Traveling with our 11 month old Grandson

[Ncsblj6430]

We are traveling with our Adult children and our 11 month old grandson in April. Does any one have any helpfully hints or suggestions?

[rebeccalouiseagain]

You will get plenty of tips on the "Family Cruising" boards. I have personally sailed with a tot on Celebrity and it is a bit exhausting. I would recommend bringing comfortable walking shoes- since this age really likes to explore. I'm not sure if you grandson is walking yet but they usually are around this age.

 

Make sure to bring an umbrella stroller. This sames time and trouble when traveling from the cabin to other areas on the ship and prevents said child from injuring themselves and others. This age loves pushing the buttons on the elevator- so it is helpful to have them toward the back of the elevator in the umbrella stroller.

 

Are you traveling alone with him or are the parents coming as well?

[Algebralovr]

There are bunches of suggestions on the family cruise boards.

 

There were a number of little ones on our last couple of cruises. One of the things we noticed were blow-up baby pools since the little ones are not allowed in the regular pools. That let the little one splash around safely.

 

Bring more diapers than anyone thinks the little one will need. Friends brought theirs along last May and had to make a run for more. Luckily, we were on a sailing up the coast of California, and they were familiar with San Francisco and planned ahead where to get what he needed.

[jhans24]

Bring along some type of toy that is dinner only. You don't want him getting bored with it in the room, it only comes out at dinner. We did a magnet thing were you could make a couple different kinds of cars

[luv2brk]

I think you have good suggestions so far, but would add a few

 

-if you have a balcony (I hope so!) bring a baby monitor. We found a cheap one since all we have is a video monitor and it was great bc once that balcony door is closed you can't hear anything.

-also bring a night light or flashlight from home. I guess this depends on if he is a sound sleeper or not. We couldn't believe how tired our guy was from all the fun.

- also for the balcony we used a blow up pool. I wouldn't take it to the pool deck and it fit perfect in the balcony

- unless you have a tub in the room I would practice giving the baby a few showers at home to see if this is a problem or not. You could always use the blow up pool. Our son adjusted to the idea of showers but I think we would have had a problem if we tried for the first time on the cruise.

- there are open hours in the child center for him to play with an adult. We used this a lot since its indoors and open space.

- we had no problems finding open spaces for him to run around sometimes it was a bar (which felt completely odd) but again it's an empty space for him to explore and was not a bother to fellow passengers.

 

We took our son when he was 15 months old and also had grandparents, the biggest help of all!!! We were constantly adjusting our expectations but we had a great time.

 

 

If you have any specific questions I would be happy to help.

[waterbug123]

- also for the balcony we used a blow up pool. I wouldn't take it to the pool deck and it fit perfect in the balcony

 

Please note that he will NOT be permitted in any of the regular swimming pools, even if he's wearing swim diapers.

 

I didn't cruise with any of my kids when they were that age, but most people report that the dining room staff is very good about accommodating kids' food choices. For instance, even if mashed potatoes for example, (or whatever other soft or kid-friendly foot he might like) isn't on the menu one night, the kitchen will likely be able to provide some.

 

Cabins can be small enough, even before you put a pack & play in there, and store a stroller, etc. I'd definitely consider something a bit larger than a standard cabin so you (or his parents) have some room to move around even if the pack & play is set up and the stroller is parked.

[Stede Bonnet]

- also for the balcony we used a blow up pool.

 

Glad someone mentioned this.

Do all the balconies have a drain suitable for emptying a blow up pool?

We will be travelling with a toddler too

[luv2brk]

Yes. They hold very small amounts of water. Maybe 3-4 ice buckets worth and our little guy would splash about half of it out while he was playing.

 

I didn't mention anything about food, but the above poster is correct the main dining room staff went above and beyond with his food. He had milk and a small plate of snacks (bite size fruit and bread) cut up and waiting for him every night. I couldn't believe what a nice treat it was for him to sit down immediately and eat quietly for the first 5 minutes or so.

[CaribbeanBound]

The umbrella stroller is a solid idea.

 

Find someone you trust who can watch him when you go to dinner so that you and fellow passengers around you can enjoy dinner, or just use the buffet. It's really embarrassing when the kids are that young and screaming. Everyone is looking at you wondering "What the heck were you thinking?" We found it's definitely not the cruise we imagined.

 

Same thing happens when you take kids to Disney before their 5th birthday. It's semi-miserable and they won't remember anything.

 

Yes, and WE have good kids. We all say that.

 

Wishing you all the best.

Edited March 18, 2014 by CaribbeanBound

[Purplsmurf]

The umbrella stroller is a solid idea.

 

 

 

Find someone you trust who can watch him when you go to dinner so that you and fellow passengers around you can enjoy dinner, or just use the buffet. It's really embarrassing when the kids are that young and screaming. Everyone is looking at you wondering "What the heck were you thinking?" We found it's definitely not the cruise we imagined.

 

 

 

Same thing happens when you take kids to Disney before their 5th birthday. It's semi-miserable and they won't remember anything.

 

 

 

Yes, and WE have good kids. We all say that.

 

 

 

Wishing you all the best.

 

 

Couldn't agree more. The first time we sailed my youngest was 2 1/2. Every night at dinner we had issues with him. Kids that young just can't sit that long for dinner. Exhausting was an understatement! Fortunately he was potty trained so he was able to use the pool with his older sister and cousins. I won't even get into shore excursion time! If I had to do it over I would never bring a child that young. We stayed away from vacays like that until he was a bit older. He went to Aruba at 4 and cruised again at 5. Much better that time!! He is now 15 and every time we go on a cruise we remind him of the nightmare cruise we had when he was 2! Lol!!

 

 

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[alreadypacked]

Glad someone mentioned this.

Do all the balconies have a drain suitable for emptying a blow up pool?

We will be travelling with a toddler too

 

I was wondering about this also.

 

Or do you just carry it back into the cabin (seems like this might be difficult without spilling a lot of water) and empty it into the shower or toilet?:confused:

[Ncsblj6430]

Thank you everyone for all the great suggestions. I really like the pool on the desk idea and the baby monitor.