We just came back from a Caribbean cruise on a Princess ship with our ten month old daughter. We had such a wonderful time that we are now planning our next cruise vacation.
Before we left on our cruise we had do some planning, making lists, checking lists, contacting the cruise line and so on - but all of our pre-trip planning was well worth the effort. Travelling with a baby means taking lots of extra things with you - and there are a lot of things to consider - but there are some items that you just cannot be without. Here is our list of the top ten items to take with you for your baby.
1. Number one on our list is a comfortable stroller. Comfort for your baby is important - but it also important that the stroller can be folded so that it can be taken on an airplane and so that it won't take up too much room in your cruise ship cabin. Our stroller was in constant use from morning to night. We walked our daughter on the promenade deck every morning; we took our daughter to all of our meals in her stroller; we didn't want to miss out on the night-life on the ship - so every evening after dinner we bathed our daughter, dressed her in pyjamas, and then placed her back into her stroller. We then walked the ship with her, went to some clubs on the ship with her and before long she would fall fast asleep.
2. Diapers. Make sure that you pack enough disposable diapers. The way that I figured out how many to take was to the week before our trip I kept track of how many diapers our girl went through each day to get an idea of how many diapers are needed per day. Based on that calculate how many are required during the vacation. We didn't purchase the diapers at home. We had time between our flight arrival in Ft Lauderdale and the time to board the ship so we took a cab to a Target store and purchased them and some other supplies before getting another taxi to the ship. That way we didn't have to carry them onto our airplane.
3. One thing to do on a cruise ship - especially when it is hot is to go to the kiddies pool with your child and cool off in the pool. In order for your child to go into the pool they have to wear swim diapers or they have to be toilet-trained.
4. If your baby is on formula make sure that you bring enough formula with you for the length of the cruise. We brought powdered formula since it is more compact than pre-mixed formula. Rather than bring it from home, we purchased the required formula in Florida before embarking our ship. Keep in mind that any formula entering the ship must be sealed & in the original container.
5. Kettle - taking a kettle (with an auto shutoff) on the trip means that you can boil water and know that you have safe water to mix with the powdered formula.
6. We took a formula dispenser with us. This allowed us greater flexibility for giving our daughter her bottle. Having the dispenser meant that we filled several bottles at a time with clean water and when baby is ready to have a bottle (anywhere on the ship), we just had to pour the premeasured formula into the bottle and give the bottle a shake.
7. Scented bags for dirty diapers. Because you will not have a diaper dispenser for dirty diapers with you - taking a supply of these bags will help reduce any bad odours in your room. They can be purchased at a dollar store or Babies r Us.
8. You'll need soap for bathing your baby. Eventhough most ship cabins won't have a tub for bathing your child - you can still do what we did. We plugged the drain on the shower and put enough water in the shower in order to give our baby her bath.
9. If you plan on spending much time in the sun with your child during the cruise you may want to purchase before your trip and bring with you a lightweight sun cabana before your trip. We used ours on two beaches and on the pool deck near the kiddies pool. It kept us and our baby comfortable and protected from the sun. To rent a cabana on the private island that our ship stopped would have cost us about $80. The cabana that we brought with us cost less than $50 and we use it all the time.
10. Zip lock bags - these are great for everything - snack holders, put really dirty/soiled clothes away until you get home. Use for things that leak - (ex. medicine). Use the bags on the ship to pack bibs, spoons to go for dinner so when they are dirty you can throw in the bag & clean when you get back to your room.
There are more items to consider, but start your list with these essentials items.
Before we left on our cruise we had do some planning, making lists, checking lists, contacting the cruise line and so on - but all of our pre-trip planning was well worth the effort. Travelling with a baby means taking lots of extra things with you - and there are a lot of things to consider - but there are some items that you just cannot be without. Here is our list of the top ten items to take with you for your baby.
1. Number one on our list is a comfortable stroller. Comfort for your baby is important - but it also important that the stroller can be folded so that it can be taken on an airplane and so that it won't take up too much room in your cruise ship cabin. Our stroller was in constant use from morning to night. We walked our daughter on the promenade deck every morning; we took our daughter to all of our meals in her stroller; we didn't want to miss out on the night-life on the ship - so every evening after dinner we bathed our daughter, dressed her in pyjamas, and then placed her back into her stroller. We then walked the ship with her, went to some clubs on the ship with her and before long she would fall fast asleep.
2. Diapers. Make sure that you pack enough disposable diapers. The way that I figured out how many to take was to the week before our trip I kept track of how many diapers our girl went through each day to get an idea of how many diapers are needed per day. Based on that calculate how many are required during the vacation. We didn't purchase the diapers at home. We had time between our flight arrival in Ft Lauderdale and the time to board the ship so we took a cab to a Target store and purchased them and some other supplies before getting another taxi to the ship. That way we didn't have to carry them onto our airplane.
3. One thing to do on a cruise ship - especially when it is hot is to go to the kiddies pool with your child and cool off in the pool. In order for your child to go into the pool they have to wear swim diapers or they have to be toilet-trained.
4. If your baby is on formula make sure that you bring enough formula with you for the length of the cruise. We brought powdered formula since it is more compact than pre-mixed formula. Rather than bring it from home, we purchased the required formula in Florida before embarking our ship. Keep in mind that any formula entering the ship must be sealed & in the original container.
5. Kettle - taking a kettle (with an auto shutoff) on the trip means that you can boil water and know that you have safe water to mix with the powdered formula.
6. We took a formula dispenser with us. This allowed us greater flexibility for giving our daughter her bottle. Having the dispenser meant that we filled several bottles at a time with clean water and when baby is ready to have a bottle (anywhere on the ship), we just had to pour the premeasured formula into the bottle and give the bottle a shake.
7. Scented bags for dirty diapers. Because you will not have a diaper dispenser for dirty diapers with you - taking a supply of these bags will help reduce any bad odours in your room. They can be purchased at a dollar store or Babies r Us.
8. You'll need soap for bathing your baby. Eventhough most ship cabins won't have a tub for bathing your child - you can still do what we did. We plugged the drain on the shower and put enough water in the shower in order to give our baby her bath.
9. If you plan on spending much time in the sun with your child during the cruise you may want to purchase before your trip and bring with you a lightweight sun cabana before your trip. We used ours on two beaches and on the pool deck near the kiddies pool. It kept us and our baby comfortable and protected from the sun. To rent a cabana on the private island that our ship stopped would have cost us about $80. The cabana that we brought with us cost less than $50 and we use it all the time.
10. Zip lock bags - these are great for everything - snack holders, put really dirty/soiled clothes away until you get home. Use for things that leak - (ex. medicine). Use the bags on the ship to pack bibs, spoons to go for dinner so when they are dirty you can throw in the bag & clean when you get back to your room.
There are more items to consider, but start your list with these essentials items.
About the Author:
BabyTravelPlanet is in Canada and they sell Lightweight sun canopies to customers in Canada and USA. Visit their site to get their no cost ebook checklist Packing for a Cruise Vacation With Your Baby that is full of things to consider when planning a cruise vacation.
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