Sounds like a lot hassle for a vacation to lug all that stuff around. Plus the charge for bags at the airport these days is obscene! Most likely, your kids are gonna end up in the bed with you regardless..they are away from home and won't sleep great anyways. Pack some hats and sunscreen and plop a towel over the stroller if it gets too sunny. I find all the extra stuff to pack is not worth it. You end up lugging it all around and don't use half of it because you are overtired and over sunned and exhausted usually..that's what family vacations are all about right??

First, I'd check with the place where you're staying - they often can accomodate you w/ a portable crib, which my daughter will tolerate even though she hate's playards, and a high chair.

If not, we love our Toddler Aero Bed - it has raised sides so they won't roll out, and packs down fairly compactly.

I haven't tried them yet but my mothers' group swears by the "pea pod" for an inflatable travel bed. Have fun!

I would also recommend the peapod. Its a tent with a bottom mat which inflates slightly. The good thing is that its lightweight and you could also bring it to the beach for shade and a nap.

The peapod MAY work for your 1 yr old. We tried to use it with our daughter at 18 mo and it was too late. She freaked out by being in an enclosed space. I would definitely test it at home before bringing it with you. Some people try it in the crib before they take it out and try it alone on the floor. We ended up never using it. See if you can borrow one before you invest. I agree with checking the resort/hotel for a high chair & pack n play. There are also a lot of places that will rent items out. I'd check with your hotel if you can't find anything online that offers that service in Aruba. I'm sure they've had that request before. Try to remember it's a vacation. The first time we went away as a family I was soooo stressed out about how to manage everything, and whether my daughter would get sunburned that I almost forgot to enjoy myself.
Have fun!
-Erica

Looks like others have said what I was going to say as well, get the Toddler AeroBed. My son would scream bloody murder when he saw the Pack N Play, but happily slept on the Aerobed. It comes in a sack that you can sling over your shoulder and it packs nicely into a suitcase as well. Well worth the money. If it's too much for you to spend, see if a friend or someone can loan you one. I have loaned mine out to many a friend.

Definitely ask the hotel where you are staying what they can provide. We stacked the plastic chairs that people used at most restaurants and in our house and put a towel cushion for extra height as a highchair and just made sure the seat had side arms and was pushed up to the table all the way. Otherwise, the little one sat in a lap and ate. The aerobed sounds like a good option to sleep in. Our tropical vacation went well because the rental company we used arranged the bed and bikes with a bike seat for our toddler and we never used a stroller once. I brought two bottles of sunscreen and a bottle of insect repellent! Have fun and pack light - it will save a lot of hassle and creativity will abound!

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our PeaPod Plus travel bed (basically a pop up tent). (Get the biggest one--"Plus"-- and it'll last longer as the kids grow.) We went on vacation last summer with our 1-year-old, and it worked really well. The fabric was a little sweaty, though, so I wrapped a crib sheet around the mattress. We had a suite-type room, and put the crib around the corner and out of sight from us. We all slept well.

I'm totally a pack-light person, and the peapod fit in our one checked bag. You can stuff lots of clothes around it in your suitcase.

The only big thing we took was our full-size stroller. It made an excellent luggage cart in the airport, and we gate-checked it. It had a good canopy, so no worries about the sun. I've seen people gate-check double strollers, even, but check with your airline.

Do you know anyone with a travel high chair that you can borrow? We have the Phil & Teds (used every day at home), but another thing we've tried is one of those fabric ones (kinda like this-- My Little Seat-- but we got ours at Target).

We're at the beach all the time, and personally, I don't think you need to pack many toys. (Other than things to keep occupied on the plane.) Kids improvise really well with rocks, shells, plastic cups, etc.

I recommend the peapod for both sleeping and on the beach. Our daughter used one from about 6 months through 15 months. The best part is that it is so small and lightweight, it can fit right in your suitcase.

I think once they are too big to sit up in the tent, they don't want to be in it. You may want to measure how tall your child is sitting up and check that against the height of the tent...

I can recommend the The First Years On-The-Go Booster Seat as a portable high chair.
http://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Go-Booster-Seat/dp/B00005N9X5/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1274725588&sr=8-14

It packs easily into a suitcase and works with just about any chair. I believe I got mine at Target and it is a very affordable solution for a travel highchair. I too have heard good things about the AeroBed for kids, although I have not tried one myself.

i'm in the "that's too much stuff" camp. the phil and ted chair is a worthy purchase, though. it's crazy portable and we've ousted the clunker in the kitchen to use the metoo every day. wish we'd found it three kids ago!

We went to Belize last summer with our 5 year old and 1 year old. We used a Peapod for sleeping and didn't bring a stroller at all - instead we used a backpack carrier which doubled as a high chair, too! We gate checked it like a stroller, and the Peapod packed into a small suitcase.

I've not been to Aruba, but I have been to Curacao (its neighbor) and I didn't have to worry about bugs because there is a constant wind in those islands.

I travelled with my 6ry, 4yr, and 6 month old.

You will need more sunscreen than you think and you will need to reapply sooner than you think, especially if you are in and out of the water.

HATS! RASHGUARDS! Swim diapers ( I prefer the re-useable to the throw-aways)

water bottles, sippy cups.

Where we stay, they supply a crib and highchair, but you could use your stroller as a highchair if you needed to.

I also second the meds you might need - motrin, tylenol, etc.

Have fun! Those islands are beautiful and the people are extremely friendly and helpful.

I've used our Kids Aerobed MANY times. What's nice about it is that our 5 year-old can still use it. Portable, comfortable, somewhat affordable...and something that they won't grow out of fast.

That peapod thing is neat, I'm sure, but probably not good after age 18 mo - 2 yrs. Not a long-term investment, IMO.

I'd skip a portable highchair and just double up the stroller for that. The stroller is great for helping carry things in the airport, too. And for long outings.

Fantastic and helpful comments, everyone. Thanks! I haven't seen any mention of carseats, though. Am I going to be the only sucker lugging 2 carseats (for a 1 and 3 year old) through the airports this summer? Is there a nifty alternative to bringing your own that I do not know about?

The last couple of trips I made (not out of the country), I've rented car seats from the rental car company for my toddler. With one company (Hertz, I think) it was an Eddie Bauer toddler car seat and the other (Budget, I think) it was a Safety 1st. They fit the cars, didn't seem too worn and were a lot easier than lugging car seats. It can be pricey (about $50 per seat for the length of the trip) but for me, especially when traveling by myself with the kids, it's worth the price. Then I use the CARES Flight restraint on the plane which is a seatbelt system that latches into the existing seat belt. Very compact and lightweight and much easier than a car seat on the plane. Even if you decide to use your own car seats, then you can just check them and use the CARES system on the plane so you don't have to lug them through the airport.

Also, we have the Phil & Ted Traveller, much like the pea pod, and love it. It's more tent than pack and play and the good thing is it zips along the side so you don't have to zip the child in. It's very light weight and fits in both our hiking backpack and normal suitcase.

Another suggestion for the high chair problem is tie chair (http://www.tiechair.com). I've seen them on some of the flash sales (http://babyhalfoff.com and http://www.babysteals.com) for less. We don't have one but it looks like a good solution for a squirmy one-year old (like mine).

Happy travels!

Oh how I love the Netherland Antilles! It's out of the hurricane zone and the trade winds are lovely.

When my son was 10 or 11 months we made the trip to Curacao and my son slept in our pack and play even though he normally didn't sleep even in a crib (we co-slept). We brought our own (I've found that hotel ones are sorely lacking in padding and sheets) and he usually fell asleep with me in bed and then I transferred him to the pack and play.

We've also been known to make little pallets for my son to sleep on out of pillows and blankets. At 1yo, maybe your son can still sleep in a drawer. :)

For your littlest one, you may want to consider getting a pool sling - Hotslings carries them - and maybe even one of those floatie rings with a cover. We got ours at Target for pretty cheap. One Step Ahead also sells them. Both were great while in our pool (we rented a beach front house) and I got a lot of use out of the pool sling as you can use it out of the pool and it has SPF. I've used it on occasion as a leg cover if DS happened to be in a stroller.

About the car seats, I would never rent a car seat - I've seen many of them and most are filthy. Here's a Delicious Baby link on the subject: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/2008/jul/27/safety-tips-renting-carseat/

I liked knowing that the dirt was ours, how to install it properly and that my son was super comfortable and most importantly he was safe in it.

We used a GoGoBabyz car seat stroller thingie to wheel the car seat around as we also used the car seat on the flight (it helped both of us as DS was very active and he had a space he was familiar with and knew he had to stay in like in the car). We did sometimes check our car seat at the gate or at check-in, though I preferred to bring it on the flight - Southwest managed to lose our Britax Marathon for one full day when we gate checked it once.

We use the 'Ride Safer' travel vest for our 3.5 yo when we travel now (we took it recently on a Moroccan and European trip and also to my parents in CA). That might work for your oldest one - make sure you get the newest model - it comes in four colors and runs around $120. The cheaper ones you might see are the old model.

Are you renting a house? For a high chair, we bought a Chicco screw on kind and then our rental company had one already in the house. So as others have said, double check with your hotel or your house rental company to see if they provide them!

We sold our Eddie Bauer pack-n-play for $60 (craigslist) and bought the PeaPod for the same amount. Thus, the PeaPod has completely replaced play-yards for us. And we will NEVER look back. It is so light-weight and compact--great for traveling. We had friends in South Africa that had their son sleep in a very similar product (but European) for six months while they lived in the bush. I CANNOT RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY ENOUGH. Also, we have a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old, and either of them can sleep in the PeaPod.

I may be way off with this advice, but last time I traveled with my little ones (1 and 3) I ordered a big shipment through Diapers.com and had it delivered to the hotel. May be expensive shipping out of the country though. But I ordered diapers, wipes, toys, sunscreen, snacks...everything! It was so nice to arrive and have everything waiting for us.

If you are bringing a stroller, use it as a highchair. Make sure your stroller has an umbrella. (When it is hot, full sun protecting shades will overheat your child.) If not, get a Totseat (clothwrap portable highchair). This fits on virtually any chair.
I would recommend the bjorn bed if the hotel can't supply you with one. The peapod gets really hot and you have to completely close it to keep your child inside. The aerobed will take up an entire suitcase. It's nice (though it makes noise ever time you move on it and the sheets are awful), but a hotel cot or mattress would be more convenient since you will be going by plane.
Get an umbrella from the hotel for the beach to keep your kids in the shade. Bring your own children's sunscreen and kid safe bug repellant. Get some inflatable toys for the beach that can be easily packed. You can even find collapsable buckets. Just bring a shovel.
Make sure to bring some snacks that you know your kids like, just in case they have trouble with the hotel food.
Don't bring too much. You will most likely not use most of it. And have fun!

I just returned to the States after living on the coast of Ecuador for a year. We had our toddler with us, and we used the PeaPod Plus as her daily sleep spot (definitely go with the Plus, since it's a bit roomier - even I can get in there and curl up). We liked it because it had screen panels on each side, which meant we didn't need to worry about mosquito netting for here. We also loved the fact that it was only 6.5 lbs, so it was easy enough to fold up and strap to a backpack for a weekend excursion, and also fit easily into one of the duffel bags that we flew with.

Depending on where you will be in Aruba (tourist hotels?) you'll probably find that high chairs are easily available. When we didn't have one, our daughter either sat on one of our laps for a meal (not ideal, but hey, it worked) or we used our wrap sling to secure her to the back of the chair. I think the baby gear in use in this country is a little crazy. You can really get by with a lot less than you think you can.

An ingloo in Panama. That's what we did.
http://living.weelife.com/2007/10/igloo-in-tropics.html
Our little guy was just over one years old and we brought a light, and under-$20 IKEA play tent for him to sleep in. We also brought a mozzy net and small bull clips to cover the doorway of the tent when needed.

He ended up in our bed later in the night anyway, but for those hours when he was asleep and we were in the next room, we didn't have to worry about him falling out of bed etc. He actually really liked his little space a lot.

My family is spread throughout the Caribbean and many islands have rental services. This was the first website I cam across: http://www.baby-equipment-rental.com/ It doesn't serve Aruba, but with a little more research you can probably find more. Aruba is one of the more US-style islands so you should find all the modern conveniences you need with few issues. Sites like this will have pack n plays, car seats (which you can also rent from most rental places), even swings.
Hotels are also usually a good place to find these things. Yes, they aren't always the cleanest stuff etc but if you bring your own sheets, your own baby towels, you'll be fine.
All the kids in the Caymans wear the one piece UV swimsuits. They're very good but quite ugly. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZXGX88/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000PRV3YA&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1X4RGZ06Y80BEYWYWCSM

We really like this toddler travel cot: http://www.amazon.com/Regalo-My-Cot-Portable-Bed/dp/B000H1MRJO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1274827955&sr=8-1

It folds up about the size of a "bag" camping chair. It's lightweight & really easy to set up. It fits in a suitcase easily and is great for camping. Might not be ideal for your trip, but somebody else might like it!

My son is 3 and we have the Kampa Junior Bed and absolutely love it. (Although that PeaPod Plus looks good also!) We started him in it when he was 1 - the sides are so high we never had to worry about him falling out. Also, we've used it much more than we thought because even if we have company and we need to move my son out of his room he recognises it as his bed and we have no problems. And it is MUCH easier to pack/store than a travel cot.

Ditto on LOADS of sunscreen and hats. 40 of us went to Mexico for a wedding and we were the only family that made it the entire week without a sunburn. WHEW!

The hands-down best toy? When my son was nearly 2 we bought him his own iPod touch. We put on loads of applications/videos/etc and it was a LIFESAVER on the 10 hour plane journey. (Plus, by the time he was two he could read/identify all his letters (upper and lower case) and read/identify numbers to 30!) Super easy to pack!!

My 2 1/2 year old daughter sleeps very well when she is in her own room in her own crib. When we have tried to travel it has been a everything from disastrous to merely very unpleasant. We are going away for a cabin retreat this weekend and we are trying something new: We set up the Pack N' Play we're bringing with all the sleeping gear (kid sleeping bag, special sleeping beauty lantern, pillow, etc). She is sleeping in it for two nights/two naps before we leave. We will be sharing a cabin with others, so we are planning on attempting to erect a privacy curtain (fabric hung from the cabin framing) when we get there. Wish us luck. We hope this works out better than last year's retreat.

I've also heard many people say they swear by hotel suites, even with the extra expense. Oy, travel......