Taking a baby to the carribeake. Advice please.

[The Tea Boy]

Morning all,
After taking the boy to Portugal a few weeks ago and encountering nothing but rain and cool temps, we've just booked a last minute holiday to the Dominican Republic. We've been before but not with our 4month old baby.

Any advice on keeping him cool without just staying in all day.
Also any other helpful tips appreciated.


Regards
Matt

[Oceanic]

The Tea Boy said:

Morning all,
After taking the boy to Portugal a few weeks ago and encountering nothing but rain and cool temps, we've just booked a last minute holiday to the Dominican Republic. We've been before but not with our 4month old baby.

Any advice on keeping him cool without just staying in all day.
Also any other helpful tips appreciated.


Regards
Matt

You are taking a 4 month old baby on a long haul flight! Is that really fair on the baby? or the fellow passengers?

[SlackBladder]

Oceanic said:

You are taking a 4 month old baby on a long haul flight! Is that really fair on the baby? or the fellow passengers?

Useful response. I guess you don't have kids, and are of the opinion that those who do shouldn't be allowed to take theirs on public transport.

[Oceanic]

SlackBladder said:

Useful response. I guess you don't have kids, and are of the opinion that those who do shouldn't be allowed to take theirs on public transport.

No I don't have kids, but I think long haul is a bit much for babies and fellow passengers.

Of course people should be able to take babies on public transport but some considerations should be made.

[markiii]

well it is a bit selfish frankly

[sjg]

Flights are much better at that age when they just feed and sleep and aren't too interested in the world around them. Planes are a giant white noise generator so they generally sleep just fine. The kids that annoy you on planes tend to be quite a bit older.

You can get little pop-up sunshades which are good for putting them under, but shouldn't be too hard to find a shady spot for them. Just keep them well covered in things like pushchairs (big muslin things are handy) and don't forget things like hands can be exposed even if legs are covered up.

[Zod]

Oceanic said:

The Tea Boy said:

Morning all,
After taking the boy to Portugal a few weeks ago and encountering nothing but rain and cool temps, we've just booked a last minute holiday to the Dominican Republic. We've been before but not with our 4month old baby.

Any advice on keeping him cool without just staying in all day.
Also any other helpful tips appreciated.


Regards
Matt

You are taking a 4 month old baby on a long haul flight! Is that really fair on the baby? or the fellow passengers?

Yes, it's fine. In fact, it will never be easier than at that age, when they can't move around.

[The Tea Boy]

I hasten to add, that we're lucky that Henry (our boy) is very relaxed and chilled out. On his first flight of 3hrs he didn't make a noise whatsoever on the plane, so by this we thought taking him now will be far easier than when he is 1 and able/wanting to run about.

So whether or not you think it's right to take him is your opinion.


All I've asked is for advice on taking him somewhere warm and keeping him cool.

Also to add, the most annoying people I've had on planes have been adults (fly 5-10 times a year both long and short haul) and all kids/babies I've encountered have been well behaved bar the odd 10min moan.

Matt

[Zod]

TeaBoy, it will be fine. A muslin over the hood of his carrycot will keep him comfortable most of the time and he can just lie there happily in a nappy.

[DBSV8]

The Tea Boy said:

Morning all,
After taking the boy to Portugal a few weeks ago and encountering nothing but rain and cool temps, we've just booked a last minute holiday to the Dominican Republic. We've been before but not with our 4month old baby.

Any advice on keeping him cool without just staying in all day.
Also any other helpful tips appreciated.


Regards
Matt

Our daughter travelled around the same age ,at this age good as gold , However we made sure she had plenty of bottles , especially dummy to suck on take off / landing when you get the change in cabin pressure , as long as the baby has something to suck during this time , should be fine , dependant on carrier you can book seats with cots , invaluable on a long flight

As posted plenty of sun cream +40 , sun hat , make sure your kid doesn't de hydrate , take child calpol and always wear sun hat , shaded umbrella with electric battery fan

enjoy

[SlackBladder]

My daughter will be 2 next month and has so far been on 6 flights over 7 hours, all to hot destinations (Dubai and Philippines).
Bottle on take off and landing, so she's naturally swallowing and therefore equalising pressure.
At that age it's pretty difficult to regulate your body temperature, so plenty of talc and maybe something to combat prickly heat.
One thing I keep meaning to get are a few of those cheap battery operated hand held fans.

[The Tea Boy]

Thanks for the helpful replies.

We did the feeds on take off and landing which worked well.

Yes already ordered a USB fan that can work off my phone or powerboat which I thought more useful than keeping a stash of AA batteries

Also bought a couple of uv sun/swimming suits for when he goes for a dip in the pool or sea.
Thanks again.

Matt

[oyster]

SlackBladder said:

Oceanic said:

You are taking a 4 month old baby on a long haul flight! Is that really fair on the baby? or the fellow passengers?

Useful response. I guess you don't have kids, and are of the opinion that those who do shouldn't be allowed to take theirs on public transport.

I have had young kids in the last few years. I managed to avoid the selfish need for sun-filled tropical paradises for a few years. I had plenty of those holidays before kids and I'll have them again.

In an adult lifespan of 60 years, missing maybe 15-20 of them to tropical holidays is really little hardship.

Edited by oyster on Friday 27th May 12:14

[SlackBladder]

oyster said:

SlackBladder said:

Oceanic said:

You are taking a 4 month old baby on a long haul flight! Is that really fair on the baby? or the fellow passengers?

Useful response. I guess you don't have kids, and are of the opinion that those who do shouldn't be allowed to take theirs on public transport.

I have had young kids in the last few years. I managed to avoid the selfish need for sun-filled tropical paradises for a few years. I had plenty of those holidays before kids and I'll have them again.

In an adult lifespan of 60 years, missing maybe 15-20 of them to tropical holidays is really little hardship.

Edited by oyster on Friday 27th May 12:14

Did you buy a caravan

[Jamesgt]

Wow. Nasty responses. Kids are fine at that age generally. I have two young children. One I'd fly with and is good as gold. The other would wreck the plane. I'm sure the OP knows his child well enough.

My youngest spent the first 6 months of her life in a hot country. Something the NHS don't advise but was advised by local health professionals when abroad was the intake of bottled water. I think I even saw bottles of Evian sold with teats. NHS say a baby will hydrate with just milk. I'm not sure that works so well in 30 degrees?!?!

[Oceanic]

Jamesgt said:

Wow. Nasty responses. Kids are fine at that age generally. I have two young children. One I'd fly with and is good as gold. The other would wreck the plane. I'm sure the OP knows his child well enough.

My youngest spent the first 6 months of her life in a hot country. Something the NHS don't advise but was advised by local health professionals when abroad was the intake of bottled water. I think I even saw bottles of Evian sold with teats. NHS say a baby will hydrate with just milk. I'm not sure that works so well in 30 degrees?!?!

The caravan remark was not needed!

[schmalex]

The Tea Boy said:

I hasten to add, that we're lucky that Henry (our boy) is very relaxed and chilled out. On his first flight of 3hrs he didn't make a noise whatsoever on the plane, so by this we thought taking him now will be far easier than when he is 1 and able/wanting to run about.

So whether or not you think it's right to take him is your opinion.


All I've asked is for advice on taking him somewhere warm and keeping him cool.

Also to add, the most annoying people I've had on planes have been adults (fly 5-10 times a year both long and short haul) and all kids/babies I've encountered have been well behaved bar the odd 10min moan.

Matt

I agree. I typically fly half a dozen or so long hauls a week and adults are much more of a pain in the ass than kids.

Regarding keeping him cool, Muslim draped over his pram. Dap the underside of his wrists with cool Wet wipes / wet flannels. Keep him in a nice breeze

[Oceanic]

schmalex said:

I agree. I typically fly half a dozen or so long hauls a week and adults are much more of a pain in the ass than kids.

Regarding keeping him cool, Muslim draped over his pram. Dap the underside of his wrists with cool Wet wipes / wet flannels. Keep him in a nice breeze

You want to drape your baby in a muslim, he is not going to Cologne!

[schmalex]

Oops! Cracked iPhone screen let me down there!!!!

[towser44]

Have taken our daughter who is now 4 on a couple of flights to Fuerteventura. First time was fine, she was only just over 1 year old and even being stuck on the plane at Liverpool Airport for 3 hours before even taking off for the 4 hour flight she slept most of it. Second time, she had turned 3 years old and that experience put me right off going on a plane for anything over an hour with her until she's much older ha ha! On saying that, the early morning Eurostar we got to Paris isn't an experience I'd like to repeat for a while either. Passengers going 'Ssshhhhh' because she was talking and interrupting their 5.30am snooze on the train was a little annoying and uncalled for I thought.