M wife and I are tihnking of going to Bequia in November with our baby who will be six months old by then.

Anyone got any tips on travelling with a young one? Are we mad? People tell me they dont cope with jet-lag well?

People travel to the Caribbean with infants all the time. Here are some hints:

First, purchase a seperate seat for your child - you don't want to be holding him or her in your lap for the 3 to 5+ hour flight.

Second, make sure you bring your child's safety booster seat - you wouldn't think of travelling in a car going 40 mph without restaining your child why would you even consider doing it in a plane travelling at close to 400MPH.

Your child will probablly spend most of his or her time on the plane slleping so jet ag won't be a problem.

Bring a collapsable stroller with you (you'll have to gate check it) as it will help you when negotiating your way through the airport.

Bring plenty of sunblock as well as a sunhat and other lightweight but otherwise protective clothes so your baby doesn't get too much sun.

Take resasonable precautions and you and your baby will have a wondeful trip.

My wife and I took our triplets to the Caribbean when they were 7 months old, so I don't think that you are crazy. It's actually much easier to travel with an infant than a 3 or 4 year old. Infants are happy to sleep most of the trip down and back, while older kids get bored to tears 15 minutes after the plane takes off. (On a recent trip, one of our sons entertained himself by screaming "WAKE UP!" every time the elderly woman sitting next to him fell asleep. Embarrassing to say the least.) A few suggestions --

- You might want to consider flying somewhere that you can reach on a direct flight. Changing planes is a hassle with a baby and there's always the danger of missing a connecting flight and getting stuck in San Juan. Not fun.
- Make sure that you give your baby a bottle when the plane is ascending and descending -- the sucking and swallowing helps keeps his ears from popping.
- Slather your baby with Avon Skin So Soft several times a day and before you put him to bed at night or else he'll get eaten alive by tiny mosquitos. By the way, a lot of places in the Caribbean don't have screens on the windows.
- If your baby is on formula, bring plenty with you, since choices are limited in the islands and they probably won't have his favorite brand.
- Make sure that the place that you are staying has a crib available. The other option is to check a pack and play with your luggage.
- Bring the usual baby medications with you since, if he gets sick at 3 in the morning, there won't be a 24 hour CVS to run out to.
- Jet lag doesn't bother them. However, some kids get very frightened the first night sleeping in a strange place. (One of our sons was completely freaked out by the shadow of the ceiling fan spinning on the ceiling.) Bring a lot of familiar stuff like a favorite blanket, stuffed animals, videos, music, etc.
- I agree with ATraveller -- bring a stroller and a car seat. You'll need them once you reach your destination.

Bring Tuck tape to cover the mouth of the kid next to you that entertains himself by screaming "wake up" everytime you nod off.

I guess my only question is if there's a clinic on or nearby Bequia. We travelled with our 6-month old, but we went to STT and Virgin Gorda, where there are some medical facilities on the island. That way, if the kid gets an ear infection you don't have a major production to get him/her help.

Well, there is a medical clinic on Bequia but it's not going to be anything like the clinics you find "back home". You'll find better medical facilities on St. Vincent or Barbados.