Travelling with infants

[DrSteve]

We have a 1.5 year old. He's wonderful, but he adds an extra layer of complexity to any planned diving trip. Any advice from other parents out there? Do all-inclusives work well? What about cruises?

Any advice for good locations in December that are *easily* reachable from the US (NY to be exact)?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[Doc]

These threads rarely end well.

Cruise ships may be lousy as liveaboards, but they provide first rate infant care and the best stateside quality medical services within 6 hours of your location.

incoming

 

[scott&sara]

is it too late to hit the "undo" button?

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

One word for you . . .NANNY. We have traveled to the Caribbean on average twice per year since our kids were born. What we usually do is grab a cousin, niece or girl from Church who is in the 15-17 year old range and cut a deal. She gets free air, room, board and one afternoon of fund of her choosing (spa, golf, parasailing). No pay except for the opportunity and the paid for activity. Never had anyone turn us down and it always worked out great. Well worth the extra expense to have privacy and peace of mind.

 

[DeputyDan]

What Tim Said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Homunculus]

What we usually do is grab a cousin, niece or girl from Church who is in the 15-17 year old range and cut a deal. She gets free air, room, board and one afternoon of fund of her choosing (spa, golf, parasailing). No pay except for the opportunity and the paid for activity.

would not it be cheaper to have some one living at your place with a kid while you are on vacations? i understand if the kid is breastfeeding but if not - what are the contras?

 

[DrSteve]

Plus the point is we would be looking for a baby sitter for the duration of our diving - which isn't a huge amount of the day.

 

[Charlie99]

Traveling with infants is a cinch. All they do is sleep, eat, and dirty their diapers. It the toddlers that are a challenge.

My experience (2 daughters, 2 granddaughters, 2 grandsons) is that 18 months is the worst possible time to travel. Toddlers of that age range are fully mobile and are often frustrated because they aren't quite able to express themselves yet.

With the girls, the "terrible twos" were over about the time they turned 2, with the worst time being around 18 months. Boys are usually a few months behind the girls. Just keep reminding yourself that next year will be easier.

I second the advice of bringing along 15-17 year old. For an 18 month old, most 12-14 year olds will do fine too, particularly in a resort hotel setting where there is some adult backup for emergencies. Another possibility are the grandparents.

 

[diver_paula]

An all inclusive worked well for us by putting the kids in the day camp. The kids had to be 3 years and up so this wouldn't work for you quite yet.

Paula

 

[robint]

We have a 1.5 year old. He's wonderful, but he adds an extra layer of complexity to any planned diving trip. Any advice from other parents out there? Do all-inclusives work well? What about cruises?

Any advice for good locations in December that are *easily* reachable from the US (NY to be exact)?

Thanks,

Steve

December and easily reachable from NY is a problem.... check out Bonaire and Curacao for sure. I think there are non-stop flights out of Newark. Other than that, I think you are looking at ugly winter Carib weather or several plane changes.... ugghhh. Personally, I would leave the bambino home for a few more years. He isn't going to get anything out of the trip right now.