using the tenders with an infant?

[sweet_addiction]

hi all. myself, hubby and my 10 month old will be cruising the carnival valor on oct 11 to the western caribbean...and it tenders at grand cayman and belize...just wondering what any of you did to keep your babies safe during this ride to the ports? weve never been to any of these places so we really wouldnt want to stay on the boat but our baby's safety is definetely our priority. i appreciate any POSITIVE feedback since the trip is paid for so for those of you who would recommend i just leave her behind..thats obviously not an option. thanks in advance for anyones help

[MOMtoTwins]

we tendered with our 9 month old girls and the only part that really scared me was getting on and off the tender. but we always got help from the people loading.

 

on the tender we held them on our laps. they both went to sleep

[sas80]

We just tendered in GC.

 

To really keep them safe you probably want to have any child in a life vest on the tender. Other than that I suggest that you discuss with DH your plan of action should something go awry. WHO is going to be in charge of which child, etc.

 

Communicate, make a plan of action. In case of emergency you are going to need to retrieve life vests. Who is going to hold the baby while the other gets a life vest and puts it on? Is that person (the one with the life vest) going to take the baby? Is one of you a strong swimmer (meaning the other person definitely is going to need a life vest?)

 

Just discuss what your plan is going to be in case of emergency so that, in case of emergency, you will be prepared.

 

The idea of being on a small boat with your baby might feel really scary but, once you are "there" it wont seem as frightening. I highly doubt that anything will happen but it is better to be prepared.

[queenL]

i appreciate any POSITIVE feedback since the trip is paid for so for those of you who would recommend i just leave her behind..thats obviously not an option. thanks in advance for anyones help

 

Love that! :D Don't you just hate the anti-children backlash that you get on this board?

 

The first time I tendered with my daughter she was 1. I had her in her swim vest. The next time I brought it with me but didn't make her wear it. I felt comfortable without her wearing it. The only jittery times for me were loading and unloading. I just held on to her really tight.

[santacap]

we were just thinking about this the other day.

 

anybody use a carrier to get on and off? might be easier than passing the child... thats our thoughts as of now:)

[Snowbuddy]

we were just thinking about this the other day.

 

anybody use a carrier to get on and off? might be easier than passing the child... thats our thoughts as of now:)

 

that was one of my thoughts as well...just make sure, if you do, that you are very used to wearing the baby, and that you are steady on your feet. wearing an infant can throw off your center of gravity a bit, and you do not want to be unfamiliar with that as you move from ship to tender.

[cacruiserjen]

We tendered several times on our cruise to Alaska in July. Our baby was 10 months old. I felt more comfortable with one of us holding her and getting on and off than passing her between us to get her on/off. We pushed her in her stroller (down elevator used for wheelchairs, etc.) and then the crew helped us on. Hubby folded up stroller and left it on the side (crew loaded it after everyone else was on and then took it off first and opened it up for us even). They were all very helpful and it was safe. They won't tender if it's rough in the caribbean. We've missed a few ports (Grand Caymen a few times) due to the roughness of the water. The tenders are usually the ship's lifeboats so I wouldn't be worried about the lifeboat sinking. They are made to float... So I wouldn't put a life jacket on. The getting on and off part was the trickiest, but not impossible.

[Kerry's Girls]

I'm generally not fearful, but I am always nervous about the loading and unloading as well, as I've heard of people ending up in the water - so my girls always wear swim vests so at least I know they won't sink and we'll be able to see where they are to pull them out if the worst happens.

 

Best,

Mia

[isk8]

My four year old wore a life vest on the tender. A ship's officer saw us putting the vest on him and told us we were smart to do that.

 

I would be nervous with a baby carrier or a stoller. If you fell in the water while wearing the baby, how would you keep the baby's head above water? Ditto with the stroller...if the stroller fell in with the baby in it, I would imagine it would drag the baby under immediately.

 

I would put the baby in a life vest and carry her/him onto the tender.

[santacap]

My four year old wore a life vest on the tender. A ship's officer saw us putting the vest on him and told us we were smart to do that.

 

I would be nervous with a baby carrier or a stoller. If you fell in the water while wearing the baby, how would you keep the baby's head above water? Ditto with the stroller...if the stroller fell in with the baby in it, I would imagine it would drag the baby under immediately.

 

I would put the baby in a life vest and carry her/him onto the tender.

 

very good point, never really thought of it like that...

[cb at sea]

The tenders are quite large---like a big Ferry, but without the cars! Bring whatever transport you'll use when you get to land (stroller, etc) and simply hold baby in your arms...it's not a long ride!

If it's very rough, stay on the ship..in most cases, they will cancel tendered ports if it's not safe.

[Julienatul]

We just tendered with our 3 yr old and 8 mo old and had no problems whatsoever. I was nervous getting on and off holding the baby but the staff is great about helping you. We chose a seat towards the middle so that DS would be no where near the sides. We brought along the stroller and once we were safely off the deck tenders would hand us the stroller. Just think, people are tendering with infants multiple times every day and you have never once heard of anyone adult or child falling off or injuring themselves.

[vavasmom]

While I have not tendered with an infant, We have seen it done many times. The safest seems to be having one parent carry the child onto the tender. I personally like KERRY'S GIRLS suggestion for a swim vest just in case.

 

I have seen a near miss with a stroller. The baby had fallen asleep and the parents went against the advice of the tender crew and insisted on pushing the stroller. A small wave rocked the tender and the husband started to loose his balance. The stroller became very unstable. The tender crew were very professional in assisting.

 

While off-topic - I have to add that I love the photo in Julienatul's signature - your son is so adorable in that tux.

[sweet_addiction]

thank you all for your great advice! i definitely feel a little more at ease about the whole tender thing.i was thinking about getting a carrier for her too but she hated it when she was much smaller and i really dont know how she'll like it now.lol.

[sas80]

thank you all for your great advice! i definitely feel a little more at ease about the whole tender thing.i was thinking about getting a carrier for her too but she hated it when she was much smaller and i really dont know how she'll like it now.lol.

 

If you do decide to leave baby in the stroller, take vavasmom's unwritten advice and lock the wheels of the stroller while you are on the tender.

[queenL]

we were just thinking about this the other day.

 

anybody use a carrier to get on and off? might be easier than passing the child... thats our thoughts as of now:)

 

When our daughter was really small I felt comfortable wearing the bjorn. However, now that she is in the big, back pack, hiker, thingee ...no. We had to bend down, so we wouldn't hit our heads entering the tender. It was hard to maneuver with that on our backs.

[crusinmama06]

I always took the kids out of the stroller. Too many times I watched the crew dangle the stroller in between the gangway and the tender. :eek: Freeked me out. And they weren't even MY kids...lol. So I always held my kids and carried them across the gangway. :)

 

As far as the tender, no, they are pretty big. I was never concerned for our safety.

[sunquest76]

We saw a close call in Kona Hawaii when a baby whale was "playing" with the tender boat. Other than that, they seem pretty safe.

 

We'll take DD out of her stroller and carry her. I don't think we'll put on her life jacket, but we will likely have it since our only tendre port we will be doing water activities so we'll be bringing it with us.

[cacruiserjen]

very good point, never really thought of it like that...

 

 

They don't allow you to push your stroller onto the tenders. They must be emptied and folded up and they put them on LAST after you have boarded and then they take them off first and have them ready for you to put your baby into. I wouldn't take my baby on in a carrier either - changes your center of balance and not safe.

 

My parents are cruising right now and Sunday they were in Panama City and tendered. They waited forever for it to be their tender time and then get down there and the swells were so high the tender was raising 4 foot at a time and you had to time it just right. So she handed my dad his ID and money and said she'd see him later. She gets sea sick anyway and was just imagining a crushed leg to go with that. So you do need to use your judgement too.

[FOURunderFOUR]

we were just thinking about this the other day.

 

anybody use a carrier to get on and off? might be easier than passing the child... thats our thoughts as of now:)

 

We took our then 4 mos old on MSC last January, and I wore her nearly all the time in my comfy joey sling. Most of the time to board a tender, I took her off of me (still in the sling) and handed her to the ship crew already on board. Only one time was the boat steady enough that I felt safe walking on still holding her. The other times it was a bit rocky, and I was worried I would lose my balance. Everyone was ALWAYS super helpful and I felt very safe with her.

 

To the OP, we were told to bring an infant-sized coast guard approved life vest with us since the child-sized ones would likely be too big. Once on board, MSC did have an infant sleeping bag type vest that would attach right to my life vest. So we kept our own infant vest with us when we tendered. It was a bit bulky and a PITA to carry around, but one the longer and rougher trips to shore it made me feel safe to know we had something available for her.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[awaldo]

I guess I'm in the minority, after doing it so many times, or we're just no where near as concerned about our kids safety. I just carry them on and hold them on the tender. When they we're small enough, we used the bjorn, just because it was so simple. The crew is very conscientious and will hold your arm, etc. as you board, but I just never thought of it as nearly as big of a deal as her safety onboard with all the Rascal Scooters running around...but that's a different story.