Crying Babies and Other Travel Troubles

Carl Weinberg was so traumatized by the screaming baby on board the plane that he avoided flying for months afterward. It didn’t matter that the unhappy baby was his son Max.

“The screaming made us want to jump right out of the airplane,” said Dana Weinberg, Carl’s wife and Max’s mom. “There was nothing we could do to make him stop.”

The flight from hell was a fitting conclusion to the vacation from hell, Dana joked. The Connecticut couple admitted they made every mistake in the book when it came to planning a baby-friendly vacation--mistakes I’ve made too:

Mistake 1: The North Carolina “beach house” was actually a long, 10-block walk on the sand to the water--far too long for Max and his then-3-year-old sister Eva. Before booking, ask exactly how far the water is from your doorstep. When you’re vacationing with a baby or toddler, the closer the better. The convenience is well worth a higher price, even if it means you must cut your trip by a day or so.

Mistake 2: There was no pool to splash in at the Weinbergs’ beach house. Always choose a place with a pool. Many young children are frightened of waves and prefer a pool. A baby pool is even better.

Mistake 3: The house wasn’t childproof. “I couldn’t relax unless they were asleep,” Dana said. Make a list of questions to ask before booking a vacation house: Are there railings on the steps? Carpet? A deck high off the ground? A pool without a fence? Antiques? Unscreened windows? Choose safety over charm when the baby is along. If you’re staying in a hotel, ask if there are childproof rooms available. Get down on your hands and knees when you get there and look at the place from your baby’s perspective.

Mistake 4: There were no baby-sitters or children’s programs in the vicinity. No wonder the Weinbergs came home so exhausted. No matter how much you love your baby, you deserve a break, even for a few hours.

“That’s why it was so great to vacation with my in-laws,” said Lisa Greenberg, who lives north of New York City and has a baby son. If, of course, your in-laws volunteer for the job. Many don’t.

But consider taking along your favorite niece to baby-sit. Call friends who live in the area and hire their favorites. Local colleges also are good bets and often have lists of students who baby-sit regularly, even supplying references. Many resort employees volunteer to baby-sit on their off hours. Usually they’ve passed a security check and have good references.

More important than baby-sitters--especially by the time the toddlers are moving toward pre-school age--are other kids in the vicinity. Your vacation most likely will be a dud without them. Save that deserted beach for your romantic getaway without the kids, and seek out a shoreline or pool deck that’s packed with toys.

Mistake 5: Too much to do. Sometimes any itinerary is too ambitious. A ferry trip to an outer island turned into a nightmare when the ferry back was delayed and the Weinbergs were stranded without food in a long line of cars. Always carry enough bottles, diapers and food for at least a half-day longer than you think you’ll need. A baby doesn’t understand the concept of “wait a while” when he’s hungry or wet.

Don’t forget sip cups with lids for those who have outgrown bottles. Throw a change of clothes in the car (or flight carry-on bag) for you as well as the baby, suggests Kyle McCarthy, who devoted a recent issue of her newsletter, Family Travel Forum, to tiny travelers. That goes for a lightweight stroller too. It will fit in the overhead compartment of an airplane and won’t take up too much trunk space in the rental car. (For a copy of the newsletter, complete with top-10 getaways for tiny travelers, call FTF at (212) 665-6124 or visit the Web site at https://www.familytravelforum.com.)

Wherever you are this summer, bring your child safety seat and don’t make the mistake of putting the baby in the sun, warns the American Academy of Pediatrics. The sun is strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so plan to keep the baby in the shade during those hours. A baby’s skin is thinner than adult skin and will burn more easily--even on a cloudy day. That’s why babies under 6 months should be kept out of sunlight altogether (your stroller canopy will come in handy). Look for baby clothes made of tightly woven fabric to shield skin from the sun. Those child-sized sunglasses (with UV protection) are a good bet too.

When choosing a sunscreen, pediatricians say, look for the words “broad spectrum” on the label, which means the product will screen out both ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. The sun-protection factor should be at least 15. Make sure you select one that’s water-resistant and reapply it every few hours--on yourself too.

Nothing builds vacation memories faster than happy babies.

Just ask the Weinbergs. A family wedding prompted a cross-country plane trip (not so bad this time) and a few days of R&R; in a California beach town. They booked a suite so that the kids had more room, walked every day to the ocean and opted for gourmet takeout instead of restaurants.

The flight home was a breeze.

Taking the Kids appears the first and third week of every month.