Tag Archives: Travelling with Babies

Feb 27 2015

Top Travel Accessories for Babies & Small Children

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We’re off on our family hols soon. As a family with 2 children under 4, we’re lucky enough to get away with off-peak deals and we can afford to chase the summer sun before it turns a cursory glance to us here in dismal England. Dexter is fairly well-travelled now, but poor Heidi is untested. Thankfully we learnt a ton of lessons first time around and have lists aplenty to ensure we aren’t sat on the plane arguing the toss about who forgot the Milton steriliser tablets.

So I’ve decided to run through some of the most commonly overlooked products that will help make your much-needed holiday a success. Better yet, most of this bevy of must-haves are available from Online4Baby.com - meaning you can sit back and order them direct to your door in a few simple clicks! Don’t all thank me at once; I don’t think my swollen head could take it.

A decent travel cot

Travel cot

From left to right: Hauck Baby Centre Travel Cot (moonlight & kiwi) RRP £109.95 = £84.95 / Red Kite Sleeptight Travel Cot (pink ) RRP £49.95 = £31.95 / Hauck Dream n Play Travel Cot (water blue) RRP £69.95 = £29.95 / Hauck Disney Dream n Care Center Bassinette Travel Cot (Pooh Spring In The Woods) RRP £119.95 = £95.95 / Hauck Disney Dream n Play Go Travel Cot (Pooh Tidy Time) £99.95 / Graco Petite Bassinet Travel Cot - Benny & Bell RRP £69.95 =£59.95

Okay, many hotels and villas will kindly provide one, yet will often charge you for the privilege. Thinking you’re sorted you spend the entire journey in peaceful ignorance until you discover you’ve paid 30EUR a week for a battered old crib that has probably cradled as many babies (and leaky nappies) as a retired midwife. It’s woefully unsuitable for your little climber and you can’t bring yourself to peel back the mattress lest a hoard of foreign insects crawl out to say hello.

The truth is there’s little excuse for not bringing a decent travel cot for your baby. Most airlines will let you take baby/toddler paraphernalia along for free as “over-sized baggage” (just as well given they’ll cheekily charge you full fare for 2+years) and a brand new travel cot from Online4Baby needn’t break the bank either.

A travel system with car seat

Carseat

Left to right: Cosatto Hold Giggle Group 0+ Car Seat - Red Bubble RRP £125 = £64.95 / Cosatto Hold Ooba Group 0+ Car Seat - Kimono RRP £145 = £129.95 / Hauck Zero Plus 0+ Car Seat - Red RRP £99.95 = £69.95 / Chicco Auto-Fix Fast Group 0+ Car Seat With Base - Red Wave £119.95 / Cosatto Hold Giggle Group 0+ Car Seat - Oh La La RRP £125 = £112.45

We’ve often made the mistake of plumping for a compact buggy to save precious car boot space. Although there’s much to be said for simple umbrella fold strollers (they’re lightweight, often roomy, and are undeniably space-saving) BUT if you’re flying, most airlines won’t charge you extra for taking a larger travel system abroad - and this really will kill two birds with one stone. You can simply check in the chassis, and take the car seat with you to the plane.

It’s true that taxi services are often more lackadaisical about car seats when you are abroad. Many countries simply do not have the safety laws that we have, or just choose to flagrantly disregard them. Even if they do have a dusty old seat shared between the entire cab firm, there’s no guarantee it’ll be of the standard we’re familiar with over here. You should never be okay with travelling in a vehicle with your baby on your lap, so make sure you take one with you. Again, Online4Baby have a fab car seat and booster range so head here for a bargain.

Leave bulky sterilisers at home

So far, I’ve given you a few bulky items that will mean you’re mentally leaving more and more of your coveted shoe collection behind. Well here’s a simple one to cut down on space. Ditch the steriliser in favour of either steriliser tablets or a microwavable one. In the latter, bottles can be sterilised in just two minutes so you can do one at a time rather than a big batch in your usual worktop workhorse. I’d highly recommend Milton for all their travel options.

Baby inflatables

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Don’t buy a cheap looking lilo and rubber ring from a tourist shop. These will often not conform to safety standards and will be considerably marked up to take advantage of the tourist trade. Instead, invest in a baby training seat like this one from Zoggs with dual air chambers to safely hold baby above the water.

I also love these swimwear / float combos like those from Konfidence (above) to give parents added peace of mind. In these bad boys, even if your child slips into the pool, they’ll stay afloat. On this subject, a pair of non-slip neoprene shoes for poolside fun are also highly recommended.

My top recommendation for baby sunscreen

Getting sunscreen on your child is a right headache. Squirting sticky and smelly factor 50 on a sweaty toddler who would literally be anywhere else than pinned to the floor getting a hot massage from mum & dad, will drive you mad on the very first application.

Well I promised things that would revolutionise your holiday and SunSense roll on toddler milk is DEFINITELY that. It smells clean, doesn’t leave any white marks or greasy residue, kids love having it applied and it’s just the best I’ve ever tried.

There we go! I hope you all manage to get away this Easter, or later in the year. I’d absolutely love to hear your stress-busting product recommendations too, so bung them in a comment below and I’ll RT them.

Sep 24 2014

Munchkins on-the-go essentials!

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Since starting our role as Munchkin Ambassadors, we’ve been sent some amazing products to review. They all slot perfectly into family-life and we can’t imagine life now without our Click-Lock Cups and all manner of other feeding gadgetry. But when their latest parcel arrived I was a little shocked. They’ve sent me a fab range of out-and-about products to review that I’ll admit to not knowing even existed.

In our package were three products; A Munchkins Travel Booster Seat, A Munchkin Teether Baby and a Munchkin Designer Change Mat. All are vibrant, practical and innovative - exactly what we’ve come to expect of the brand.

Munchkins Travel Booster Seat

Munchkin Booster Seat

The Travel Booster Seat has since become invaluable. So much so, we’ve invested in a second. One lives in the car and accompanies us on holidays, day trips and visits to family members. The other has replaced a garish blue plastic one we bought for 99p off eBay. Dexter was never comfortable on this monstrosity, and had even fallen off it a few times. Naturally he grew scared of it and refused to eat from it. This means he sat with us on an adult chair at the dining table with no straps. As he’s now a ‘big boy’ the highchair has long since been donated to his baby sister.

75% of the time, he was fine. He’d chit-chat to us and eat his food sensibly. However, when we dared to serve him vegetables or something he didn’t like, it was WW3. Food would be flung, he’d climb onto the table, he’d buck precariously from side-to-side.

Munchkin Booster

Suitable from 12 months to 3 years, the lightweight Munchkin Travel Booster seat has since transformed mealtimes. It secures to any chair with adjustable clips that hug the chair seat and chair back. It also has two adjustable height positions.

Index 7

To make the seat higher you simply twist up plastic legs underneath. These have non-slip rubber feet to keep the seat secure on the chair. If using in the lower setting (as we do), these little legs are hidden away under 4 flaps secured with velcro so as not to scratch your chairs. 4 rubber non-slip pads will ensure the fabric stays snug against the chair seat. Dexter is then secured via a 3 point harness.

Munchkin Travel Booster Clips

The pretty and fun seat fabric is soft and comfy whilst being wipe clean. We can certainly testify to this as Dexter likes to hide food in-between his legs when we’re not watching. It’s been coated in baked beans, tomato sauce, mash potato… you name it!

Furthermore, it also doubles as a travel bag. There’s a neat little storage section underneath the hard part of the seat (where Dexter’s bum goes) for you to pop a few bits and pieces (bibs, a drink and the like). You don’t have to take everything out before using the seat as this compartment is not integral to the seat at all. Although you wouldn’t get away with popping a whole day’s worth of ‘stuff’ in here, if you’re dining out of an evening you can ditch the change bag. Give the whole thing to daddy and mummy is hands-free! Bonus!

Munchkins Travel Booster Seat Bag

Transporting it from A to B is simple as it’s incredibly lightweight and boasts both a top handle and an over-the-shoulder strap. If you were to therefore use it as a bag, you can hang it over your buggy handles.

In summary, it’s allowed Dexter to eat with us at the table making mealtimes much more sociable for him. It also means we’re not relying on restaurants to provide grubby highchairs. At £18 from ASDA it’s also a right bargain!

Munchkin Teether Baby (a.k.a Ellie)

Munchkin Teether Babies

Not to be left out, Heidi also profited from this months mailer. She was sent an uber cute Teether Baby. Her little elephant has crinkle paper ears, silicone chewable hands and teether bar (that doubles as a pushchair / change bag link for safe-keeping). It’s quickly become a favourite toy and I don’t think its left her sight since she clamped eyes on it! Luckily for us it’s machine washable to keep it plush and clean and wash off all that baby drool!

Munchkin Designer Change Mat

Finally we were sent a very stylish-looking foldable Designer Change Mat. In soft pink stripes, this suits Heidi-Bum down the ground too.

Munchkin Designer Change Mat

This is a cute and compact nappy changing kit for making bum changes that little bit less stressful. Luckily Heidi is as good as gold during changes, but Dexter was a complete horror and had a completely irrational fear of baby changing stations. I don’t think he liked the hard plastic against his head and back. This would certainly have helped him get comfy.

It folds down to an impressive little pouch which is ideal for stowing in your change bag. If you’re shaking your head at your laptop now as you simply can’t imagine squeezing anything else in there, a handy little carry strap allows you to attach it to your stroller.

Munchkins Designer Change Mat

This then folds out into a very generously proportioned change mat with a cushioned pillow for Heidi’s head. At the business-end where baby’s feet will be (and therefore where mum or dad will be hard at work) there’s two fab mesh pockets for stowing all the essentials. This will hold up to 4 nappies and even has a wipes case included.

Again, there’s not one thing I can criticise. Heidi has more comfortable bum changes, and mummy doesn’t have to lug a huge bag into public toilets… all for a tiny £12.99 at ASDA!

Thanks Munchkin! We love our travel essentials and would wholeheartedly recommend every single thing!

May 19 2014

And babies come too: The best places in the world to visit with pre schoolers

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When your children first arrive on the scene, it can be difficult to manage to get out of pyjamas, into clothes which have no, or little, baby dribble on them, and even make the journey to the park or to the local shop before mid afternoon.

It can feel like your freedom has been curtailed. But, actually, those first few months and years can give you less restrictions and more flexibility than you’ll have for some time. In a few short years, you’ll be constrained to taking your breaks during the school holidays. So, while you can take advantage of off-peak prices and destinations that are gloriously uncrowded, it’s the perfect time to explore together as a family. After all, what could be better than seeing a destination through a toddler’s eyes?

Here are just a few suggestions of where to take your pre-schoolers this year…

Child-friendly Cape Town

preschool-friendly-1 SOURCE: Flickr

It might not normally be associated with family-friendly trips, but a city break in Cape Town offers an incredible amount for families with young children. The Two Ocean’s aquarium is home to an amazing array of sealife, including showstopping sharks, you can go to meet the penguins which live on Boulder’s Beach and sit and have fish and chips at Kalky’s in Kalk Bay. If your children are old enough so you trust them not to put things in their mouths, then Scratch Patch is another good place to visit. The entire floor here is covered in colourful stones and semi-precious gems. You can lie down and make gem, rather than the traditional snow, angels before filling a little bag with the stones you want to take home.

More info:

http://www.aquarium.co.za

http://www.scratchpatch.co.za

For Thomas fans

preschool-friendly-2 SOURCE: Flickr

Little Thomas the Tank fans probably won’t want to leave the room if you opt for one of Drayton Manor Hotel’s themed family suites. You could experience the magic of Sodor Island at Thomas Land, near Tamworth, before staying the night in one of the special rooms. They feature Thomas bunk beds, with their own DVD for each bed, although, thankfully, the adults get a double bed in the same room. Drayton Manor zoo is just a few minutes’ away too if you wanted to visit more attractions in the area.

More info:

http://draytonmanorhotel.co.uk

http://www.draytonmanor.co.uk

Fanciful Florida

preschool-friendly-3 SOURCE: Flickr

There’s no doubt that a trip to Disney World is magical for little ones, although, if they’re very small, they may not remember an awful lot of it in years to come. But, there’s more to Florida than Mickey Mouse. A few days at Disney, followed by the short road trip to one of the Gulf coast’s gorgeous beaches, with their powder white sand, is the ideal combination of excitement and relaxation. Anna Maria Island is reached by a road bridge but, once there, it feels like you’ve stepped back in time to when the pace of life was slower. Try the peanut butter ice cream at the Two Scoops parlour or head to the Sign of the Mermaid restaurant where your children are encouraged to draw or colour their own mermaid to put up on the wall. You never know, it may still be there if you make a return trip when they’re a bit bigger.

More info:

http://annamariaisland.com

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk

The traditional British seaside

preschool-friendly-4 SOURCE: Flickr

Joining the bucket-and-spade brigade is a kitsch, fun way to spend your holiday time together. Seaside resorts around Britain are seeing something of a renaissance as more and more of us choose to holiday at home. Great Yarmouth is a favourite from many of our own childhoods. The coastline stretches for 15 miles so you’re sure to find the perfect spot for your family. The children can enjoy donkey rides, which take place just below Britannia Pier, or just take the donkeys a carrot if they’re too little to sit on them. Nearby, Parkdean’s Cherry Tree resort is particularly good for families with younger children. There’s a soft play centre, outdoor toddler’s pool with water fountains and the Tot Stars club, which is especially for under 4’s.

More info:

http://www.great-yarmouth.co.uk

http://www.parkdeanholidays.co.uk

Marvelous Melbourne

preschool-friendly-5 SOURCE: Flickr

If you’re travelling to Australia, then you’ll want to make sure you’re there long enough to justify the long, and pricey, flight – something that’s easier when you don’t have to try to fit trips into school holidays. Melbourne is one of the most family friendly cities in the world. Here, some of the best attractions for little ones are the century-old Puffing Billy railway, where you can take a steam train along the mountain track and the Healesville animal sanctuary, where you can see one of the world’s quirkiest creatures, the duck-billed Platypus.

More info:

http://www.puffingbilly.com.au

http://www.zoo.org.au/healesville

Having pre schoolers in tow is an opportunity to see more of the world as a family, and to instil them with a sense of adventure from the very start of their lives.

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