Recently, we braved a 12-hour flight to spend 3 weeks in the tropics. The flight was considerably uneventful. Not only because of the fact that KLM is so child-friendly but also because my husband and I were prepared for all eventualities which might occur when traveling long-haul with a 3 year old and a 5-month old baby.

Our stay in Boracay (a wonderful beach in Visayas, Philippines) was the challenge.

Even with grandparents, aunts, uncles and a nanny present to give me and my husband a hand in taking care of the kids, my husband and I still had to be extra alert to make sure that the kids are safe and unharmed. A task that is not so easy since we were all on vacation mode.

With a baby and a child at the beach, we made sure that everything was covered to ensure their safety.

They were protected from the sun. We used Hawaiian Tropic Baby Faces Sunblock, with SPF 50. It will not only protect them from painful sunburns but also from possible skin cancer problems in their adult lives. Apart from sunscreen, we also made sure that they are only exposed from 9-11am. After which, they had to play in the shaded areas.

We tagged each other to make sure that there are always 2 pairs of eyes watching each of my sons.

No meal was missed, even if we (adults) were feeling lethargic and would prefer to just lie on the sand. We had to make sure that the kids get their meal on time.

They were regularly given drinks to prevent dehydration, more so since they are not used to the tropical weather.

Our whole family pitched in and we all had fun during our vacation in the tropics. Unfortunately, for the adults, we didn't take as much care of ourselves when it comes to putting on sunscreen. I've been seeing people wince everytime they get their first sight of our faces and shoulders. Ouch!