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Worried about bringing 10month old - help...
Worried about bringing 10month old - help...
I finally got my hubby talked into going to STJ next May, but my concern over bringing our son who will be 10months at that time is stopping me from booking the tickets today. We took out daughter when she was 2.5yrs old and we had a great time and no problems, but 10months is kinda scary. We will have my Dad to help out and this will be our 3rd time down. My daughter will be fine at 5yrs old and may even be a help.
We are laid back and so far our son has been a great go with the flow baby. My concerns are probably silly, but I was hopeing to hear from some of you who have travelled with a really little one on your experince.
My conerens: The fact he will be on baby food and formula make me a little nervous, bug bites, he will not have had his MMR shot, and the medical care in case something did happen.
I am planning on sending down a box of supplies so we will have food, wipes, formula, etc.
Thanks so much for your help and hopfully we will be on our way to a great family vacation
We are laid back and so far our son has been a great go with the flow baby. My concerns are probably silly, but I was hopeing to hear from some of you who have travelled with a really little one on your experince.
My conerens: The fact he will be on baby food and formula make me a little nervous, bug bites, he will not have had his MMR shot, and the medical care in case something did happen.
I am planning on sending down a box of supplies so we will have food, wipes, formula, etc.
Thanks so much for your help and hopfully we will be on our way to a great family vacation
I did it, it was great, we had fun.
5 years old is a great age, but my 5 year old (now 17) ran full speed into a sliding glass door at what is now Rendezview Villa. Masking tape was on those windows the rest of the week.
Back in 1997 I brought 100% of the food for my 5 month old (now 12). We could have bought it on island then and certainly can now.
The Mom only cried once and has fond memories of the trip. Frankly, my parents were more work than the kids. I just put myself on the babies schedule and we enjoyed the sunrise together each morning.
Bring water to rinse the little one before putting in the car, grab good shade under seagrapes, beware the coconuts.
Cheers, RickG
5 years old is a great age, but my 5 year old (now 17) ran full speed into a sliding glass door at what is now Rendezview Villa. Masking tape was on those windows the rest of the week.
Back in 1997 I brought 100% of the food for my 5 month old (now 12). We could have bought it on island then and certainly can now.
The Mom only cried once and has fond memories of the trip. Frankly, my parents were more work than the kids. I just put myself on the babies schedule and we enjoyed the sunrise together each morning.
Bring water to rinse the little one before putting in the car, grab good shade under seagrapes, beware the coconuts.
Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes - Coral Bay - St. John, VI
Is there a specific reason for the baby food? I ask as a parent that never used baby food, our son ate off our plates (mashed, soft food) as soon as he started solids.
I don't want to start a debate (parents tend to have very strong opinions) or offend but at that age, lots of 10-month olds like to be able to pincher small bits of food themselves.
Just saying buying at the Starfish or going with real food might eliminate one extra thing to ship/lug along.
I don't want to start a debate (parents tend to have very strong opinions) or offend but at that age, lots of 10-month olds like to be able to pincher small bits of food themselves.
Just saying buying at the Starfish or going with real food might eliminate one extra thing to ship/lug along.
I have no problem feeding table food if he's up for it.We started travelling with our son at 3.5 months and haven't stopped. Wouldn't have it any other way.
A big reason why it works for us my husband is 110% on board in being a dad and loves to travel and wants to share it with our son.
Anyone who has kids knows the type of parent that uses the first bump to have their own meltdown.
You know, the mom who starts to freak out a hour snack time because those gold fish crackers might be 35 second late in getting from hand to mouth because if that occurs, the day is ruined for her. (90% of my friends fall into this category and no, we don't travel with them)
We aren't that mom or dad. Worry about a beer arriving 35 seconds late of vacation, well that might be cause for concern
My thoughts -
A 10 month old is easier (in our experience at least) than a 2.5 year old. Travelling with our son didn't fell like work until he was about 2.5.
We used a backpack (framed) carry instead of a stroller and never missed a stroller. I will say my husband liked wearing our son so that made it so easy.
We gate checked the carrier in a cheapy duffle and packed the voids with diapers, wipes and extra clothing. An entire weeks worth of diapers and wipes easily fit into that gate check bag.
I agree with RickG's comment about the grandparent helpers. When our son was a infant, Nana alone was an awesome help and low maintenance, aside from her quirks and typical mother/daugher annoyances.
When Pappy started joining us, it was more than twice the work to have them along. Chose your helpers wisely....
Leave 95% of the toys you think you need at home, a 10 month old doesn't need much to be entertained. Strange plastic dishes alone are a jackpot in their eyes.
As I posted before, food and liquids didn't require any thought.
I remember not all restaurants having high chairs. Some stacked chairs to bring him up to table level.
All restaurants (the servers) were very accomodating to our son. Not that I expected them to do anything out of the ordinary. It just seemed like they were actually happy to see babies.
One of the nicest things about travelling with our son when he was a baby is that it led to interactions with residents that likely never would have happened without him.
A big reason why it works for us my husband is 110% on board in being a dad and loves to travel and wants to share it with our son.
Anyone who has kids knows the type of parent that uses the first bump to have their own meltdown.
You know, the mom who starts to freak out a hour snack time because those gold fish crackers might be 35 second late in getting from hand to mouth because if that occurs, the day is ruined for her. (90% of my friends fall into this category and no, we don't travel with them)
We aren't that mom or dad. Worry about a beer arriving 35 seconds late of vacation, well that might be cause for concern
My thoughts -
A 10 month old is easier (in our experience at least) than a 2.5 year old. Travelling with our son didn't fell like work until he was about 2.5.
We used a backpack (framed) carry instead of a stroller and never missed a stroller. I will say my husband liked wearing our son so that made it so easy.
We gate checked the carrier in a cheapy duffle and packed the voids with diapers, wipes and extra clothing. An entire weeks worth of diapers and wipes easily fit into that gate check bag.
I agree with RickG's comment about the grandparent helpers. When our son was a infant, Nana alone was an awesome help and low maintenance, aside from her quirks and typical mother/daugher annoyances.
When Pappy started joining us, it was more than twice the work to have them along. Chose your helpers wisely....
Leave 95% of the toys you think you need at home, a 10 month old doesn't need much to be entertained. Strange plastic dishes alone are a jackpot in their eyes.
As I posted before, food and liquids didn't require any thought.
I remember not all restaurants having high chairs. Some stacked chairs to bring him up to table level.
All restaurants (the servers) were very accomodating to our son. Not that I expected them to do anything out of the ordinary. It just seemed like they were actually happy to see babies.
One of the nicest things about travelling with our son when he was a baby is that it led to interactions with residents that likely never would have happened without him.
Thanks for the reply. We have a great helper - my dad - he was our helper when we brought our DD down a couple of years ago. I always carry my son in a baby bjorn so a lager carrier should not be a problem. I figure everyone will be happy if we let the kids help dictate our schedule (beach, eating, etc) so I am not worried about any of that.
Did you have any issues with bug bites? Our DD got torn up when we had her down there. Did you use bug spray and if so what kind? Any other helpful hints would be appreacited.
Woo hoo looks I am going!
mel
Did you have any issues with bug bites? Our DD got torn up when we had her down there. Did you use bug spray and if so what kind? Any other helpful hints would be appreacited.
Woo hoo looks I am going!
mel
I'm a big fan of backpack carriers and used that and the bjorg type carriers. One caution (learned the hard way) is there can ketch-n-keep and such near trails that the youngster may decide to grab. Pulling those little spines out of small palms can be work.
I definitely agree with PA Girl that parents get more wound up than the babies.
On baby food, it's going to depend on your 10 month old. We brought jarred food for Mom's peace of mind and she was more like 5 months on our last baby trip.
There's a big gap between 2 and 5 years old where I would consider a trip with the kid to be substantially more work. Personally, I'd travel with a stranger's 6 month old before most of the adults I know.
On bug bites, its going to depend on where you stay and where you go. I'd never put any DEET on any mammal. We like picaridin based bug repellants. The impregnated mosquito nets are a good bet for sleeping.
Cheers, RickG
I definitely agree with PA Girl that parents get more wound up than the babies.
On baby food, it's going to depend on your 10 month old. We brought jarred food for Mom's peace of mind and she was more like 5 months on our last baby trip.
There's a big gap between 2 and 5 years old where I would consider a trip with the kid to be substantially more work. Personally, I'd travel with a stranger's 6 month old before most of the adults I know.
On bug bites, its going to depend on where you stay and where you go. I'd never put any DEET on any mammal. We like picaridin based bug repellants. The impregnated mosquito nets are a good bet for sleeping.
Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes - Coral Bay - St. John, VI
The carrier we had had built-in storage on the bottom and therefore we didn't need a diaper bag when out and about, which really made it nice.
Bug bites weren't too much of a problem at that age. I do remember keeping him in light weight long pants and sleeves at night. Maybe where we stayed had something to do with it but I don't remember having problems until recently.
To spray your kids or not? Ask you doc. Ours travels extensively in Belize and he laid out the pros and cons of using effective repelents. We have used spray since he passed the baby-baby stage but I can't remember the type we used when he was a year old.
Bug bites weren't too much of a problem at that age. I do remember keeping him in light weight long pants and sleeves at night. Maybe where we stayed had something to do with it but I don't remember having problems until recently.
To spray your kids or not? Ask you doc. Ours travels extensively in Belize and he laid out the pros and cons of using effective repelents. We have used spray since he passed the baby-baby stage but I can't remember the type we used when he was a year old.
no problem
we have a 6 year old, a 3.5 yr old and a 9-month old, and have been down every year for the past 10 years. The toughest years are when the kids can move (crawl or walk) well but don't understand boundaries like a pool or the ocean. Babies who can't move are def the easiest (10 months might just be learning to crawl though...), and 1-2 years old is the hardest age. Our 3.5 y/o was just 3yo when we went in March and he was no problem, he's a beach bum. At 10 months i'd say you're best weapons will be a neat sheet and a collapsable tent for the beach to keep the baby out of the sun. 4-5 little toys to play with, and a chair for yourself to sit in. I agree with the above posters on the backpack, our Kelty kid-pack is still priceless we've used it with all 3 kids. Rent a carseat through the car rental agency & carry the baby in the backpack through the airport etc.
I do a packet with:
all local emergency phone numbers
our hometown doc's number
our 24 insurance hotline (for medical questions, it has saved us a trip to the health center)
insurance cards
trip insurance card and inform
Every adult gets a copy of this, just in case the parents (us) are unavailable/unable to act in a medical emergency.
all local emergency phone numbers
our hometown doc's number
our 24 insurance hotline (for medical questions, it has saved us a trip to the health center)
insurance cards
trip insurance card and inform
Every adult gets a copy of this, just in case the parents (us) are unavailable/unable to act in a medical emergency.
We last visited St. John in 2008 with our then 10 month old daughter. Upon arrival she was running a fever of 103. We took her to the on-island Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center and received top-notch care. The facility is nicer than some of the local urgent care centers I've been to in the U.S.
Turns out she had a double ear infection and we were able to quickly pick up a prescription at the Chelsea Drug Store in the Marketplace Shopping Center by Starfish Market. She recovered quickly and enjoyed her vacation.
We also visited St. John with our other daughter when she was 6 months old, and neither time have we had problems with bug bites any more than we've had at home.
Always good to be cautious, take a thermometer, medication etc. But you'll have a great time there with your kids.
Turns out she had a double ear infection and we were able to quickly pick up a prescription at the Chelsea Drug Store in the Marketplace Shopping Center by Starfish Market. She recovered quickly and enjoyed her vacation.
We also visited St. John with our other daughter when she was 6 months old, and neither time have we had problems with bug bites any more than we've had at home.
Always good to be cautious, take a thermometer, medication etc. But you'll have a great time there with your kids.
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aroobagirl
- Posts: 316
- Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:58 pm
- Location: Fairfax, VA
We took our daughter when she was 6 months. All worked well. Just remember shade and fluids. We found our bumbo to be quite useful for seating at restaurant or propping baby up on beach (on top of neat sheet). We packed lots of stuff in the crannies so it wasn't to tough to pack in a soft sided suitcase.
Good suggestion. I do the same. LLBean has nice toiletry bags. I have one for DS that is stocked with kids tylenol, advil, benedryl, thermometer, itch cream, band aids, butterfly strips. etc. (I take this whether we go, not just to STJ.)DiverDrew wrote: Always good to be cautious, take a thermometer, medication etc. But you'll have a great time there with your kids.