Ok I have little time to write and I imagine you want nitty gritty details of how this mom made a trip with an almost 4 and 2 year old a success:
– No stroller. Used a cheapo baby carrier for airplane travel only. For 2 year old I had a cheap baby carrier that was only used for airport use.
– Scrubba wash bag and Tide Sport packets. So good I wrote an Amazon review while still in our cabin.
– Skip the buffet. Do sit down only even for breakfast.
– Kids have clothing for at least 75% of time you are gone, even when planning to do laundry. We brought clothes for every day and it was so much luggage! Downy Wrinkle Releaser was great for my tightly packed clothes (ahem.. formal wear! No steamer or iron in rooms!)
– Pillowcase from home is nice to have, more lightweight than blanket
-Naps: never happened on a beach towel, youngest only slept in my arms. Prepare accordingly and get yourself a Pina colada to sit back and enjoy the view
– Excursions: forget booking anything, we had all these restrictions due to age and kids have a mind of their own (we were on Celebrity, other cruise lines may be more accommodating). We just read what was available each island and hailed a taxi upon landing. Worked out great for the dolphin encounter, since our friends had to go back to the ship and then to the beach when booking with cruise line.
– Over door shoe organizer: carries those easy to lose hair brushes, kids shoes, sunblock, sunglasses, toothbrushes, etc.
-Beach clips: I heard to use them for towels on a chair but we ended up using them like clothespins and to keep curtains shut, also to help hang blanket around kids bunk since we we’re all in same room and after kids go to bed I did some scrapbooking. But if you like sunbathing, go for it!
– Toys for room and beach: keep it more minimal than you think. A sand pail, a scooper, and a ball were all we needed for beach. For room/airport, kids backpack with Polly pocket, 2 nighttime books, and some crayons were all that was really used.
–Puddlejumper? YES . And a mesh bag to hold them plus your sunblock spray and tear-safe face sunblock lotion. Yes you need BOTH. Bring the Scrubba as a wet bag for the trip back to the ship.
-Don’t pack a towel, cruise provides it.
– Keen shoes for kids is great, only need to bring one pair and good for all activities, including formal dinner. The kids will also stomp your feet and scuff and pinch your legs with them, but it’s a worthwhile trade-off.
-Don’t bring sippy cups to beach, they just get sandy
-When you get back to room after beach, everyone goes in shower and disrobe there. Sand everywhere! Plus now you can quickly shower with kids, get any clothes wet to toss in Scrubba bag and get hung up to dry.
–Magnetic hooks!!! Bought a 12 pack on Amazon and Soo worth it.
-You don’t really need to bring snacks anywhere except maybe during airport travel
– Mom gear:
- Small crossbody purse to hold cruise cards for you and kids
- Shoulder bag for throwing random items in
- Hat, sunglasses, tunic…because you’re always the last to put on sunblock and that sun is INTENSE!
- (Tip that’s not gear: put sunblock on in room before leaving for a shore day because you never know how long you’ll be in the sun during taxis and travel before you can reapply)
– Keep kids routine as intact as possible. Key is bedtime.
– Siblings need breaks from each other, try to take each special to hang out with Mom/Dad for a fun ice cream, photo or age friendly thing.
-If you get offered a massage on the beach, DO IT (especially if they are holding an actual aloe plant in their hands)
-White noise machine: you think the ocean would be fine with cracking the door, but then your room can get hot and humid. Dohm is great, more reliable than wifi or Bluetooth speakers
– Water/sand/kidproof phone case on a lanyard. Saw lots of other people with a similar setup and one person in our party actually took it into the ocean with no problem! I didn’t have a chance to test it first but this one worked great.
-My quick memory album kit:
- Bobo design studio travel passport
- Colored Tombow Fude pen set
- Washi tape
- Stickers
- Double stick roller tape
- Aloha Collective bag
- Instamax printer SP-2 and film with case
SO MANY MORE THINGS BUT YOU’LL FIGURE IT OUT!
Ask me any questions, just post a comment below! If you’re off on an adventure, good luck and remember to TAKE DEEP BREATHS. You got this momma!
The Inspired Dr.Mom 