Going to a beautiful tropical all-inclusive resort is a great idea for new parents who want to take a vacation with a baby! Staying at an all-inclusive with a baby makes it super easy for new parents to travel somewhere beautiful with their little one. Granted, going somewhere tropical requires a little upfront planning and thought, but with the right preparation you will find your family vacation with a baby will be easy and enjoyable.
Planning a vacation with a baby can be stressful and time consuming, but effective planning can really make a big difference on how much you enjoy taking your baby on vacation. Our tips for taking your baby to an all-inclusive resort below will help you get the most enjoyment out of your family vacation.
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10 Tips to Find the Best Baby-Friendly All-Inclusive Resort for You
Finding the right baby-friendly all-inclusive resort for your family vacation can be a time-consuming part of your trip planning, but it is also the most important. There are so many amazing places to travel with a baby and we know that new parents don’t have a lot of extra time, so to help out we have done a lot of research for you. We highly recommend these baby-friendly all-inclusive resorts, which are not only excellent resorts for adults, but also offer some amazing amenities for parents traveling with babies or toddlers.
Choosing a baby-friendly resort is very similar to picking the best hotel for a baby just with a few tropical nuances. When deciding on your baby-friendly all-inclusive resort, consider the following:
1. Check Availability of Baby Equipment – Cribs, High Chairs, etc.
Many of our recommended baby-friendly all-inclusive resorts provide all the essential baby travel equipment, such as cribs and high chairs. If your baby resort does not provide this equipment, you may need to pack your own travel crib or travel high-chair.
Once you’ve booked your all-inclusive resort, email the hotel and confirm they will have a crib available during your stay. Be sure to ask what type of crib they have available.
In Mexico, we stayed at the Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort & Spa. Upon check-in, we were originally given a rickety old wooden crib that we were not comfortable with, so we asked the front desk for a pack-and-play by showing them a picture of one on our phone. They were happy to oblige and brought one to our room right away.
Another great option is to check out our guide to renting baby equipment for travel, then arrange to rent your baby equipment from a reliable local company.
2. Do They Have a Kiddie Pool?
Is there a dedicated baby pool, or at least a kiddie pool at your family resort? Babies love playing in the shallow water of a kiddie pool, and you’ll have a much more enjoyable time with your baby at the all-inclusive resort if they have a pool for little kids. Look for a pool with very shallow areas, kiddie slides, spraying water, etc.
3. Do They Have a Baby-Friendly Beach?
While it’s way easier to let your infant enjoy time in the water at the kiddie pool, there’s no denying that babies love playing in the sand. Families are drawn to all-inclusive resorts by the soft white sand beaches and crashing waves. But not all beaches are the same and not all are baby-friendly.
Pay close attention to the quality of the beach and the water at the resort. If the beach at your all-inclusive resort is too rocky or the waves are too rough, you may not have much fun playing with your baby at the beach. Reading Tripadvisor reviews for your resort is a quick and easy way of finding information about the quality of the beach.
4. Look For a Kids Club or Baby Club
Baby skin is very sensitive to the sun and it’s important to have a place where you can give your infant relief from the sun, especially during the peak hours for UV exposure. Your default place for shade is your hotel room, but sometimes it’s nice to have an indoor play area for your little one. Having ‘normal’ play time is very important for little ones while on a family vacation as it gives them a much needed sense of normalcy.
Many family-friendly all-inclusive resorts offer a kid’s club, but pay close attention to the fine print. Many kids clubs are only for older, potty-trained kids. But there are a select few baby-friendly all-inclusive resorts which open up their play areas to infants. For example, the Finest Playa Mujeres resort, just north of Cancun, has a Mini Club, with a special play area for babies.
5. Check the Hotel Room Configuration
Try to find a variety of pictures of your room on the hotel website. Will there be a spot to put the crib? Keep in mind that having the crib next to your bed is not ideal, as your baby may have trouble sleeping if they can see or hear you.
If there isn’t a great spot in the hotel room for a crib, consider travelling with a PeaPod Plus travel tent. This portable tent fits just about anywhere (including your suitcase). We have traveled extensively with our PeaPod Plus and we like how you can zip up the flaps on the side to prevent your baby from seeing you in the room.
If your baby-friendly all-inclusive resort provides a crib or pack n’ play, you may wish to bring along a SlumberPod sleep tent. This travel miracle allows both baby and parents to get a much better nights sleep.
When staying at an all-inclusive with a baby, it’s really nice to have your own room. Many of our recommended all-inclusive resorts for babies offer 1 and 2-bedroom configurations, which is another way of ensuring a good sleep for everyone in the family.
6. Get a Room with a Balcony
Trust us, when staying at an all-inclusive with a baby, having a balcony in your room can be a life saver! Sharing a hotel room with an infant can be very challenging, especially if your baby is a light sleeper. If you have nowhere to escape to, you’ll be relegated to whispering to each other in the dark, for fear of waking your sleeping baby.
Having a balcony at your all-inclusive resort gives you a place to escape to, while your baby sleeps. This separate space gives you the freedom to talk without fear of waking your baby.
7. A Large Resort is Good For Family Walks
If your baby sleeps in their stroller, you may wish to stay at a large family-friendly all-inclusive resort with lots of pathways to help you walk them to sleep.
For example, when we stayed at the very large Grand Palladium Kantenah all-inclusive resort in Mexico, we spent a lot of time walking with our baby along the many pathways through the on-site jungle. She loved finding various jungle critters and the extra exercise helped ensure a good night’s sleep for our little one.
8. Check the Restaurant Open Times
Many family-friendly all-inclusive resorts will have both buffet and a-la-carte restaurants, so make sure you are happy with your dining options.
Most importantly for parents visiting an all-inclusive with a baby is to check that the restaurant hours are appropriate for your family. For example, if you baby is an early riser, ensure that there are viable food options available at the time you need them.
Also watch the seating times for dinner. If your baby goes to sleep early in the evening, you’ll want to go for dinner early in the evening. Many restaurants at all-inclusive resorts don’t open until 6PM.
One amenity we like to see at a baby-friendly all-inclusive resort is 24-hour room service. This is so convenient for the nights you don’t feel like going to the restaurant with your baby, or feel a little hungry after a 3am feeding. The Azul Resort in the Mayan Riviera is one of our recommended baby-friendly all-inclusive resorts to offer 24-hour room service.
9. Find an All-Inclusive Resort with Babysitting
Taking a vacation with your baby to an all-inclusive resort is a wonderful family experience. As amazing as it is to share these memories with your baby, you will still be in a romantic tropical paradise and you may be tempted to spend some time alone as a couple.
Yor all-inclusive vacation is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your partner after the life-changing experience of having a baby. Staying at an all-inclusive resort with a babysitting service or nanny service allows you to have some romantic time together. Spend an afternoon at the spa or have a romantic seaside dinner for two, knowing your baby is in good hands.
Beaches Negril and Beaches Turks & Caicos are two very baby-friendly all-inclusive resorts which offer a private babysitting service for parents looking to reconnect.
10. Find an All-Inclusive Resort Close to the Airport
After a long day of flying with your baby, this final logistical detail is important. If your resort provides transportation, it will likely be in a large bus or van, filled with people staying at different resorts. It will then drop the guests off at each resort, usually starting with the closest to the airport.
If your resort is the furthest from the airport, guess what… you are last to get off. What could be a 30-minute drive direct from the airport could take as long as 90 minutes!
If your resort doesn’t offer transportation or if you’d like to skip the shared transportation, Suntransfers offers private transfers from the airport to your all-inclusive resort in many of the top tropical destinations. Not only will they greet you at the gate with your name on a sign (who doesn’t love that??), baby car seats are available if booked in advance.
A Packing List for an All-Inclusive with Baby
When packing for your vacation with baby, a good place to start is our baby travel packing list, however there are some key things to consider specific to a family beach vacation:
1. Sun Safety for your Baby
Most baby-friendly all-inclusive resorts are located in the tropics, which means your baby’s tender skin will be exposed to the most intense UV radiation on earth. As you prepare for your tropical vacation with your baby, reading and following our 8 Sun Safety Tips for Babies is essential plus these 20 tips for taking a baby to the beach.
2. Should I bring a car seat?
If you are only taking the transfer bus from the airport to your resort, you will not need a car seat for your baby.
If you have plans to leave the resort, things get a little trickier. Will you take a taxi while you are there? Even though some countries allow babies in taxis without a car seat, we would never, ever recommend anyone do that.
This is a complex topic which we explore in more detail in our post, 5 Things to Think About BEFORE Traveling with Car Seats on Airplanes.
3. Should I bring a stroller?
A lightweight travel stroller can be especially good if your family-friendly all-inclusive resort is large and if you can get your baby to sleep in the stroller. Don’t forget a CoziGo stroller cover to block the light to help your baby nap on-the-go! Also make sure to check for any restrictions on stroller size with your airline.
We cover using a baby carrier vs stroller when traveling with a baby or toddler in this post.
4. Packing Diapers and Wipes
Depending on the location of your all-inclusive resort, you may not be close to a town where you can purchase extra diapers and baby wipes.
If your resort is away from a town, or if you are picky about the brands you use, then you should bring more diapers and wipes than you will likely need. A good rule of thumb is to bring 1.5x the diapers and wipes you would typically use over the number of days in your trip (including the travel days). Keep your wipes protected in a baby wipes travel case.
5. Packing Baby Food
Wait, what? Why do you need to consider this? An all-inclusive resort should have all the food and drinks you need, right?
Well, yes, but if you are traveling with a baby who is on solid foods, having a few baby food pouches or jars with you can save you during unexpected travel delays. You can use them to feed your baby on the plane, bus rides or at other times when food isn’t accessible.
Our daughter didn’t love food pouches, but we always brought some for emergencies as she will eat them if she is really hungry. Also, make sure to pack enough for the trip back home. You never know when you might encounter delays.
6. Reusable Plates, Bowls & Cups
If your baby likes to toss their plates, etc. on the floor, you may want to bring your own reusable plates and cups so your baby doesn’t break the dishes at the all-inclusive resort.
We used a reusable baby plate for our daughter at our all-inclusive resort and thought it worked very well. Remember to use the bottled water provided by your all-inclusive for washing these items if your destination doesn’t have safe tap water (which most don’t).
7. Ziplock Bags
It may seem to simple, or even silly, but bring plenty of ziplock bags!! They are so small to pack, but are so incredibly useful for your all-inclusive vacation with baby.
We would take advantage of the breakfast buffet at our all-inclusive resort to stock up on baby-friendly foods and snacks for the day. Ziplock bags are very useful for storing muffins, fruit, bread, etc. which enables you to have food available throughout the day for your baby to snack on. Use one of these spill proof snack cups to help keep the snack from ending up on the floor.
8. Sippy Cup
If your baby is drinking milk, bring along an extra baby sippy-cup or two. Filling an extra sippy cup at the breakfast buffet ensured we had milk available for our baby throughout the day for snack time and before bedtime.
See all our recommended sippy cups for travel here.
9. Baby Beach Essentials
This may go without saying, but you can’t take a baby on a beach holiday without beach toys! We have a list of the best beach essentials for toddlers and all the best beach essentials for babies.
10. Don’t Forget these Essential Items for an All-Inclusive with a Baby
Just a few last things to add to your all-inclusive with a baby packing list… You’ll be happy you have these essential items along on your trip!
- Baby Friendly SPF 50 Sunscreen.
- Baby sun hat.
- A travel-friendly beach tent.
- Avon Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard – suitable for use for the whole family.
- Swim diapers.
Final Tips for Planning Your All-Inclusive Vacation with a Baby
1. Obtain Your Passports & Visas
Once you’ve chosen the destination for your beach vacation with baby, pull out your passports and double check the expiry dates. Make sure you have at least 6 months remaining after the date you will return home.
Next, determine if there are any visa requirements for your destination. If so, determine whether or not the visitor’s visa is issued upon arrival at the airport, or do you need to get your visa in advance?
Keep in mind, that even babies need passports.
2. Find baby-friendly flights
As every baby is different, there is no one-size fits all solution for finding the best flight for your baby. When trying to find the best flights for your family beach vacation, spend some time thinking about the reality of your choices before you commit to a flight.
For instance, does your baby sleep well in public and/or in unusual places? An overnight flight may be a great fit if your baby is a good sleeper.
What time does your baby like to nap? Finding a flight which departs an hour or so before your baby’s nap time is another good strategy for choosing a flight with a baby.
Ultimately, there may seem to be no perfect flight for your all-inclusive vacation with a baby. Don’t stress… traveling with a baby is easier than you think, and you’ll be surprised at how well your flights go!
3. Arrange Transportation to your All-Inclusive Resort
Many resorts or tour company include transportation from the airport to your resort. If your resort does not include airport transportation, check out Suntransfers, which offers front facing child seats for babies 9 months and up.
Tips for a Successful Travel Day with a Baby:
The main things to consider for your travel day are how you will get to the airport and what to bring in your carry-on luggage.
How to Get Baby to the Airport
If you aren’t bringing a car seat with you, then taking a taxi to the airport may not be an option unless you can find one that has a car seat available. It may be easier to drive your own car to the airport or have a friend drop you off. While airport parking is an extra expense for your family vacation, we find it’s especially nice to just leave the airport, hop in our own car with our own car seat and go home.
What to Pack in Carry-On Luggage When Flying with a Baby
Pack enough formula, food, diapers and wipes for your travel day, plus a little extra as you may encounter delays.
On our latest trip to an all-inclusive with our baby, our travel day was much longer than expected. It started with a 45 minute flight delay, followed by a 1 hour wait in line at Mexican customs then ended with a 1.5 hour bus ride to the resort. Ugh!
This was all on top of getting to the airport 2.5 hours early plus a 5.5 hour flight! All told, that’s an 11 hour travel day! Thankfully, we had packed more baby-friendly snacks than we thought we would need as we got through them all! Make sure you eat or get rid of any fruit & vegetables before you clear customs as most countries prohibit the importation of fresh produce.
All-Inclusive with a Baby FAQ
Can you bring a baby to an all-inclusive resort?
Most all-inclusive resorts allow babies or children, but not all do, so it’s very important to research the details before making a reservation. Secondly, just because a resort allows children, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is baby-friendly. Save yourself some time and effort and check out these baby-friendly all-inclusive resorts.
Are babies free at all-inclusive resorts?
Policies will vary from resort-to-resort, but typically babies can stay for free at family-friendly all-inclusive resorts. This makes sense given your infant will not be hitting up the all-you-can-eat buffets or the free booze. Be sure to check your all-inclusive resort’s baby policy prior to booking.
Do all-inclusive resorts have child care?
Not every all-inclusive resort offers child care. Even if you find a family-friendly resort which offers child care, not all of them offer child care for infants. If you are interested in child care for your baby, consider a staying at a resort like the Franklyn. D Resort & Spa which offers a full-time nanny for your baby.
Where can I take my baby in the Caribbean?
Almost every country in the Caribbean has built its economy around tourism. Chances are good that if there are a large amount of all-inclusive resorts in an area, that it is safe to travel with your baby there. Personally, we love visiting Mexico with a baby, but there are many other excellent travel destinations in the Caribbean.
International travel always carries a certain level of risk, so please check the travel advisory published by your home country for the country you are considering visiting.
Can you vacation with a baby?
Yes, absolutely you can vacation with a baby, in fact, our entire website is built around helping parents travel with their babies! If you are considering taking a vacation with your infant, we have a ton of resources for traveling with a baby.
Can babies go to Sandals Resorts?
Unfortunately, Sandals Resorts are for adults only, with no children allowed. The good news is that Beaches Resorts are part of the same family of hotels as Sandals, and upholds the same high standards. Beaches Resorts are known for being exceptionally family-friendly and have a long list of baby-friendly amenities.
We hope you have a wonderful time on your family beach vacation to an all-inclusive with your baby!!
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This post was written & edited by:
Celine Brewer is the owner of Baby Can Travel. Not only does she have years of experience traveling with babies & toddlers, but she's helped millions of new parents travel with their babies and toddlers for over a decade. In addition to writing on her baby travel blog, she has shared her expertise on traveling with a baby or toddler by contributing to articles about traveling with a baby with the Washington Post, USA Today, the Lonely Planet magazine and Pregnancy & Newborn magazine.
Celine also writes about family travel on the site FamilyCanTravel.com, which she co-owns with her husband. Being from the Canadian Rockies, she shares her passion about her home and travel to Banff National Park and area on their site TravelBanffCanada.com.