1st Hol with Baby, It's a cruise - HELP!! Post Reply

[EmmaVictoriaID]

My partner and I are going on a big family holiday to celebrate his Mum's 70th, she's decided on a cruise and she's paying which is amazing!

However, we have an 11 month old and we are just going over and over what we should take for getting around, on and off the boat and are in a tizzy ... do we take his car seat and then clip it on his bugaboo bee frame? Do we take a lightweight maclaren-type stroller instead, but then what do we put him in if we need to go in a car (lap not an option)? I'm going to buy a second stage baby bjorn carrier but then where does he sleep in the afternoon?

We want to be as efficient as possible and take the least amount possible but at the moment we are going with car seat, bugaboo frame and a carrier. I think it's the car seat that's messing it all up, is there something out there instead for a small (only 69cms) 11 month old baby?

I'm freaking out! Any help or advice much appreciated!

xx

[BalhamMumWorkingFT]

Don't freak out.... It will all be fine!

Firstly, I'd just take the bee and not worry about buying another pushchair. The bee is light, folds up small, etc... so no need for another of the same. Are you sure you want to get ANOTHER baby bjorn? Maybe a backpack would serve you better? They can stay in them much longer (ours lasted until 3 years of age!) And ours napped quite nicely in our backpacks... and pushchairs. I was always a bit more flexible on holiday so that we could all enjoy and not get to wound up about napping at an exact time, etc...

How many car journey are you going on? Are you island hopping? If it is a lot, I'd advise taking your carseat as you described (with your bee). But if it is just a couple taxi rides and or just the airport transfers, they might provide you one, so ask.

Enjoy.

[ekf]

I too would recommend a rear/backpack toddler carrier. My 16month old loves being in it as he's up at the same height as us and can look around at everything. They are usually ok to have nap in it as well. It also means you can walk in areas you wouldn't be able to with a pushchair.
Ours has a great storage pocket which fits everything you need for a day out in it so you don't need to carry another bag as well.
The weight sits on your hips so you can walk around for hours with it on without feeling any strain in your back or shoulders.

[txmum]

I also recommend a backpack carrier for all the reasons listed above. Our little one has been in his since 7 mos and loves it. He smiles and laughs constantly. You're also able to be more agile in places like beaches, hikes and markets ad if it has a metal frame, can even substitute as a chair that he can't escape from!
As for sleeping, I would check with the cruise co. they're likely to provide a travel cot.
The only really tricky part is the car seat, and I must admit we've dragged ours around on several holidays. It's a massive pain, but beats the alternative. We used one from a rental car co once and wouldn't be likely to do that again. Quality was poor, the two sizes to choose from for our 13 mo old were a rear facing baby seat or a 4 year old booster seat. We didn't find that out until we got there and were stuck, so we went with the smaller one, which also smelled of smoke.
Hae a wonderful time and try not to stress too much. Like another poster said, I too tend to relax the schedule a bit more on holiday, and have even had a sleeping baby in a car seat at a restaurant just so we could have a nice meal out, something I wouldn't do normally.

[JThomas]

I don't know what a bjorn second stage carrier is (and a quick google has failed to enlighten me!), but I'd consider a carrier like the ergo or a babyhawk insetad of a backpack - these are soft slings which can be tied on the back or front. They split the weight between your wasit and shoulders. I've found them really comfortable (I can still carry my two year old twins in them - one at a time, although I believe one back, one front is possible!!) and they fold up a lot smaller than a rucksack with a frame. Both of mine would sleep in these last summer (when they we're about 15 months old)

http://www.babyhawk.com/
(new baby hawks are readily available on e-bay if you're

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keyw ... rlx9pybw_b