Babies in the Bush: Bringing the Right Gear

Belize ain’t Boulder, where every other person you see is a mom with the latest baby sling, jogging stroller, Stroller Buzz Universal Stroller Rain Cover & Weather Shield and organic hemp diaper bag. So when we spotted another baby carrier on the seafront drive in Punta Gorda, we stopped to inquire. They were a couple from Idaho with four (count ’em, four!) small children in tow, including a three-month-old in a backpack and a double stroller for the twins. They drove here through Mexico and are part of a group building a school in southern Belize.

In any case, Sutay’s carrier has come in handy for strolls in the jungle and around town, and our stroller bottom (which American Airlines lost on the Dallas-Belize leg of our trip, then found and sent to our hotel the day after our arrival) was great on the wooden walkways at Cotton Tree Lodge.

Though we brought most of our own baby food from the U.S., Shanti has been voracious on this trip, so we’ve had to improvise with mashed up papaya, banana, and watermelon. Our diaper-changing kit (we use a cloth diaper service at home, but brought our own chlorine-free disposables for this trip) has worked well on the fly, and we feel very well prepared. If you forget anything, you can just swing by Brodie’s in Belize City which, we discovered on Day 1, has a full aisle of baby toys, diapers, pacifiers, and formula.

Today, after four days of exploring, chocolate-making, and sea breezes, we will leave PG behind and head back up the Southern Highway … to the Placencia Peninsula.