Goodness Gracious Grand Cayman with a Baby!

I had to decide in late January if I was going to a) go on a vacation with my mom and sister - our annual girls trip and b) if I was going to bring Charlotte - who'd be 8 months old at the time or leave her at home. I opted to say yes to the trip and bring along the baby. Just because you have a baby doesn't mean you can't do the things you love anymore - and I figured it'd be a great experience for all of us and leaving Charlotte behind just wasn't an option for me. A passport for her, a notarized letter stating Sam allowed me to take her out of the country, and several suitcases later we were all set to fly out of Cleveland, connect in Charlotte, NC, and head to beautiful Grand Cayman island.


ready to jet set!

Unfortunately Charlotte had an ear infection for Easter - but her pediatrician gave her the OK to fly at her checkup the day before we left. Whew. He did warn me that she was "going to scream on takeoff and landing." Needless to say I was nervous about being that person on the plane that everyone despises. We arrived at the Cleveland airport in plenty of time, checked most of our suitcases, had fun trying to figure out how to tighten straps from he** on an umbrella stroller my mom had bought for the trip, and then we were off for security. Charlotte smiled at a TSA agent and he smiled back and said for my mom, sister, Charlotte and I to head to the pre-check line. It pays to be nice to those people! We didn't have to take off our sweaters or shoes. Everyone kept saying how pretty Charlotte was and asked if I had ever traveled with her before. "Her first time on a plane!" I'd reply. A few nice pregnant ladies were chatting with us as well.

Before we boarded the plane I gave her a dose of ibuprofen and her ear medicine. She was a complete doll I must say on takeoff, landing and everything in between. She played with toys and chewed on Sophie and drank her bottles/nursed well. It was a breeze! As we arrived into Grand Cayman, walking down the steps to the ground was a bit challenging, and I'd wished I'd have my baby sling or baby carrier handy, I just put both arms around her and took it slow!

As we waited in the customs line, we again smiled at the guard and he directed us towards the "Caymanians" line. I heard a few people say, "Hey they have passports why are they going to that line" -- again, pays to travel with a cute baby! In the line we ended up befriending a very nice woman who was returning from New York who gave us a few dinner recommendations. The car rental situation was a bit scary - they didn't have the car seat INSTALLED and just handed it to me (umm, hello. My husband did this back home, not me!) Luckily the Hertz guy helped me figure it out. I must say, I taught my sister to drive when she was 17. I felt like I had to do it all over again since they drive on the left hand side of the road there and her steering wheel was on the right side of the car (freaky!). I never really got used to it at all and would have crashed 15 times if I had been driving.

We arrived at the Ritz and I downed some tropical drink the lady handed me and then we were off to the room. I heard the word "oceanfront" and got excited. Our room was beautiful and they had set up the room with a crib for Charlotte -- not that she slept in it too much -- she was mostly snuggled up with me in bed the whole trip! But still, the gift they gave her was so sweet too.

Charlotte admiring her gift

The first day we were all pretty whooped so we just took Charlotte down to see the ocean and she fell asleep in the baby carrier. The sound of the waves literally lulled her right to sleep, plus we had a long travel day! We ordered room service that first night - Bird ordered a top sirloin off the kids meal and made me act like it was for Charlotte -- hilarious note. The next day we introduced Charlotte to the ocean water and the pool for the first time and she loved it!

suited up!

That night we went to dinner at Eduardo's right down the street and Charlotte was a delight. It was fun to have a night out with my mom and sister - we went all kinds of crazy and each had one drink!

We visited the turtle farm which was an easy 15 minute drive from the Ritz. That was a lot of fun and peanut really enjoyed seeing the turtles! I made sure to stay in the shade with peanut and to keep reapplying SPF to her especially after the pool/ocean. It was nice because the Ritz had a pack 'n play they'd set up under the umbrellas for you so Charlotte could take her afternoon nap al fresco in the breeze. She enjoyed the outdoors so much!

A few tips for traveling with an infant:
* If you use a baby sling, bring it. Especially for the flight - Charlotte fell asleep in it on the way home and it helped to carry her around the airport.
* Leave the boppy at home - you won't even use it. Just ask the maid for some extra pillows.
* Ask ahead of time for your hotel to provide a crib, bedding, fridge, etc.
* Ask the rental care service for an infant car seat (and make sure you ask them to have it installed too)
* You can gate check an umbrella stroller - second hand stores have ones in excellent condition for as low as $15
* Bring an extra bottle or two for the plane to help with ear pressure
* If you plan to nurse on the plane, wear an easy access top
* Keep your baby's schedule in mind when planning dinners, excursions, etc. - a cranky baby is no fun at all
* Remember that your baby didn't ask to go on vacation, so extra patience is a must pack item!



It was a fabulous trip all in all and I must thank my sister, Samantha, for planning another fabulous adventure for us. And I must thank Birdy and S for being great au pairs for me when I needed a break. Love you both!

If you're ever thinking about not taking a trip because you have a baby - think again! For every one person that gives you a dirty look there are 100 people that will smile at you and be kind. Just plan ahead, be friendly to others, be patient with your baby, and you'll have a wonderful vacation with memories to last a lifetime. :)

Now for some photos of the trip for you to peruse: