Mexico with 5 month old baby

[Anonymous]

We're heading to Mexico - first trip out of the country - with our 5 month old son. Any tips suggestions for things we should be mindful of for those of you who have travelled with a baby to a beach destination? I've heard some people say no sunblock until 6 months? Is that right? If not - which sunblocks do you recommend. Any other ideas would be very welcome. Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

One of those baby cabanas is great for the beach.

[Anonymous]

Our doctor said to try to stay out of the sun for 6 months, but if you have to be in the sun, then definitely use sunblock. Have fun!

[Anonymous]

When we went to Cancun last January with our 6 month old we used California baby sunscreen stick, a floppy baby hat, and limited time in the sun to < 1 hour at a time.

Do watch out for baby trying to eat sand. Even with half a dozen adults around our DD she still managed to get a handful of sand in her mouth and nose when we weren't paying attention.

[Anonymous]

Ah, so fun! We did the same last year, with our then 5 month old son. He loved the warm weather and behaved totally differently than at home -- he knew he was on vacation. We had him in the shade all the time -- it wasn't a problem to keep him there since he couldn't move much. Any baby sunscreen will be fine, a hat, and light t-shirt. Cover his legs when in stroller, sun is hot and his knees can burn. Have fun!

[Anonymous]

We went to Mexico when our son was 3 months old. Definitely use sunblock (California baby or another one that is less harsh or for sensitive skin). I did find that the heat was a lot for the baby, so be prepared to spend more time indoors (or in the shade) than you'd probably like. A beach cabana sounds like a good idea. Bring lots of t-shirts/shorts. We changed our son much more over there than we do here (and obviously, we didn't have laundry in Mexico). Otherwise, have fun!!

[Anonymous]

If you google "sun protection clothing" you should be able to find some breathable hight SPF clothing.

[Anonymous]

all of Gap's swimwear is SPF-impregnated. its great and their "spring line" is out now... have fun!

[Anonymous]

I just took my 4 month old to the Carribbean. Ped said it was fine to use sunblock and we used the neutrogena pure & free baby sunblock. The AAP recently changed its recommendation about sunblock for babies and now says it's ok for babies under 6 months. We also got a hat and we bought an extra sunshade for the stroller (protect a bub sunshade- worked great). We also had a small portable fan b/c it was really hot and the ped told us to be careful with the heat b/c babies can easily overheat. We did find that it was easy to protect him from the sun, but that the heat was a problem if we stayed more than an hour or two outside, he would get really hot and we found ourselves having to bring him inside in the AC to cool him down every couple of hours or so.