Hellobee

In a previous post, I said that I think cruise vacations are one of the best vacations to take with toddlers. We have had a blast with a 15-month-old, then with a 2.5-year-old and 14-month-old and they are definitely easier vacations to take since so much is taken care of for you. However, being on a ship and cruising to other countries means possibly having a different packing strategy.  Here’s what I would recommend when packing for a cruise with toddlers:

Diapers and wipes – Depending on what cruise line you use, there may be an option to purchase diapers in advance and have them delivered to your stateroom. However, even if they are available, they are likely to be much more expensive than bringing some from home. While they take up a lot of room in your suitcase, these were items I definitely didn’t want to be without while traveling! I didn’t know how easy it would be to find disposable diapers in the various ports.

Sanitizing wipes – I know that individually wrapped items aren’t the best for the environment, but these sanitizing wipes are a life saver when we travel. We can wipe down airline trays or dining room tables when the kids sit down or use them to wipe our hands after changing diapers in areas without bathrooms. There are so many situations where you might want to wipe an item down or use them to sanitize your kids’ hands or your own hands.

Umbrella stroller – Not strictly necessary and may depend on the ports you intend to visit, but having a stroller is helpful both in the airport (either to actually hold a child or to use as a bag trolley) and even on the ship. On our first cruise we brought along our Quinny Zapp which is a hybrid stroller, but on our second we used our MacLaren Mark II, which was perfect because it is very light and folds up well. Compact strollers are key for teeny tiny staterooms!

Baby carrier – The Ergo 360 is definitely my favorite baby item and it is indispensable for us when traveling. We use it to get through security (you don’t have to unstrap a baby when going through security), to get quickly through the airport, and to hike up a million stairs in various ports. Because of uneven surfaces at various ports, a good baby carrier can be essential. Alternatively, a good baby backpack carrier is useful for older toddlers; we brought both on our last trip and put Lion in the backpack and Panda in the Ergo.

White noise – We used to have a white noise machine in the kids’ room, but it broke and we switched to an iPod with music. For our trip, though, we downloaded white noise onto our iPhone (then made sure to switch the iPhone to airplane mode for the entire trip) and played that each night. This helped since we were all sharing a room and sometimes the door slamming or hallway announcements can filter into the room.

Pacifier and lovey – We brought a pacifier and lovey for Panda and Lion’s favorite stuffed animal. Anytime we are in new surroundings, we want to make sure the kids are as comfortable as possible so we bring these comfort items when we travel for sleeping.

Crib sheet – Having a couple of crib sheets can be nice to ensure that the sheets are clean and aren’t washed in any harsh chemicals that your child might not be used to. It can also provide another comfort item from home.

Ziploc bags – Ziploc bags are super helpful whenever we travel just in case we need a bag to house dirty clothes that have been spit up on or if there’s a blowout. They are also very helpful if you need to put a dirty diaper in overnight in the trash can in your stateroom, since you’re sleeping in very close quarters. We actually like to pack each day of clothes for the kids separately in a quart sized bag, then use those bags later on for the aforementioned or to sneak a bagel off the ship in port. Packing in plastic bags actually saves a lot of space and it is easy to just grab a bag each morning, with an entire outfit self-contained (and to pack in the diaper bag in case of accidents). We bring home any extra bags that we don’t use.

Hoodies – Even when you’re going to warm destinations the air-conditioning on the ships always seem to be turned up too high for my taste. Also, sometimes with the cool ocean breeze on the boat, it’s nice to be able to throw a hoodie on.

Medicines – On pretty much every trip we’ve taken with the kids, they’ve made use of the ibuprofen even though they almost never need it at home. On one trip, Lion had a high fever (then an allergic reaction to an antibiotic) the first day. On the most recent trip, Panda had molars come in. We were grateful to have infant ibuprofen with us! Additionally, we brought Miralax with us this last time just in case the kids had any constipation since they’d be eating less healthy than we normally eat at home.

Hydroflask – I am in love with our Hydroflasks because they keep hot beverages hot and cold beverages cold for so long and are BPA free. The Hydroflask is essential if your kids want to drink milk off the ship when you’re at port because the locations you are going to might not have milk readily available. If you’re traveling long distances on buses or taxis, the Hydroflask helps keep milk insulated. We would just grab a couple of cartons from the breakfast buffet and fill it up before leaving for the day.

Water bottles – While you’re not supposed to refill water bottles at the water stations on the ship, we would just fill a cup with water then put it in the bottles. This saved us money since the water packages were expensive. It is also helpful for young toddlers that might have a hard time with the big heavy glasses (and no tops/straws) in the dining room.

Dish detergent  – If your kids are still using bottles, then you should bring along some travel sized dish detergent. On Lion’s first cruise as well as Panda’s first cruise, each of them were down to one bottle a day (the night bottle which we weaned off of at 15 months). We definitely didn’t want to be without dish detergent to make sure we could wash the nipples and bottles. We ran everything through the dishwasher when we got home, but I appreciated having the soap with me.

Snacks – While the cruise ship has tons of snacks available while you’re on board, there isn’t much in the way of grab and go (and you’re not supposed to bring food off, anyway). While oranges or bananas might seem easy to grab for later, in Cozumel at least they had security dogs sniffing for fruit. We did make use of the single serving breakfast cereal as our snacks, but also brought along That’s It bars, freeze dried fruit and edamame, some fruit pouches and single-packet almond butter. The single serving almond butter was one of our best snack items since we could throw bagels into a ziploc bag and then make sandwiches on the go if we were in an area without food.

Inflatable tub – I have seen a lot of recommendations to bring an inflatable tub if there’s not a splash pool on your cruise ship. While some ships have a separate pool for babies and toddlers who are not potty trained, others do not. You can bring the inflatable tub and park it on the pool deck and fill it with water from the showers; most people recommend borrowing an ice bucket from the bartender for this task. We brought one thinking that Panda could use it while Lion played in the real pool. In the end, Lion hated the swimming pool so we didn’t spend enough time on the pool deck to test it out. However, an inflatable tub also has an excellent secondary use: as a bathtub in your stateroom’s bathroom! Unless you’re cruising Disney, it’s unlikely your stateroom will come equipped with a tub and our kids definitely prefer baths to showers.

Splashing during bath time on the ship.

Backpack harness with leash – We bought this lion backpack harness before our first cruise, but didn’t end up needing it because Lion is usually pretty shy and sticks close to us. He did enjoy wearing it just as a backpack, though. Panda is more of a runner and a backpack harness is very helpful, especially on a crowded cruise ship.

Shower curtain and magnetic hooks – Cruise Critic has some great recommendations for cruising generally and, in addition to the inflatable tub idea, another popular suggestion for families is to bring a shower curtain and magnetic hooks. Because the rooms are metal, you can stick the hooks to the ceiling (use a plastic buffer or piece of paper so you don’t damage the paint when you remove them) and then hang a shower curtain from the hooks. Boom! Instant room divider. The curtain helped the kids fall asleep easier and made sure they weren’t disturbed by the light of our Kindles when we watched movies after they fell asleep.

What items do you recommend packing for a cruise?

One of my favorite pictures from the cruise, mostly because we so rarely get a family photo with all of us!