Caribbean with 9 month old - Advice Please!

[CarolLouise]

We've just booked a week in Tobago in October with our daughter who will be just under a year, and I'm starting to think we've gone mad! The flight out (10.5 hours) is during the day so she'll be awake for most of that no doubt. The return is a night flight and I'm hoping we can get a bassinet/bulk head seat although been told can't pre-book it. (we have a 2 hour wait on the plane in Antigua both ways)! I'm worried about feeding her on the plane and also whether she'll sleep in the bassinet or whether I'll end up with her on my knee the whole time. I've spent £50 on UV sunsuits and hats and was considering a pop up tent but don't think we will really need it. (A friend of mine told me the baby's get hot inside them). Don't know whether to take disposable bottles but will need around 26 so lots of room in the suitcase! We're also off to France in a gite in August. Does anyone know what formula I can get out there and is it safe to use boiled tap water for her bottles?

Been to tobago several times - once when dd was 9 months and once when dd was 3 and ds was 6 monts. You'll have a wonderful time!
Flight is fine - will be easier if your dd isn't walking yet, but have a look on here for other threadsa bout entertaining little ones on long haul flights, it is absolutely fine really. key is to take on board a cool bag with masses of non-sugary foods (boxes of raisins, bananas, sandwiches, etc etc) and lots of interesting books toys etc. Food is important because the children's food on plane is absolute crap and full of flavours, colours and sugar which is the last thing you want to give a child that you hope will then sleep nicely! And also you want to be able to give her food whenever she feels hungry, not whenever the airline decides she should eat it.
You should be able to get a bulk head seat, but your dd may or may not fit into a bassinet depending on how big she is - just under a year is a bit of a squash I'd think. I think about 9 months is the limit unless she is very small - think slightly bigger than a moses basket. If you are going BA then ask for a car seat instead - but I don't think you are from what you said about the route.
Once out there, you can buy nappies etc no problem at all (make sure you have enough for the plane), I generally brought formula with me as I didn't want to change brand (one big SMA tin lasts a week), but they have american brands which are fine and perfectly safe. The boiled tap water is perfectly safe. I brought a mixture of tinned powder, ready made litre "bricks" (if you have a fridge in your room) and a few individual sized formula bricks which are useful for the plane especially. Dont bring disposable bottles! You can get travel sterilisers that do two bottles at once, or else probably better is just milton sterilising tablets and a big tupperware box. Or if you are self catering and have a dishwasher, just use the dishwasher on hot which sterilises effectively.
You can buy american babyfoods there, but to be honest she will probably just eat whatever you are eating - mine got very into papaya for breakfast, grilled fish for lunch, pasta for supper and masses of watermelon all the rest of the time.

Pop up tent unnecessary and much too hot, I agree. UV sunsuits and hats will be perfect. And don't forget the floaties!
Have a wonderful time. Where are you staying? If it is Coco Reef it is perfect for children, they love them and there will be masses of friends for her to play with. Enjoy!

Thanks for your comments Princesspeahead. Yes, we are going to Coco Reef. We got married there in April 2001 and can't wait to go back. As it's such a fabulous resort, we know we don't have to worry about hygiene etc. YOu mentioned a car seat for the plane but presume we will need to have booked a separate seat for dd which we haven't? How do you arrange the car seat otherwise? We have booked with BA (which in the Autumn now go via Antigua) through Hayes and Jarvis who said all they can request is bulk-head seat and not the actual bassinet and then it's not guaranteed. Just as an aside, were you able to get any babysitting arranged in Coco-Reef at all? We were hoping to go out on a snorkelling trip but I wouldn't be comfortable with baby on board a catamaran.

With Virgin, you phone the airline direct to prebook seats & sky cots - it might be the same with BA?

Setrilising - in Antigua recently I filled the baby bottle with water, put in 1/2 a sterilising tablet and let it dissolve, tipped a bit in the teat and then put the teat point down on the top of the bottle into the liquid. Obviously I washed the bottle/teat/ring first! No need to pack a sterilising box at all. It worked a treat.

DS1 had a Virgin sky cot aged 14 months and whilst it was a squeeze, he loved sitting in it for the flight, flirting with the people behind us. I think the limit is (technically) 12 months but it was offered to us even when we said how old DS was.

Those 1 feed packets of formula are good for holidays as the spread nicely round a suitcase taking up no room at all really. Evian bottled water is fine for babies if you don't have a kettle.

Have fun! (oh and theres nothing much at Antigua airport but surely you won't have to sit on the plane for 2 hours?? We were made to get off for 45 minutes in Bangkok once, they wouldn't let us stay on)

Hi just to say we are interested in this thread. We are off to Tobago next easter. I have booked a BA flight and independent accommodation in castara- castara retreats. Our boys are 9 and 11. Any tips on tobago greatly appreciated. I have found two good websites www.mytobago.co.uk and www.simplytobago.co.uk which both have discussion forums. Have a great time. Hope to hear all about it
helen

sorry not to get back to you carollouise - lost this thread!
BA do a sort of Britax carseat that sits on the bulkhead table like the skycot does - so they can sit in it and it reclines a bit as well. It fits larger babies than the skycot and is quite useful for them to sit there and look around (rather than on your lap), v useful for meals and they will sleep in it too (but probably go to sleep in your lap and then put them in it). I expect if you look on the BA website you can find out more about it. You SHOULD be able to book one - worth phoning BA directly to ask them rather than going through Hayes and Jarvis perhaps. Especially if you have a silver or gold exec club card - phone the dedicated line.
I'm afraid I brought my own nanny to Coco Reef (since so much time with a 6 month old is spent in a hotel room watching it nap and I it wasn't going to be ME doing it!) but you can certainly book babysitters there. We were there at the same time as some friends who didn't bring a nanny and I think they had the same babysitter all week so their children were used to her. She came for a couple of hours every afternoon at nap time and for quite a few evenings as well and it worked out very well. It really is SUCH a child friendly place that I don't think you'll have any problems with anything. Very jealous, would love to go back! Maybe we will next easter when no 3 will be about 7 months.... I can but dream....!

we took our son to tobago when he was 7 months & he loved it. if there's any room on the flight they'll probably give you an extra seat for your baby, if not, the bassinets are great.
heat wasn't a problem, depends when you're going, we went over new year. you'll need a sunshade & or hat & lots of sun screen & that's about it. lots of the beaches have shade from trees on them so pop up tent not necessary.
it was heaven & our son adored it - & slept the whole way on the flight.

If your daughter is a year you can make up formula with bottled water or boiled tap water or just give her cows milk to drink. You can easily buy formula/babyfood etc in France in any supermarket. If you could encourage her to use a cup you wouldn't even need to worry about sterilising (not that I sterilised anyting by then.
Green with envy about your trip!