Monday, January 27, 2014

Traveling to Hawaii with a 5 month old?

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Jazz


I'm planning a trip to Hawaii next spring and my daughter will be around 5 months old at the time. The flight is estimated to be around 9 hours. I'm wondering if I should purchase a seat for her on the flight or just check the car seat in with our luggage? Also what other things should I bring? Any suggestions would be helpful. Another thing, this is going to be my first time flying ever and my daughter and I will be flying alone.


Answer
On that long of a flight I would definitely buy her a seat and use her carseat in it. Even if she doesn't sit there the extra space will be wonderful for you. Also because the baggage handlers are not gentle with carseats at all. Bring tons of diapers and formula (if you are using it) or a blanket or nursing wrap if you are nursing. Bring a change of clothes for both of you. The one time I forgot to pack extra clothes on my carry on was the one time my daughter threw up all over me. Get a new toy or book with bright colors as a distraction. During takeoff and landing feed her or let her use a pacifier to help her ears pop. Odds are she will sleep a good portion of the time. If you are worried about her crying bring earplugs for the people around you or cash to buy them drinks. These things usually diffuse any angry passengers. At the airport I suggest using her stroller to get around and gate checking it (where they take it just before you get onboard). Find out in advance if the airline offers gate passes so someone can help you get through security and to the gate and if they have early boarding for families so you can have extra time to get situated. It won't be the nightmare that most parent's imagine it will be. Good luck.

Where to have baby sleep on a cruise?




c s


We're going on a cruise in january and our son will be 9 months old. where can he sleep.

we've cruised before so we know how small the cabins are and we've seen a ton of babies on the ships? no room for a portable crib? ideas?



Answer
I took my 8 month old son on a weeklong cruise last year - we had a wonderful time! We went on Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody.

It is THE way to travel with a baby. Here's a few tips:

The ship provides a pack & play for the baby to sleep in - they will wedge it into your room. You can make your room more comfortable by asking the staff to remove your coffee table, or put it out on your balcony if you have one. If you can't do either, you're gonna be like sardines. but who really cares - you're not gonna have much fun in your cabin anyway. It's just a place to sleep.

Remember that even the smallest interior cabins are capable of sleeping FOUR ADULTS (via a hideaway bed or pullman beds) so one little baby isn't really too difficult to accommodate.

It's not a problem to give your baby a bath in the shower, especially if they can already sit up. The shower head is one of the moveable ones.

You can't take your baby into the pool. Even with a swimming diaper. Only fully potty trained kids. If you want to take your baby for a swim, you'll have to do so in the ocean when you're in port.

My son woke up earlier than usual while we were cruising. No matter how tightly we drew the curtains, he was always up at 5 or 6am. My husband and I took turns sleeping in. One of us would take him to the buffet breakfast. It wasn't too hard to find stuff he could eat. They had apple juice, oatmeal, grits, and scrambled eggs. I did bring a couple cans of powdered formula, but I didn;t need very much baby food.

Apple juice was only available at breakfast though - the rest of the time it was a paid item like soft drinks.

They have a baby play time almost every day, with Fisher Price toys. The staff wipes each toy down with disinfectant after playtime.

Bring a small, lightweight, umbrella-style stroller. You can easily tuck it inside your cabin closet. The larger ones will only get in your way. The corridors are quite narrow.

Open space to crawl around without being underfoot is available if you look for it. I took my son to the Viking lounge (that serves as a nightclub in the evenings) every morning and made a corral out of chairs. He could scoot around, pull himself up on chairs, and look out the windows to his heart's content, while I was admiring the ocean view, reading a book, or *cough* taking a nap on one of the little sofas.

This year I'm taking a cruise with TWO babies. Wish me luck!

edit - I forgot to mention the childcare options - on Royal Caribbean, the child must be 1 yr old for in-room babysitting ($10/hr). Must be 3 and fully potty trained for the "day care"-like kid's club.

On Carnival, in-room babysitting is $6/hr ($10/hr for 2 kids) no age limit but only available for late night, from 10:30p til 2am.




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