When we decided we wanted to take Theo on a trip, we knew it had to be someplace where the flight time was bearable and it would be manageable getting around with an infant. I also wanted to go somewhere warm, since I’ve been desperately missing the walks we used to take in the nice weather when Theo was first born! Drew and I have been on plenty of trips, and have never been to the same place twice. We thought we keep with that tradition, and I had heard about this new resort in the Bahamas. The flight seemed reasonable with a four month old (3.5 hours) and I found reasonable tickets direct from Boston.
Baha Mar is made up of three hotels (one still unopened) and has numerous restaurants, bars, pools, a casino, spa, and golf course. But the number one reason I booked it was the location right on Cable Beach. We’ve been Hyatt members for a while now, so we stayed at the Grand Hyatt, but the other option is The SLS (and Rosewood soon to open).
The restaurants on site were unbelievable and the resort was so clean which is something really important to me. It was also really easy to take the stroller everywhere which was something I was nervous about. They even provided a crib for Theo, along with a few baby toiletries which was really thoughtful. We brought the pack-n-play so we didn’t end up using the crib, but it was good to know they’re available. Below are the biggest travel questions I’ve gotten and links to a few items we found essential!
Q: How was the flight?
We found a direct flight from Boston and I would highly recommend a non-stop flight. Takeoff and landing can be rough on your baby’s ears, so the fewer times you have to get through that, the better! The flight down couldn’t have gone better, even after getting delayed on the runway for an hour before takeoff. We took an 8:30am flight which I planned around his morning nap. It worked well, even with the delay and he only got a little fussy towards the end.
We ended up purchasing a third seat even though babies under 2 years old aren’t required to have their own seat. Since it was our first flight and I wasn’t sure how crazy Theo would be, it was worth it for us to have some extra space. I also exclusively nurse him since he’s still stubborn and won’t take a bottle. So I used the window seat to comfortably feed him. In the future I probably would forgo the extra seat since we didn’t really use it other than that. On the ride home there were plenty of open seats, so even if we didn’t purchase the extra seat I’m sure we could have moved to have our own row. Speaking of the flight home- that one was a little rougher. We took an afternoon flight and I was hoping that he’d sleep most of the flight since we kept him awake most of the morning. He started crying during takeoff and then stayed pretty worked up for the remainder of the flight. On landing he was screaming on the top of his lungs and it was definitely because the air pressure was bothering his ears. Like I said before, he doesn’t take a bottle, but everyone recommends prepping a bottle for takeoff and landing because the sucking will help relieve the pressure. He was too worked up to nurse, and although he normally takes a pacifier, he wanted nothing to do with it. At one point the flight attendant even came over to make sure everything was okay. I was so stressed out and mortified, but Drew is always so calm and reminded me 10x that we’ll never see any of those people again. So if you’re on a plane with a screaming baby- just put your headphones in and say a little prayer for the parents. They want the crying to stop twice as much as you do!
Q: What did you bring on the plane?
Like I mentioned above, we purchased an extra seat but we didn’t bring his car seat on board with us. This is definitely personal preference- I know many people who feel alot safer having their baby strapped into the car seat. Theo HATES his car seat and I knew there was a 0% chance he would stay in it so I didn’t even bother lugging it on with us. I know each airline has their own rules about car seats than can be used during the flight, so definitely check with your airline ahead of time.
On the plane we brought a backpack diaper bag that I purchased specifically for the trip (under $30 and so worth it). I also brought my neverfull which had the diaper bag insert inside. Other than that, everything else we checked when we first got to the airport, or at the gate. Below is what I packed in the diaper bags and I wouldn’t have changed anything!
- change of outfit for baby- because you know they’ll blowout a diaper if you don’t bring an extra set of clothes
- 2 white onesies- good to have on hand for blowouts or big spitups
- ziploc bag- if you don’t want to throw out baby’s clothes they blew out, stick them in here until you can rinse them in a sink
- portable sound machine– this helps Theo stay asleep for longer on the go
- pacifiers and clips- pacifiers help relieve the air pressure and the clips since we lose so many
- teethers- goes without saying
- burp cloths– these are good for wiping up everything. I linked our favorites.
- portable diaper changing pad– I love this clutch because then you don’t have to lug the whole diaper bag to the bathroom
- sanitizing wipes- I wipe down all surfaces on the plane that baby will touch (arm rest, tray table etc)
- diapers- pack a couple extra because you never know if you’ll get delayed and nobody wants to be without a diaper
- muslin swaddle blanket– these are not only good as a baby blanket, but also what I use to drape over us while nursing. I even kept it draped over my shoulder/his head while he slept to keep it dark
- Tylenol- because you never know if you’ll need it
Q: What did you pack for Theo?
The big stuff we brought were the stroller base with both the car seat and stroller seat, the pack-n-play, and his Baby Bjorn bouncer. I also packed two outfits per day for him, and 10 diapers for every day we were there. I know I could have purchased diapers there, but we didn’t plan to venture off the resort much and I basically opened a pack of jumbo diapers and shoved them in between my clothes wherever I could fit them. I also packed a couple of disposable swim diapers since I knew we were bringing him in the water, plus one reusable swim diaper to use as a cover over the disposable.
When we got to the airport Drew and I each checked a bag, and then we also checked the pack-n-play. We had Theo in his car seat (on the stroller base) and then had the bouncer folded flat underneath the stroller. The only reason we brought that with us is because Theo wasn’t sitting up at that point and we knew we needed something for him to sit in while we were showering or just hanging out in the room. Drew had the diaper bag on his back and then I carried my neverfull bag. Getting through security in Boston was easy- they had us go in a separate line. We did have to break down the stroller though, so it was a little pain to take Theo out and put him back in. You could also wear them in a carrier but he was content in the car seat (for once) so we just left him in there.
Once we got to the gate, we had two travel bags that I had also stowed under the stroller. We broke down the stroller and stroller seat and put this bag around them (we also snuck the bouncer in there two since it laid flat). We also had this separate bag for the car seat. I loved them and they held up really well- totally worth the price. They also self fold into a little pouch for storing. We checked these at the gate for free, so when we got on the plane all we were carrying was Theo and the two diaper bags. It worked really well and the next time we travel I’d do the same thing- just no bouncer now that he can (mostly) sit up on his own.
Q: What did you do with him at night?
The stroller seat we have can lay flat and also has a long canopy so we took Theo everywhere with us in the stroller and just tried to get him to fall asleep before going out to dinner. We also purchase this drape for the stroller- it kept his space darker so he would sleep longer, but it’s meth so totally breathable. It actually worked nicely in the sun too and also has UV protection. I tried to make most of our reservations around 7:30/8 so we had time to push him around in the stroller for a bit beforehand to get him to fall asleep. The portable sound machine was the best thing we ever bought. We just tuck it by his head and it would keep him asleep for much longer. I don’t think we fully made it through a single meal without him waking up though haha. But, he’s pretty chill so he would just sit on one of our laps and like to look around at all the people. He still only exclusively breastfeeds so we didn’t have to worry about preparing food for him while on the go.
Once we got back to the room he would sleep in the bassinet portion of the pack-n-play and we’d keep the sound machine on all night. He slept great at the hotel- I think all of the action during the day, plus the hotel having completely blackout curtains helped a lot.
Q: What did he do during the day?
It was fairly cool when we visited the Bahamas. And by cool I mean 70’s, so not cool for New England, but cooler for an island. He mostly hung out on a beach chair with us all day or we walked around in the stroller. The one day that it was really warm we took him in the water for a while which was the highlight of our trip. His little face in the water was priceless! I have him signed up for swimming lessons this month so I can’t wait to see him kick around again. We brought this float with us and this little tent too. We never had to the use the tent because the sun was never out for long enough, but I kept it since we live by a lake at home and will definitely use it again.
Send me a message if you have any other questions I didn’t get to and I’ll get back to you! I tried to link everything we used above. If you’re nervous about travelling for the first time with a little one- don’t be! Once you get the first trip out of the way the next will feel much easier. It might feel stressful in the moment, but it will be so worth it that you’ll forget about it soon after. Kind of like birthing a baby, right?
Just kidding- waaaay less painful.
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