The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Antigua With A Baby By A Local

Visiting Antigua With A Baby?

We’re a British digital nomad family of four that has spent the past 3 winters living in Antigua.  Our eldest was 16 months old when we first visited Antigua, and our baby was just 6 months old when we came in December 2023.  

We’ve got lots of great tips for visiting Antigua with a baby and toddler that we’d love to share with you.  We love coming back here year after year and hope that you enjoy visiting as much as we do!

Is Antigua Baby-Friendly?

Yes, yes, yes!  Our kids receive lots of friendliness from island locals when we come to Antigua.  They LOVE babies and kids, and they’ll often take the time to get to know them by name.

Each year Cam gets welcomed back by the local ferryman, the lady in the supermarket and the market ladies to name but a few.   They all know him by name.  In fact, none of them know our names, but we always hear shouts of “Hey Cameron!’.

You’ll often find that locals will want to interact with your baby and toddler, and if you’re comfortable giving out baby hugs then they’ll be very well cared for.  

Lots of the resorts here have kids’ clubs, we’ve heard from friends who have stayed at Carlisle Bay Resort and St James Resort that they are some of the best on the island.  If you’re not a resort with a kids club and want some child-free time, then there are several babysitting companies on the island. 

Is it Safe to Visit Antigua With A Baby And Toddler?

Yes, it is very safe in Antigua for babies and toddlers.  We’ve never had any problems with having our children with us in Antigua.

We’ve got a specific post on “Is Antigua Safe” where we cover various topics on how safe Antigua is.

Staying Healthy in Antigua With A Baby

What we would say is that you do need to be aware of a couple of “health factors” when visiting any very hot country:

• Make sure that you have good sun protection.  We always put SPF50 on our boys BEFORE we leave the house each day.  We’ll then make sure to top them up at various points during the day.
• Bring UV clothing for them.  We always have UV clothing on both boys as well as SPF50.  
• Bring some form of portable shade with you.  The reason that we say this is because lots of the good beaches here don’t necessarily have lots of shade.  Having your own with you means that you don’t have to worry about finding shade.
• Keep them hydrated.  This sounds very simple, but you’ll be surprised how easy it is to forget when they last had a drink of water.  We also top them up with water fruits such as watermelon throughout the day.
• Bring a basic medical kit with you.  We always travel with our essentials and then we’ll buy anything else we need when we need it.  The pharmacies are well stocked in Antigua so you don’t need to bring everything with you.
• Protect against mosquitos.  The mosquitos love Cam; our poor boy was really badly bitten when we first visited Antigua.  To help him, we make sure to cover him with kid-friendly repellent each dusk and have a good quality soothing ointment for when he does get bitten.

Can You Get Baby Supplies in Antigua?

Yes, you can buy everything that you need for your baby in Antigua.  However, some things can be very expensive.  

Things that we find expensive (and bring with us) are:

• Nappies are the biggest surprise expense.  To give an example, the ones we by at home in the UK are supermarket home brands and work out at £0.04 per nappy.  The ones in Antigua cost around £0.50 per nappy.  We’d definitely recommend bringing what you might need for your trip.
• Baby foods such as puree pouches and favourite snacks.  These aren’t really available in the local stores.  You’d need to go to the main supermarket Epicurean (there’s one in St John’s and one in Jolly Harbour).
• Baby formula

When To Visit Antigua With A Baby

The best time to visit Antigua with a baby is between December and April.  It tends to be drier and less humid.  Plus the water is lovely and refreshing if they get too hot.

We love Christmas in Antigua as it is good fun on the island and there tend to be lots of other families around too to spread the Christmas spirit.  We spend ours at the beach and Nelson’s Dockyard as they have a great Christmas Party there.

Getting To Antigua With A Toddler And Baby

Flying with a baby or toddler always feels pretty daunting.  We’ve been over and on multiple flights with baby and toddler-aged kids and Sara has even flown to Angitua with both on her own!

In general, we always remind ourselves that yes, it’s a long flight, however, it’s important to remember that at the end of the 9 hours (flight from the UK) your holiday begins.  And it’s well worth the flight to get to Antigua.

We also always remember that other passengers on the flight are a lot less bothered by your child than you are.  Honestly, most of them are watching a movie, sleeping or otherwise busy making the most of enjoying a couple of drinks. 

Top tips for travelling with very young kids:

• Remember to have a bottle or boob ready for take off and landing. The sucking helps them to equalise their ears.  We purposely resist feeding at the airport so that they’re excited about it on the plane.
• Snacks, snacks and more snacks.  You can never have too many snacks!
• Dress them in layers and have spare clothes.  Planes can go from being too hot to being too cold, so layers really help with this.  Plus when you land it’s going to be hot, so having cooler clothes on baby/toddler before the plane lands makes things easier.
• Bring babies’ favourite blankets from home.  You’ll be offered blankets, but we always bring our own and usually make sure that they’ve been slept with it for a few nights so that they smell of home.  Makes it easier to get the baby to sleep in the airline bassinet.
• Choose some favourite toys.  We don’t bring small toys, we learnt the hard way when they kept falling on the floor and we’d spend lots of time picking them off the floor.  We like sticker books!
• If all else fails we let our toddler play with his iPad. It’s a treat and it gives us a break so that we can focus on the baby.

How To Travel With A Baby In Antigua

There are a few ways to get around Antigua with a baby including public transport, rental car and tours.  It really depends on what your preference is.  We’d say that public transport would probably be really hard work as it’s slow and getting around can involve multiple bus changes.

Tours In Antigua

There are lots of great tours in Antigua to try, both on land and on the water.  We’ve found that most tour companies are quite flexible and are happy to take kids of all ages within reason.  

Our kids are super relaxed from a routine perspective and will generally go with the flow and will quite literally nap anywhere.  However, if you do have a routine then we’d recommend asking the tour company for a timed itinerary so that you can see how and where naps will fit in. 

Boat or land tour? 

Cameron went on his first boat tour in Antigua when we took him to Stingray City and he was 16 months old.  A few weeks later we took him on a half-day snorkelling and scuba diving tour.  It helps that we have our own life jackets, so you’d need to check that before you book.   

Land tours with babies in Antigua are a lot easier!

Car Rental In Antigua

We have our own car in Antigua as we go there so frequently.  And it’s great as it means we can leave the beach toys and other bits in there for the duration.

Wherever we go, we always opt for car rentals with our kids.  It means that we have the flexibility in the day to change plans if we want to.  Usually, because we are either enjoying something or wanting to stay longer.  Or, because we want to leave the destination earlier as it’s not our thing.

If you do have a routine and want to stick to it, then it means you’re travelling at your own pace and can pop back to your accommodation at nap time.  Nothing in Antigua is longer than a 40-minute drive away!

We’ve done a post on renting a car in Antigua to help cover some of the things you’ll need to know, like how bumpy the roads are.  Most rental agencies will offer car seat rentals for kids.

Eating In Antigua With a Baby And Toddler

We want to start by saying that the food in Antigua is delicious.  You’ll find lots of variety from pasta to pizza to burgers on most menus.  And lots of restaurants offer kids’ menus as well which is very helpful.

Antigua is famous for jerk chicken, which can at times be quite spicy.  Our toddler loves food with flavour, and he’ll happily munch on a chicken wing or two.  However, before we order, we always make sure to check on the spice factor.  

If you want something specific then you can often ask and they’ll try to make it for you. 

For babies, it can be a bit tricky as baby pouches and snacks aren’t stocked in the local stores.  You’ll need to head to the larger Epicurean supermarkets, and even then they can be short on selection and expensive.  Our advice would be to try to bring these sorts of foods with you to save you from needing to go to the supermarket.

What Should You Pack For A Baby And Toddler In Antigua?

You really don’t need to bring so many clothes to Antigua with you when you travel with a baby or toddler.  You’ll spend a large amount of time in the sea or in the pool where their main outfit of the day is likely to be their swimwear or UV  protection.

We tend to always travel with just over a week’s worth of clothes and then do a weekly wash if we’re away for longer.  There are plenty of laundry businesses in Antigua that you can use.  And if you’re staying in a resort they should have their own laundry service.

Antigua Baby Packing List – Clothes

• 6 short-sleeved onesies or cotton rompers
• 2 full-length onesies
• Washable swim nappy
• 1 UV protective swimsuit 
• 2 small muslins – depending on how sicky your baby is!
• 1 sunhat and 1 swimming sunhat
• 1 large muslin for sleeping under
• Sunglasses
• Favourite small comforter/ teddy

Antigua Toddler Packing List – Clothes

• 4 cotton/linen summer dresses. For a boy (or a girl who doesn’t like dresses), you will probably need extra shorts and t-shirts most of the time so bring more of those
• 7 t-shirts
• 4 shorts
• 2 pairs of lightweight trousers (good for covering up if there are mosquitos)
• 1 long-sleeved top
• 7 pairs of underpants
• 2 pairs of socks.
• Pyjamas to protect against mozzies
• 1 UV protective swimsuit and 1 normal swimming costume.
• Trainers (you could probably leave these at home if you don’t plan to walk too much)
• Sandals (necessity)
• Beach shoes (our son likes to climb the rocks on the beach so these came in really handy).
• 1 sunhat and 1 swimming sunhat
• Sunglasses

Other Essential Items for Young Kids In Antigua

Folding changing mat/bag: This is probably the most useful item that we pack. A compact place to keep your nappies, wipes, and creams which folds out into a handy changing mat. Proper changing tables are a rarity in Antigua so this gets used all the time.

Baby Carrier: These were essential for getting around, as both our 7-month-old and 3-year-old like to be carried quite a lot. The cool mesh carriers are great for babies in hot countries.  For our toddler, we like to use a hiking one as it means parent and child can keep cooler.

Nappies: We always take a decent supply of nappies with us in the bag.  They are easy to get hold of in most places but can be very expensive in comparison to other countries.

Baby wipes: These are much more expensive than in England so it is worth bringing a supply from home.

Teething necklace: Good for keeping your little one entertained and quiet whilst travelling or in the baby carrier.

Nappy cream: Sandy bottoms from the beach can get quite sore.  So we tend to use a bit more nappy cream away than we do at home.  Especially as both have been quite prolific sand eaters (and yep, what goes in must come out!).

Pop-up travel cot: We have a BabyBjorn one that our baby sleeps in both at home and when we’re away.  We also have a Snoozeshade that we put on top to block out the light and protect from mozzies.

Beach tent: If you are planning to spend a lot of time on the beach, it’s well worth taking a beach tent to provide you with some shade and privacy. This makes it an ideal spot for your baby to feed and sleep.

Blackout blinds:  These can be super handy if your kids like it extra dark.  Travel blackout blinds are great for making your room dark at night times.  But remember that if you come in winter then sunset is around 5:30 pm so we find that it’s dark before bedtime in Antigua.

Hook on high chair:  A hook on the high chair that attaches to the table is super helpful in Antigua.  Not many cafes or restaurants have high chairs so having one of these is a great backup to have when eating out with a baby.

Drinking bottle: This is essential. Find a kid’s bottle that your child can easily drink from and that you can take anywhere.

Suncream: This is available in Antigua, however, it is another item that can be very expensive.  We always take some so we are prepared.

Basic First Aid Kit: Ours generally contains medicine a kids paracetamol, mozzie repellent, bite cream & teething products.  We also have some plasters and antiseptic cream.

Kids tablet: Basically a lifesaver on the plane or when you need a bit of quiet time. Our boys have an iPad, and we generally have it on hand in the evenings when we want to have a meal out.  We also have a great little pair of headphones too.

We’ve learned that you’ll need fewer toys than you think to keep your kids entertained whilst away.  It is definitely worth taking a few things to keep them occupied on journeys and if you want some quiet time in the hotel. 

A few of our favourites include stacking cups which are compact and brilliant.  You can use them to make sandcastles on the beach, to pour water in the pool or even to stack on the floor. A few toy cars, magnet tiles and some colouring/activity books also come in handy, especially at mealtimes.

5 Great Things To Do In Antigua With A Baby Or Toddler

We’ve got a great post that outlines the cool things to do in Antigua with kids which you can find here.  However, we wanted to be a little more specific on things for younger kids such as babies and toddlers.  So from our post, we’ve selected some specific ones for babies and toddlers.

Our top 5 best things to do in Antigua with a baby or toddler are listed below.

Visit the beaches – one number one recommendation is Pigeon Beach for this age range.  Specifically, because it’s got safe shallow swimming, there’s easy parking and there’s a brilliant play area they can enjoy.

Antigua Donkey Sanctuary – it is a fun activity when you need a break from the beach.  It’s great as you can brush the donkeys which our sons love to do.

Swim with Stingrays – this is possible with very young kids as you can touch the bottom the entire time which means you can comfortably hold them in the water.  Cam has been going since he was 16 months old and loves it.  We took Dylan, our 7-month-old son there recently too.

Shirley Heights Lookout party night – this is a fantastic evening out with great music and good food.  The reason we’ve put it on the list is that it’s so lovely to see younger kids enjoying the music and the views!

Paddle with Pigs – Pigs Paradise is another fabulous animal-oriented activity that young kids can enjoy.  They get the chance to feed and interact with the pigs as they play in the water.

Final Thoughts On Visiting Antigua With A Baby Or Toddler

We absolutely love visiting Antigua with our baby and toddler. There is so much for them to do here, it’s very safe and the beaches are incredible. Also, there are some great resorts in Antigua with kids’ clubs and babysitting services.

If you do decide to visit Antigua with your baby then we recommend making sure that you bring essentials such as nappies, formula and baby food. This is because they can be hard to find on the island and expensive.

Have a fantastic holiday in Antigua!