Other tips and requirements: www.dhs.gov

If you’ve purchased a package holiday where your transfers are included, you probably can get away with not bringing it, so long as you don’t have big plans to leave the resort.  Your airport transfers and any package tours you book will likely be by coach bus, where no car seat is required.  However, if you’re heading down South and planning on renting a car or touring around via cab, you might want to think about lugging it along.  Car rental agencies or taxi firms in smaller destinations may not have any (or any suitable) car seats for you to rent, and the roads can be quite wild.  Sometimes it can be a challenge finding cabs with functioning seat belts, but most places that rely on tourism dollars can usually scrounge up a car that will suit your needs.  You may get an incredulous look or even an eye roll, but isn’t your child’s safety worth it?

If you’ll be mostly exploring urban destinations and using public transit to get around, the car seat will definitely be cumbersome, and perhaps not entirely necessary – though small infants that are still in their “bucket” car seats may be comfiest and safest to stay in said seat. Some don’t require a base for all usage and bringing along a frame to snap it into means you can avoid lugging the big stroller along.   Book your airport transfers with a car company that can supply seats, or a shuttle bus where seats aren’t necessary.  Now on the market there’s gear that can make your life a little easier (not to mention your conscience) by helping keep your child safe while you’re out and about.  The Safe Rider Travel Vest seems like a good alternative to hauling along your massive seat just for the occasional cab ride. The Sit ‘N’ Stroll (shown) seems to be pretty popular, but to me it looks like a massive seat to lug and not-that-great a stroller.  Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

We’ve always brought our own car seat along.  It’s a bare bones, lightweight car seat that’s suitable for travel.  We attach it to one of our rolling suitcases with a bungee cord, and even on trips where it isn’t used, just having it with us brings piece of mind.  I once got “flamed” on a message board, when I suggested to another mother that she bring her twins’ car seats on a trip.  The “flamer” mocked that she should pack her microwave as well.  Here’s the thing: it’s not always easy to find places to rent clean and functioning car seats.  If you’re not sure, isn’t your baby’s safety worth a little inconvenience?

Corinne McDermott is the founder of Have Baby Will Travel – your online guide to family travel with babies and toddlers.  Connect with her online at www.havebabywilltravel.com or www.twitter.com/hvbabywilltrvl

Upon check-in to the Omni, you are greeted with a cool towel and royal welcome.  Rooms sport outdoor bathtubs, natural stone finishes and pass-throughs for your breakfast which can be taken on your private patio.  Linens are soft, the complimentary water is lovely (after a few margaritas) and the lobby is one of the most romantic places you could possibly be in the evening.  Illuminated coconut shells hang from the bar as spa-like music wafts from the rafters.

For children, there are a few attractions that are guaranteed to excite.  The kid’s pool is warm and shallow, and friends are in great supply.  The beach boasts some of the softest, whitest sand imaginable, and canopied beds and large round sofa-chairs invite you to flop around the pool deck.  Naptime made easy.  BTW, you can hang at the pool bar with it’s grand staircase to the beach while you watch the kids play.  The staff never neglect placing a hyacinth in the curtain tiebacks, and pineapples are placed on the hot tub bar tables – complete with funny faces made out of fruit.

The MG Gym & Spa is exceptional and overlooks the crescent beach and blue-green waters.  If you hit the gym early, you beat the heat and stay in bikini shape.  Make sure you ask for Tarzan as a trainer.  (Yes. That is actually his name and he is the spitting image of Fabio. Honest.) Even if you’ve never seen the inside of a gym, he’ll run through the machines and tailor exercises to your body while entertaining you with his endless wit.  You’ve actually done 12 reps already and didn’t even notice.

Dive Aventuras, the scuba shop, is located right on the premises and is more spa than dive outfit.  Your tanks and snorkels are carried the short walk to the dive boat, and you have the opportunity to see incredible sea life and be back before the kids even miss you.  The stunning reefs are so close that your spouse won’t be ticked off at how long you’ve been gone.  Turtles, moray eels and tiger fish are easily found by the dive masters.  The best news?  Andreas is always very happy to oblige the little people who want to try on ‘tiny wetsuits’ and watch the pool divers practice.

Strolling around the Puerto Aventuras marina, there are many restaurants and great shops (corona bikini or wrestling mask anyone?).  Residents favour golf carts as a means of transportation, and deep sea fishing charters leave the marina regularly.  Both sights provide constant amusement for the kids.  Sun, great food, white sand, dolphins, five-star hotel and an endless stream of amusement for children.  The perfect Mexican vacation.

www.omnihotels.com
www.puertoaventuras.com
www.diveaventuras.com

Because, in spite of your best efforts, stuff happens.   Someone will spill something, or thow up on someone.  A flight will get delayed, or cancelled, or it might just sit on the tarmac for hours and not go anywhere.  Your knees will be jammed into the seat in front of you, and that person will repeatedly try to recline.  Sounds like fun, right?

It’s not in my nature to be a Negative Nellie, but these things happen at the best of times on the road, and chances are, they could happen when you’ve got your kids with you.  You’ll occasionally come across someone who has a romanticized view of what air travel is like, but the days of relaxing before, during, and after a flight are long gone for most of us – now reserved only for those who can afford such luxury. For the rest of us cattle, we hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

So find your happy place and make sure it’s close by when you need it.  Keep your cool for the sake of your kids, and you’ll all be much more relaxed when you get where you’re going.

Corinne McDermott is the founder of Have Baby Will Travel – your online guide to family travel with babies and toddlers.  Connect with her online at www.havebabywilltravel.com or www.twitter.com/hvbabywilltrvl

The last trip was my 4-year-old daughter’s 8th and my 9-month-old son’s 3rd. Other than the usual hassles of a giant pile of luggage and figuring how to make sure both kids are fed and occupied on the travel days, it went off without a hitch. Come to think of it, the very first trip we took with our daughter also went off without a hitch, but I was still a very stressed out new mom who wanted to make sure we got to our destination in one piece physically AND mentally, and enjoyed ourselves once we were there.

But when I think of that first trip, that’s not what I remember. I remember how she kept dozing off in odd places during the first couple of days. I remember her squeals of absolute joy as she hit the beach and crawled in the sand for the first time. I remember her pointing at a cat and saying “cat”, and pointing at a dog and saying “cat”.
Much like childbirth, you just kind of forget the bad stuff. Like how I cried out of sheer exhaustion and frustration when she wouldn’t nap and woke at all hours during our first few days. Like how out of sorts I felt until we established our “vacation routine”. Like how I panicked when I realized the pasta with tomato sauce she was greedily eating had shellfish in it, and I hadn’t yet introduced her to that yet.

As my site nears its 3rd birthday, it’s a wakeup call of sorts for me to not forget where I came from. That first trip was tough, and as much as it’s easy to forget the bad, it’s important not to. I don’t ever want to seem smug or glib about the troubles and hassles involved in getting from point A to point B with a baby in tow. They’re real and they exist and I think being prepared is half the battle.

And also just like childbirth, it’s totally, totally worth it.

Corinne McDermott is the founder of Have Baby Will Travel, your online guide for family travel with babies, toddlers, and young children. Connect with her online at www.havebabywilltravel.com or www.twitter.com/hvbabywilltrvl

Suitcase: Goyard

1. Don’t rush. Plan your packing list and pack the car in a relaxed fashion. Make sure you have gas, oil, and windshield fluid. This will eliminate stress about the controllable things.
2. Get your technology together. Whatever you decide is permissible with your kid is your decision. But if you allow the DVD player, iTouch and Nintendo DS, make sure that you have all of the components, batteries, and have the right shows from iTunes loaded onto the devices.
3. Keep diapers, wipes, loveys, and a first aid kit in an easily accessible bag.
4. Snacks: Determine what will give them energy but make the least mess in your car. Candy will often create some bad behaviour, so you might want to try cheese or popcorn instead. Ensure that anything that can spoil be kept in a freezer bag, and remember that water is important.
5. Try to look at the drive as an opportunity rather than a necessary evil. Tell stories about the day they were born. Discuss what they did in school this week. Get to know them. Tell them about another country and different traditions practiced there. Tell them an easy version of a Shakespeare story and talk about the feelings of the characters afterwards.
6. Check out www.momsminivan.com
7. Wrap little dollar-store gifts for each child, and hand them out every hour.
8.  Water.  Crucial.
9.  Don’t be afraid to stop at a rest area or playground and let them (and you) burn off some steam.  Often, a 5 minute run will get you there faster and more safely than flying juice boxes and screaming in the car.
10.  Sing every song you know.

Oh look. You’re there already.

Image: Range Rover

My uniform is typically black from head to toe, and while that can disguise a multitude of problems, when you’re with an infant it only highlights various slobbers and the kind of goo that only a baby can create with a cracker.  After arriving at various destinations feeling less than fresh, I’ve learned enough to feel confident sharing my travel attire tips.

Layers aren’t just for cakes…
On any given travel day, you could go through as many as 3 different climates, and the plane offers its own temperature variations as well. If you start out with a few light layers, you can remove as needed.  Bringing along a few changes means you can add or subtract as the thermometer dictates, and maybe even get away without a full outfit change should baby spit up or have a diaper failure.  Try to avoid cardigans or sweaters with zippers, you’ll have to remove them going through security.

Shoes blues…
Everyone in your family needs to remove their shoes when going through airport security, even family members who are wearing them for fun instead of function.   Have everyone in footwear that’s easy to get on and off, and if possible, have baby wear outfits with built in feet to avoid keeping track of yet another item.

Think flight patterns…
Multi-coloured patterns can hide a multitude of messes (including the aforementioned cracker goo), so even if you’re not really clean, you don’t look messy.  Keep this in mind for babies and little kids as well. In a pinch, diaper wipes work remarkably well at taking out stains.

Save pyjamas for cats and bananas…
Was it Paris Hilton who popularized wearing pyjamas on the plane? I guess I’m old school, but I try to dress up a bit for air travel and the same goes for my kids.  For a really early start, I’ll put them to bed in the (comfortable but cute) outfit they’ll wear on the plane, and my travel clothes are those that feel like stretch pants and sweats without actually being them.  Not convinced?  Note that you’ll never be upgraded on a flight if you’re wearing flip flops and sweatpants.  A bit of effort CAN go a long way if you’re lucky.

Corinne McDermott is the founder of Have Baby Will Travel, your online guide for travel with babies and toddlers.  For more information or to connect with her please visit www.havebabywilltravel.com or www.twitter.com/hvbabywilltrvl

photo credit: Photodisk

Allowed on board will be the following: medication or medical devices, small purses, cameras, coats, items for care of infants, laptop computers, crutches, canes, walkers, containers carrying life sustaining items, a special needs item, musical instruments, or diplomatic or consular bags.  New security regulations also prohibit the use of Live TV on flights originating in Canada and destined to the U.S., so if you are traveling on Westjet and expecting an electronic babysitter…. make sure you bring games, books or other toys.  Think of it as a wonderful exercise in parenting, and use the time to engage with your little ones.

So make sure you get creative with your laptop for DVDs, and stuff your purse with the smallest toys imaginable.  You might also want to check our Air Canada with Kids article.  Happy Travels and keep your spirits high.