myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Hi all,

We are expecting our "made in Tobago" -baby this summer and would like to return to the island to visit friends and to unwind in winter.

I've read that the medical facilities are not fabulous on the island...So what do you think, is it wise to go there with a small baby or should we wait one/a few years more?

Thanks for any advice and experience!

Hi Pupuce, congrats on your forthcoming baby, I hope all goes well.

My wife and I gave birth to 2 sons in Trinidad then flew back to Tobago with them when they were newborns a few days old, where we raised them until aged 3 and 5, without any medical issues of any seriousness.

In the event that your baby has a mild illness, there are good private doctors who can see the child and prescribe drugs, very cheaply with no need for an insurance claim. If baby gets very sick (or Mum/Dad), then the new hospital would treat it free of charge - but for acute cases they would helicopter the baby to a Trinidad hospital - from where you could have baby moved to an excellent private hospital, provided you have a good travel insurance policy with medical cover. The main thing you need to find is a French travel insurance company which will offer excellent medical cover for a Mum and newborn baby - some may recommend a few months have passed, I am unsure.

Tobagonians love seeing newborn babies so you will get lots of attention and nice comments.

Enjoy the trip

The heat and humidity may be a concern, especially during the rainy season.
I feel you shouldn't come here with your baby before January or February and
get accomodation with a modern and effective, but not blasting air conditioning system.

I think it would be wise on your part to wait for a year or two before making a trip to this island with your baby. This is not the place where you can travel with your new born baby. But yes but you can come here once your child is a bit old so that you can enjoy the weather and facilities here.

Come on guys, get a sense of perspective - thousands of Tobagonians give birth on the island every year, and manage to raise their babies ok, without them exploding or melting in the heat (including ethnically european residents on the island like we were). Plenty of young tourist babies used to come across from europe etc when we were there, and most babies seem to be excellent at regulating their body temperature etc, and the mums seemed to enjoy the ability to care for them away from a busier home environment.

I agree that some caution is required, but why should folks be put off from taking advantage of the mega cheap airfares for babies under the age of 2, while they can?

I'm with Leah on this. I think you should wait. Preferably until they are 18 or older. However, it’s okay from the start of April through to the end of January as we only go to Tobago in February and March.

Joking aside, our 15-month old granddaughter was absolutely fine in the heat. In fact I think she seemed to cope better than her parents and she LOVED the fuss all the local girls and ladies made of her.