Before you go, consider…
PASSPORTS
“Before you book your trip, make sure that all passports are current. I know it seems silly but life gets in the way, doctor’s appointments, work projects, etc. This happened to my family before our flight to Barbados. We found out the night before we were traveling that our son’s passport had expired. We ended up having to cancel our trip.” ~ Karla, Traveled with kids to Barbados and Grenada. Blogger at IBakeAtHome.com and onmygiftlist.tumblr.com, on twitter at @kgsmith78 and @ibakeathomeblog.
NANNY/SITTER/GRANDPARENTS
“I took my kids to the Bahamas when they were 3, they had a blast. It was a breeze for them and my husband because I was around. For my kids, Mommy will take care of everything. Needless to say, I go on vacations alone if I really want to vacation. If that’s not an option, bring a nanny or relative to watch the kids when you want to party or have adult fun.” ~ Elle, Traveled with kids to the Bahamas, blogger at CleverlyChanging.com, on Facebook, @cleverlychangin on Twitter, @cleverlychanging on Instagram.
SNACKS
Airlines have us paying for just about everything these days, and the small package of pretzels is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Always pack snacks. When it comes to drinks, you can bring an empty sippy cup for your little ones and a cup with a lid for your big kids and pray that the cart still has juice or water available IF it comes down the aisle at all, but whatever you do…
“Don’t bring juice boxes. Buy juice at the airport. Yes it’s expensive and it’s a pain but it’s better than having to throw away the juice boxes you bought that were poked open by the TSA agent.” ~ Karla, Traveled with kids to Barbados and Grenada. Blogger at IBakeAtHome.com and onmygiftlist.tumblr.com, on twitter at @kgsmith78 and @ibakeathomeblog.
There you have it – tips from some of the smartest Caribbean moms that we know. One thing that we know about West Indian moms is that we love to pack food, don’t take kindly to bad behavior by our kids in public, are all about comfort, and can be extremely resourceful. These days, not even “the look” works 100% of the time, so we must mix modern technology with old school preparedness. So, ARE Caribbean children the best behaved children in the air? I have been on some flights with some little Caribbean terrors, so from my not so scientific assessment, kids are kids, no matter where they come from. However, comfortable, occupied kids and good behavior go hand in hand. If you are striving to be that mom with the most well behaved kids on the flight, remember…
“Traveling with kids is not easy. Now that mine are grown I always have sympathy for parents traveling with little ones. The only advice that I have to give them when they are already en route is – stay calm, they grow up.” ~ Carol from St. Kitts and Nevis is a children’s book author, editor, publisher and blogger. Visit CaribbeanReads.com.
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