I second this question! I'm traveling to STJ in July and will have my 13 month old (7 months old now) in tow. I've never traveled with children and never been to STJ so any insight would be great. I was considering shipping a couple of boxes of diapers & baby food to the island before we get there. I've found a couple of places that will facilitate that for us and it will be necessary because my daughter has food allergies to make things a little more "hairy".

If your child has allergies make sure you are in control of your own destiny.
Do not rely on a product being on island

Remember it is very humid and can be warm - so those rashes that drive your child nuts may occur.
Lots of Lotion/powders but make sure you use them before you show up.
Do not try new products in the Tropics! Including Sunblock!
Your vacation is not a proving ground it is the real deal

Some of the best pictures I have ever seen are babies in sun glasses
Do not cut corners - PROTECT your child’s eyes
Get Polarization the sun is very very bright - yeah I know real glasses cost money - Let them see blue

The drinking water is fine for adults out of cistern for a short while, but for a small child with a developing immune system I would stick to bottled. (that is an opinion not a fact)

And do not hesitate for a second to bring them…

Thanks for the advice! She has really difficult allergies - dairy & soy - so planning ahead is critical. Soybean oil is in everything!!! She might outgrow them by then but I'm not counting on it. Any insight on insect repellent for little ones? The AMA says that DEET is acceptable in 10% concentration but I know it's controversial. If she's anything like me, the mosquitoes will LOVE her!

Living here with children is a different ball of wax than visiting here with children. Nursie, have you checked the Relocation Board? There are people who can help with many of your questions.

Assume that your main land prices are about doubled for things like diapers.

billd

If the baby will be seating on mom or dad's lap on the plane, check in the car seat as luggage but put it in one of those big black garbage bags to protect it from the dirt and grime it could potentially get in the baggage hold.

The stroller/carriage you can take all the way to the point when you get on the plane where the attendant will put a tag on it and take it away from you to put it in the baggage hold as well.

Make sure you have more than enough diapers and food with you in your carry on just in case you end up with a significant delay.

We have been going to STT since our first child was born. We now have three and the youngest is five.

I second the suggestion of baby sunglasses. Also,

--we used good quality mosquito netting to place over the bed or crib; limits mosquito bites for sleeping/napping babies.
--regarding a crib, though some places you stay may have them, (or if you are permanent you will have your own) we found that a small portactib that doubles as a playpen was super useful; we set it up on the beach or at the pool, covered it with netting, and put an umbrella over it.
--mosquito resistance seems to develop after a while. Our kids were seriously bug bitten during the early part of stays in the VIs, but by week 3 or 4 they hardly got bitten
--we did not find a stroller very useful in the VIs since we are usually in very steep terrain out in the country, but if you are in paved, town areas a lot, it could be useful. A Baby Bjorn comes in handy in steep terrain or on hikes with a baby or small toddler
--A friend had a car seat that converted to a stroller, that was cool to borrow, since we found it nice to have a car seat when riding in rental cars--the car seats are costly to rent (if you can find one.) The wheels mostly came in handy in those huge airport concourses at the beginning or end of a trip
--our kids drank boiled cistern water after passing age 1 (as do we), but that's a personal choice. We know some really old folks who swear by it, but then again, maybe rainwater was more pure 80 or 90 years ago...

Best of luck,

Islandlola

BTW - Bar side if you are getting bug bit some bartenders will pour cheap vodka in your hand
Rub your legs down and bugs go away

Might not be a bad idea for babies...
Distilled water, Potatoes fermented vice deet?

beats the heck out of chemicals

Of course like the adds on TV - check with your doctor first... 😀