10 must have items when traveling with kids to the Caribbean

Beach I traveled twice to Cuba with my children, now 4 and 6, and I was surprised to learn that they are such good young travelers, always in wonderful mood, even when they were woken up at 2 A.M. in the morning at the beginning of the trip. I believe that all children really know how to enjoy the moment and it is only the parents who stop them from being always incredibly happy

During my both trips to Cuba, this year and last year, I was happy that I had all these items with me. If you are planning on going there, keep this list handy, as you might want to make sure that your vacation would go exactly as you planned and want to.

Beach clothes/shoes/sunglasses/Sun hats. In addition to the bathing suits (you must have a few of them), take with you UV protection t-shirts and pants. Most of them come with a 50 UV SPF and it is really great to have them with you, if you plan to spend lots of time on the beach or at the pool. Of course, you could make sure that you use the sunscreen often, but most of the time it is so easy to forget to reapply it after a period of time and then…ouchh…the burnt skin really hurts and they really know how to make you feel miserable when they are miserable:). Also, you might want to bring shoes water.

Sunset

Thermos for water and soft drinks. While on the beach, you don’t really want to do lots of walking to get cold water and/or soft drinks for kids. The thermos I got for kids is Thermos Foogo 12 oz Straw Bottle (BPA free) it keep the drinks fresh and cold up to 12 hours. I find them absolutely wonderful! You might want to invest in a good thermos for your own drinks.
Sunscreen/after sun lotion. The sunscreen that comes as a spray works best and gets absorbed very easily. I like the Coppertone Sunscreen Spray for Kids, SPF 50 and I got them at a good price in COSTCO.

Pool

Chewing gum for airplane during the landing (of course if the children are at the age when they are allowed to chew gum, if not, a pacifier would work as well). This will avoid the ear pain caused by the difference in the air pressure.
Water toys, sand toys and inflatable pool floats for water. My kids had lots of fun in the pool playing with the plastic rings and the water mattress.
Kids Beach towel, the one that comes with a hood and looks like a poncho. They are very handy when you want to make sure that the little angels would keep them on while you run from the pool to a place with air conditioning
First aid kit and make sure that you take with you Fever/Pain medicine, Calendula cream or tree oil for cuts, mullein oil for ears in case that a new infection starts while on vacation. You might want to consider a homeopathic first aid kit (Arnica Montana, Belladonna, etc)

Flowers

Mosquito repellent. Cuba can have lots of mosquitoes, especially after dark and it gets darks around 7:30 PM and then the night fun begins and the kids won’t want to miss it. This time I had with me patches (No Buzz Zone insect repellent patch) that stick on the t-shirts and /or pants and it will keep you free of bites for at least 8 hours.
Toys, crayons, books for the airplane. My son (6) took his Nintendo DS on the plane and he was very happy that he was allowed to play for longer time than usually. My daughter (4) had princess coloring books and she was as happy as my son.
Long sleeves pajama for night. You will want to keep the air conditioner on and usually the air blows over the bed. I feel better knowing that the kids sleep in a long sleeve pajama.