It is that fantastic time of year again when we are all excited as we probably have a summer holiday planned. Whether you are having a staycation or flying abroad,…
It is that fantastic time of year again when we are all excited as we probably have a summer holiday planned. Whether you are having a staycation or flying abroad, I’m going to share with you my top 5 toddler summer holiday essentials for a stress free holiday.
Instantly cooling to the touch, this blanket has been our number one summer holiday must have. It has been so versatile, from lying it in the pram to using it as a beach mat. One of my biggest concerns with going abroad with a toddler was “will the heat be too much?” Mole struggled badly with the UK heat last year as a newborn, so when I laid eyes on this product as a baby show, I had to have it. The cooling mat must have been so refreshing to lie on in the heat. She never showed signs of being too hot once. (It’s also super light weight for your luggage too.
This stroller cover was perfect for naps. The shade cover blocks 99% of UV rays and makes the inside of the stroller nice and dark making outdoor naps a whole lot easier. The shade cover has a universal fit for most strollers and prams and only takes a few seconds to apply to the stroller.
The stroller has a light weight frame making it easy for travelling. When travelling the amount of times you have to fold up and down the stroller is crazy.
My experience from visiting European holiday destinations has been that not all destinations are pram friendly, with?having?lot’s of steps to access places. Taking our usual heavy two piece pram was not convenient. This stroller folds up or down in just a click, you can even do it one handed.?
There is an adjustable seat which was great for naps times as she could lie back and be comfortable and the huge UV protective hood accompanied with the Snooze Shade blocked the sun.
If you’re anything like me on holiday, a big part of that time will be spent dining at restaurants. We usually order Mole’s food from the children’s menu, but to keep costs down we also like to share the food myself and Jay orders with her. This super handy travel plate rolled up in her lunch bag and came with us to every restaurant. I didn’t have to worry about her trying to throw it off the table as its made of silicone and has a good grip against the table. We had the rubber duck design of course.
I am extremely fussy when it comes to choosing a good suncream. I can say that I have tried and tested various creams and this one is by far my all time favourite for babies and toddlers.
What I love about this suncream is, the consistency is thick so I feel at ease when I am applying it, like I am really giving her skin protection. I can feel and see exactly where I put it on her body. The cream is non greasy has the sand does not stick to it so I can have the cream fully applied in no time. Mole has very sensitive skin too, this cream has been the only one out of the many we have tried that does not make her break out into rashes.
For her hair, I used the Malibu SPF 50 Scalp Protector. (I also used this on my head too!) its very easy to use, with it being clear, you can directly spray it onto your head and hair for full protection.
Travelling with a one year old is not going to be easy. If your one year old is anything like my little Mole, they will not entertain being strapped in…
Travelling with a one year old is not going to be easy. If your one year old is anything like my little Mole, they will not entertain being strapped in for a long period of time. So whether you are travelling by a car or by a plane you have a challenge on your hands.
What can you do?
Firstly, really have a think about your current one year olds development. All toddlers develop at different rates so one thing that works for one may not work for another.
How do you keep a one year old entertained on a flight?
I had a good think about what Mole currently loves to do. Reading, stickers, dancing and playing with my things like sunglasses. I focused her toys for around that, rather than something like stacking cups or teddies which she is not fully into just yet.
Toys and Books
I went shopping before the trip so specifically to find her some new activity books and toys. Although not cost friendly, this was great as she was fully interested in what the new toy did.
We also had a cheap pair of baby sunglasses for her to play with putting them on and off and I wasn’t worried if they got broke (which they did) but so worth it to pass the time.
Downloading TV Programmes
One piece of advice I was told time and time again was to download something for her to watch. We did, but this did not answer our prayers when she was playing up. Mole only watched something for around 6 minutes and then she lost interest. Which to be fair, is exactly what she does when she is watching something at home too. It was great to have the option readily available.
We also entertained her with the “Peppa Pig App”. There is a painting section where you can swipe your fingers all over the phone screen to create pictures. (Easier on a tablet/iPad). This was far more suited for Mole as she was busy moving her hands.
Snack Options
Snacks are another great way to pass the time. Although not the healthiest option, Mole had crisps. I cant actually believe how well they entertained her. She loved trying to take one out of the packet. We did the same with raisins. Basically any snacks that take a while to eat. Avoid chocolate, chocolate gets very messy on a warm plane.
Tips for a child who does not like staying still?
This is Mole all over. On the first flight I felt like I had to be strict with her, making sure she was sat still on my knee, constantly occupied with one of her toys or books. It did not work. In fact, fighting against her wanting to move around just made matters worse. The tantrums were next level and being pregnant with a one year old having a full blown tantrum on my knee was no fun. Here is what I did instead:
For the flight home, we travelled early evening instead of mid day. The day of the flight, I let her crawl/walk everywhere. We were in the hotel lobby for some time watching her crawl around. I then made sure she had a nappy. Just a short one to prevent her being over tired. Then I did the same thing at the airport, let her crawl around everywhere (where it was safe and easy to do so). She was absolutely filthy but worn out.
On the flight, she would stand on my knees and peek her head over the top of the chairs to get attention off the other passengers. I let her do it for the sake of three easy hours of no tantrums.
I even let her sit on my seat whilst I sat in the footwell just so she did not feel as restricted.
Being calmer myself, seemed to have a big impact on her. I didn’t fuss over her once like I did going out. I didn’t keep handing her a toy until she really wanted it and the same for her snacks. I think toddlers can play up on your emotions.
What to do for the take off?
I packed a bottle of milk to help reassure her and to help with her ears popping. She actually got really excited when the plane was taking off, turning around and giving the biggest smile ever like she was on the ride of her life.
When the air pressure changed, I tried to give her a dummy but she wasn’t interested so we just stuck with the bottle of milk.
What did you pack in your hand luggage?
I had one hand luggage for the plane which was my straw beach bag. I had nothing for myself except for my phone. Everything was for Mole, her lunchbox with snacks, water cup, milk, Calpol, 3 books (picture, touch and feel, and a sticker book) and any other toys. I also packed her favourite blanket but it was so hot on both flights we didn’t bother getting it out.
You can take as liquid for your child as you need to. At security I just placed all her liquids in a tray and that was that.
I highly recommend it! Very easy to put up and down, all one piece and light weight. No issues at all using it the whole holiday.
The reason I got a stroller is because our current pram was very expensive, heavy and not as easy to manoeuvre as a stroller. We did take this pram with us on holiday when Mole was a newborn and it was better suited.
What did you do about a car seat travelling abroad?
We mainly used the car seat for the taxi in the UK. I wanted to decrease the time Mole spent on my knee when I knew she was going to be on my knee for three hours on the plane.
In Portugal, they had their own safety regulations with car seats and our private transfer wanted to use their own. Some transfers stated that you need to bring a car seat or you can not travel with them
On the shuttle bus to the beach Mole sat on my knee.
What clothes did you take for your toddler on holiday?
I recorded a YouTube Video showing you all the clothes I took for my toddler.
I would recommend planning outfits for day time and evening on each day with a few spares so you know not to over or under pack.
What did you do about taking swim nappies, nappies and formula?
Formula
Mole is on whole cows milk. As I was unsure when the next time I would be able to pick up a fresh bottle, I opted to pack a couple of these ready made formula bottles.
This was super easy for when we arrived as I felt like I didn’t have to race out to find a shop for milk.
When Mole turned one I stopped sterilising her bottles. You can now buy portable sterilisers if you need one.
The duration of our holiday was 7 days. I packed 18 nappies and ran out pretty quickly as she hated wearing a wet swim nappy and the first few days being in a wet swim nappy was making her sore.
If you can pack more in your suitcase or order them to be delivered from Boots in the airport. We ended up having to buy a pack of nappies out there for $25.00 and they may as well have been made out of tissue paper.
Final Advice
My final advice will be you can not control to an extent what is going to happen so please do not stress about it. On the flight out Mole was horrendous. She screamed the whole time and she has toys, snacks, Calpol, milk…everything.
You will never see the people on your flight again so if they turn around and give you evils (which we had a lot of) do not care. At the end of the day you can only do your best and toddlers are very strong willed.
The flight home was the opposite. Mole was a dream, giggling the whole way. I was dreading that flight to the point where I was feeling so sick, as the first flight was so bad and now I think back and it was all over nothing as she was fine.
Give yourself plenty of time in getting there and try to take turns with your partner if you can.
When I first heard about a carrycot style car seat I was rather skeptical. How could this possibly be safe? How does this work? My vision was so wrong. I’m…
When I first heard about a carrycot style car seat I was rather skeptical.
How could this possibly be safe? How does this work?
My vision was so wrong. I’m almost ashamed of how daft my preconceived idea of this was. Especially after doing more research and finding out it is actually safer than most car seats on the market today.
Maxi-Cosi Jade Carrycot Carseat
The Maxi-Cosi Jade is the first lie-flat car carrycot certified to the new i-Size car seat law.
Is the Maxi-Cosi Jade Carrycot Car Seat safe?
I’m jumping in straight to the safety regulations. I feel thats the most important part of a car seat.
Installing
The Jade offers proved head and neck protection and slide impact protection. There is a unique Slide & Go installation on the ISOFIX base. This makes it easy to install the Jade car carrycot correctly and safely as it does not rely on guiding seatbelts.
You can see and hear the confirmation that you have installed the Jade car carrycot correctly too as there is light and sound feedback.
Your baby will also be secure inside the carrycot as there is padding and straps to fasten your little one in safely.
Position
The car seats position will be facing sideways across your back seat, so your baby’s head will be closest to the middle. This way, your baby will have greater protection against side-impact crashes.
Unboxing
Unboxing the Jade I was pleased to see I was not going to be building anything. The quality of the product is amazing. Squishing my hands down inside to test the comfort I was happy to find that it was so comfortable and soft to touch, with an extra inlay added for even more comfort.
I wanted to climb in myself and go for a nap!
There is a hood attached too which provides sun protection and is great to have down when baby is sleeping.
What is best for newborn babies?
In your standard car seats, babies sit in an upright position or on a slight tilt. Because of this, it is recommended that babies can not be in their car seat for longer than two hours at a time because their breathing might be compromised.
You may be thinking “I won’t be in a car for two hours”, but this rule also stands for babies in car seats attached to their pram.
The Jade lie-flat carrycot car seat avoids your baby’s air flow from being restricted as they can lie flat and are not sitting upright trying to sleep scrunched.
So, if you’re travelling for longer than two hours or plan to use the car seat attached to the pram, this may be for you. I plan to use my Maxi-Cosi Lila pram.
Newborn babies need a lot of sleep. The carrycot car seat will be a comfortable sleep for them and as the car seat can be attached to a pram as a travel system, your baby will not be disturbed and can stay soundly asleep.
Price
The Jade costs ?199
Maxi-Cosi 3WayFix Base costs ?199
The car seat will need to be changed when your baby reaches 9kg.
Additional Features
Safe and easy ISOFIX installation in the car
Slide & Go installation to the base
Washable cover Comfort
Comfortable soft touch newborn inlay for added comfort
I am going to share my secret in achieving silky legs with Friction Free Shaving. I wear fake tan. I’m constantly in a battle with dry patches on my skin…
I am going to share my secret in achieving silky legs with Friction Free Shaving.
I wear fake tan. I’m constantly in a battle with dry patches on my skin where my fake tan clings to it and leaves speckled brown dots on my legs.
Previously, I always used one bladed Bic razors. They are cheap and easy to pick up from the high street shops. But, every time it came to shaving I would dread it! I would be left with multiple shaving cuts and my skin would still be rough.
I teamed up with Friction Free Shaving and thought well I might as well give it a go and see if it really is Friction Free.
Easier than the high street?
Friction Free Shaving offer a subscription service from around ?9 so you can get your fresh blades delivered straight to your door! What could be easier? They work out far cheaper than your high street diamond cut blades too.
Gift Box
They have now developed a beautiful gift box containing:
4 diamond cut blades, one for every month!
A stunning rose gold razor which can be engraved for an extra personal touch.
A travel pouch
A razor holder for in the shower.
Blade protector
Pre shave scrub
Shaving cream
After shave balm
A guide on how to use the products
The price for all of this is just ?30 and with the link below you can purchase this and get a free pair of rose gold tweezers to tame those unruly brows!
The pre shave scrub gets to work on your legs removing all of the dead skin cells. This step is essential if you want to avoid patchy fake tan. The pre shave scrub also helps to prevent any ingrown hairs.
I buff the scrub all over my legs as soon as I get into the shower.
Step 2
Then there is the shave cream. Paired with the Friction Free razor, this glides over your skin so effortlessly and silky. The cream feels extremely hydrating almost like your skin is having a drink.
I cover my legs in the shaving cream after I have washed off the scrub. Whilst my legs are coated in the shaving cream I then shave them and rinse.
Step 3
The after shave balm is a thick nourishing treatment for your legs especially if you are prone to shaving rashes. There is no stinging sensation just a cooling feel from the relaxing balm. The balm smells beautiful and feels so buttery but non greasy on the skin.
I apply the balm after my skin have been dried.
Gifting
This box is the perfect gift for every girl.
It’s even more perfect to treat yourself. One thing us girls forget to do!
Try yours and see for yourself how beautiful it is!
Becoming a blogger has been one of the best decisions I have made. I love having a way to express my main passion in life. Parenting. I have noticed a…
Becoming a blogger has been one of the best decisions I have made. I love having a way to express my main passion in life. Parenting.
I have noticed a few regular perceptions of mum bloggers where I have admittedly, had a little chuckle to myself.
“Mum bloggers spend no time with their kids”
Believe it or not, blogging has made me spend more time with Mole!
I love having my free time to play and admire her. I love watching her grow and being able to share our journey with the world.
I do my blogging as soon as she goes down for a nap or in the evening after she has gone to bed. Obviously if she is busy playing by herself I will check Instagram but what parent doesn’t nowadays?
If I wasn’t blogging I would most likely be back at work as I would have been desperate for something to keep my mind active.
“You’re only doing that so you can blog about it”
There has been times I’ll admit where I have done things so I can capture a photo. For example dressing Mole up in an outfit. But I think I would do that anyway even if I didn’t have a blog?
I also feel like I get out more and do more with her. I love sharing what we get up to online. I would still take her to as many activity days as I can so she can look back on her childhood and be happy.
Products have been a big one where sometimes I have been influenced. When I can see everyone talking about a product and I have got one too and felt the need to also talk about it. (Only if it was good of course.)
“You get everything for free”
I wish haha. I am kindly gifted products in return for a review. Reviews take a lot of work. You can easily spend hours making sure your content is up to scratch to impress the brand.
Some companies offer discounts for their products too which is handy.
The majority of the time I have paid full price for a product and I will be talking about it because I love it so much and want everyone to try it!
“You think you are the perfect mum”
No. I think I am talking on behalf of the majority of mum bloggers here. We do not think we are the perfect mum but we definitely try our hardest to be the best mum possible.
My life can look very put together through pictures. House will be spotless, makeup flawless and no baby snot on my clothes but that is probably for less than 5 minutes I can assure you.
I mainly spend my days in my pjs with a standard mum bun, tripping up over Moles toys left all over the floor.
I will also blog about my experience so far with Mole and any advice I can give I will do. This is to help as many people as I can, not to show off that I think I am a mother know it all haha.
I’m going to confess to 5 mistakes I made when moving on to baby led weaning with Mole. Background I began weaning Mole at 4 months old after thinking we…
I’m going to confess to 5 mistakes I made when moving on to baby led weaning with Mole.
Background
I began weaning Mole at 4 months old after thinking we were both ready, turns out we was not quite ready yet so waited another month.
Mole began of smooth pur?ed foods and loved it!
I could feed Mole any flavour and she would eat the whole lot.
As mole reached 7 months I began to change up her eating routine to gain techniques with different textures.
However, this is when I made some silly and avoidable mistakes.
Baby led weaning mistakes
Eating hard foods straight away.
Giving up on foods my baby does not like.
Not judging the length of time correctly it takes my baby to eat their food.
Cutting the food into the wrong shapes.
Over facing my baby with too much food.
Baby led weaning mistakes explained
Eating hard foods
I never took a minute to think that Mole had mainly smooth pur?e. Moving on to hard food such as cucumber just did not work for her. She had no teeth and found it hard to break down. Mole would just gum the cucumber making no progress or just spit it out and gag.
After practicing with soft foods like croquettes and strawberries, Mole felt confident to have a go on harder foods. I also felt like she was enjoying eating and not getting as frustrated.
Giving up on foods my baby does not like
This one is my main mistake. Each time Mole would display signs of not enjoying a food I would give in and never feed her that food again. This also goes for pouches. However, I have now noticed that she changes her mind like the wind. One day she could love a food and the next day she will hate it. I just have to count my luck with her. Knowing this mistake has helped a lot with our baby led weaning journey.
I began giving her vegetables as this is the most healthy type of food for her. Mole did not like eating a piece of broccoli compared to eating broccoli pur?e. I switched it up to giving her fruits knowing that she will eat fruit. And she did. I tried again with her veg and suddenly she was eating it with no issues.
I do think that her mood and time of day has a big role to play too.
Not judging the length of time correctly it takes my baby to eat their food
A mistake I made was trying baby led weaning with her right before we had to either go out or be out in a restaurant.
I am sure some babies take to this okay but mine did not.
If we were out there was always far too much going on for her to even have any interest in picking up her food and eating it.
Compared to feeding Mole a pur?e, baby led weaning takes so much longer. Not my best idea if I had plans afterwards. Obviously you can not rush them to eat so you have to be patient. This was a little frustrating for me when all she would do is throw food on the floor or spit every little bit out.
I made sure that when we were doing baby led weaning, we had all the time in the world to eat. It was also nice as I could get a hot cup of coffee whilst she was still eating.
Cutting the food into the wrong shapes
I Googled what shapes to cut the food into when I first started baby led weaning. I did this because I was terrified of her choking. Every website I read said cutting into halves or finger sized slices.
I think this is one mistake that maybe more unique to Mole. She preferred her food in small bits. Mole seems to hold the food better and put it into her mouth better compared to finger sized foods.
Now she is getting more confident I am giving her food in bigger pieces.
Over facing my baby with too much food
Looking on Instagram for inspiration I would see beautiful plates full of colourful food.
I basically copied not taking into account that Mole had gone from a smooth pur?e straight to a plate of food would be too much.
She would not eat any of the food and try to throw the plate on the floor. I gave up quickly and I became discouraged after seeing so many other babies eat plate fulls of food online.
I still display all her food nicely on a plate for photo purposes but when it comes to giving her the food I just take a little bit off the plate and let her eat that. Once she has finished I give her more. I could not believe how much progress she made doing it this way.
Baby led weaning tips
Start off with their ultimate favourite foods such as fruit
Use kitchen roll to get rid of any excess juice which will discourage their grip
Use a knife with a serrated edge to help their grip
Start off with Ella’s melty puffs to build your confidence with them not choking
If your baby is still struggling then they might not be ready. Feed your baby textured pur?e instead for a bit longer.
When I was pregnant I would spend my time researching everything to do with childbirth. I wanted to be sure that I knew everything. Nothing was going to surprise me…
When I was pregnant I would spend my time researching everything to do with childbirth. I wanted to be sure that I knew everything. Nothing was going to surprise me when the time would come to go to the hospital. I would even spend nights watching One Born Every Minute so I was clued up on different scenarios.
But, from my experience there was 10 things no one told me about childbirth. I wonder if you agree with them too!
1.You do not rush to the hospital
From the first moment I experienced my first contraction I expected that my baby was about to come within 5 minutes. The race to the hospital was on! Wrong. You have to time your contractions until they are the correct lengths and time apart. This can take hours! I waited all day and when I turned up barely being able to walk, the hospital still wanted to send me back home.
2. Waters don’t always gush
In films whenever a lady’s water breaks there is the biggest gush of water leaving a pool on the floor. Not always the case. Some women only experience a little trickle of their water breaking. That’s usually down to the break being at the top of the sac. My waters didn’t even break on their own. The midwife popped them during the final stages of my labour. Other than my baby’s head crowning, it was one of the most painful experiences of my life! The pressure felt like I was going to burst open!
3. It feels like you need to go for a number 2
Is this TMI? I don’t know? But it’s true! No one told me this! When your contractions start it can feel like you need to go to the toilet. I kept going to the toilet but nothing was happening because that’s just how going into labour felt. I was also really embarrassed at the time thinking I had an off stomach that had come completely at the wrong time!
4. The waiting game
Labour can last for ages and ages. I was in labour for 12 hours. Whilst you are there on the hospital bed in absolute agony, whoever is by your side will be watching TV, eating crisps and just chilling. The time for you passes by and you are so focused on breathing techniques. But your birthing partner will feel the process is lasting a lifetime.
5. Placenta delivery
I knew after delivering a baby you have to then deliver your placenta. What I didn’t know what how painful this is. I also didn’t know that this can lead to more complications. Even after having a natural birth, you could still go to theatre to deliver the placenta.
6. Stitches
Ouch. I don’t have to tell you how much this hurts because I’m sure you can imagine. I had no idea that I was going to be lay down with my legs open for a good 40 minutes whilst the midwife figured out how to stitch up my complicated tear.
7. Blood
I was not prepared for the amount of blood loss. Even after birth. You will go through mummy pads as much as your newborn will go through nappies.
8. Birth plan goes out the window
You have no control and there is no point getting your hopes up. You have to go with the flow and trust your midwife. If you can get a say then brilliant. But do not be disheartened when things do not go exactly how you want.
9. Feeding your baby after birth
As a first time mum, I was unaware of how often to feed and how long for. During antenatal classes I learnt how to breastfeed. Daft right? I didn’t even have a baby to practice with. I assumed as soon as I had given birth I would begin to breastfeed. Little did I know that me and my baby would both need practice. And well, even after practice we both couldn’t get it. That’s okay! Other methods of feeding your baby are available with NO judgement. Just do what works best for YOU.
10. Pure emotion
People talk about how it is the best feeling in the world to give birth to your baby and that is so true. But I couldn’t believe the range of emotions felt. You can go from being scared to happy pretty quickly. Even after you have given birth you still feel overwhelmed with emotions.
Let me know what people didn’t tell you about childbirth!
Get to know Mole! I thought I’d share with you 10 different things about my lovely, little Mole so you can get to know her a little bit more 😀…
Get to know Mole!
I thought I’d share with you 10 different things about my lovely, little Mole so you can get to know her a little bit more 😀
Her favourite food is Cauliflower Cheese Puree. Its the one food I can always guarantee she will eat even on her fussy days.
She’s a nosey parker. Whenever we are in restaurants or cafes, she always has to swivel her head and watch what everybody else is doing.
Mole has a webbed toe. It is her little toe and i’m not sure what to do about it really. We have had the option for it to be separated but at the moment its not bothering her so I have left it be.
Mole is obsessed with my iPhone which has resulted in her getting a pretend VTech mobile off her Grandma
Her favourite song is Charlie and the Numbers from BabyTV. Even if I just sing the first number she smiles.
Her first word was Mama ?? and her second word was Dada.
When we went to Chester Zoo her favourite animal was the giraffe. She was mesmerised by how big they were.
Mole has visited 2 other countries. France when she was 6 weeks old and Majorca when she was 4 months old. Very lucky baby.
Mole hates peas. HATES them.
When Mole use to go in the sunlight she would always squint her eyes like a little Mole and her nickname stuck even more.
Ok, I know I said 10 things but I couldn’t miss this one off… Jay and I rarely call her Molly. If it’s not Mole, Moley or Mole rat then it’s Suzie because we think she looks like a Suzie.
Get your holiday off to a stress free start when travelling on a plane with a baby! You have to first admit to yourself that travelling with a baby…
Get your holiday off to a stress free start when travelling on a plane with a baby!
You have to first admit to yourself that travelling with a baby is going to be harder than travelling solo. You can not predict or control everything that is going to happen.
What you can do is make what you can control easier on yourself by being prepared. Preparation is key.
Timing
The one time it is not okay to be fashionably late. Especially with a baby I can tell you from experience arriving at the very last minute adds more stress than you thought possible to the whole process.
I was frantically running from check in then to specialist luggage to drop the car seat off and then to security whilst holding a bottle feeding my baby and pushing the pram. Give yourself plenty of time. You will be able to change your babies nappy, grab a drink and walk casually to your gate rather than sprinting like its the finish line.
Milk
Make sure you have all of your baby’s milk to hand. If you are not breastfeeding you can prepare your bottles before you board the flight. I got ready made formula bottles ready as soon as we hit the airport. You can order? your formula at the airport from Boots so you can avoid taking up more space in your luggage. You don’t need to worry if you can take your baby’s bottles through security. Anything for a baby can be allowed through, from my experience.
Soothers
Take any soothers your baby loves with you in your hand luggage so you can grab them straight away. A dummy is great for when the air pressure changes on the plane and can make your baby cry. It is like us chewing gum 🙂 .
Mole loves her favourite pink blanket. As soon as the fabric touches her cheeks she settles straight away. You could try their favourite blanket or teddy if your baby doesn’t take to a dummy.
Toys
This one goes with out saying, long plane journeys are boring for us so obviously a baby will become bored and need entertaining. Pack their favourite toy in your hand luggage to keep them occupied.
You could even try wrapping up toys and your baby has to unwrap them. We know how much babies like to play with paper right? The extra time a baby takes to unwrap their toy, will buy you some quiet time 🙂
Travel Pillow
Planes are very uncomfortable. It is hard to make your baby comfortable in such a small space. I took a travel pillow on board with the intentions of myself using it however, I soon ended up placing Mole on it so she had somewhere comfortable to lay down.
Book your seats
Booking your seats will ensure that whoever you are travelling with can sit together. This makes it ten times easier to keep your baby and even you settled as you can take turns in holding your baby giving you a little break too. It helps when you want to reach for something in your bag or order food or a drink.
Take your pram on board
I check my car seat in at the specials luggage check in so I do not have to carry it around. Then I keep the pram with me right up until we board the plane. This is fantastic as you probably have your own luggage to carry around and it will make it ten times harder to do that whilst holding your baby, unless you prefer a sling.
Pack extra nappies and a cosy outfit
You want your baby when travelling on a plane to be comfortable. Make sure before you board the plane you have changed their nappy so they feel fresh. I always put Mole in a cosy sleep suit so she is very warm on the air conditioned plane.
Dressing your baby in a sleep suit helps to save time when you are changing their nappy as you do not have a complicated outfit to undress and then put back on them.
Don’t be afraid to walk up and down the plane
Walking up and down with your baby on a plane when they are unsettled will help to give them a change of scenery and distract them. Walking will give you a chance to stretch your legs a bit too.
Preparation is Key
If you prepare and have everything to have in your hand luggage your journey will be easier. Remember that if you do have a really bad journey, they are only babies and you won’t have to come across the people on your flight ever again 🙂
We have just spent an amazing 7 days in Majorca on our first Summer family holiday. The Hipotels Hipocampo Palace Hotel & Spa 5*. The hotel served Breakfast and…
We have just spent an amazing 7 days in Majorca on our first Summer family holiday.
The Hipotels Hipocampo Palace Hotel & Spa 5*.
The hotel served Breakfast and Dinner at a buffet and provided a good range and quality of food from pancakes to a full english. There was a snack bar at the pool for us to grab dinner and have a break from the sun. The location was incredible, just a five minute walk from the beach, shops and bars. There certainly was no need for a hire car.
As you can see from the picture below, the pool area was very spacious. There was so many deck chairs to choose from no matter what time of day and they all came with a parasol so we could place Molly in the shade. I felt more at ease that there was so much space around everyone so no screams could wake Molly up and when Molly would cry ready for her milk it wouldn’t bother anyone else.
How I felt about out first Summer Holiday
It goes without saying that the first summer holiday with a baby was going to be a little different than holidays just as a couple.
I was really apprehensive at first, I had so many different thoughts running through my head. “Will it be too hot for Molly?”, “will I have fun in the evenings like I use to?”, “Will places be pram friendly?” Etc.
My advice to myself next time will be not to worry as much. We arrived and everything was perfect, the beach even had the pathways to push the pram across the sand and the hotel was equipped for a baby, they provided us with a travel cot.
As for Molly not getting too hot, I made sure she was in the shade at all times, had regular breaks from the sun, especially when the sun is at its strongest. She was fully covered in a high protective suncream and she had a UV suit with a hat. The key to cooling her down I believe was to take her swimming in the pool. She absolutely loved it! We just made sure not to over do it.
The evenings were not that much different to what I was use to on holidays before Molly. We went for Tapas out in beach restaurants and ice cream and cocktails after.
So what was different to going on holiday with a baby than as just a couple?
Well, I feel like the only difference was earlier nights and not as many alcoholic drinks. Which I really didn’t mind as Molly still feeds regularly through the night so I was glad of the hours sleep I could get haha. And a holiday with no hangovers? AMAZING.
I loved spending time altogether making memories that it didn’t even come into my mind me and my boyfriend wouldn’t get much alone time.
Our daily routine was waking up for breakfast in the hotel, then we hit the pool. The hotel was great for providing enough sun loungers and parasols for everyone we didn’t need to worry about getting to the pool first.
Molly would have her morning nap, then it was pool time ? . We had lunch in the hotels snack bar, very convenient for getting a baby ready for dinner quickly, few more hours at the pool or we would take Molly back to the hotel room to have another nap in the air con, giving us a break from the sun too.
Evenings we could get all dressed up, walk along the beach then get some food and Molly would be back in bed no later than 9pm to stick to some sort of routine.
Already thinking of going on our next holiday whilst I can have the time off work on maternity leave ? .
This stroller folds up or down in just a click, you can even do it one handed.?
