Random tips re. infants/cruises

[thetwins]

Hi. thanks to all of you who have been so helpful re. the kids/cruising issues! Here are the tips I used most from this board (just off HAL's Zuiderdam yesterday! Sigh).

I brought way too much food! They have individually packaged Cheerios every morning. Bananas/fruit, pasta, some soft veggies, and bread are easily available. Definitely jars of food are easier for shore excursions, but eating dinner in the dining room is great...they'll supply you with bowls and hot water (for formula and cereal), and HAL's little coffee-stirring spoon is EXACTLY the size of a baby spoon! Bring a large clip, and just use a dinner napkin as a bib. NOTHING to wash afterwards...now THAT'S a vacation! Pack some new treats that they've never had before, because you'll need something to bribe them with when they're having a meltdown in the middle of dinner. I used Gerber's banana squares, and arrowroot cookies. bring disposable spoons for shore...our ship had NO plastic cutlery, and we used alot of paper napkins from the bar, and tissues from our room.

An over-the-door shoe holder would have been great, except that I never got a chance to pick one up. Our mini-bar was never cold enough to really store anything, so don't count on it being a good resource. I wasted alot of formula, but figured that it was still cheaper than getting pre-mixed stuff. I stopped by a store before boarding and bought a case of bottled water...good for formula AND for us on shore excursions. I think I only used about 10-14 bottles for their formula.
For twins, bring 2 single strollers, not 1 double. It just won't fit in the doorway. I had 2 Combi Savvy Z's (they don't make them anymore, but they're narrow!), and they were perfect. We could actually squeeze around it in the 'hallway area' of the cabin. We just parked it inside the cabin when the baby was asleep. No transfer needed. Plus, they fold up and fit easily in the closets when not in use.

We brought strollers AND backpacks (strollers are bad at the beach!)...I should have bought stroller-backpacks! Oh well. The backpacks were good, since the 'taxis' in Tortola were really open air buses with NO DOORS, and I felt that the kids were marginally safer in a backpack, strapped on. We didn't worry about car seats...most buses and taxis are travelling slowly, don't have seat belts, and in a bad accident, well, what can you do anyway? It's better that they're strapped to an adult than sitting in a car seat not belted to the car.

Get kids used to showering in your arms! My 9 1/2 mo olds are used to it, and it was sooo easy not to deal with a baby bathtub, or worrying about cleaning the tub in the bathroom, etc., esp with sandy clothing! Definitely bring those scented get-rid-of-diaper bags! It fit the tiny garbage pail in the bathroom perfectly, and I'm sure the steward appreciated it! I brought a bottle of baby wash and never used it...soap was so much easier, and they have so little hair, I just used soap for their scalps. It's much easier to handle soap with one hand than baby wash! I DID use the small bottle of dishwashing detergent for the bottles..that doubled as detergent for clothes, too!

Decide what you want to do for clothing. Either pack lightly and plan to use the ship's laundry service, or pack alot and just keep tossing the dirty clothing. I packed alot, but didn't get the benefit of it since I kept hand-washing clothing every night (takes away from the vacation when you're forever hand washing bottles and clothes...worse than at home!). HAL doesn't allow diapered kids in their pools, but I just dipped their feet in the shallow end, and they enjoyed that alot. A blow-up floaty toy would have been smart. My brother brought a kick-board as a mini-boogie board for my 5 yr old, and she loved it. She didn't miss sand toys at all, and it's easy enough to build a sand castle with your hands! Diaper wipes are great for everything. I used almost every one that I brought!
My babies actually liked the broadway type variety shows (all the lights and movement), but don't expect them to sit through a comedian or a magician!

Finally, I would never have done this unless the adult:child ratio was at least 1:1, and for us, it was 2:1. It was really fun, though, and I think everyone enjoyed it, and noone felt like they had to babysit too much! Good luck to all of you who are going on future trips, and thanks again to all of the great posters who helped me with my trip!

[thetwins]

oops...ps. one more thing. Definitely bring baby Tylenol or Motrin. I forgot to bring it, and it cost $12 for 1 small bottle on the ship. They were going to charge a medical fee, but my father mentioned to the nurse that he was a physician, and they waived it.

[kevinsmom]

thanks for the tips! i am going on the NCL Dawn in july w/my 16 mo old son. i am so excited, but since this is my first cruise as a mommy, i'm a little worried about all the details [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] i already picked up one of those over the door shoe hangers, i think that is a great idea. my son is still on the bottle and we use dr. brown's, so i know i will be doing a lot of washing! the carseat thing is a big dilemna, but like you said if there are no belts then you have no choice do you?!
Thanks again,
gina

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00bfff&cdt=2004;7;25;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
NCL Dawn 1st time!

[blndee77]

We are travelling on the Zui in September and our DD will then be 14 mos. Thanks for the great information.

I have some additional questions that you may be able to answer!

1. What size cabin did you have? We booked a cat A verandah for two adults and one infant...is that enough space?

2. Is is safe to bring her out on the balcony?

3. Did you request a crib or did your children sleep with you? If you requested a crib, which type was it - portable or pack and play? Did they provide a fitted or flat sheet? Did they provide any smaller blankets? Did the crib fit ok in the cabin?

4. Our DD (at 11 months) is still mostly eating Stage 3 baby foods in jars (plus rice cereal and formula). Should I actively work to get her eating more of our food so that we don't have to cart as much with us (considering that it seems like the dining room staff will accommodate special requests?)?

5. Did you also eat in the dining room during breakfast and lunch? or the Lido? I have heard posts that the highchairs aren't available in the lido. Also that it is much easier to get a special request in the dining room.

6. What kind of backpack do you recommend for a 14 month old? (We had a front carrier when she was small but it never really worked well).

7. Were there any "play areas"? Unused lounges with soft furniture and no sharp edges?

8. Did you take a taxi or bus from airport to pier? Did you have a problem finding a taxi driver that would take an infant not in a car seat?

9. What did you do in the ports? Any places to visit or shore exursions that are ok for young ones? We are thinking we will mostly head to beaches so that DD can play in the water (since she can't on ship). Do you recommend a cabana on HMC?

10. Did your children experience motion sickness?

I just realized how long this list is! Sorry! I guess I just have a lot of questions. I've cruised a lot before but this is the first with our DD.

[AiAi]

Do you have a suggestion for a stroller backback? I don't think I've seen one of those.

[blndee77]

[quote name='AiAi']Do you have a suggestion for a stroller backback? I don't think I've seen one of those.[/QUOTE]
I'm not sure what you mean by stroller backback?

But we purchased a Chicco umbrella stroller - it's larger than a typically umbrella stroller but not very heavy and has a sun shade on top. Seat has a five point harness and it comes with a rain cover and a carrying case. There is a strap attached to it, so when folded you can wear it on your back for easy carrying - we did this in the Boston subways and it worked great. If you put it in the case (perhaps for carrying through airport?) the strap unattaches from the stroller and reattaches to the carrying case as the handle/strap. I think we paid $40 and it is a great second stroller for busy/narrow places.

[lisaland15]

Kelty makes a Convertible Stroller/Backpack:

[url]http://kelty.com/Kelty/index.cfm?fuseaction=Kids.Home[/url]

Look under Child Carriers, then Convertible.

We have the Ridgeline (not convertible) and bought the sun/rain canopy to go with it. My daughter is 21 lbs. and it's still pretty comfy to wear. She typically falls asleep in it, too.

It has a pop-open base so you can take it off and set it on the ground. We've used it as a make-shift high chair, also.

[merela]

[quote name='blndee77']We are travelling on the Zui in September and our DD will then be 14 mos. Thanks for the great information.

I have some additional questions that you may be able to answer!

1. What size cabin did you have? We booked a cat A verandah for two adults and one infant...is that enough space?.[/QUOTE]

We had the smallest inside cabin and it was small, but big enough for the 4 of us. I think your cabin is big enough for the 3 of you.

[quote name='blndee77']2. Is is safe to bring her out on the balcony?[/QUOTE]

I think so. Just don't do a Michael Jackson. :)

[quote name='blndee77']3. Did you request a crib or did your children sleep with you? If you requested a crib, which type was it - portable or pack and play? Did they provide a fitted or flat sheet? Did they provide any smaller blankets? Did the crib fit ok in the cabin?.[/QUOTE]

My children slept with me. We put the 2 twin beds together against the wall and the 4 of us slept "horizontally", with the heads on the wall side.

You can't do this if your hubby is more than 5'9" tall, he would feel cramped.
But since you have one child, you can just put the 2 beds together and sleep together normally.

[quote name='blndee77']4. Our DD (at 11 months) is still mostly eating Stage 3 baby foods in jars (plus rice cereal and formula). Should I actively work to get her eating more of our food so that we don't have to cart as much with us (considering that it seems like the dining room staff will accommodate special requests?)? .[/QUOTE]

I think so. If she'll eat some bread, rice, desserts, fruits, cut-up meats, you won't need to pack so many jars of Stage 3 foods.

[quote name='blndee77']5. Did you also eat in the dining room during breakfast and lunch? or the Lido? I have heard posts that the highchairs aren't available in the lido. Also that it is much easier to get a special request in the dining room..[/QUOTE]

It is much easier to make a special request in the dining room. If you don't see a highchair at the buffet area, you can always ask them to get you one. But dining rooms have set times for each seating, your child may be sleepy to sit through a late seating. My older child at 14M can sit in her booster feeding chair at any restaurant for over 2 hours, but my younger child can't stand more than 10 minutes in it. If your child can sit in a highchair for longer than 90 minutes, then you can probably have a nice meal in the dining room. Remember to bring lots of stuff for her to play with and snacks to eat with during dinner.

If all fails, take a table napkin and put some ice cubes on the highchair tray for her to play with.

I usually bring crayons and paper for the baby to draw on while she's sitting in the highchair.


[quote name='blndee77']6. What kind of backpack do you recommend for a 14 month old? (We had a front carrier when she was small but it never really worked well)..[/QUOTE]

We don't do tour excursions at ports with 2 small children. We do our own walking/sightseeing tour of the town we visit. I bring a Combi Convenience stroller.

[quote name='blndee77']7. Were there any "play areas"? Unused lounges with soft furniture and no sharp edges?.[/QUOTE]

If your ship has a kids' zone, it should have a play area for small children. I think most of the time, for kids' under 3, parents need to be there with the child.

[quote name='blndee77']8. Did you take a taxi or bus from airport to pier? Did you have a problem finding a taxi driver that would take an infant not in a car seat?.[/QUOTE]

We are planning to take a taxi from airport to pier. I plan to bring 2 carseats with us (one booster seat and one regular carseat). Check the carseat laws in each state....most would not exempt taxis from the carseat law.

[quote name='blndee77']9. What did you do in the ports? Any places to visit or shore exursions that are ok for young ones? We are thinking we will mostly head to beaches so that DD can play in the water (since she can't on ship). Do you recommend a cabana on HMC?.[/QUOTE]

What ports will you visit? Check the Ports of Call board for hotels near the ports. Just go to a local hotel pool for your child to play in. It's more fun than dragging her all over town for sightseeing. She won't care and she may fuss if it's too hot outside.


[quote name='blndee77']10. Did your children experience motion sickness?.[/QUOTE]

When my 20M old and 4YO cruised with us, I got them Children's Sea Bands. My 4YO wore it, but I don't think they were affected by the sea motion that much. Our cabin was also on the lowest floor and inside (usually more stable than higher up rooms). But we didn't really experienced any heavy waves, so I wouldn't know.

HTH.


Jennifer