Travel tips for bringing a 15-month old to STJ

[PA Girl]

If I understand correctly, you will be a party of 6 adults and the little one?

If budget allows, I would recommend Dohms for a water taxi in addition to the land taxi. When factoring in luggage (we all check bags) it cost us about $7-$9 more per person over the public route. For us, that beats waiting for the next ferry with an inpatient kiddo (and an even more impatient husband).

[STTlover]

I bought our pop up tent from One Step Ahead. They don't have their summer stuff out yet, but probably will in the next month or two. I bought ours last March. You could probably find one on Amazon too.

[Kim]

PA Girl, yes we'll be 6 adults and the little bit. Dohms sounds like a great idea, how far in advance do you typically book for that?
Thanks STTlover, I just signed up for email updates from One Step Ahead- never heard of that site, but looks like they've got some good stuff.

[PA Girl]

I always book them as soon as I make my flight arrangements. They have a number of boats so I suspect they can accommodate most requests but like vehicle rentals, I do it sooner rather than later.

They go out of a private dock close to the Red Hook ferry. The staff takes care of your bags. We like it not only for the convenience but also because when you are departing and arriving, you are doing it in a place with no crowds and you never feel rushed.

I am all about easing my travel day by any means possible, especially with a little one.

I don't know if your child would be included in the head count or not. I think not. I seem to remember they started charging for him at age 4 but I could be wrong about that. Mom brains tend to leak!

I purchased our first sun tent from the One Step Ahead site and the second off of Amazon. I can't remember the brand name.

[CHM]

My first piece of advice is to take plenty of diapers and wipes in your carry on or diaper bag because these are hard to find in an airport if you have an unexpected delay. And don't forget the swim diapers. All diapers on island are crazy expensive.

Rachel is wonderful and will give you time to install your car seat. Island Baby is awesome! We have used them several times. We usually take an inflatable blow up baby float for the pool and beach. I also take a spray bottle so I can keep the little one cool with a spray of water. I usually take a fehw beach toys like a beach shovel, beach ball and a neat sheet. Babies R Us has a great cheaper version of the neat sheet.

[RickG]

One note on the backpack carrier, its tempting for a youngster to reach out and grab things as you walk past. On STJ, that can include prickly vegetation. I showed my daughter some prickly plants and acted out the "Ouch Ouch" exercise and she did pretty well. To be honest, except for the longish walk to Leinster Bay/Waterlemon Cay, I just tossed her up on my shoulders.

Cheers, RickG

[PA Girl]

The backpack carrier we had was similar to this -

http://www.amazon.com/Kelty-Journey-Chi ... NRM0TBCGVW

[Kim]

I've heard great things about the Kelty backpacks. I think we'll be making an REI trip real soon to test some out...one of our favorite getting ready for STJ activities are trips to REI for fun outdoor stuff
Anyone ever had issues with checking one of these baby carrier/backpacks at the gate?
My list of items to mail down ahead of time is growing- spray bottle for baby cooling is an excellent idea, especially for August. And I would have never thought to check Babies-r-us for a neat sheet!
Thanks again!

[RickG]

Our backpack had a zip cover that allowed us to check as luggage. That worked fine.

A bit of backward looking, I wouldn't buy a backpack for one kid for one trip. I would also try it out in the store to see if you grrrl likes it. My first child was upset when she got too big for our backpack. My second child thought the backpack was horrible, but Dad's shoulders were cool. They're not cheap, take up a lot of space at home, and sell for about 5% of new at a yard sale.

Cheers, RickG

[Kim]

That's a good point RickG, she may absolutely hate the backpack! Hopefully sticking her in some at the store will be an indicator. She loves her baby bjorn so I have a feeling she'd be happy in one....but she always likes to surprise us
Great thinking, once we know what to look for I'll definitely try to find one used. And if not, just more incentive for us to get out hiking locally and use it plenty!

[Teresa_Rae]

I would wait on buying the beach tent until shortly before your trip, just to see if you think your little one's personality will work with one. There is a zero percent chance that it would have worked for either of my girls

[Kim]

Lol Teresa_Rae, we may be in the same boat- my girl hates to miss out on any action! Looks like Island Baby rents sunshades so unless I see a good one on sale for a great price I'll probably just rent...if she won't nap in it, one of her grandpas will!!

[EagleRayLover]

Since owning the babysitting biz, I have seen so many scenarios with baby gear etc. Island Baby is superb and Julie, the owner, accommodates everything from pack and plays to high chairs ( highly recommended) to toy and book sets. and if something isn't working right , you just give her a call and she changes it out. You should contact your villa management company as often you can send a box directly to them and it will be waiting for you upon arrival. I know one family placed an order with diapers.com , had it shipped directly to the management company and everything was teady upon arrival. The one travel day tip I can give is have a couple small little toys and special treats in the diaper bag that that baby will be intrigued with. ( a plastic slinky is great at that age on the plane with supervision of course!) I know many folks say a stroller isn't useful on island but as someone who has watched kids for extended periods in a villa, I think theta te beneficial if you are staying down in Cruz bay. It will allow the grandparents to take the little one outside without the worry of them running. If there are specific questions , I can help you with, please PM me.

[Bigcheeze]

Since owning the babysitting biz, I have seen so many scenarios with baby gear etc. Island Baby is superb and Julie, the owner, accommodates everything from pack and plays to high chairs ( highly recommended) to toy and book sets. and if something isn't working right , you just give her a call and she changes it out. You should contact your villa management company as often you can send a box directly to them and it will be waiting for you upon arrival. I know one family placed an order with diapers.com , had it shipped directly to the management company and everything was teady upon arrival. The one travel day tip I can give is have a couple small little toys and special treats in the diaper bag that that baby will be intrigued with. ( a plastic slinky is great at that age on the plane with supervision of course!) I know many folks say a stroller isn't useful on island but as someone who has watched kids for extended periods in a villa, I think theta te beneficial if you are staying down in Cruz bay. It will allow the grandparents to take the little one outside without the worry of them running. If there are specific questions , I can help you with, please PM me.

+ 1000

[Teresa_Rae]

The reason people aren't recommending strollers in Cruz Bay is because the terrain is such that you can't walk very far without having to pick up the stroller; there are just so many uneven surfaces, steps, places you have no choice but to walk in the road, etc.