In Reply to: Toddle Travel, 19months old posted by wicks on Monday, 27. February 2006 at 11:20 Bali Time:
We have taken our son up to Bali as a 8 month old in 2004 then again last year as an 18month old and we leave again in 3 days again.
As Alanna said we took huggies from home for his night time sleeps but during the day we used the nappies that we brought up there. They are not really any cheaper but saves taking them all up.
Fresh cows milk isn't really all that available up there so both times we took formula with us from home (toddler formula) and that was alot easier and safer. We started giving it to him just prior to leaving so he got use to it. We used boiled bottled water that was left to cool in the fridge in the bottle to make it up.
To clean bottles/dummies/containers etc we used milton tablets. Most hotels have kettles in them (especially in Nusa Dua). We would wash all his things in boiling bottled water and then leave them soaking in milton until we were ready to use them. Last year the hotel offered us a bucket to soak everything in which was handy. We just cleaned and sterilised the bucket with milton before adding his bottles.
Food was never a problem. Nearly all restaurants will have things like spags, steamed/boiled vegies, fries, nuggets, pizza etc so there is always something that that they will like. At 8months we took all of our own jar food that he hardly ate and last year he ate from the menus totally and never had a problem. His favourite food even back home now it noodles and satay sticks. The mini marts have packets of chips and bikkies and snack foods. Last year we would take our son to the beach each day and give him some RP and he would go and buy fruit from the ladies. He always got a better deal than me and he never had to barter!!
Hotels will supply cots and bedding etc so there is no need to worry there. We try to keep to our sons routine as much as possible. There are days that we were on long trips and he would sleep in his pram or in the car but we found it easier to stick to what he knows.
Make sure you remember to take all the "just-in-case" medications. We always take the hydralite ice blocks that you get from the chemists and let him have one a day to replenish lost fluids and incase he gets sick. Our son also starts having about a week before we leave and then again while we are there Blackmores Forbiotic chewable tablets (similar as Inna Health Plus) to help fight bad bacteria in the gut. We also give him the chewable Vit C tablets. 2 a day unless he gets sick then increase to every 2 hours. It is a natural antibiotic and replenishes white blood cells (apparently). Panadol, Dimetap, Aqua Ear etc etc.
The Balinese love children and there was always someone that he found to talk to or play with. Meal times were never a problem - as he got restless someone would always come over and have a chat with him and he was happy.
Relax - you will have a wonderful time.