Taking a 9 Month Old for a Week Long Carribean Vacation - Any Tips?????

This sounds like a super opportunity for you and hubby to enjoy some time alone together. Since you are considering childcare at the resort...do you have relatives you could leave him with. I know he is such a little guy now and it's hard to imagine, but it would be great to reconsider. There are always opportunities and other places for family vacations. Good luck.

Talk to the pediatrician to make sure there arent other immunizations that he may need. Only let him drink from bottled (sealed cap) water, no ice, you guys too! If you want a sitter I would consider hiring her for a daytime thing at the beach or pool so you can at least see her in action before dropping her in your hotel room alone with your son. The locals in DR are extremely friendly and fully understand that the majority of their economy comes from tourism but it never hurts to be safe and get some recommendations from the hotel staff or even on some vacation specific online sites. Since he will be eating some solids think about now how you want to feed him (store bought jars, homemade, or baby led feeding, where he eats tiny, tiny real table food, no spoon feeding). Personally, I agree that leaving him home would be easiest!

Oh how I wish I were heading to the Caribbean. Sighhhh. 8)
Anyway, let's see if I can answer some of these questions. We took our son to FL when he was 11 months. I know it's not the Caribbean, but the issues are the same.

1. We brought our stroller and our Ergo carrier along with us. Having the stroller in the airport was a huge help. Sure it's a pain with the new security situation, but we were so thankful we had it with us. You can check it at the gate right before entering the plane and they have it waiting for you when you get off the plane. Our stroller has bike tires so it made it super easy to navigate the sandy beaches.

2. My son was still nursing at 9 months so I pretty much kept that boy on my boob for the whole flight. He started off awake and then fell asleep shortly after and slept the whole way. He woke up again a little bit at landing time but kept on nursing. I'm sure it really helped with the change in air pressure. I'm not sure if yo are nursing or not, but if you are this is the way to go. Easiest flight with an 11 month old ever! People kept telling me that they didn't even realize there was a baby on the flight. 8)

3. I am an overpacker. I try not to be and have tried to learn from my mistakes. Don't bring too many clothes! You will be at the beach/pool during the day and probably won't be changing outfits too often. Some light sun dresses and a couple of nice outfits for the evening should do it. The same goes for your son. You may think that because his clothing is so small it won't take up much space, but shockingly it does.
I would bring a few small toys for him for the morning/evening time and even some of his favorite books, but don't go crazy. Being in a new environment is pretty exciting and being in the sun all day will wear him out.

4. Bedtime. Don't stray too far from your regular routine on the first night. If he has a special stuffed animal he sleeps with bring it.
You are going to want to eat out though or stay out later than his bedtime I'm sure. My husband and I fed our son at his normal time, played with him, put on pj's and then walked around our resort with him in his stroller until he fell asleep and then we took him with us to dinner. We just parked him next to us and carried on with our romantic dinner. We did this quite a few time since it was working for us.
We were also so tired from the sun that we were pooped pretty early as well.

5. You can't go wrong with digging in the sand. There is nothing a little one likes more than digging in the sand and playing in the water. When you get to the resort as the person in charge of activities what they have that might be appropriate for your family.

6. I have always sworn by Water Babies or Water Blanket or California Baby (way more expensive than the others, but works great). I have used them myself for trips to Belize and have never gotten burned. A hat is essential. I would bring two for your son in case on gets lost. We also had our son wear a SPF protected rash guard and long shorts. We still do. He's never had a sunburn.
When it comes to bug repellent I tried to use the ones without DEET, but I found that I had to sometimes. We wound up using OFF for Families. It didn't have a yucky smell and it kept the mosquitoes away.

7. Swim diapers are not only worthwhile they are mandatory at a lot of resorts and pools. Regular diapers blow up to twice their size when they get soaked. Your child will be uncomfortable and the other people in the pool won't be too thrilled either. Definitely bring swim diapers with you.

I know nothing about childcare though. Sorry.

Like I said above, we waited until our son was asleep and then took him out with us. Just try and get a table away from others if possible or sit outside. Babies sleep great in the tropical night air.

Have fun!!!! Keep it simple and enjoy your family.

Peace.

We've taken our kids as infants on cruises and to Disney. Had a great time on all our vacations with them! (9 months on first cruise, 2 1/2 and 6 months on second cruise and Disneyland, 2 1/2 and 1 month to Wisconsin Dells, 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 to Disney World.)

1:) We always take our kids to the chiropractor for an adjustment before we go. You can check it at the gate of your flight.

2:) Bring a nice stroller that reclines so baby can nap when you're out and about!

3:) We always brought a good carrier too. Love our ERGO!

4:) Have available at take off: nuk, sippy cup, bottle OR nursing. Our kids never had trouble though.

5:) Don't bring many toys. Baby will be busy looking around! Bring enough EXTRA clothes and diapers (unless you research and know more are available for purchase where you will be!)

6:) We always co-sleep on vacations. Everyone sleeps much better!

7:) We would go sightseeing, swimming, underwater sub adventures, shopping, out to eat, etc EVERYTHING with our baby/kids! Wherever we wanted to go, we just took baby along.

8:) We use organic bug spray/sun block. Can find at grocery stores in organic section OR at azurestandard.com

9:) If you are taking baby swimming, YES on the swimmers! Diapers will swell and weigh 15 pounds! BUT swimmers hold NOTHING (but poop~). So don't put baby in for awhile before heading to the pool/ocean! SERIOUSLY, everything will be soaked if he pees in it. Clothes, blankets, stroller, YOU! Only good for in the water....... But I DO recommend them!

Childcare: I would never leave my child with an in-room sitter that I don't personally know..... Sorry. I can't help you with that one.

Would it be more fun to go as a couple and let the grandparents keep your lovely angel? Then you and dad can truly relax and enjoy each other. That would aleviate so much of those other questions. Sorry, I didn't answer your question. That was rude of me! I like the little swimmers beacuse they dont swell up and take on water. Coppertone makes a kidzone spray sunscreen that has insect repellent. I like the spray for for ease of application. I would bring the most favorite blanket from home, maybe dont wash it for a couple days to take with so it is a warm comfy reminder of home. Check with your pediatrician to see if there are any concerns about flying with baby. I know I get a real queezey feeling on take off and feel a lot of pressure on descent. Maybe there is something dr can give baby for that. You can ask the hotel concierge about child care. They may have something onsite that caters to your needs. Have fun and take lots of pictures.

Lori,
First, check the archives.
Next: sunscreen - light cotton longsleeves & pants. think gauze. good luck finding something though - you might be better off making them. Land's end sends sunscreen shirts/outfits, but I don't know if they are chemically treated. I bought one and then couldn't even put it on DS because it was the total wrong season for the size! Best off no sunscreen, just keep him in the shade. you'd only have to keep reapplying and at that, it's not good for him anyway.
toys to pack? simple bucket & shovel.
bug repellent? There is an all-natural deet free brand. It's not perfect but it has no DEET in it which is harmful for your baby, no matter how you try to sell it!
I've heard rave reviews of swimmers. Ocean? mmmm naked would be best but I don't think you'll be much in the water.
childcare? bring your own. Don't count on it.
You and hubby can have an evening out, with babe. Just as fun!
pack? figure 4 outits a day, just in case babe gets sick. 2 blankets, 2 light receiving blankets, and don't bother with winter stuff unless you are coming back to tundra.
sleeping well? same room, same bed as you. best bet! If he is not sleeping with you, all bets are off. New location, new anxieties.
Good luck!
M.

I can answer a few questions. You can nurse or give a pacifier or bottle for baby to suck on during take off. I'd take a good carrier like an ergo, get swimmer diapers for use in the hotel pool most places won't let you in the water without them but they are only meant to keep solids in not liquid so you will need regular diapers.

I'm sorry, but are you seriously going to take your infant son and then leave him with strangers in the hotel childcare?!

Anytime we travel with our children, we know full well that we will not get a night out alone. I would NEVER dream of leaving my children with strangers at a hotel. I'm sorry...maybe I'm just paranoid.

My suggestion would be to leave him behind with a family member or at least someone you know and trust.

Your a brave woman. I nanny for a family. they went for a week long DR vacation over the summer. I can tell you both kids got really sick. Not sure if it was bug bites that started the problem but the little boy ended up needing antibiotics for the infection that came from the rash that he scratched open. and he also had diarrhea that lasted for more than 2 weeks after he got home. The little girl got double ear infections. dad and son came home on scheduled date. little girl was not able to fly home due to ear infections. mom and she stayed for 8 more days. had to move to cheaper accommodations as they were booked only for the 1 week and hotel was fully booked. my suggestion for how to make this a fun vacation for all of you would be to leave your son with your mom or mother in law lol. good luck