Going to Punta Cana,Domenican Republic with a 10 Month Old

I just bought my daughter an SPF shirt she can wear over her bathingsuit. It's great at protecting her back and shoulders so we don't have to worry so much about reapplying sunscreen after she swims. They also sell some really cute swim suits with matching SPF tops -- I think GapKids has them. Maybe buy one of those and use it in addition to sunscreen and a hat?

We use Vanicream Sunscreen.... it is free of a lot of the junk that can be dangerous to little ones! You can usually get it from your pharmacist or order it from Vanicream.com. It works great and is comparable in price.

As for packing the jars of baby food...maybe bubble wrap? You can probably get it from the post office.

I hope you have a great vacation and make lots of memories with your family! Blessings to you and yours for a safe trip!

Hi L.!
Sounds like you have a fun vacation planned! I just wanted to let you know that I went to Punta Cana a few years back, and it was beautiful! Just to make you aware of a few things that I wasn't aware of prior to arriving: 1) Bring your own water!!!!! Do not even wash your baby's bottles out with the water there, or brush your teeth with it. I never drank the water there, but did eat salads that had been washed in it and brushed my teeth with it, and got pretty sick (along with many others in my group). You can never be too careful, especially with your little one! 2) If they offer you a "lock box" for your room - take it!! We had about $500 of cash stolen from our hotel (which was a very nice resort, by the way) by the maid. The hotel said there was nothing they could do about it since we didn't get the lock box. 3)I'm not sure if you have any older children or if you or your husband would be offended by this, but the beaches there are topless. I did not know that and was pretty shocked upon arrival! Overall, the place is beautiful. Just make sure you take the appropriate precautions, especially with your son and the water. Good luck and have fun! Oh - and Gerber makes baby food that comes in plastic containers. You may want to check those out. And, my friend's pediatrician recommended Blue Lizard sun block for her young son. You can find it online for cheaper than you can buy it in the store (it's a little pricey). Hope this helps!
~ A.

Greetings!! The Best sunblock ever is Blue Lizard. The have one specifically for babies(pink tube) and they have a sensitive skin (white tube) one. They also have other varities but the baby and sensitive skin formulas are the same. The tubes are quite small and a little pricey but definitely worth it. It's kind of hard to find too; the only store I know that sells it is CVS. You can also go to their website. I don't know it off hand but just google blue lizard sunscreen. The website also sells larger bottles. For the face the "Water Babies" brand makes a sunscreen stick. It looks like a giant tube of chapstick. It is so convenient and a lot easier to get on a wiggling baby. Before I discovered this stuff, it was hard to keep sunscreen from getting in my daughter's eyes. This stuff works like a charm and it is super quick to apply. My daughter has very sensitive and fair skin and she hasn't burned since I've used the combo of these 2 products! Have a great trip!!

Others had good ideas about shipping food, but I've seen some brands with plastic containers/lids (Gerber?) that would solve your breakage problem. We traveled when our kids were still on baby food/formula, but I made their food and stored them in plastic containers with snap lids and also put them in ziploc bags just in case of spillage.

I'd recommend bringing some bottled water for the flight but then buying gallon jugs of water once you're there.

Don't forget a little baby Benadryl for the flight. I was originally wary about medicating our kids but their pediatrician said it was okay and it really did help for the flight (ears popping, sleeping). I got the one-dose applicators and split it so each baby got a half dose.

Have a great time!

Great idea on the SPF clothing...the sun is very different there and babies need hardly any exposure to burn - even if they are in the shade under an umbrella on the beach or near the pool, the reflection of the water or sand can cause burns too without adequate protection. My pediatrician loves Blue Lizard sunscreen the best for babies because it's chemical free.

I've personally always liked the Banana Boat tear-free SPF 50. We've never had any problems with that one, it gives great coverage. However, I wouldn't say it's 100% tear-free, if my son accidentally rubs some in his eye when I'm applying it, it will get red and tear up. Otherwise for regular use (when he doesn't rub a dollop of it right into his eye) it does seem much more gentle on the eyes than say Water Babies (the WORST on the eyes!).

Yes, use bottled water for his formula, I don't see how you would have much of a choice there. Nursery water will cost too much to fly with because it's heavy. Also you could use the Gerber plastic baby food containers (they sell a large variety at Target), or just ship his glass bottled food there ahead of time. The only issue with shipping would be if the hotel didn't receive or lost his food or something. I would personally just bring my own. Gerber makes organic varities in the plastic containers. Maybe not necessarily the brand you want to stick with forever, but for the trip it would work great.

Have fun!

Bottled water is fine. California Babies makes a variety of excellent sunblocks. For the beach, I like the waterproof one. I tried Mustela on my daughter at 6 months and she got a rash from it. This year (she's 20 mos) we bought a cute sun block long sleeved rash guard from Girls 4 Sport to cut down on the sunblock we slather on her. For food, just take a grinder with you, and grind up food from your plate yourself. There's a white one at One Step Ahead with a crank handle that you turn. It costs about $15 and works great.

I didnt have my son yet when we went, but I thought the water, even the bottled, had a funny taste.

I just ordered california baby ultra sensitive on diapers.com. It was rated really well and my ped said it was fine for any age baby.

Have a great time.

I think the best sunscreen is called Baby Blanket. Definitely get one with titanium dioxide. We have used this brand with all 3 of our boys, and it works great. It is available at many stores, including Babies R Us.

Have a great trip!

There's no reason your son needs to eat commercial baby food. My 1-year-old had a handful of baby food jars when he first started solids, but hasn't had any since. Start feeding him from your plate now (age-appropriate foods, of course) and he'll be used to it by the time of your trip. There will undoubtedly be a lot of wonderful fresh fruit for him to eat there; just make sure you wash it in bottled water before you give it to him.

Hi!
First of all, I hope you like the humid weather, cause Punta Cana in June is very humid.
I went there a few years ago at the same time.
It is a gorgeous place, though you wil pass by some poverty on the way to your hotel.(makes you appreciate what you have...)
Why don't you take the plastic packs of baby food .
You might want to check with airline, about taking water etc. with, as they are considered liquids & they have strict rules about carrying liquids.

Deb G.

Just a thought. YOu may want to ship the baby food. If you order it online and have it shipped right to the resort it may save a lot of money. Airlines are being very strict on weight of bags. We just got back from Mexico and we were limited to ONE bag per person for a week. A second bag may or may not have been allowed depending upon how full the flight was. It was really rough packing. Our overweight bag cost us $50. Check with your airline!

If you are staying at an all inclusive I would just use bottled water, it is safe and "free."

Have a great time.

My husband and I went there 2 years ago...the resort we stayed at gave us a gallon of water each day...we didn't go through it ourselves...just an FYI, though, there is a lot of nudity down there...we were surprised by it...different culture though.

no suggestions on the food, we didn't travel anywhere like that at that age.

For sun, I like the banana boat and coppertone baby sunblocks. My DS reacted very badly to the Hawaiian Tropic baby sunblock. I'd bring more than one brand to be safe. I also always use an spf shirt on him, I buy his at Old Navy, but One Step Ahead, Gap, etc have them too.

BULL FROG!!!!! they have a spray on for babies/kids. I NEVER use anything else. It is sweat proof,water-proof and lasts 2-3 times longer than any of the others...the best part no gloppy hands. Have used it exclusely on our 7 1/2 year old...only time he has gotten a sunburn (slight) was when I forgot it at home.
As well ship your babies food (if eating) to your hotel/resort it will cost you less that way and most important...DRINK and USE for formaula & food bottled water.
Have a blast!