What To Pack And Not Pack When Cruising With A Baby Or Toddler

As soon as your cruise is booked and charged to you husband’s credit card because you, “oh darn,” couldn’t find yours again, you’ll probably start wondering how you’re going to fit a roomy three bed/two bath house worth of baby gear into your suitcase. Here’s my best advice – based on thirteen cruises with my son before he turned six – on what to pack and what not to pack for cruising with a baby or toddler.

What To Pack And Not Pack When Cruising With A Baby Or Toddler

Do Pack: Maxi Pads And Gorilla Tape

One time, after a final failed attempt to potty train “H” at the airport on the way to our cruise…

…we ran out of diapers in the middle of a sea day. So my mom fashioned a makeshift one out of a hand towel, a washcloth, and some safety pins. In retrospect, upon waking to a soaked mattress and a puncture wound, we would have been better off with maxi pads and gorilla tape. Or you can just pack more diapers than you think you’re going to need. Your call.

Extra Credit Pro Tip: Don’t forget to also pack swim diapers if you’ll be hitting the beach or if your ship has a baby/toddler-friendly pool.

Don’t Pack: A Pack ‘n Play

The ship will have either a Pack ‘n Play or a small metal crib available for your use. You may request one prior to sailing on some lines, but even if you do so, be sure to stop by the guest services desk upon embarkation to verify they received the request. If you didn’t request one in advance, you can do it once onboard. There are a limited number available, and while we’ve never had a problem getting one, I’d recommended requesting it right away just to be safe. Your room steward will set it up for you and provide a fitted sheet for the bottom.

See below if you’re wondering about the random shower curtain in the middle of the above photo.

Do Pack: Magnetic Hooks And A Shower Curtain

I know it’s sometimes hard to tell when I’m being serious, so I offer the following photo, in addition to the one above, to demonstrate two possible configurations and to convince you of the utility of these items:

What you see is proof of both my genius and my charming disposition (and my lackluster housekeeping skills, but let’s ignore the clutter). My kid won’t sleep if he can see me and, I mean, who can blame him? I’m super fun and almost always eating something from the buffet dessert station. So I create this makeshift room around his crib or between my bed and his crib with a cheap shower curtain liner hung on magnetic hooks that stick to the metal ceiling of most staterooms. I use these heavy duty hooks:

And this shower curtain liner, although any cheap, non-transparent one will do.

Don’t Pack: A Jogger Stroller

Let’s be real here. Mom to mom. We all have some woman in Pleasantville who makes it look easy as she sprints by our window at a racer’s pace, guiding her bundle of joy along in a jogger stroller, wearing a Lululemon Strappy Sports Bra and yoga pants, tight and toned without a single stretch mark or bead of sweat or huff or puff.

Then sometime around the 6th month of pregnancy when we’ve finally busted the stitching on our last pair of buffet fat pants, we think, determined, “that will be me soon!” and we order ourselves a similar model jogger stroller before realizing that the taut woman with all the energy is pushing a Yorkie and position our locked stroller in front of the couch for use as a foot rest and snack storage, saving us a trip to the kitchen. But on our third bag of Cheetos, while waiting for the next Lifetime movie to start, we think, “at least I’ll put some miles on this thing on the cruise.”

No, you won’t. Because on the first day it will get wedged between the wall and a service cart in the middle of a long, narrow hall of staterooms. You’ll have to run a full loop around the deck to reach the front of the stroller to rescue Junior before abandoning the stroller for good to live out its life among the thousands of other joggers in a Carnival “lost and found” storage warehouse. Trust me, go with a small, inexpensive umbrella stroller. I like this one, for the price and the storage basket underneath.

Do Pack: A Tablet

Let’s face it, we all have the best of parenting intentions as we’re embarking on a trip, “no screen time and 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day!” But when it comes to execution, the best laid plans quickly transform into survival at any cost, “he’ll have the pizza, extra cheese and everything else you’ve got back there that contains orange food coloring.” So do pack that tablet, it’s only a week and toddler brains, while weird, are also pliable. He’ll be fine. You’ll stay sane.

Do Pack: Sandwich Bags Or Snack Containers

Fill these up at the breakfast buffet each morning with Cheerios and raisins or with sugar sprinkles from the soft serve station (remember, survival at any cost) to bribe your naughty with throughout the day.

Don’t Pack: Bibs

A napkin can be used in a pinch. But after I forgot to pack bibs again, grandma took matters into her own hands and purchased a brilliant and much more effective substitute for our next sailing. And now I intentionally don’t pack them. See below.

Do Pack: A Painter’s Smock

But not for art. For its off label use as a soup catcher and shirt protector. Plus, bibs are for babies, this looks more sophisticated with your morning cup of coffee.

Do Pack: This

In order to avoid this:

It was probably at this exact moment that grandma first came up with the idea for the smock.

Do Pack: A Baby/Toddler Dining Set

You’ll need to pack your own baby/toddler friendly bowl, utensils, and cup. I’m still amazed that cruise lines, even those that pride themselves on being family friendly like Carnival, don’t provide kid appropriate table settings. Although you’ll deny him the satisfaction of smashing one of those giant porcelain entrée plates against a wall upon receiving a break-up text over the tablet from Harper, his daycare girlfriend, you’ll avoid many a spilled water glass and attempted stabbing with the adult-sized knife and fork you’ll quickly snatch up and hide in your purse, finally remembering to return them to the dining room on the last day once you’ve accumulated a full set, “why is this thing so heavy?”

Don’t Pack: Too Many Clothes

Yes, they look adorable in them. But cruise cabins offer limited storage and your kid will insist on repeatedly wearing the same stained Mini Force shirt his grandmother bought him because you’re opposed to cartoon violence. But you’ll let him wear it and load every episode on the tablet because, survival at any cost.

Do Pack: Formal Wear

Ignore what I said above and pack something special for formal night, a bity tux perhaps. Because his Instagram fans demand it.

Do Pack: Sun Protection

Because my son and I share the same doppelgänger, Casper the Friendly Ghost, I always remember to pack the necessary 12 tubes of Badger, sunglasses, sun hat, and swimwear with sun protection. And that’s for a cruise to Alaska.

Do Pack: Baby Or Toddler Friendly Meds

But I never remember to pack baby or toddler appropriate medications because I never have them at home. I’m a big believer in the hygiene hypothesis and swear my kid never gets sick as a result. But within a block of our downtown Seattle apartment there are, like, six 24 hour pharmacies, so I don’t stress it – I can always run out and grab some Children’s Tylenol if needed. Not the case on a cruise ship. You’ll have to stalk other parents outside the Kid’s Club and beg. Dismiss me as a radical hippie loon and pack those meds!

Maybe Pack: Band-Aids

If you took my advice about the maxi pads and Gorilla tape, you’ll be all set if someone’s knee springs a leak. If not, toss in a pack of band-aids or a travel-sized first aid kit.

Items You Can Pack If Needed

Sealed cans of formula, sealed bottles of water (although I’d suggest buying them through the cruise line in advance and having them delivered to your room), sealed packaged snacks and baby food.

Items you Can’t Pack

Open or unsealed food or water, fresh produce, the teenaged neighbor you bribed with a free cruise in return for her babysitting services. Even if she fits comfortably in your suitcase and is “totally up for an adventure,” you’ll need to purchase her a ticket or risk spending your cruise in the brig and an awkward call to her mother.

Items You’ll Agonize Over Whether Or Not To Pack

Car seat. Ask for advice from other parents who have traveled on your same itinerary. We took ours on some and not on others depending on where we were sailing out of, what we had planned at ports, and the type of seat our son was currently using (little infant carrier seats are much easier than huge convertible toddler/preschooler seats).

This is a tough (and controversial) one. Use your best judgement.

Blanket or other comfort items. We had a rule from day one that my son’s comfort stuffy couldn’t leave the house, “unicorn owls are afraid of crowds.” Again, you know your kids best and I encourage you to use your judgement. But if you bring it, you risk losing it. And if you lose it, you’ll have to leave grandma behind in Freeport to keep looking while you apologize to neighboring cabins for the screaming child who refuses to sleep without the cleverly named and irreplaceable “Owly.”

And Finally, The Number One Most Important Thing To Pack For A Cruise With A Baby Or Toddler

Booze. Lots and lots of booze. You can smuggle it on using these:

With patience, flexibility, a sense of humor, and…booze, cruising with a baby or toddler is lots of fun.

Be sure to share your best tips for cruising with a baby or toddler in the comments. And with that, class dismissed.

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