant. Would it be the same vacation as without a baby, no but going in with proper expectations, I say go & enjoy!

Edited May 3, 2016 by BLAMBKY

[wendychloecruiser]

You are going to be a long way from a Pediatrician.

[PompeySailor]

Also surprised at the big NO in bold replies!!! Shocker

 

Why not I say:)

We took our daughter on her 1st cruise when she was 6months old, now 14 and 24 cruises under her belt.

You could say she was born to cruise;)

 

We had in room sitters, nursery on the ship is excellent and the staff are great with kids that age.

 

Only you can decide, but I would not ask a forum and total strangers to make your desicion for you..

 

My 2 cents worth with a little Yes!!

 

Let us know what YOU decide to do:D

 

Happy Days!

[debandbruce]

I would also have to say no. I don't want to sway your decision it's your holiday. I just find children that young require routine and a great deal of attention. You may not be able to experience the cruise to it's fullest. I am the mother of twins and now grandma to a 9 month old. My grand daughter is a handful, in a good way but still on the move and somewhat demanding, she's like her grandma there, lol. She makes for busy days and not too much relaxing. I think this would be even more hectic in unfamiliar surroundings but only you know your little one.

[Queen of Oakville]

I love cruising with my children, but I would not have dared cruise with them at that age. I think my youngest as 2 1/2 when they took their first cruise.

 

If your child is nursing, food won't be an issue. But diapers are.

 

the heat, the movement of the ship, the change in schedule, its a lot for a little one to bear with. Some babies handle it well, others not so well.

 

Go for a hotel stay somewhere, it will likely be more enjoyable for all of you.

[bouhunter]

I would recommend researching a baby life jacket to keep in your cabin to know that you have the proper size for an infant.

 

Sure, one would sleep much better knowing that a 7 month old will have a life jacket while adrift in the open sea. TOO FUNNY.

Edited May 3, 2016 by bouhunter

[UCF_Knight]

Travelling on a cruise ship with an infant can be tough. My youngest was 2 when she took her first cruise, and even that was a challenge. There aren't that many activities they can do at 7 months old, and babysitting is not included in the cruise fare like it is once they hit 3 years old and you can drop them off at Adventure Ocean. Many ships don't have any swimming area at all for kids in diapers, and those ships that do only have a tiny little splash area for them.

 

As for general health and safety issues, I don't know that it would be any worse than any land based vacations you might take. A 7 month old isn't going to be getting out of your sight quickly unless you are completely not paying any attention to her. It isn't like she'll be able to climb over a 4 foot tall railing at that age to fall overboard.

 

Norovirus outbreaks tend to be slightly more prevalent on cruise ships than in hotels on land, but it tends to be much more common in the winter months than in the summer when you are planning to go. Mosquito borne diseases would be a concern in the summer in many Caribbean ports. You'd have to make sure you had an effective infant approved repellent.

[dln929]

I would say no--and this is from someone whose firstborn had a passport at four months old. I've come home from a few cruises with what I call a "cruise cough" that is very hard to shake. I don't know whether it's all the thousands of people in close proximity, season, or ventilating systems on ships, but it's happened and I don't like it, and yes, we're health conscious! I would hate to take a baby on a cruise and risk picking up an illness.

[hlfrps]

I would investigate the SHIP (NOT ALL ARE ALIKE) for

 

nursery (not just kid programs but actual nursery) and in cabin babysitting service (give yourself a break);

look into cabin with balcony to enjoy while you are maintaining nap and bed time schedules;

kid areas that would include a baby pool for kids not potty trained;

infant area within the children's programs (additional area for your child to crawl other than cabin, different toys)

 

When talking to representative (perhaps the special needs department) ask

about pre-delivery of water, crib, and all those things you may need or even want. You may be surprised that you can rely on the ship for a lot of things, particularly life jacket. Make it easier on yourself in not packing up the house.

 

But I do recall a review wherein the mother was so upset that the ship they went on did not have NURSERY and WADING POOL for her 1 year old.

 

Be flexible, if kid cries and does not sleep during show, flip that coin ahead of time so that you know who will escape. Windjammer in the evening is very family friendly and if you get that ship that offers a sitter-enjoy that evening as if it was your anniversary. After all, happy mom and dad will make a happy kid. Your life has already adjusted, will be adjusting for the next 18 years (or more) so why not cruise with reality.

Enjoy. Your truly, mother of twin daughters (now 31) who sailed on the Chesapeake Bay with three month olds, 26 cruises under my belt and four grandchildren, two more on the way.

[elvirasnts]

I did it and had no issues at all. My son was 9 months old at the time. I brought everything I needed as far as pampers, soap, meds (just in case) and bottles. I also brought little 8oz milks from the supermarket the ones that didn't need to be in the fridge and I used those.

 

Also the coffee bar always gave me warm milk at no charge for him. The MDR always brought something over for him to eat since he was a picky eater and I had not troubles at all. We also traveled with my nephew who was 8 months and my niece who was also 9 months old. We brought our strollers and used them everywhere. They also already had little cribs in all the rooms that we needed it in.

 

It was great and I don't regret it 1 bit! My son was so tired from the days from the pools and beaches that by 8pm he was already down and slept through the night completely.

 

We are now taking another cruise in Aug with both my children who are 3 and 5. Cant wait to surprise them!

[blueblock]

It's entirely up to you, but there might be land-based kinds of vacation that would be less expensive than paying the full adult cruise fare for a seven-month-old who will have no memory of the experience. I totally understand why you would want to have your baby with you, but I think there are better vacation options than cruising with babies.

[CruisinQueen2013]

Everyone is certainly different and entitled to their own opinion but for us, we don't feel like traveling with our kids is "work". Regardless of whether they will remember it or not, it's about the experience you have with them.

 

For us, we waited until our now 3.5 year old was a year (14 months to be exact) primarily because she was bottle-fed at that time and it was a lot of stuff to have to pack in a suitcase (we had to fly to the port) and we weren't sure how easy it would be to sterilize bottles, etc. while on-board. That may not be an issue for you and I'm sure there are ways to do it, but for us, we wanted her to be firmly on milk and table food. Our cruise with her at 14 months was great, we picked a ship with a Royal babies nursery so we did do one dinner by ourselves she had a blast in the nursery. We have since traveled with her at 2.5 and it was even more fun. We have now had our second and will be doing a cruise with our 4 year old and at the time, 14 month old and we are very much looking forward to it.

 

I would give you a couple of recos if you choose to do it:

 

1. Make sure you pack plenty of baby food (I'm assuming your little one is eating some at home) as it is very pricey on-board. We packed pouches and it worked great.

2. Ideally, you are booked on a cruise with a royal babies nursery - the staff is great and it's not expensive if you want to have a night out.

3. Ideally, you are on a ship with a kids water area where they can have swim diapers - if not, pack a small inflatable pool that you can blow-up and put out on your deck. We did this with our 14 month old and she loved it. We just fill it up using her little sand bucket and when she's done, we empty it in bathroom.

4. Ignore the comments about "upsetting your fellow cruisers" at dinner or anywhere else. You are paying for your little one and they have just as much right to be there (assuming we're talking about kid-appropriate places, of course).

 

We loved traveling with our daughter and are looking forward to our upcoming trip with both kids. For us (and again, to each his/her own), we were not comfortable leaving the country without them with us. We were careful to do only excursions through RCI and only those that were most appropriate - which meant in some ports, we didn't get off the ship. When it comes to your kids, it really is about what makes you the most comfortable, don't let anyone tell you what or what not to do.

[Jenjer]

I have cruised with my kids from 4yo on. I never wanted to cruise with my babies and when I see parents pushing strollers around crowded decks I wonder if they are enjoying themselves. They look pretty stressed usually.

 

You spend all this money not to relax and enjoy yourself but to make sure the baby is okay..... with a great view.

 

Cruise ships have very small rooms and unless you baby is a super sleeper (mine where not) the noise of a ship and other people in the room with them does not help them get rest. Unless of course you are in a big suite. Something simple as flushing the toilet could turn a peaceful night into a screaming baby.

 

I assume this is your first child taking a baby to a beach is not a easy feat. It requires shade and lots of sunblock. Kids get fussy when they get hot or cold. Strollers do not stroll thru sand, so Mommy carries baby and Daddy carries everything else including stroller to have a place for baby to sit.

 

People do it all the time but you need to have a realistic of what your vacation will look like, trust your experienced friends and family members. It will not be a pre baby cruise.

 

Of course if your child has any and I do mean any medical issues then it is a hard NO!!!!

[Denversail]

I would say no. The only reason I say no is that it sounds like a lot of work for you. If I felt the need to have my baby with me I would probably look at a land vacation. If you are comfortable and have the option leave the baby behind with a relative and enjoy yourself.

 

I personally think about the age of 4 is a good time to start them cruising.

[Bookish Angel]

it would have been too much hassle with all the stuff I would have had to bring. Also, my daughter was not a good sleeper until she was about 3 so the vacation would have been exhausting for us all.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Bookish Angel

[CruisinQueen2013]

Maybe it was just us, but we didn't find it to be much more work that having a baby at home. We were able to relax and enjoy ourselves with no trouble. Obviously it is not like a pre-baby cruise (we had been on 3 before baby) but we definitely weren't stressed on our cruise.

 

We used a small stroller (a bit bigger than a true umbrella stroller but not a full-size one) and never had trouble moving about the ship or feeling like we were in the way. We did stay in a junior suite but we had done that on our pre-baby cruises too and just like the extra space. Our little one slept fine - as another poster said, she was exhausted by bedtime from all the activities and slept through the night no problem. After we put her down, my DH and I would hang out on the balcony and talk, read, play cards or just enjoy the view.

[Hypbmxgurl]

Get an ergo! Take her and enjoy yourselves. We are taking our 1 year old in 3 weeks. We are bringing our ergo to carry him around and to have extra hands. We have a 5 year old too. She could sleep in the pack n play. And routine wise it really doesn't have to be that off... nap in the ergo or stroller.. still get her to bed at a decent time.

[Bookish Angel]

Double post on wonky iPad.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Bookish Angel

[surreymum]

We never had the option of leaving any one of our children with grandparents or relatives so if we wanted a holiday our babies came with us. Although we never cruised with them when they were that young that was because we didn't have sufficient funds to do so. A cruise is a really lovely place to have some time together as a family even if it is just walking round with them in a stroller. If you are the type of parent that can cope with changes in environment there is absolutely no reason why you couldn't take a baby on a cruise. We travelled a fair bit with ours as babies without difficulty.