Well, technically, it was her second time to swim. We had a “practice” swim a few days prior to our trip just to make sure she was ready for our first family vacation.
The Chua family (my side of the family) headed to the beach last week to unwind for Holy Week 2015. We stayed at Pico De Loro in Batangas. I was so excited for Light’s “first” swim. I prepared weeks ahead for this trip just to make sure everything was ready and I got all that Light needed.
Packing things for my baby was a little difficult. I almost ended up packing everything (because I don’t know what she might need and what if there was an emergency???). How do you know which things are necessary for a summer, beach outing? Well, at the end of this post, I wrote down some essentials for a baby’s first swim and first trip out of town. 🙂
We headed out really early in the morning to avoid traffic. Luckily, our ride was pleasant all the way to Batangas. Light was awake most of the time, but was well-behaved. She was enjoying the road trip as much as we did.
We planned to have brunch at Breakfast At Antonio’s but got to Tagaytay a bit early. So we stopped by my grandmother’s house to get some rest and to do some feeding and changing. We all rendevous there. The babies had some fresh air time also.
After our brunch, we wasted no more time and headed straight to Pico De Loro. Thanks to Waze, we were able to avoid the traffic in Tagaytay. It was not a smooth ride but at least we didn’t get stuck in horrible traffic.
After registration and checking out our accommodations (and a few minutes of rest for our husband drivers and cute babies), we readied up for the beach. The sun was already setting down when we headed out.
Light’s first time on the beach!
Our second day was our pool and explore day. But before we dipped the babies into the water again, we had them sun bathe for a few minutes. The babies had stuffy noses a few days before the trip. We heard that the sea air helps with their stuffy noses.
My brother said that the sea is better than the pool. The dirt gets “washed” away and the water is not confined in one area with all the dirt in it like in a swimming pool. But I just didn’t like cleaning clothes with sand on them so I didn’t let her swim at the beach anymore. She was also sleeping when we took her to sun bathe so I didn’t change her sleeping pajamas. She actually went back to sleep after a few minutes of sea air.
Light’s first time in a swimming pool!
We were timing their swim because I read that for babies, you should limit their swim time to around 30 minutes only. It was a very quick swim for us adults haha.
That night we explored the grounds. Light fell asleep right away when I wore her. She likes sleeping in her Mamaway Ring Sling.
On our last day, we just relaxed. The babies, on the other hand, had other things in mind.
And just like that, our Holy Week was over. I thought I wouldn’t be able to relax as much but surprisingly, it was a very relaxing vacation. Light wasn’t that fuzzy. We didn’t have any major problems with the babies.
What To Bring When Traveling With A Baby
Here’s the list of things that I thought were very helpful and useful on Light’s first out of town CAR trip. (Note: This is not for a pack light outing.)
- Bassinet. If you’re renting a condotel (condominium + hotel type) or if your accommodation has enough space, having your bassinet is very convenient. You don’t know how big the beds will be so co-sleeping might not be an option. We brought our Graco Pack ‘n Play Playard With Reversible Napper And Changer.
- Rocker. I found this super helpful on our trip. Since we rented the condotel type in Pico De Loro, we can prepare our own food and eat inside the room. I would just strap Light on her Fisher-Price Portable Rocker while my husband and I ate. She loves playing on her rocker. We didn’t have to hurry up. We had time to savor our meals.
- Baby Bath Tub and Bath Tub Seat. You can share this with a friend who’s also bringing a baby. I honestly don’t know how you can bathe your baby without these. In the sink? It doesn’t feel easy and safe. I wonder how you do it if you’re traveling out of the country…
- Clip Hanger. We all know how limited the towel rods and hooks in hotels are. How can you keep your baby’s towels dry? Where do you hang them and your towels? I didn’t think to bring one of these clip hangers but my sister-in-law did and it was very useful.
- Pump. It’s easy to forget your pump at home when you’re nursing most of the time. But after a tiring swim, your baby might go to sleep immediately, leaving your breasts full of milk. You don’t want to wake her up when she’s sleeping so soundly just because your breasts need relieving.
What To Bring On Your Baby’s First Swim
This is a checklist to help you pack for your baby’s first swim.
- Bathing suit. Of course! The rash guard type is better for babies to have extra protection from the sun.
- Sunblock. Sunblock is probably the most essential thing to bring along on your baby’s first swim. We bought the Mustela Very High Protection Sun Lotion for babies.
- Towel. Bring at least two. One is for when she’s out of the water. You can also use a robe to cover your baby up first. The second towel is for when you’ll wash her up right after because the first towel will be dripping wet by then.
- Swim Diaper. The swim diaper is mostly for when your baby poops under water. You can buy a disposable one or use a cloth diaper with a sort of mesh as the inside cover like the GroVia Hybrid cloth diaper we used. Good thing, though, we didn’t encounter any poop incident when Light was swimming. 🙂
- Changing Pad. I forgot to bring this on Light’s beach trip so I had to borrow her cousin’s changing pad. This is handy when you need to change her right then and there.
- Baby Oil. This will help “repel” dirt, or at least they won’t stick on your baby’s skin.
- Change of Clothes. If you have a long way back to your hotel, it’s better to already change your baby with dry clothes so she won’t get cold.
- Hat and Umbrella. This will help protect your baby from getting sun burnt.
- Sarong. This is useful when you don’t have a place to stay at at the beach, or just to protect your things from getting sand all over them. You can lay it down on the sand and sit there with your baby while you both breathe in the sea air. 🙂
- Waterproof Camera. To capture your baby’s first swim!
Hmmm… Am I still missing anything? If you have something to add, just comment below. 🙂
Mommy
Hello Light! You look super cute! Did you have fun swimming with your loved ones in Tagaytay?
Hi Stephen! Yes, she did. 🙂 We can’t wait for her to go swimming again. 🙂