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Traveling with 1year-old??
Traveling with 1year-old??
I thought there was a good post on traveling with kids, but now I cannot find it ( an old one) 
We will be traveling in a few weeks with a 1 year-old and our almost 5 year-old. We have been researching, but if any one can share some tips we would really appreciate it!
BTW- We are going for a wedding (we heard St John is not the best kid-friendly place)
Formula/baby food on the plane?
Stroller at gate? Is a stroller useless?
Pack/Check-in our Kelty Baby Back Carrier?
Are diapers expensive there?
THANKs so much!!
mel
We will be traveling in a few weeks with a 1 year-old and our almost 5 year-old. We have been researching, but if any one can share some tips we would really appreciate it!
BTW- We are going for a wedding (we heard St John is not the best kid-friendly place)
Formula/baby food on the plane?
Stroller at gate? Is a stroller useless?
Pack/Check-in our Kelty Baby Back Carrier?
Are diapers expensive there?
THANKs so much!!
mel
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StJohnRuth
- Posts: 1989
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:42 pm
- Location: St. John, VI
I don't know the answer to your questions, but someone else will.
What I do know is this: If you are checking luggage, you definitely want to carry on the things that your baby needs to get through the first day in case the luggage gets lost. If your baby has a favorite toy or blanket that he can't live without, carry it on! All the things a baby needs can be a chore to find on St. John. I recommend at least bathing suits for parents as well.
I'm NOT saying your luggage will get lost, just that when it does people with children really have a hard time. The little ones are already having a tough enough time dealing with being in different surroundings without all their favorite stuff going missing on them!
Have a great trip,
-Ruth
What I do know is this: If you are checking luggage, you definitely want to carry on the things that your baby needs to get through the first day in case the luggage gets lost. If your baby has a favorite toy or blanket that he can't live without, carry it on! All the things a baby needs can be a chore to find on St. John. I recommend at least bathing suits for parents as well.
I'm NOT saying your luggage will get lost, just that when it does people with children really have a hard time. The little ones are already having a tough enough time dealing with being in different surroundings without all their favorite stuff going missing on them!
Have a great trip,
-Ruth
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aroobagirl
- Posts: 316
- Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:58 pm
- Location: Fairfax, VA
Hi, this is what we have found to be true from experience -
a stroller is useful in transit especailly if you need to make connections in the airport. It will not be useful on island since there are no real sidealks.
Renting a crib if you are in a villa is great option. Bring enough swim diapers for the week and diapers in your carry on, never know about flight delays. Dpends how fussy an eater your child is, ours had no problem eating what was available on island. Pack plenty of sunscreen and hats!!
Have fun!
a stroller is useful in transit especailly if you need to make connections in the airport. It will not be useful on island since there are no real sidealks.
Renting a crib if you are in a villa is great option. Bring enough swim diapers for the week and diapers in your carry on, never know about flight delays. Dpends how fussy an eater your child is, ours had no problem eating what was available on island. Pack plenty of sunscreen and hats!!
Have fun!
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traveler22
- Posts: 853
- Joined: Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:17 pm
- Location: New Jersey
Hi, I took my son when he was 9 months old and again a year later so here are my suggestions.
1. I took his car seat and used it on the flight(paid for a seat for him) and he slept in it thinking (I guess) he was in the car plus I had it for my car rental because I did not want to use a rented one for santiary reasons.
2. If your formula is not a popular brand, bring enough for the week. I didn't and had to take the ferry back to Red Hook and go to the "Kmart in the country" to get more and I lost 4 hrs of vacation!
3. I didn't take his stroller but it could be useful if you are going to do some shopping in town or at the beaches that are farther from the parking lot such as Cinnamon Bay. We tried to go to Hawksnest or Maho since the parking is right at the beach.
The restaurants we went to all had child menus and were child friendly(high chairs and such)
If you have any questions in particular, please ask, I know it can be quite nerve-racking taking a child so young but we didn't have too many problems.
One other thing is if you can get a flight around nap time it will make the trip more enjoyable for all of you. Good Luck
Scott
1. I took his car seat and used it on the flight(paid for a seat for him) and he slept in it thinking (I guess) he was in the car plus I had it for my car rental because I did not want to use a rented one for santiary reasons.
2. If your formula is not a popular brand, bring enough for the week. I didn't and had to take the ferry back to Red Hook and go to the "Kmart in the country" to get more and I lost 4 hrs of vacation!
3. I didn't take his stroller but it could be useful if you are going to do some shopping in town or at the beaches that are farther from the parking lot such as Cinnamon Bay. We tried to go to Hawksnest or Maho since the parking is right at the beach.
The restaurants we went to all had child menus and were child friendly(high chairs and such)
If you have any questions in particular, please ask, I know it can be quite nerve-racking taking a child so young but we didn't have too many problems.
One other thing is if you can get a flight around nap time it will make the trip more enjoyable for all of you. Good Luck
Scott
Re: Traveling with 1year-old??
1)Definitely! Take some little surprises (a.k.a. bribes) on the plane for both your kids to give to them when they start getting restless.meleemel wrote: Formula/baby food on the plane?
Stroller at gate? Is a stroller useless?
Pack/Check-in our Kelty Baby Back Carrier?
Are diapers expensive there?
mel
2) and 3) We left our stroller at home. Especially since you have the Kelty I wouldn't take the stroller. We shlepped our almost 2 y.o. in his carrier almost everywhere, even St. Thomas to shop:
4) We managed to tuck away diapers just about everywhere in our luggage and never had to buy any on-island so I'm not sure about prices (though I guarantee it will be more expensive).
What's not kid-friendly about St. John? It's the world's most beautiful sand-box!
-Sandy
Just wanted to share that I saw a few strollers on the beach last month. I was on the look out for people traveling with babies since we hope to be doing this on our next trip.
The strollers that seemed to be working well were the newer jogging strollers. Having traveled with a few different one year olds during my years as a nanny, I would guess that the plane ride will be the least fun of the entire trip!
The strollers that seemed to be working well were the newer jogging strollers. Having traveled with a few different one year olds during my years as a nanny, I would guess that the plane ride will be the least fun of the entire trip!
Re: Traveling with 1year-old??
We took our daughter to St. John when she was three (& to St. Martin when she was about 5 months old). We traveled with another couple with a 1 year old. All found St. John to be VERY kid friendly.meleemel wrote:
Formula/baby food on the plane?
Stroller at gate? Is a stroller useless?
Pack/Check-in our Kelty Baby Back Carrier?
Are diapers expensive there?
THANKs so much!!
mel
We're going back in November and taking a now 5 year old and a 9 month old. I'll be taking AS much stuff for him as I can. He's on a special formula that I have no confidence I'll be able to find, even on STT. Diapers we'll take too and then have room to bring home all the crap we buy. You can get diapers at Pine Peace for about what they cost here.
We are going to take the little fold-up stroller, mostly for the airport, and our backpack carrier for the little guy. His sister went everywhere around St. Martin in that thing and did fine. We found the stroller pretty useless on St. John but managable on St. Thomas for the airport or shopping and what not.
I also like to take a few floats. Small and easy to pack and the kids can use them in the pool. We are renting a car seat and pack and play from Christie's to make it easier on all involved.
I did a post in March about travelling with a toddler that I will PM you. To immediately answer your questions based on our experience travelling with an infant who turned into a toddler 
1. As an infant, son was breastfeed so I didn't take formula. As a toddler, I have packed him a lunch that included two milk bottles (as a 13 mo old) and later, slip cups of milk as well as an entire days worth of snacks and meals. When you are in the security line, speak up and the agent will mark the boarding pass so the agents in the line know that you declared liquids for a baby.
2. We travelled 4 times within 18 months and haven't taken a stroller. We use a kelty-type of carrier. On-island, we are not comfortable using a stroller as Cruz Bay doesn't really have sidewalks like at home.
3. Gate check the carrier (or stroller) I packed tons of stuff in the bag (diapers, etc.) Get a tag from the gate agent prior to boarding.
Two years ago, Catered To provided us with a pack-n-play free of charge. Check with your rental agent first, the house we are renting in Feb actually has a pack-n-play as well as a high chair.
I think St. John is very kid friendly as the island is so casual. Ruth's advice about lugguage is so true! We lost two of our bags in February and it was more of a nightmare than it should have been. Thankfully, it wasn't the baby's stuff.
1. As an infant, son was breastfeed so I didn't take formula. As a toddler, I have packed him a lunch that included two milk bottles (as a 13 mo old) and later, slip cups of milk as well as an entire days worth of snacks and meals. When you are in the security line, speak up and the agent will mark the boarding pass so the agents in the line know that you declared liquids for a baby.
2. We travelled 4 times within 18 months and haven't taken a stroller. We use a kelty-type of carrier. On-island, we are not comfortable using a stroller as Cruz Bay doesn't really have sidewalks like at home.
3. Gate check the carrier (or stroller) I packed tons of stuff in the bag (diapers, etc.) Get a tag from the gate agent prior to boarding.
Two years ago, Catered To provided us with a pack-n-play free of charge. Check with your rental agent first, the house we are renting in Feb actually has a pack-n-play as well as a high chair.
I think St. John is very kid friendly as the island is so casual. Ruth's advice about lugguage is so true! We lost two of our bags in February and it was more of a nightmare than it should have been. Thankfully, it wasn't the baby's stuff.
Here is a link to a previous thread on toddler travel with lots of good info.
I recommend getting a cheap stroller (the $15 Kolcraft from Toys R Us), it was good for putting our 18 month old in while waiting for planes at the airport, walking around in Cruz Bay, and having her restrained when near the ferries on the docks. Having the baby in the stroller also frees you up to carry more gear through the airport. United let us roll her up to the plane, gatecheck the stroller, and then had it out again for us at the bottom of the stairs when the plane landed. Worked great.
http://virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum ... highlight=
I recommend getting a cheap stroller (the $15 Kolcraft from Toys R Us), it was good for putting our 18 month old in while waiting for planes at the airport, walking around in Cruz Bay, and having her restrained when near the ferries on the docks. Having the baby in the stroller also frees you up to carry more gear through the airport. United let us roll her up to the plane, gatecheck the stroller, and then had it out again for us at the bottom of the stairs when the plane landed. Worked great.
http://virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum ... highlight=