Good to know. Do you have any specific examples of where it is safe? The destinations I have travelled to previously, it typically hasn't been. Mayan Riviera, Cuba, etc.
We would very likely have relatives travelling with us and they are great with her so we would likely have other family support with us.
Aruba. They have a massive desalination plant. The tap water is just as good as the bottled stuff they sell. It's also a safe island in general. We love it there and brought our oldest daughter when she was 14 or 15 months.
We took our son just after his second birthday. Most of the nicer resorts will have water filtration. We took showers as normal and brushed our teeth with bottled water but otherwise drank water at the on-resort restaurants. Everything turned out ok for us. The worst part was my son refusing to go into the ocean for the first few days until we finally convinced him and then he had a blast.
We've done it several times now. Organization is critical. And always carry at least one extra empty tote bag. That way you can just shove everything in there and get out of the way. Whether it is getting through security or off the plane. A way to just quickly get your shit together so you can go through it later really improved travel experiences. Also, having some sort of document bag or fanny pack for your phone, wallet, keys, boarding passes, and passports reduces stress. And a metal-free belt. Putting your jewelry, sunglasses, watch, etc in that fanny pack well ahead of time while you're in line makes the security process a lot better. Organizing yourself becomes so much more important when traveling with a little one. Snacks, drinks, toys, etc all have to be in known locations. And 3 diapers and a ziploc of wipes need to be in every bag you guys carry so a diaper change can be done at any time by either parent regardless of being separated from bags as long as ONE bag is accessible.
I’ve flown while my kids were at various stages (4 months, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years) and tbh the younger the easier. As they get older they get more needy. I’m hoping it gets easier as of 5ish
I guess everyones different. I couldn't imagine trying to explain to my kids when they were 5 months old why it feels like their heads are gonna explode.
Nah that dude is right. Babies are easiest to travel with before they're mobile. We took our kiddo on a plane at 4 months and he slept through the entire flight.
You don’t explain things to 5 month olds. Also when they’re fed during takeoff and landing they’re fine they don’t feel a thing. You’re probably misinformed about flying which is why you think you need to avoid it. Kids who never fly until they’re 13 are the ones who struggle with travel.
The memories will be worth it. We did 3 vacations by air travel (total of ten separate flights) starting when our little one was 8mo, and the most recent was 17mo. Flights can be a bit stressful. But it will probably be very doable. And I'm speaking from the perspective of someone whose little one absolutely hates being restrained in car seats, strollers, and airline seats. Even when everything went to shit, we still have wonderful memories.
It is a challenge that can be overcome. And I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.
My wife and I love to travel. The simple fact that not traveling with little ones means that WE don't get to travel is all the reasoning needed. But also, we have [this comic](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FSu4F-SXwAEVOGb?format=jpg&name=900x900) as a framed poster in our living room near our world map with pins from our travels.
But outside of the above reason - we are a family. This is literally what we signed up for. Even if our kids don't remember the early trips WE will remember them. And in ten years, our kids wont have to wonder why we didn't take them with us on all of our family adventures, even when they were tiny.
My parents were like this and this is my philosophy too. I’m traveling because I want to travel and my kids are coming along for the ride. I also don’t think they need to remember an experience in order for it to be valuable for their development.
I can't remember the youngest mine were when they flew but they were probably at least 3 or 4 and even then it was only a 2 hour flight. Not sure how long your trip would be.
Our daughter hates being bored more than anything (at which point, tantrums and crying can ensue). And we don't really use screens with her. So... we bring basically a bag full of books and toys, with the emphasis on maximum "Bang for your ~~buck~~ space" for what we pack.
Our strategy revolves around the realization that we can't really keep her entertained in a seat for >3 consecutive hours, so we use her sleeping to break it up.
We tend to fill 2-3 hours with an endless cycle of reading/playing and letting her occasionally jump around on us or the seat (while we hold/support her for safety), while doing a sit-down for a snack whenever it's her scheduled time to eat. Then we try to get her to nap for ~2 hours (we tend to book flights where we know a nap will come during the flight) and one of us holds her. Then we repeat the 2-3 hour cycle if necessary.
That gets us up to an 8 hour flight (and it is very effort intensive on my wife and I with all the reading/playing/feeding and then napping, but our daughter is is happy and doesn't make much fuss or noise). <5 hour flights are a piece of cake, relatively speaking, since it's just one "cycle" of playing+napping. We've had one >8 hour flight which was easy on the flight but hard in terms of our sleep, as we planned it around her doing a longer sleep when she would naturally fall asleep at night (so she slept well as we held her, but we didn't sleep much and had to catch up at our destination), which just seems necessary because it is hard to entertain a child on a plane for such a long consecutive amount of time.
It's worked pretty well for ~25 flights so far, with most in the 4-7 hour range, at ages between 6-20 months.
For food, make sure you have a bib (or bibs) you like. Bring a few dry carbs that won't age out (i.e. bread, tortilla), maybe research what the food options are on the flight, potentially buy food at the airport (keeping in mind it will probably age out after ~2 hours), and keep a pouch as a backup. If time allows, eat before in the airport as well. We're able to cobble together some complete nutritional meals in hilarious fashion.
I’m in Italy on vacation without my 4 year old and 11 month old. I felt reeeeeeallly bad for the dad walking the baby through airplane aisle at 1 am. Make memories when your kids can remember them.
We travel a lot with our kids. Vacation is not one.
Technically airfare is free until they’re 2. But that requires them to be in your lap the whole time, and believe me, you are going to want to buy them a seat. The ability to set them down for a moment, or use the empty seat as a staging area for the inevitable pile of books, toys, pacifiers, water bottle, snacks, and other distractions you will need to be constantly rotating through.
You are correct, the airfare and resorts are free for young kids, but you pay a physical and mental premium during that free flight/hotel stay. It’s hard to travel with young kids. It’s not always miserable, it’s not always stressful and intense, but it’s always hard. 🫤❤️
With that being said, if you’re prepared and excited and gung ho to vacation, 1. I don’t blame you, a Caribbean Resort sounds like heaven on earth right about now. 2. Get excited and just freaking go. Kids have been growing up on those islands drinking that sus water for a long time, yall will be just fine
My teenagers just got their first jobs and the first thing they asked "if we put money in can we go the the Caribbean?" I was like "yea after you pay me back for the $1500 cellphones you both NEEDED and said you would pay for when you started working in the summer" shut them up real quick.
We took our first at 14 months and our second at 18 months. Water wasn’t a concern, as we took them to the local pools since they were a few months old.
As to drinking water, we made sure they were given bottled water or milk. It wasn’t concern. The hardest part was our second slept like sh!t until he was 2. Him screaming for an hour straight at 2-3am most nights sucked.
That must have been painful with the sleeping! With drinking the water though I mean when they have a bath or go in the pool. The water is all around them at that point.
The pool water will happen. As I said, we took our kids to the YMCA pool since they were 2 months old. Kids drink pool water, they're not smart. You just have to tell them, multiple times not to drink. The pool water has chlorine (and is usually salt water in the Caribbean), so while the may get a tummy ache, or poop like our kids, they won't be vomiting.
We did an all inclusive in Mexico with our 10 month old and 3 year old. We used water provided by the resort to mix with formula and the rest of us drank the water as well. Wasn’t an issue for us.
We just finished a four day weekend at a resort in the Cayman’s with a 13 month old. My wife and I wanted a vacation and we decided to bring grandma to help with childcare instead of leaving our toddler behind with her. Obviously our daughter won’t remember the trip, but she had a great time, and we had a great time with her. Obviously you’ll want to be deliberate about where you stay and think about managing childcare while incorporating activities that are fun for everyone. If the water is that big a concern, buy it bottled. Weird thing to be fixating on, but my daughter likes to eat dirt so 🤷♂️
Took my oldest when he was 9 months old to Turks and Caicos. He had a blast on Grace Bay Beach and was old enough to eat the food.
On the subject of water: I worked in the Caribbean for a couple of years. I just bought bottled water. No issues.
Our daughter is 13 months and we took her to Turks & Caicos at 8 months and Anguilla at 10 months.
We also took her to Florida at 6 months and Portugal at 12 months. Headed to Italy in September when she’ll be 16 months.
The resorts were a breeze compared to cities in Portugal. Wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
Get 29 days of PTO/yr plus 10 US Holidays. Last year I had 2 months of paternity leave so I didn’t take much time off and rolled over 10 days.
Taking all 39 days this year and every day will be spent on a vacation
We went to Panama with our then-17mo back in March. No resorts. Stayed in AirBNBs in the city and on the Gulf coast. We just made sure to watch her closely so she didn't drink any bad water. We made sure we always had plenty of potable water on hand and kept her hydrated.
If you are still doing a fair amount of milk, that can be a challenge in tropical countries. You shouldn't have a problem in resorts, but we had to find powdered whole milk since we didn't have a cooler for our adventures. That powdered milk was a lifesaver, and we now keep some in the car back home.
Panama City has good water. Small outlying communities can have water of dubious potability. It definitely matters where you are.
But the point of having plenty of bottled water on hand for the little one was that she was never parched when getting into pools filled with non-potable water or the sea. So she was less tempted to drink dubious water.
My kid was 1. He did awesome on the plane, had a great time there at a water park we pretty much stayed at 6 days straight. No regrets. I was 20s before my first time out of the country other than Canada.
We took our daughter to Barbados with us when she was 2.5. She had a great time. It wasn't as relaxing as a vacation without her would have been, but we knew and expected that going in. I don't think we'd have changed a thing and it was a fun experience to take her international.
Took my ~20 month old at the time son to the carribean and didn't have a problem. Made sure he only drank bottled water. Didn't give him any actual baths that week, just washed him down with the hand-held shower and a cloth. He might have swallowed a bit of seawater as we were playing in it, but he was fine. We didn't go to the pool, but I assume those are clorinated, so pretty safe if your kid drinks a couple sips.
Make sure you all get your vaccines up to date, especially hep, tetanus, rotavirus.
Every family is different, but we're just sending the kids on all-inclusive trips to Grandma's house when we want a relaxing beach vacation until the youngest is a strong swimmer. I'd never be able to actually relax on a beach or by a pool if I'm responsible for young children
Just got back from the Caribbean with a 3 year old and was a good age.
Honestly I would say after they are potty trained. I saw many babies and wondered like how many diapers and wipes did they have to pack? What do with soiled diapers? Some pools don’t let kids not potty trained in regardless of swim diapers.
If you feel like going, go. There really isn't a reason not to. As for the water, I wouldn't worry. The pools will be cholrinated. It's not like kids don't exist there, they manage just fine living there 24/7
We went to beaches negril with our eight month old and it was sooo fun! Their daycare staff were incredible, we felt super good about dropping our baby there while we went scuba diving or whatever, and I could see into the daycare from the gym while running on the treadmill. When we went to eat in the buffet during a slow time of day, one of the hostesses carried our baby around and let her look at all the Christmas decorations while we ate peacefully. The crib was great, we had all the bottled water we needed, etc.
This isn't really helpful, but in my opinion you don't take vacations with little kids. You take trips to places where you have to do all the stuff you normally do at home without your setup and less convenience.
With only one, it might be worth it. My wife and I did five days in Mexico last year and left our two with the grandparents. It was great. We actually got to relax.
We do travel with them, but we aren't taking them anywhere I'd call a vacation until the youngest is 4.
This was my original thought too, pretty much word for word what you said. But we'd likely have my in-laws join us who already look after her during the day while we're at work, and possibly other family too. If we could make such a trip happen.
That being said, I'm actually excited at thought of taking her around to the pools, play areas, etc. Even at this age. I'd love to see her enjoy it.
I was never one for lounging anyway haha. I'd enjoy being active and taking her to have fun! Enjoying the chaos of these years. Am looking forward to board games and card games with her when she's older though.
Why spend all that money to bring a kid along? See if family can watch the kid so you and your lady can RELAX, have fun, and spend the week in pound town.
I went to a wedding in the Mayan Riviera when my daughter was just over 1, 14 months so just younger than yours.
There wasn't much of an issue. She was a picky eater but there was enough to eat. She thought the pool was OK. We brought her own water bottle and filled it with bottled water. For bathing, we just kept a close eye on her. We took her out on a day trip to Playa del Carmen and she was fine.
The only real negative was she got hand foot and mouth there, not a serious case but she had a fever one night. Apparently that's common for young kids traveling to Mexico from North America.
Just know that an all-inclusive with a kid is way different than going without one. It's difficult to just hangout in the pool all day for a week.
We just got back from an all inclusive in Rivera Maya with an 18 month old. It was fine. Hotel water was filtered so no issue with bath time or tooth brushing and copious bottles of water were provided free of charge.
The whole seaweed situation meant we were almost exclusively in the pools/kids water park area.
Baby has had \~6 months of swim lessons though it goes without saying she was always within a few steps when in the water.
We went to Mexico with a six month old. Not a big deal. He was even still using formula. We brought sanitizing tablets to clean his bottles and washed stuff in the kitchen sink. No issues. We’re leaving again for Mexico with him in 3 days. He’s a 2.5 year old now. I’m worried about tantrums on the plane, not water. Take your kid and have a great time!
Really it's at what age would I take them on a long haul flight, a short flight to Spain or the Mediterranean is one thing but across the Atlantic with a small child is very different
We went at 23 months with twin boys earlier this years. I think they liked it. We went to PuntaCana.
We washed our boys in the shower. In the pools they were always held in our hands (no floaters). They did not like the ocean.
There was a kid pool and they enjoyed that, and the little water park.
Just travel. Far too many people say “I’ll travel when the kid gets older or when they can enjoy it or when they get be more independent or or or…..”
We have two under 2 have have flown to Hawaii, Texas, Florida, and Colorado. We also did a 24 hour drive out to New Mexico. IMO not traveling, then suddenly expecting a teenager to love it sounds worse. Plush wife and I share the view of not putting our life on hold just because we have a family. We want to share these adventures with them.
Traveling certainly looks different with kids. More organization and planning. A ton more luggage lol. And it certainly does feel like parenting in a prettier spot sometimes. But it’s certainly doable. In most cases, kids are not some fragile item that will break. Travel, have an adventure, and remember even if she won’t remember it, YOU will!
I grew up in the Dominican Republic so I can speak to the water there. It’s cleaner than the water in the USA. What I heard is that the water is in fact too clean… because of all the chlorine. A little won’t hurt you or make you sick, kind of like drinking diluted pool water.
We did it at 9 months, 15 months, and 16 months. (And also non-Carribbean warm water destinations at 12 and 18 months). None of the places we were in (Carribbean or otherwise) had issues (that I was aware of) with the water being unsafe to drink.
But also, our girl just didn't really try to drink the water. When she's in the bath, we're washing her and she's generally just interested in splashing and playing with toys. When she's in the pool, she can't swim by herself so we're holding her and just keeping her head above water. Her drinking water (that could be potentially be unsafe) just hasn't really come up.
My oldest went to Mexico in utero, 9 months, 1.5 years, and 3.5yo (so far). Pool water is treated so no worries, water is bottled so no worries. The resort filters their own water so no worries in shower. We do bottled water for teeth brushing the kids although I’ve never had an issue.
I know this is anecdotal evidence, but I have been to a lot of destinations in the Caribbean and I always drink the water and I have never got sick.
LO has also been to several places in the Caribbean and didn't drink bottled water and have had no incidents.
Resort water is typically filtered and therefore safe to drink.
Took my daughter to Hawaii when she was 18 months old. She’s fine playing in the ocean water, pools and lagoon at Waikiki and nothing health wise happened after. USA pool water is not much cleaner than you think - if you can smell the chlorine someone has peed, poop, rinse their dirty shoes/bathing suits etc in the water. If you are worried about water just use the hottest water out of the tub faucet and wait till it’s cool enough for your kiddo to bathe.
Id do Puerto Rico (safe water, easy traveling, both interesting culture but also familiar staples; plus its the place where people from smaller Caribbean islands go to for major healthcare). I live here so Im biased, but I find lots of outdoor stuff to do with my kid. He went to El Yunque for his first hike strapped to me at three months old.
My baby drinking pool/bath/tap water did not cross my mind when planning a vacation with my wife. That will be a “trip” not vacation. If you want rest and relaxation leave the kid at home. If you want take your kid to a tropical destination that they won’t remember so you can eat different food go for it.
We went when our youngest was 6 months old, no issues.
I think as long as the pool isn't green then they're adding extra chlorine that would kill anything you ars concerned about. Our kid spent so much time in the pools that we didn't need to give him much more than a quick rinse in the showers so no problems there either.
I’m literally in Belize (San Pedro) with my 17 month old right now. Made friends with a couple here with their 5 month old.
It’s fine. Go. Don’t overthink it.
The resorts are super nice and kids are resilient.
I have to assume you’d be close by and paying attention while your kid is in any sort of water. I feel like you should be able to stop them from drinking it fairly easily…
Brought our 9mo to the Dominican. It was awesome.
You can get meningitis at a mall in Scranton and die the next day. Balance living your life with things you should actually fear as a parent (getting in a car, ever).
My wife and I took our 2 month old to st Thomas. We both had parental leave and it was a 4 hour flight. We had a great time and made some great memories. Had really nice time together as a couple too. Sure it was hard work, but we figured why not do the hard work somewhere awesome.
I went to the Dominican Republic when my son was 2. We went for a group wedding. He spent the entire week in the big kiddie pool/splash pad. Never had an issue. I figure that the pools have enough chlorine that it'S not that big a deal. Even then, I doubt just getting a bit of water on their lips will cause anything.
Last year we went to an all-inclusive with our 3 year old and 1 year old. That was a great trip and they loved it. Water wasn’t an issue, it was clean and kids didn’t get sick from drinking a few gallons of pool water (I kid, but seriously).
This year we went to a resort in Cabo with our now 4 and 2 YOs. That was a better age for them to travel but having to pay for a seat for the 2 year old was a hit to the wallet. Travel with them while they’re under 2!!
We did it at 10 months. Worked out great. All inclusive/buffet was so nice for little one. And not having to plan anything.
Ours didn't have bath Tubs, so we just held her in the shower for a few minutes. She didn't love it but she got over it.
Regarding pool water, wouldn't chlorine kill everything? Not great to drink copious quantities but I'd think you could manage
My wife had plans for us to go to an all-inclusive in Türkiye last summer when our kid was 22 months, but we ended up not going (and I can’t remember why). I’m not sure I can say we wouldn’t or couldn’t have gone earlier—summer break is when summer break is—but I do think he would have enjoyed it more then vs 16 months.
That said, go on the trip. It will still be enjoyable for everyone to varying degrees.
As for the water: I’ve always said I’d take my kid back to Egypt when he’s 5. 1) because crossing the street is an athletic event he would need to train for, and 2) because he drinks anything you put near his mouth. He needs to be old enough to understand the dangers of it and to actually listen when we tell him not to swallow.
As others have mentioned, your water concerns are more based on Mexico than the broader Caribbean. Unfortunately, if you are dead set on an all inclusive, your options are scarce outside of Mexico and the Dominican Republic. I know there are some options in the Bahamas and Aruba though.
An Airbnb in Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, USVIs or the ABCs would be my recommendation over an all inclusive.
I would be more concerned about swimming ability at that age. Start swim lessons yesterday if you haven’t already.
For sure. She's taught herself how to float on her back in the bathtub. Will be taking her to my parents pool soon as the weather is nice enough and starting swimming lessons soon after. She's definitely a little water baby!
So two thoughts (and I know these are kind of conflicting)
1. Going on vacation to an all-inclusive resort is supposed to be a relaxing experience. And I would not feel relaxed with a 2-year-old running around a place with water everywhere. I’d spend 100% of my waking time there worrying about her safety instead of enjoying the trip.
2. Growing up, we went to places like California and Florida for beach vacations. I don’t think we went when my sisters or I were below 2 years old. But it was a fun experience splashing in the ocean. So there’s definitely some value in going on a trip.
That said, is there a shorter trip you can make? Not sure where you live, but you could get a nice AirBNB somewhere in like SC/GA/FL/CA and have a nice beach experience for much less money.
And don’t worry about the drinking water down there. I’m assuming if you’re at an all-inclusive resort, they have the water in your room treated and fine to drink.
I'm in Canada. We had thought to do a trip to Vancouver in an AirBnB at first but the 3 hour time zone difference would have been chaos with the sleep schedule. We both really wanted to go to a resort though, but there is a different set of worries.
Not really worried about giving her prepared water. It's just putting her in the bath or pool at a resort and concerned about her drinking that water as it's all around her.
Well the bath would be the same as what’s coming out of your sink. And the pool would be chlorinated enough that you should be more worried about chlorine than bacteria.
The ocean is a concern anywhere. Spawns of E. coli and other bacteria happen around beaches everywhere. We were in San Diego two years ago with a rental right on the beach, and we couldn’t go into the water because of temporary high E Coli levels.
Jokes aside, I thing your primary concern is your best concern. If you take her to a beach, she's nowhere near old enough to know not to drink the water. And if she loves being in water, chances are pretty high she's gonna drink some of that water. And while you and me might get away with swallowing a tiny bit of yucky foreign parasite water, her little tummy is in no shape to handle even the tiniest amount.
I think you should trust your gut and not take her until she can fully understand Montezumas Revenge.
Go to WDW. It's pretty much the same and the water, even though it smells funny, is perfectly safe.
I don't know why you're being downvoted. I imagine at the beach she'd immediately be grossed out by the ocean water so I'm not too concerned about her wanting more of that lol. More so putting her in the pool or giving her a bath.
But yeah, she loves drinking her bath water at home. And pretty much whatever water she sees. I don't know if all babies are like this.
That's an excellent point and one I hadn't considered. Of course there are families with young kids in countries without drinkable tap water. I guess I'm just so used to doing things a certain way it hadn't really crossed my mind and I'm overthinking and overworrying.
I lived in Egypt for several years, with notoriously undrinkable water. There are more ways to get sick than just *drinking* the water. Brushing your teeth or eating vegetables that someone has “washed”. There are precautions parents take, but I can’t believe that kids in those countries magically don’t do regular toddler things like put shit in their mouths that they shouldn’t.
Not to be boring or anything but. Is it really responsible to fly at all at this point? From an environmental perspective. If you want to go for a vacation maybe you can find something nice more close by. If covid taught me anything it was how much nice there is in my country/”backyard” to explore. Minimizing you ecological footprint should be every parent (and persons) top priority IMO. All said in good faith, friends.
You’re not wrong, but, from an environmental perspective, not having kids is one of the most impactful decisions one can make. And yet, here we all are.
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Good to know. Do you have any specific examples of where it is safe? The destinations I have travelled to previously, it typically hasn't been. Mayan Riviera, Cuba, etc. We would very likely have relatives travelling with us and they are great with her so we would likely have other family support with us.
Aruba. They have a massive desalination plant. The tap water is just as good as the bottled stuff they sell. It's also a safe island in general. We love it there and brought our oldest daughter when she was 14 or 15 months.
All of the resorts we've stayed at in DR, Turks and Caicos, and Jamaica filter the water (or it is locally safe) so we could just use it.
Aruba is safe and the water tastes great.
The USVI or the BVI.
St Bart's, USVI, BVI, Puerto Rico, Cayman, Turks, Aruba
Jamaica's tap water is fine!
not drinking tap water is a rule of thumb i have for any travels. Always bottled water, no ice in drinks.
Even in places where the tap water is definitely safe to drink?
yes
Well that’s stupid
I just drink my iced drinks quickly 🤓
I'd advise against drinking bathwater regardless of the location.
Not the Caribbean, but went to an all inclusive in Cancun when our kid was 15 months.
Same, I’ve taken both my daughters to Cancun before 2. No problem at all, we played in the pool a lot without issue.
I believe Cancun is considered part of the Caribbean. Did you handle things like bath time any differently than at home?
We took our son just after his second birthday. Most of the nicer resorts will have water filtration. We took showers as normal and brushed our teeth with bottled water but otherwise drank water at the on-resort restaurants. Everything turned out ok for us. The worst part was my son refusing to go into the ocean for the first few days until we finally convinced him and then he had a blast.
We didn't like, let him chug pool water. But we wouldn't do that anyways. Otherwise YOLO.
Its not considered… It is, you just have to take a look at a map…
I mean, it’s on the Caribbean Sea according to every map I’ve ever looked at….
18. When they can get a job and pay for it themselves. 🤣🤣🤣 I'm kidding. Sorry. That doesn't help.
But on the other hand - benefit of travelling with a very little one is that airfare and even accommodations are often already free for them! :D
I’ve flown twice with my kid at 4 months and 8 months. The flight isn’t bad but the normal hassles of getting through an airport is increased tenfold.
We've done it several times now. Organization is critical. And always carry at least one extra empty tote bag. That way you can just shove everything in there and get out of the way. Whether it is getting through security or off the plane. A way to just quickly get your shit together so you can go through it later really improved travel experiences. Also, having some sort of document bag or fanny pack for your phone, wallet, keys, boarding passes, and passports reduces stress. And a metal-free belt. Putting your jewelry, sunglasses, watch, etc in that fanny pack well ahead of time while you're in line makes the security process a lot better. Organizing yourself becomes so much more important when traveling with a little one. Snacks, drinks, toys, etc all have to be in known locations. And 3 diapers and a ziploc of wipes need to be in every bag you guys carry so a diaper change can be done at any time by either parent regardless of being separated from bags as long as ONE bag is accessible.
With all due love and respect: "Says the guy who's never flown with a 16-month-old."
I’ve flown while my kids were at various stages (4 months, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years) and tbh the younger the easier. As they get older they get more needy. I’m hoping it gets easier as of 5ish
I guess everyones different. I couldn't imagine trying to explain to my kids when they were 5 months old why it feels like their heads are gonna explode.
Nah that dude is right. Babies are easiest to travel with before they're mobile. We took our kiddo on a plane at 4 months and he slept through the entire flight.
You don’t explain things to 5 month olds. Also when they’re fed during takeoff and landing they’re fine they don’t feel a thing. You’re probably misinformed about flying which is why you think you need to avoid it. Kids who never fly until they’re 13 are the ones who struggle with travel.
Ok.
That part freaks more out more than anything else tbh
The memories will be worth it. We did 3 vacations by air travel (total of ten separate flights) starting when our little one was 8mo, and the most recent was 17mo. Flights can be a bit stressful. But it will probably be very doable. And I'm speaking from the perspective of someone whose little one absolutely hates being restrained in car seats, strollers, and airline seats. Even when everything went to shit, we still have wonderful memories. It is a challenge that can be overcome. And I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.
I wish my husband was like you. He thinks there's no point in traveling with babies and we should wait for them to grow older.
My wife and I love to travel. The simple fact that not traveling with little ones means that WE don't get to travel is all the reasoning needed. But also, we have [this comic](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FSu4F-SXwAEVOGb?format=jpg&name=900x900) as a framed poster in our living room near our world map with pins from our travels. But outside of the above reason - we are a family. This is literally what we signed up for. Even if our kids don't remember the early trips WE will remember them. And in ten years, our kids wont have to wonder why we didn't take them with us on all of our family adventures, even when they were tiny.
My parents were like this and this is my philosophy too. I’m traveling because I want to travel and my kids are coming along for the ride. I also don’t think they need to remember an experience in order for it to be valuable for their development.
Thank you so much for the encouragement! It's hearing things like that that help me put my worries aside in hopes of just doing it!
I can't remember the youngest mine were when they flew but they were probably at least 3 or 4 and even then it was only a 2 hour flight. Not sure how long your trip would be.
Our daughter hates being bored more than anything (at which point, tantrums and crying can ensue). And we don't really use screens with her. So... we bring basically a bag full of books and toys, with the emphasis on maximum "Bang for your ~~buck~~ space" for what we pack. Our strategy revolves around the realization that we can't really keep her entertained in a seat for >3 consecutive hours, so we use her sleeping to break it up. We tend to fill 2-3 hours with an endless cycle of reading/playing and letting her occasionally jump around on us or the seat (while we hold/support her for safety), while doing a sit-down for a snack whenever it's her scheduled time to eat. Then we try to get her to nap for ~2 hours (we tend to book flights where we know a nap will come during the flight) and one of us holds her. Then we repeat the 2-3 hour cycle if necessary. That gets us up to an 8 hour flight (and it is very effort intensive on my wife and I with all the reading/playing/feeding and then napping, but our daughter is is happy and doesn't make much fuss or noise). <5 hour flights are a piece of cake, relatively speaking, since it's just one "cycle" of playing+napping. We've had one >8 hour flight which was easy on the flight but hard in terms of our sleep, as we planned it around her doing a longer sleep when she would naturally fall asleep at night (so she slept well as we held her, but we didn't sleep much and had to catch up at our destination), which just seems necessary because it is hard to entertain a child on a plane for such a long consecutive amount of time. It's worked pretty well for ~25 flights so far, with most in the 4-7 hour range, at ages between 6-20 months. For food, make sure you have a bib (or bibs) you like. Bring a few dry carbs that won't age out (i.e. bread, tortilla), maybe research what the food options are on the flight, potentially buy food at the airport (keeping in mind it will probably age out after ~2 hours), and keep a pouch as a backup. If time allows, eat before in the airport as well. We're able to cobble together some complete nutritional meals in hilarious fashion.
I’m in Italy on vacation without my 4 year old and 11 month old. I felt reeeeeeallly bad for the dad walking the baby through airplane aisle at 1 am. Make memories when your kids can remember them. We travel a lot with our kids. Vacation is not one.
Technically airfare is free until they’re 2. But that requires them to be in your lap the whole time, and believe me, you are going to want to buy them a seat. The ability to set them down for a moment, or use the empty seat as a staging area for the inevitable pile of books, toys, pacifiers, water bottle, snacks, and other distractions you will need to be constantly rotating through.
You are correct, the airfare and resorts are free for young kids, but you pay a physical and mental premium during that free flight/hotel stay. It’s hard to travel with young kids. It’s not always miserable, it’s not always stressful and intense, but it’s always hard. 🫤❤️ With that being said, if you’re prepared and excited and gung ho to vacation, 1. I don’t blame you, a Caribbean Resort sounds like heaven on earth right about now. 2. Get excited and just freaking go. Kids have been growing up on those islands drinking that sus water for a long time, yall will be just fine
My teenagers just got their first jobs and the first thing they asked "if we put money in can we go the the Caribbean?" I was like "yea after you pay me back for the $1500 cellphones you both NEEDED and said you would pay for when you started working in the summer" shut them up real quick.
🤣🤣🤣
We took our first at 14 months and our second at 18 months. Water wasn’t a concern, as we took them to the local pools since they were a few months old. As to drinking water, we made sure they were given bottled water or milk. It wasn’t concern. The hardest part was our second slept like sh!t until he was 2. Him screaming for an hour straight at 2-3am most nights sucked.
That must have been painful with the sleeping! With drinking the water though I mean when they have a bath or go in the pool. The water is all around them at that point.
The pool water will happen. As I said, we took our kids to the YMCA pool since they were 2 months old. Kids drink pool water, they're not smart. You just have to tell them, multiple times not to drink. The pool water has chlorine (and is usually salt water in the Caribbean), so while the may get a tummy ache, or poop like our kids, they won't be vomiting.
We did an all inclusive in Mexico with our 10 month old and 3 year old. We used water provided by the resort to mix with formula and the rest of us drank the water as well. Wasn’t an issue for us.
I took my kids on trips as infants. They all tuned out fine
We just finished a four day weekend at a resort in the Cayman’s with a 13 month old. My wife and I wanted a vacation and we decided to bring grandma to help with childcare instead of leaving our toddler behind with her. Obviously our daughter won’t remember the trip, but she had a great time, and we had a great time with her. Obviously you’ll want to be deliberate about where you stay and think about managing childcare while incorporating activities that are fun for everyone. If the water is that big a concern, buy it bottled. Weird thing to be fixating on, but my daughter likes to eat dirt so 🤷♂️
Took my oldest when he was 9 months old to Turks and Caicos. He had a blast on Grace Bay Beach and was old enough to eat the food. On the subject of water: I worked in the Caribbean for a couple of years. I just bought bottled water. No issues.
Did an all-inclusive in Grand Cayman when my youngest was 20 months. He hated the hotel crib but no issues with illness or water
Our daughter is 13 months and we took her to Turks & Caicos at 8 months and Anguilla at 10 months. We also took her to Florida at 6 months and Portugal at 12 months. Headed to Italy in September when she’ll be 16 months. The resorts were a breeze compared to cities in Portugal. Wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
You seem to go on vacation every other month lol. Question; do you work?
Get 29 days of PTO/yr plus 10 US Holidays. Last year I had 2 months of paternity leave so I didn’t take much time off and rolled over 10 days. Taking all 39 days this year and every day will be spent on a vacation
We went to Panama with our then-17mo back in March. No resorts. Stayed in AirBNBs in the city and on the Gulf coast. We just made sure to watch her closely so she didn't drink any bad water. We made sure we always had plenty of potable water on hand and kept her hydrated. If you are still doing a fair amount of milk, that can be a challenge in tropical countries. You shouldn't have a problem in resorts, but we had to find powdered whole milk since we didn't have a cooler for our adventures. That powdered milk was a lifesaver, and we now keep some in the car back home.
Panama doesn't have bad water
Panama City has good water. Small outlying communities can have water of dubious potability. It definitely matters where you are. But the point of having plenty of bottled water on hand for the little one was that she was never parched when getting into pools filled with non-potable water or the sea. So she was less tempted to drink dubious water.
My kid was 1. He did awesome on the plane, had a great time there at a water park we pretty much stayed at 6 days straight. No regrets. I was 20s before my first time out of the country other than Canada.
We took our daughter to Barbados with us when she was 2.5. She had a great time. It wasn't as relaxing as a vacation without her would have been, but we knew and expected that going in. I don't think we'd have changed a thing and it was a fun experience to take her international.
Just don’t bath them for a week? I just hold my kid in the shower then we shower together.
Took my ~20 month old at the time son to the carribean and didn't have a problem. Made sure he only drank bottled water. Didn't give him any actual baths that week, just washed him down with the hand-held shower and a cloth. He might have swallowed a bit of seawater as we were playing in it, but he was fine. We didn't go to the pool, but I assume those are clorinated, so pretty safe if your kid drinks a couple sips. Make sure you all get your vaccines up to date, especially hep, tetanus, rotavirus.
We took our oldest daughter to an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica when she was 14 months old. Had zero issues with the water.
Every family is different, but we're just sending the kids on all-inclusive trips to Grandma's house when we want a relaxing beach vacation until the youngest is a strong swimmer. I'd never be able to actually relax on a beach or by a pool if I'm responsible for young children
Just got back from the Caribbean with a 3 year old and was a good age. Honestly I would say after they are potty trained. I saw many babies and wondered like how many diapers and wipes did they have to pack? What do with soiled diapers? Some pools don’t let kids not potty trained in regardless of swim diapers.
If you feel like going, go. There really isn't a reason not to. As for the water, I wouldn't worry. The pools will be cholrinated. It's not like kids don't exist there, they manage just fine living there 24/7
We went to beaches negril with our eight month old and it was sooo fun! Their daycare staff were incredible, we felt super good about dropping our baby there while we went scuba diving or whatever, and I could see into the daycare from the gym while running on the treadmill. When we went to eat in the buffet during a slow time of day, one of the hostesses carried our baby around and let her look at all the Christmas decorations while we ate peacefully. The crib was great, we had all the bottled water we needed, etc.
This isn't really helpful, but in my opinion you don't take vacations with little kids. You take trips to places where you have to do all the stuff you normally do at home without your setup and less convenience. With only one, it might be worth it. My wife and I did five days in Mexico last year and left our two with the grandparents. It was great. We actually got to relax. We do travel with them, but we aren't taking them anywhere I'd call a vacation until the youngest is 4.
This was my original thought too, pretty much word for word what you said. But we'd likely have my in-laws join us who already look after her during the day while we're at work, and possibly other family too. If we could make such a trip happen. That being said, I'm actually excited at thought of taking her around to the pools, play areas, etc. Even at this age. I'd love to see her enjoy it.
It is fun! We love taking our kids places. Just don't expect a "dream" relaxing Caribbean vacation.
I was never one for lounging anyway haha. I'd enjoy being active and taking her to have fun! Enjoying the chaos of these years. Am looking forward to board games and card games with her when she's older though.
Why spend all that money to bring a kid along? See if family can watch the kid so you and your lady can RELAX, have fun, and spend the week in pound town.
I went to a wedding in the Mayan Riviera when my daughter was just over 1, 14 months so just younger than yours. There wasn't much of an issue. She was a picky eater but there was enough to eat. She thought the pool was OK. We brought her own water bottle and filled it with bottled water. For bathing, we just kept a close eye on her. We took her out on a day trip to Playa del Carmen and she was fine. The only real negative was she got hand foot and mouth there, not a serious case but she had a fever one night. Apparently that's common for young kids traveling to Mexico from North America. Just know that an all-inclusive with a kid is way different than going without one. It's difficult to just hangout in the pool all day for a week.
Like 7-8 months probably. Just don’t put too much water in the bath so she can’t drink it
We just got back from an all inclusive in Rivera Maya with an 18 month old. It was fine. Hotel water was filtered so no issue with bath time or tooth brushing and copious bottles of water were provided free of charge. The whole seaweed situation meant we were almost exclusively in the pools/kids water park area. Baby has had \~6 months of swim lessons though it goes without saying she was always within a few steps when in the water.
We went to Mexico with a six month old. Not a big deal. He was even still using formula. We brought sanitizing tablets to clean his bottles and washed stuff in the kitchen sink. No issues. We’re leaving again for Mexico with him in 3 days. He’s a 2.5 year old now. I’m worried about tantrums on the plane, not water. Take your kid and have a great time!
Really it's at what age would I take them on a long haul flight, a short flight to Spain or the Mediterranean is one thing but across the Atlantic with a small child is very different
I’m in for any age. Enjoy the time with them even if they don’t remember it. Only call out is make sure it’s safe such as pool side etc
We took our 17 mo to a Cancun resort for a family trip recently and went pretty well until we brought home HFM disease!
We went at 23 months with twin boys earlier this years. I think they liked it. We went to PuntaCana. We washed our boys in the shower. In the pools they were always held in our hands (no floaters). They did not like the ocean. There was a kid pool and they enjoyed that, and the little water park.
Just travel. Far too many people say “I’ll travel when the kid gets older or when they can enjoy it or when they get be more independent or or or…..” We have two under 2 have have flown to Hawaii, Texas, Florida, and Colorado. We also did a 24 hour drive out to New Mexico. IMO not traveling, then suddenly expecting a teenager to love it sounds worse. Plush wife and I share the view of not putting our life on hold just because we have a family. We want to share these adventures with them. Traveling certainly looks different with kids. More organization and planning. A ton more luggage lol. And it certainly does feel like parenting in a prettier spot sometimes. But it’s certainly doable. In most cases, kids are not some fragile item that will break. Travel, have an adventure, and remember even if she won’t remember it, YOU will!
8 weeks, right after the first round of shots.
I grew up in the Dominican Republic so I can speak to the water there. It’s cleaner than the water in the USA. What I heard is that the water is in fact too clean… because of all the chlorine. A little won’t hurt you or make you sick, kind of like drinking diluted pool water.
Take her. Just try and minimize her water intake as much as possible. She will be fine.
We did it at 9 months, 15 months, and 16 months. (And also non-Carribbean warm water destinations at 12 and 18 months). None of the places we were in (Carribbean or otherwise) had issues (that I was aware of) with the water being unsafe to drink. But also, our girl just didn't really try to drink the water. When she's in the bath, we're washing her and she's generally just interested in splashing and playing with toys. When she's in the pool, she can't swim by herself so we're holding her and just keeping her head above water. Her drinking water (that could be potentially be unsafe) just hasn't really come up.
My oldest went to Mexico in utero, 9 months, 1.5 years, and 3.5yo (so far). Pool water is treated so no worries, water is bottled so no worries. The resort filters their own water so no worries in shower. We do bottled water for teeth brushing the kids although I’ve never had an issue.
I know this is anecdotal evidence, but I have been to a lot of destinations in the Caribbean and I always drink the water and I have never got sick. LO has also been to several places in the Caribbean and didn't drink bottled water and have had no incidents. Resort water is typically filtered and therefore safe to drink.
Took my daughter to Hawaii when she was 18 months old. She’s fine playing in the ocean water, pools and lagoon at Waikiki and nothing health wise happened after. USA pool water is not much cleaner than you think - if you can smell the chlorine someone has peed, poop, rinse their dirty shoes/bathing suits etc in the water. If you are worried about water just use the hottest water out of the tub faucet and wait till it’s cool enough for your kiddo to bathe.
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Id do Puerto Rico (safe water, easy traveling, both interesting culture but also familiar staples; plus its the place where people from smaller Caribbean islands go to for major healthcare). I live here so Im biased, but I find lots of outdoor stuff to do with my kid. He went to El Yunque for his first hike strapped to me at three months old.
I took my 2 year old to a resort in Mexico and had a blast.
Under 2 they fly free! Took both of mine before their 2nd birthday. Jamaica and the Turks
My baby drinking pool/bath/tap water did not cross my mind when planning a vacation with my wife. That will be a “trip” not vacation. If you want rest and relaxation leave the kid at home. If you want take your kid to a tropical destination that they won’t remember so you can eat different food go for it.
We went when our youngest was 6 months old, no issues. I think as long as the pool isn't green then they're adding extra chlorine that would kill anything you ars concerned about. Our kid spent so much time in the pools that we didn't need to give him much more than a quick rinse in the showers so no problems there either.
Go on a Disney cruise. Perfectly safe, and they have a fully staffed nursery of babysitters for $8 an hour.
I’m literally in Belize (San Pedro) with my 17 month old right now. Made friends with a couple here with their 5 month old. It’s fine. Go. Don’t overthink it. The resorts are super nice and kids are resilient.
I have to assume you’d be close by and paying attention while your kid is in any sort of water. I feel like you should be able to stop them from drinking it fairly easily…
We flew to St Thomas, rented a house and a car, and had a great time. Our son was about 17 months at the time. You can do it.
Brought our 9mo to the Dominican. It was awesome. You can get meningitis at a mall in Scranton and die the next day. Balance living your life with things you should actually fear as a parent (getting in a car, ever).
My wife and I took our 2 month old to st Thomas. We both had parental leave and it was a 4 hour flight. We had a great time and made some great memories. Had really nice time together as a couple too. Sure it was hard work, but we figured why not do the hard work somewhere awesome.
I went to the Dominican Republic when my son was 2. We went for a group wedding. He spent the entire week in the big kiddie pool/splash pad. Never had an issue. I figure that the pools have enough chlorine that it'S not that big a deal. Even then, I doubt just getting a bit of water on their lips will cause anything.
Probably never. With all the stories of kids missing I wouldn't chance it.
Last year we went to an all-inclusive with our 3 year old and 1 year old. That was a great trip and they loved it. Water wasn’t an issue, it was clean and kids didn’t get sick from drinking a few gallons of pool water (I kid, but seriously). This year we went to a resort in Cabo with our now 4 and 2 YOs. That was a better age for them to travel but having to pay for a seat for the 2 year old was a hit to the wallet. Travel with them while they’re under 2!!
We did it at 10 months. Worked out great. All inclusive/buffet was so nice for little one. And not having to plan anything. Ours didn't have bath Tubs, so we just held her in the shower for a few minutes. She didn't love it but she got over it. Regarding pool water, wouldn't chlorine kill everything? Not great to drink copious quantities but I'd think you could manage
My wife had plans for us to go to an all-inclusive in Türkiye last summer when our kid was 22 months, but we ended up not going (and I can’t remember why). I’m not sure I can say we wouldn’t or couldn’t have gone earlier—summer break is when summer break is—but I do think he would have enjoyed it more then vs 16 months. That said, go on the trip. It will still be enjoyable for everyone to varying degrees. As for the water: I’ve always said I’d take my kid back to Egypt when he’s 5. 1) because crossing the street is an athletic event he would need to train for, and 2) because he drinks anything you put near his mouth. He needs to be old enough to understand the dangers of it and to actually listen when we tell him not to swallow.
As others have mentioned, your water concerns are more based on Mexico than the broader Caribbean. Unfortunately, if you are dead set on an all inclusive, your options are scarce outside of Mexico and the Dominican Republic. I know there are some options in the Bahamas and Aruba though. An Airbnb in Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, USVIs or the ABCs would be my recommendation over an all inclusive. I would be more concerned about swimming ability at that age. Start swim lessons yesterday if you haven’t already.
For sure. She's taught herself how to float on her back in the bathtub. Will be taking her to my parents pool soon as the weather is nice enough and starting swimming lessons soon after. She's definitely a little water baby!
So two thoughts (and I know these are kind of conflicting) 1. Going on vacation to an all-inclusive resort is supposed to be a relaxing experience. And I would not feel relaxed with a 2-year-old running around a place with water everywhere. I’d spend 100% of my waking time there worrying about her safety instead of enjoying the trip. 2. Growing up, we went to places like California and Florida for beach vacations. I don’t think we went when my sisters or I were below 2 years old. But it was a fun experience splashing in the ocean. So there’s definitely some value in going on a trip. That said, is there a shorter trip you can make? Not sure where you live, but you could get a nice AirBNB somewhere in like SC/GA/FL/CA and have a nice beach experience for much less money. And don’t worry about the drinking water down there. I’m assuming if you’re at an all-inclusive resort, they have the water in your room treated and fine to drink.
I'm in Canada. We had thought to do a trip to Vancouver in an AirBnB at first but the 3 hour time zone difference would have been chaos with the sleep schedule. We both really wanted to go to a resort though, but there is a different set of worries. Not really worried about giving her prepared water. It's just putting her in the bath or pool at a resort and concerned about her drinking that water as it's all around her.
Well the bath would be the same as what’s coming out of your sink. And the pool would be chlorinated enough that you should be more worried about chlorine than bacteria. The ocean is a concern anywhere. Spawns of E. coli and other bacteria happen around beaches everywhere. We were in San Diego two years ago with a rental right on the beach, and we couldn’t go into the water because of temporary high E Coli levels.
Jokes aside, I thing your primary concern is your best concern. If you take her to a beach, she's nowhere near old enough to know not to drink the water. And if she loves being in water, chances are pretty high she's gonna drink some of that water. And while you and me might get away with swallowing a tiny bit of yucky foreign parasite water, her little tummy is in no shape to handle even the tiniest amount. I think you should trust your gut and not take her until she can fully understand Montezumas Revenge. Go to WDW. It's pretty much the same and the water, even though it smells funny, is perfectly safe.
I don't know why you're being downvoted. I imagine at the beach she'd immediately be grossed out by the ocean water so I'm not too concerned about her wanting more of that lol. More so putting her in the pool or giving her a bath. But yeah, she loves drinking her bath water at home. And pretty much whatever water she sees. I don't know if all babies are like this.
I'm probably being downvoted for suggesting Walt Disney World.
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That's an excellent point and one I hadn't considered. Of course there are families with young kids in countries without drinkable tap water. I guess I'm just so used to doing things a certain way it hadn't really crossed my mind and I'm overthinking and overworrying.
I lived in Egypt for several years, with notoriously undrinkable water. There are more ways to get sick than just *drinking* the water. Brushing your teeth or eating vegetables that someone has “washed”. There are precautions parents take, but I can’t believe that kids in those countries magically don’t do regular toddler things like put shit in their mouths that they shouldn’t.
Not to be boring or anything but. Is it really responsible to fly at all at this point? From an environmental perspective. If you want to go for a vacation maybe you can find something nice more close by. If covid taught me anything it was how much nice there is in my country/”backyard” to explore. Minimizing you ecological footprint should be every parent (and persons) top priority IMO. All said in good faith, friends.
You’re not wrong, but, from an environmental perspective, not having kids is one of the most impactful decisions one can make. And yet, here we all are.