Trip to St. John

[LoveBeingMrs]

Turns out that my DH will be going to St. John for a conference in December! DS will be 10 months old by then. Should we buy him his own seat on the plane? Should we bring his car seat and/or stroller? Do people usually walk or drive around? Any suggestions on things to do? TIA!

[alirebco]

You'll get different opinions on buying him his own seat but I would definitely get a car seat since you can rent a car there. I would also bring a stroller for the resort to walk around. If you're in town, people walk, but if you're on a resort, you'll have to drive to get out and do stuff.

Definitely do some snorkeling at Trunk Bay!

[arivecchi]

Last time I went to the Caribbean I took my Mac Triumph and Ergo. The Ergo was great for the beach. We would go to the beach in the afternoon so it was not too sunny and more breezy. During the day we would hit the pool and take the Mac Triumph. :) I would definitely get a plane seat for your LO. For us, it's a 5 hr flight, so it is great (and safer) to have your LO in a separate seat in his car seat so you can eat, move around, be comfortable. Your Lo will also be more comfy in his car seat and may even fall asleep (I had no such luck).

It's hard to do a lot of stuff with babies in the Caribbean outdoors because it is so darn hot and humid. I would suggest pool/shopping during the day and playing in the beach in the late afternon once the sun is not as intense.

[LoveBeingMrs]

Thanks for the suggestions! It seems as if we'll definitely need our car seat, since we'll be staying at a resort. I don't want DS to sit in a cab without his car seat!

DH does not want to buy DS his own seat on the plane, especially since it's only $43 for children under 2. So, we might have to gate-check our car seat. Should I get a cover/case for it? Any recommendations?

[arivecchi]

Yes. If you are checking your car seat (which a lot of people don't recommend but I have done it myself), I would buy a padded bag and pad it as much as possible to prevent damage to the car seat. You may want to ask about that in the car seat forum so you get answers from the car seat techs.

[AlbrightRC]

I just flew from Maryland to Tenn and then from Texas to Maryland and had our carseat checked with regular baggage on both flights. We bought a black car seat bag from babies r us and it was fine. My husband and I also brought our son home from EThiopia( 16+ hours) when he was 10 months old and we didn't have a seat for him.

[LoveBeingMrs]

Awesome!

Someone also suggested that I bring the LO to the airport in his car seat, and then see if there are any seats available on the plane for him. If not, then I either check his car seat with our luggage or gate-check it.

I just hope nothing gets lost... after we get off the plane, we have to take a boat to St. John. So, once I get the plane situation figured out, I'll have to ask about boats! :p

[hlphillips2]

Awesome!

Someone also suggested that I bring the LO to the airport in his car seat, and then see if there are any seats available on the plane for him. If not, then I either check his car seat with our luggage or gate-check it.

:p

I agree. We were very lucky on our flights into St. Croix to get an extra seat (DD was 13 mos then). Bring lots of food on the plane to keep him occupied - and have fun!

[billysmommy]

Definitely go snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay while you're there!!!! It's out of the way but the snorkeling is amazing!!! We just got back from St Thomas and 2 of the days we chartered a boat over to Waterlemon Cay and saw lots of sea turtles, stingrays, spotted eagle rays and tons of fish, coral, urchins, etc. Don't forget to bring an underwater camera

[LoveBeingMrs]

Definitely go snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay while you're there!!!! It's out of the way but the snorkeling is amazing!!! We just got back from St Thomas and 2 of the days we chartered a boat over to Waterlemon Cay and saw lots of sea turtles, stingrays, spotted eagle rays and tons of fish, coral, urchins, etc. Don't forget to bring an underwater camera

Oh my goodness.. that sounds amazing! What did you do with your LOs while you went snorkeling??

[billysmommy]

They both snorkeled with us. Ds1 is 7 and he's been snorkeling for a few years now. Ds2 is 4 and we got him just the mask and snorkel (no flippers) and were amazed at how fast he picked it up. We practiced in the pool the first day and after about an hour he was staying under and breathing through the snorkel for 20 minutes at a time. They each have their Stearns life vests that they wear also. We let Ds1 snorkel without his life vest in some shallower water and he learned to dive under with the snorkel and blow the water out when he came up.

We chartered a boat over both days and DH or I would swim the boys back to the boat when they got tired and they stayed onboard with the Capt and his wife while we went back in. We had a pool noodle that we used to "tow" Ds2 when he got tired ~ he would hold onto the end and keep his head in to see everything while we pulled him around.