SAFE IN THE SUN

Sun-safe hours are before 10 am and after 4 pm. This means the rays of the sun are longer and will not give sunburn, but a healthy tan.

Between those hours I advise you to apply sunblock with at least 50 spf on your children, every two to three hours, especially the first few days. Later in the week 30 spf will do. Make sure it is the waterproof kind.

Sun block is hard to apply under the eyes especially with the little ones, since they still rub their eyes when they get tired or when they get splashed in the face. Apply a thick sunblock that does not start to drip when wet. The pink sticks for the face are the best.

Some time out of the sun between 12 and 2 is advisable.

The shops in the hotels sell good sun block but more expensive then in the US, so bring plenty.

TIP: apply the sun block in the room before getting your child dressed; it is easier to not have to work around the edges of the bathing suits and kids will be more cooperative with the promise to go outside, it is hard to do it at the side of the pool or on a sandy beach when they are more impatient and ready to GOGOGO.

Good HATS are a necessity and not easy to find in Aruba!  Remember the wind is strong so it needs to have a tie, and the extra material in the back of the neck is great for little babies!! Baseball caps usually leave the ears sticking out!

Many girls have their hair braided while in Aruba. Their scalp will get sunburned and it is a messy ordeal to spray lotion in the hair so bring a hat.

Sunglasses or a hat will definitely help a child with sensitive eyes, especially on our white sandy beach the light can be VERY bright.

Lycra surfer shirts are a great help. They are pretty thin and will keep your child safe from the sun and even cool when they get out of the water. Some of them even have foam inside to keep your child afloat (see picture, Spiderman suit bought at TARGET). They are not easy to find in the hotels, Vela Windsurf Center (located next to the Marriott) and Red Sails Watersports (at the beach) sell the surf-shirts for children, but again they are cheaper to get in the US. Here they go for about $40.

Check online: www.splashabout.net/SafeInSun.htm or www.sunsafe.com

SAFE IN THE OCEAN

Especially at Palm Beach where the High Rise hotels are, the ocean water is very flat and very safe. The water is warm, NO sharks, and no dangerous currents!

The sand is very soft, also in the water, so water shoes are not an absolute necessity.

I advise against big inflatable floating devices, especially in the ocean, the constant strong trade wind blows everything straight out to sea. You can rent the heavier floats on the beach for $5 a day.

BEACH TOYS

The shops of the hotels sell little sets of buckets and shovels. They are more expensive then in the US so if you have some room in your suitcase, bring some!

The kid’s activities centres of your hotel usually have a selection of beach toys that you can borrow.

DRINKING WATER

Aruba has pure, refreshing water, distilled in the world's second largest saltwater purification plant. It is the best tasting water and absolutely without a doubt safe to drink straight out of the tab. EVERY drink you will order anywhere on the Island will contain ICECUBES that are made with regular tab water, so drinking bottled water is not needed!

DOCTORS

Most hotels have medical doctors on call. There are also excellent dental facilities. Appointments can be made through your hotel.

Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital is located near the hotel area. The hospital is modern and well equipped. Their phone number is 5874300. For any emergencies just call 911.

Dr. D.I. Habibe (family medicine) is located on Palm Beach, near the high rise hotel area (across the street from Valentino's restaurant). If you don't need to see a doctor but just need a prescription for medication, his office will send it to the pharmacy (also located at Palm Beach), all you need to do is pick it up over there. For this there will be a $15 or $20 fee on top of the price of your medication. Dr. Habibe can be reached on his cell phone 7431300.

TIP: make sure your medical kit contains some bug spray, some benadril

or caladril and some hydro-cortisone.

At sunset the bugs will come out and with less wind days the mosquitoes can ruin a nice dinner on the beach. Scratching will open the skin and your child will likely complain the ocean will hurt their bites… Hydro-cortizone will get the itch to stop.

Sunrashes, heat rashes, or rashes from coral on ropes in the water can be helped with benadril or caladril (the pink lotion).

HANDY THINGS TO BRING

Especially if your child still naps, a stroller is a must! You can stroll your child to sleep around the shady areas of the pool and once they sleep, the rustling palm trees and the breeze is excellent for a little nap if you do not want to be stuck in the room. They sell very handy extentions to add lenght to the top of your stroller so the sun can't get in! (www.babyseeshell.com/products/baby_sunshades.htm)

Even if you don't use the stroller at home anymore, it might be handy to bring, it is GREAT for lugging around all the towels and floaties, sand toys and beach bags. Some hotel properties are HUGE (like Marriott) and it is hard to get anywhere carrying all that stuff.

Not every hotel room will provide a high chair, if you really can't do without, there are very small portable high chairs that you attach to the tabletop! (www.target.com/gp/detail.html/602-6231368-2021415?asin=B0000A1O7P)

If you happen to have 2-way radios bring them! It is great to keep in touch with your family or your babysitter; the range is pretty good and will make it from the room to the pool and beach without a problem.

CELL PHONE RENTALS

Your hotel also rents cell phones; the average price is about $10 a day, if you go with a company outside of the hotel you can get it for about $8. They will bring the phone to your hotel and pick it up.

It is a pre-paid system; you buy phone cards to charge your phone. Your phone will ALWAYS receive calls (no cost) even if your phone is not charged with a card. You can buy the phonecards usually in the gift-shops of your hotel.

It is a great way to keep in touch with your babysitter while you are going out, you will be always within reach.

FOODS/SUPERMARKETS

Ling and Sons, Kong Hing and Superfood carry almost ALL American Brands.

Food is amazingly good, they have the best fresh breads, over 20 different cheeses, great cold cuts, etc. Fruit and vegetables are expensive!

They carry the big brands like Huggies, Gerber, Kraft, Tropicana, and many more.

Remember that NOTHING is grown in Aruba or made here; EVERYTHING needs to be shipped here from abroad. This makes products more expensive…

So if you still have room in your suitcase I would definitely pack enough wipes, swim-diapers, baby food, etc.

If you need special baby formulas, soy-based products, rice milk or other things, these Supermarkets do carry most of them. BUT… like ALL products, it is shipped by container, sometimes a product runs out and if the new container has not arrived yet, there is nothing you can do but wait…

The little shops that are located at your hotels have most items that you need on a daily basis like milk, bread, eggs, juice, diapers, wipes, lotions, etc.

They are WAY more expensive than the major Supermarkets in town; you pay at least 1/3^rd on top of the already expensive food in Aruba.

But it is all easy enough to find here in our big supermarkets, located between town and the Low Rise Hotels on the main road. There is a bus stop right in front of your hotel and it stops right at these supermarkets, it costs only about $1 to get there so I advise you to only take a cab on the way back if you have a lot of bags.

If you need to find out about the availability of an item in Aruba, click on the supermarket with a link and it supplies you with their information.  You can also contact me and I will have a look for you on my weekly grocery trips!!!