Thinking About Taking One Year Old on Vacation Out of the Country

We took my son, who is now a year old, to Mexico when he was 8 weeks old, again when he was 12 weeks old, and again when he was 11 months old. He did absoultely awesome all 3 times! At 8 weeks old that is when he started sleeping through the night. When we brought him at 12 weeks old, my brother and sis-in-law also brought their 2 1/2 yr old and 11 month old. All of them did great. Bring LOTS of distractions/snacks for the plane ride - if you don't plan on getting her her own seat (which if you can afford it would be the best option), ask before you board if there are any empty seats - they will give it to you if you ask. A lightweight stroller is a necessity and also make sure to bring your own baby sunscreen (it tends to be awfully expensive in other countries). Just to let you know as well, they will charge you taxes to bring your child if they don't get their own seat - this can be kind of expensive depending on what the flight is. Anyhow, your daughter will have an awesome time and since you are going with other family members, it will be so much easier because you can all take turns caring for her so everyone can have a great relaxing time. Jamaica is a beautiful place - how fun!! Have a great trip! Oh yeah, and you will probably need to get her a passport - we got one for my son as soon as he was born - some places allow you to still just bring a birth certificate, but they are doing away with that law. They can take a while to get, so apply soon. If you have any other questions about traveling internationally with a baby, message me!
K.

Hi there, my daughter is 15 months old and just like the other moms has been traveling with us since she was 8 weeks old. We just took her to France and she did great. Some advice I can give you, is to try and keep her night time routine as close to how it is at home, as possible. If you feed her dinner at 6 then bath and bed, do the same at the resort. Take one of her own crib sheets with so it will smell familiar and if she has a lovey she sleeps with take that with as well. I usually also let my daughter play in the room a bit before it is actually time for the bedtime routine so the environment is not totally strange when she has to go down. If you really battle give her some Motrin for the first night. Phone her pediatrician beforehand to get the right dose for her weight but as she is six months is will be ok and it last eight hours as oppose to the Tylenol's 4 and will help everybody get a good night sleep and help her recover from any jet lag she my be feeling. You can do it again the first night you get home. Take any special food she likes to eat with. You never know if you would be able to get her brand there and you don't want to take the chance to get an allergic reaction while on vacation in a strange place. Don't forget her sunhat and SPF 50 suncream and just take a umbrella stroller. Much easier to get around with while on vacation. Otherwise try and relax and have a good time.

You mentioned "My family" at the start. If it's actually your immediate family and not including your husband, it's a good idea to get a letter signed by him saying it's OK - I think it has to be notarized. I'm not sure who to check with, but my wife took my two-year-old to Mexico for a day, and was told to get such documentation together before the trip. Nobody ever checked it, though. She also got a state ID card, which was only $10 and is still pretty cute - of course it looks like a driver's license! State department is a good start.

I don't have advice for traveling with a young one, but I can tell you that fortunately the flight to Jamaica is only about 4 - 4 1/2 hours so it shouldn't be too terrible with a little one.

We took my daughter to Japan when she was 7 months old and it was a wonderful experience (and we just got back from a trip to California.) She has a blanket she adores and it goes everywhere we travel, and we always have it handy on the plane. My husband and I were light travelers before our child but we always take at least a full days worth of food/diapers/wipes/etc in our carry-on when we travel just in case of bad delays. We also have at least another day's worth of supplies in our checked luggage so we don't have to rush out and find stuff right when we arrive. We only bring a couple light, durable toys (one board book, a couple small things that fit in the diaper bag.) Of course, take a first aid kit with any meds you may need. Tell your pediatrician of your plans and see if there are any shots he/she reccomends (Hep A?)

Other than what I mention above, try and pack as light as possible because transferring trains/planes with a baby and all the related gear can wear on you physically and mentally. See if the resort will provide a crib. We always travel with our umbrella stroller and we used it as her high chair. We also have a fabric carrier and that's really handy for getting through airports (though security will still make you take your child out of it.)

The hassel is *totally worth it*. Have fun!