Bringing a Baby to Beaches Turks and Caicos

When the invite email hit my inbox, I was all kinds of elated! I was invited back to Beaches Turks and Caicos for the 5th annual Social Media on the Sand Conference!

However, there was a big life change about to happen in our family – I was pregnant with our third baby. Ultimately, I was not going to let that stop me from having another amazing experience at my favorite all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean. If all things went well with pregnancy, delivery and thereafter – I would have a 2-month old at the time of the trip.

After talking it over with Greg, we decided I was going to go anyway, and bring a 2-month old baby with me. Another issue popped up – we had a family wedding to attend that weekend, so if I went I was to go alone and my husband and the girls would go to the wedding. So, that’s what happened! I knew what to expect at the resort, I knew it was safe, I knew they had childcare, and I knew that the length of my flights wouldn’t be that long. I’m always one to say yes to adventure and figure out the details later.

Needless to say, I’m so glad I went.

With that being said, let’s chat all about bringing a baby to Beaches Turks and Caicos! This post is very lengthy, and I also have a video to go along with it.

You’ll want to check the video out first below! Then I’ll break everything down and chat about some of the highlights of our trip.

Bringing a Baby to Beaches Turks and Caicos – Travel Video

---

For a Full Resort Review…

If you’re looking for a full resort review and recap, I highly encourage you to check out the post I wrote last year – Travel Guide: Beaches Turks and Caicos All-Inclusive Resort. This will give you all the details about the property, activities, food, pools, and more.

This post is going to focus on the trip highlights I loved this year when I brought the baby!

Traveling to Beaches Turks & Caicos with a Baby

I will definitely go into more detail on prepping and international travel with a baby in a separate post, but you do need a passport for the baby in order to travel to the Turks & Caicos Islands. Even though he is a lap infant, you will need to notify the airline. I had to pay an international tax for him to travel (it was $20-something, I believe). Again, I’ll go into more detail with all of this in another post.

When you arrive to the Providenciales airport, you will clear customs, grab your bag, and head straight out where Beaches staff are ready and waiting to take you to the resort. You can request a car seat beforehand so that your little ones will travel safely to the resort. I requested one for Logan. It wasn’t exactly the newest car seat but it was better than nothing.

The ride to the resort is about 10-15 minutes and everything is taken care of for you. You hand off your luggage as you board the shuttle and it’s delivered to your room. That was particularly helpful because I had my hands full with the baby and a stroller. Check in is easy and painless, and I was able to get into our room right away (we arrived around 1:00 pm to the resort). That was very nice considering we left the house at 3:15 a.m.!

Accommodations

Beaches Turks & Caicos is comprised of five “villages” across the expansive resort – Key West, Italian, Caribbean, Seaside, and French. They are all themed very uniquely with beautiful architecture, landscaping, restaurants, pools, and activities.

• 

• 

• 

• 

As you saw in the video, we stayed in the French Village in a king room. This room included a trundle bed that could sleep an additional two, and we were also able to get a crib in the room – so helpful! While I was situated furthest back in the French Village, I was really close to the French Village lobby. This made it very easy to go and request a golf cart to shuttle me to other parts of the resort. I definitely would say that you shouldn’t skip on the French Village resort because the rooms are significantly less expensive but you can be anywhere quickly thanks to the golf carts.

If being near the beach is of utmost importance to you, check out the Italian, Key West, or Seaside villages.

One other thing I would advise is if you plan on bringing a stroller to request a ground floor room. It makes getting in and out a breeze.

Is Childcare Included at Beaches Turks and Caicos?

Yes! Beaches Resorts is not playing around when they say everything is included in your vacation. This is huge. ALL AGES are included in Beaches Kids Camp – from the smallest babies and up! Logan was definitely the youngest baby I saw around the resort and in the Kids Camp, but that also meant he got a lot of individual attention.

The Beaches Kids Camp is very impressive. They are staffed with certified nannies, all who are accredited with 2,000 hours of service and training. They are also trained to accommodate special needs and autism. This is a huge draw for families who would otherwise skip a vacation like this. Your children of all needs and abilities are truly in good hands.

My Experience with the Infant Childcare

During our stay, the Kids Camp childcare for infants had daytime and evening hours at two different locations. It was open from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the Key West Village and then from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. in the Caribbean Village. If you needed childcare beyond those hours, you could hire a private nanny for an additional cost per hour. You’ll want to verify all of this upon arrival because what I was told at the resort was a little different than what I saw online.

All I needed to do to get Logan registered was to bring his passport, fill out some paperwork and set up a passcode. They were also super sweet to give me a tour of the facility and gave me peace of mind about how he would be taken care of.

When I was ready to drop Logan off, all I had to do was sign him in and leave a phone number in case they needed to reach me. I would leave him with diapers, wipes, his swaddle, a portable noise machine (this ended up being very helpful for him to take restful naps), a change of clothes, and a muslin blanket.

I did not leave any pumped milk or a bottle with him when we were there. I brought a pump and some bottles with me to the resort, but it was easier to go and check on him every 2-3 hours and to feed him. That made me feel a lot more comfortable leaving him, and I didn’t have to worry about a pumping schedule.

The only thing about checking on him and feeding him every few hours was how far away the daytime Kids Camp location was from everything else. It is situated pretty far from where I was staying and where a lot of the conference activities were. I had to take a golf cart over every time I needed to check on him. Luckily, that’s not a problem but the last day we were there they were so busy and it took a long time for me to go back and forth.

Since I was there for the Social Media on the Sand conference, I did have scheduled activities I needed to attend without the baby. Luckily, I was able to time everything pretty well and got where I needed to be on time without the baby. I was also able to work it around when he would need to eat.

As far as the nannies and staff goes, they were amazing with Logan. I felt very comfortable leaving him with them. They were very loving!

In total, Logan spent about 5-6 hours at most with them on any given day (with conference day being the longest stay). Other days he was there for about 4 hours.

Making the Most out of Your Trip with a Baby

It is fairly difficult to do all the water sports and beach things you would likely want to do with a baby in tow. I highly recommend dropping them off at Kids Camp so you can enjoy some time at the beach and in the pools. (And then you can have separate time with them in these spots later.)

• 

• 

You’ll make the most of your trip by enjoying all of the included water and beach activities without the baby. I’m really glad I was able to kayak, go on the water trike, and spend some time in the water on the beach.

I would also recommend dropping the baby off to enjoy some of the adults-only dining spots. Nothing better than eating a meal with adults only, am I right?

The Beach & Pools with Baby

It is very warm and the sun is very strong in the Turks & Caicos. This can be a little much for a tiny baby, so I really limited the time Logan spent at the beach and the pools. Anytime we were walking around the resort, I made sure to shade him as much as possible.

The best time to hit the beach with the baby is definitely first thing in the morning or at sunset. I did not take him in the ocean, although Grace Bay is a very calm beach. I spent a few different moments with him just relaxing on the beach chairs and listening to the waves.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Logan got to go for his first dip in the pool at Beaches! What a sweet moment. He was so relaxed he just fell straight to sleep in my arms. I did wish I had a little infant float of some sort – so that may be something to look into if you’re planning to go with a baby or small child.

I only took him in the pool one time but would probably go more if I had another set of hands to help or a float of some sort.

Stroller Accessibility Around the Resort

Last year I broke my foot two days before my vacation to Beaches. I went anyway on a little knee scooter and still managed to have a fabulous time. Accessibility was definitely on the brain around the resort last year, and I can say it’s very accessible.

Knowing that going into this year, I felt confident bringing a stroller around the resort. There were a few instances where I needed help from a friend to lift the stroller up a step or two, but for the most part I was able to keep him in the stroller when I went to restaurants and various places.

I toted Logan around with me pretty much everywhere I went, either in the stroller or wearing him in the baby carrier. He was a great little accessory! I have the UPPAbaby Cruz stroller and highly recommend it – so lightweight and easy for travel.

I am really thankful I had two working feet this year. I guess I’m always going to make a statement when I go to Beaches. Last year I was broken foot girl, and this year I was the lady with the tiny baby.

Social Media on the Sand Conference

Like I’ve mentioned throughout this post, the main purpose of this trip was to attend the 5th annual Beaches Resorts Social Media on the Sand Conference. For the last 5 years, Beaches Resorts invites bloggers and influencers out to network, learn, and experience a top-notch luxury included vacation. This was my second year attending, and it is an event that I really loved both times.

The conference team really put together an incredible experience for us – between the events, networking opportunities, top-notch speakers, parties, entertainment, brand sponsors, gifts and swag, and so much more. We were spoiled! I left feeling so refreshed.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I have to say – my favorite event they held for us was the Silent DiscGLOW party! It was so much fun! Everyone was handed a pair of headphones and there were three channels that you could flip to, and three DJs on stage controlling the music to the channels. Everyone was dancing to bumpin’ music, but with headphones on. Quite literally the perfect party to take a baby to. You could just take the headphones off to talk and chat and it wasn’t ever too loud!

• 

• 

• 

Totally bragging on myself here, but I’m pretty sure I was the hit of the party – dancing the night away with a sleeping baby in a baby carrier. Haha!

Well done, Beaches Turks & Caicos! Everything was seriously top notch and amazing, yet again!

• 

Precious Moments

Those first newborn months are hard, no matter how you shake it. You spend so much time figuring out a tiny human, trying to get on somewhat of a schedule, and then manage the rest of the chaos around the house.

Traveling internationally alone with a baby seems like it would be stressful and more work than what it’s worth, but I found it to be the opposite. I felt so much more relaxed at Beaches. I only had to worry about having fun. I let expectations and nap schedules fly by the wayside. If Logan woke in the middle of the night and ended up staying in bed with me a little longer than he should, then I enjoyed all of those cuddles.

I have to say the best part about this whole thing is how I sort of “let go” of all of the expectations I had for myself and truly was able to relax.

Sure, I had scheduled events that I needed to attend for the conference, but other than that – I just let each day be an adventure with zero expectations. It was so relaxing and fun.

• 

• 

• 

I have to say, all of these beautiful sunset photos with Logan mean so much to me! I have never gotten to experience something like this one-on-one with my other babies, so having these photos are a gift I will treasure.

I have never gotten more attention than I did toting this tiny little baby around Beaches. (Even more attention than last year scooting around on a knee scooter with a broken foot, haha!) Everyone was so nice and encouraging to me – the staff, resort guests, and conference attendees.

Items I’m Glad I Packed for the Baby

Here’s what I’m really glad I had on hand with Logan for this trip (outside of the normal stuff you’d pack for a tropical vacation).

• Swim diapers (although we didn’t use many)
• Sun protection hat for Logan
• Baby carrier – this one is under $20 on Amazon and the thing I am most glad I had for both the airport and around the resort. It’s a lifesaver! It also washes fine in the washing machine.
• Velcro swaddle – not only did we use this at night in the hotel room, but the nannies used it in Kids Camp.
• Muslin blankets – great to shield sun, to use as a nursing cover, and for the airplane
• Portable noise machine – this was particularly helpful in Kids Camp so Logan could have better sleep! He did much better when he had this with him.
• Mineral sunscreen – I asked our pediatrician what I should to about sunscreen (most say not to apply sunscreen to babies under 6 months). She told me to go ahead and apply a mineral sunscreen to him (in addition to covering up and wearing a hat) and that this protection was better than a sunburn.
• Natural insect repellent – the bugs can be a little bad on the beach. I’m glad we had this stuff on hand!

Bottom Line

If you are considering an all-inclusive family-friendly vacation with a baby, I highly recommend Beaches. There is something for everyone at the resort, childcare is included for kids of all ages, and it truly is a luxury-included experience. You really cannot go wrong! I know I am not the norm traveling to a place like this alone with a baby, so I think I would have an incredible time with my whole family present, too.