Before we went to Italy we wanted to invest in a great child carrier for those moments when a stroller wouldn’t cut it. We researched for hours. Well actually my husband researched for hours. He rarely gets passionate about any children’s products but he was excited about the selecting the perfect carrier. He knew we would be using it on future hikes as well as other outings and that he would be doing the majority of the carrying so he took the lead on finding the carrier. After searching numerous Youtube videos, customer reviews and online blogger’s reviews we decided to purchase the Osprey Poco Plus Child Carrier from REI.
When it arrived we both immediately tried it on and pranced around the house. It was fairly lightweight for everything it has on it. There are several pockets for anything and everything you might want to store. There’s even a pocket to put your Camelback bladder in for long hikes so your water supply is carried with you. There’s a large storage compartment at the bottom for diapers, wipes, bottles or any other larger objects. We got the version that has a sun shade that easily pulls out and clips on the carrier and when you are done using it you slide it back in the pocket and zip it back up. It’s super simple. Another big plus we liked about this carrier was that it fits extreme height differences. I’m 5’2″ and my husband is 6′ 2″. It’s very difficult to find a carrier that accommodates this drastic of height difference. All you have to do with this carrier is slide the shoulder straps up or down and they range from XS to XL. My favorite feature on it is the stirrups for the kids. They don’t have to have their legs dangling but can place their feet in the stirrups and rest their legs as if they are seated in a chair. I also feel like the weight distribution doesn’t put too much pressure in one area. Often you find carriers that strain your back or hips but this does a good job of distributing the weight evenly.
My husband and I traded carrying our son throughout Italy in the Osprey. I could easily walk miles with our 13-month-old and not feel tired. Our son often slept in the carrier and you can also rest it on the ground with the child still in it. It has a kick stand that pops out when you need it. So he’d be sleeping on my back and we would take him off and set him down on the ground next to our table while we were eating dinner. Places like Rome have cobblestone streets and it’s hard to get around with a stroller so these carriers are really needed. All the museums, especially the Vatican Museum, are not stroller friendly so it’s handy to have your child in a carrier when visiting these places.
I will say our son screamed bloody murder the first several times we put him in the carrier. Over time the more we practiced and let him in it the more he started to enjoy it. Now we can’t even let him see his carrier or he will flip out because he wants to ride in it so bad. We take it on hikes and other places and he rides along as happy as can be. We even ordered the waterproof cover for it so our son will be protected from the rain when he’s in it. We ended up using the rain cover in Rome and I was thrilled to have it. He seems extremely comfortable in there and I’ve never seen him without a smile on his face while riding in it. We put his water bottle and snacks in the pockets next to him so he munches or sips his water while we give him a ride. It’s fun for everyone. I highly recommend this carrier for all situations. It’s a little pricey but so worth it. REI has them starting for $199.95. If you can afford it, then it will be your new favorite accessory. I promise you and your child will love it.
We recently took our 18-month-old son to Disneyland with us. Since my husband was going for a Dental convention, we decided to make a family trip out of it. We got convention rates at the Disney Grand Californian Hotel & Spa as well as discounted park tickets. I had two main concerns about taking our son at such a young age: 1) He won’t remember it so it might be a waste of money 2) He may hate the rides and the characters and then what else do you do at Disneyland?
We arrived on a Wednesday night and we went to the park the following Thursday. Since we stayed at a Disneyland hotel we were allowed to get into the park an hour before it opened to the public. (This extra hour is misleading because nothing is open so you are basically left to aimlessly walk around for an hour waiting for everything to open. It was a little disappointing.) The one character we found out that early was Lighting McQueen at California Adventures. There was no line to visit him so we let my son run right up to him. He was a little timid at first but then quickly realized that he could touch and hug the car and from then on the picture taking extravaganza began. After that first meeting we instantly knew he would love the characters. Yes!
Later that morning, we headed over to the Monsters Inc. ride to test our son’s tolerance for rides. We tried to get him excited about it but of course he didn’t understand what was going on. Once he was on the ride he didn’t really make any noise or smile but he also didn’t cry. We took that as a sign he liked the rides. I think he was silent because he was taking everything in. There is so much so see on the rides in such a short amount of time that his little eyes were filled with the new images and people he’s never seen before. After we got off the ride he talked about it with excitement and asked to go back on the ride again. Score, our son likes rides too! After that first character encounter and ride it was smooth sailing from there on out. We knew he would be fine on any toddler ride and meeting any character. Here’s a list of the rides/attractions we went on:
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Disneyland Railroad
Every house in Toon Town
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pan’s Flight
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
Monsters Inc.
Ariel
Snow White
The Castle
The Hunted Mansion
Big Thunder Petting Ranch
One of the big events we wanted to catch was the Pixar Play Parade at California Adventures. It had a ton of Pixar characters in it and my son loved it. I would highly recommend going to this parade. Also, if you sit in the front row of the parade the dancers and characters will interact with your child and the floats spray water. It was fun!
Here are a few tips I would offer for those taking a toddler to Disneyland:
Stay at a Disneyland hotel if you can afford it. They literally have everything you ever need for your child including a pack n’ play in every room, empty mini fridge and microwaves downstairs for public use. Plus it was so close to the Disneyland park that we left the park for three hours during the hot day while my son was napping and rested in our room. Major plus!
Bring a water bottle that you can refill at drinking fountains. We used his reusable water bottle over and over. Kids need to drink a lot when they travel. Also, reapply sunscreen every 80 minutes or so. You don’t want your kid to get burned.
You can bring baby food or kids snacks in the park. I thought they would check my bag and make me toss all the snacks I brought but they let me in the park with it no problem.
Bring a small stroller that’s easy to maneuver. Most likely your one-year-old will need to be strapped in at all times when you aren’t on a ride so make sure you have a comfortable stroller that offers some shade for his or her face.
Don’t wait in line. If a line had more than a 15 minute wait, then we moved on. The chances of our son being patient enough to wait long periods of time for multiple rides was slim to none. We also found several characters didn’t have long lines so if there was only four people or so in front of us we would wait it out but any more than that was too long. There are several Apps you can download that tell you the wait times of each ride. I had my App open throughout our visit and found it extremely helpful.
Go on a week day if you can. We went Thursday and there were hardly any lines. The Saturday we went there were huge lines before the gates even opened. It was nuts! It’s much better to beat the weekend crowds if possible. Also, get convention rates if you can. There are tons of conventions that take place at the Disneyland Convention Center and chances are they will have one for your profession. You will get monster saving and get credits for your job as well.
Take a break. Yes, you are in the most magical place on Earth but your child will likely need to nap and during that time you can enjoy a great meal or just rest and enjoy the view. I would recommend dining at the Blue Bayou in the park. It overlooks the Pirates ride and the food is amazing. You won’t regret it. It’s costly though and you will need to make reservations in advance.
Don’t try to do it all in one day. With toddlers it’s hard to cover a lot of ground without them getting tired. I would recommend buying a 1-day park hopper pass and then buying only a Disneyland pass for the next day. You’ll save a few bucks and there is much more to see and do at Disneyland.
Get your kid excited about Disneyland before you go by showing them movies or Youtube videos of the characters. My son loved to watch videos of our friend’s child meeting all the Disney characters during his park visit. It helped our son understand that it’s okay to go hug the characters. We got books about the characters and showed him video clips of the characters he would see there so he would recognize them and know their name.
Remember it’s vacation. It’s okay to let your child eat an ice cream or enjoy a slushy on your trip even if they don’t get sugar at home. This is a time to have fun and let your child try new things. Even though you may not do some things on a regular basis at home it’s okay to cut loose sometimes and just let them be kids.
Overall my husband and I had a really wonderful time with our son. We all were able to enjoy rides and got more character pictures then we could ever need. My son loves to look at all the videos and photos we took. Even though he won’t remember the trip it’s a vacation my husband and I will certainly cherish forever.
I’ve been on Pinterest for some time now and I mainly go on to scout out new and delicious recipes. There have been some recipes that have really disappointed me but there have been several that wowed my family. I feel that it would be cruel to not share these gems that have gotten the thumbs up from my loved ones. The winning recipes are:
We rented a car for our tour through Italy. We’ve rented Internationally before so it wasn’t completely new to us but it was the first time we had to do it with a toddler. Here are some helpful tips I learned while traveling and renting a car:
Do not bring a huge car seat! We actually brought our infant car seat because our son still fit the height and weight requirements. We chose not to rent a car seat because most are forward facing and you don’t know the history of the seat. We felt it was safer to bring our own. If we had brought the normal car seat he sits in it would not have fit in our tiny car. The car seat we brought barely fit! We also left the base at home because you can strap the seat down with a belt.
Bring a 40-gallon trash bag to check your car seat in at the airport. Most airlines provide car seat bags but some do not and you’ll need to have something to pack it in if they don’t.
Once you arrive at the airport be prepared to have to walk your luggage to the rental car garage, which can be extremely far away from the terminal. We got a cart and put all our luggage in it and just left the cart at the garage. It was also freaking cold.
The cars in foreign countries are tiny compared to the U.S. You will likely not be able to pack a ton of stuff in your car so make sure you only take the essentials. It’s also going to be an uncomfortable ride, especially if you’re in the back seat.
Most gas stations make you pay in advance and you have to go inside to pay the teller directly.
You should fully expect the roads to be mapped out differently. Make sure you get a GPS with the rental car. It’s worth the extra money. You will get lost if you don’t have one. Guaranteed. We thought Italian driving was relatively simple compared to driving in Ireland.
There aren’t many places to pull over so try to prepare for your toddler’s needs ahead of time. Hopefully it’s something you can deal with while driving. I fed my son while he was in the car seat because there are no restaurants along the way.
Make sure you get rental car insurance. You might get in an accident and you need to have it there.
Keep emergency phone numbers for the country some place where you can easily find it if your in an accident. I had the police, paramedics and other medical numbers printed out and stored in my diaper bag just in case.
Those are all the tips and advice I can think of for now. If I think of any more I will update this list. Wishing you happy driving and a wonderful trip.
The flight was the part of our trip I was most worried about. I couldn’t imagine how our one-year-old son would be able to survive a nine hour flight and I started panicking just thinking about it. When we went in elevators he would get nervous and cling to me for dear life, so I was sure he would flip out on the plane. I tried to mentally prepare myself for the worst scenarios.
Our flight was a red-eye on British Airways from Phoenix to London (Nine hours long). We decided a direct flight would be best because there are less ear-popping take offs and landings to deal with and we hopped he would sleep the entire way. Even though US Airways was cheaper, British Airways offered a baby cot for children to sleep on during the flight and it seemed to be the more kid friendly airlines.
Before the flight I read blogs and tried to find anything I could about flying with young children. The only items I really found were tips such as bring something for them to suck on during takeoff, bring lots of diapers and fun new toys. Those seemed obvious so I’d like to get more specific about what we purchased for the flight.
Here’s what I can remember I bought and brought on the plane:
Spiderman hand held LED light up wand (He played with it for a bit.)
Penguin Light up LED wand (The picture shown is not exact but it’s close to what it looks like. He thought this was fun for awhile.)
Small rubber toy cars (The picture is not exact product but it’s close to what they look like. He didn’t play with these much.)
Six of the board books from a 12 board book collection (These are amazing! We have the Sesame Street pack. We read these over and over.)
His favorite Elmo bath book (We found it in the $1 bin at Target. He’s obsessed with it and wants to read it over and over!)
Four-pack of Play Doh (We found it in the $1 bin at Target. The image isn’t exact but this is the sizes of Play Doh I had. He played with these for a few minutes. It’s messy!)
Pack of glow sticks bracelets (He enjoyed wearing the glow stick hat we made him.)
Toy Story LED toy camera (We found it in the $3 bin at Target. It was a toddler stocking stuffer.)
Snowman Popp pen (He really liked this toy. He wanted to pop it again and again.)
Small Magnetic Drawing Board (We brought this every place in Italy. It keeps him occupied, especially at dinner.)
Small Slinky (He was amazed by it! Had fun with this for a bit.)
Baby Bottle Pop Candy (This was for him to suck on for take-off. I emptied all the sugar powder that was in it and put cheerios in the bottle part so it doubled as food storage. We ended up not needed it but he ate the cheerios.)
Ipad mini (We loaded it with several kids apps and Elmo movies. This was a must for travel. We even had a sleep noise app on it that helped him fall asleep every night.)
I had tons of squeeze pouch foods, snacks and crackers
3M Peltor Junior Earmuff, Black (I had a friend worn me her toddler went nuts over the loud noises on the plane. She recommended getting some earmuffs.)
The key is to find toys that don’t make much noise so you won’t bother others on the flight.I found most items at Target, Walgreens and Ross.
When I got out all the items I planned to shove in my diaper bag my husband looked at me like I was crazy. I don’t know if my diaper bag is the same bag Mary Poppins used in the movie or if it was just extremely spacious but I managed to fit it all in there.
Here are some other helpful tips:
My son is the type where he has to see a book one or two times to get interested so I showed him the books before the trip. Also, we practiced watching the iPad a lot while wearing his headphones prior to our trip. He was so excited that he was able to carry around the iPad that he didn’t really even notice the movie the first few times. If we hadn’t practiced wearing his earmuffs and headphones before the trip, I don’t think we would have been as successful on the flight. Our son doesn’t pay any attention to the TV but the iPad managed to hold his attention for ten-15 minute intervals and that’s better than nothing.
While on the plane, I tried to give him an object every half our or so. I would break it up and give him a snack and then a toy, a snack and then a toy and so on. On the way to London he managed to sleep all nine hours on the baby cot provided by British Airways but the flight back was not a red-eye so we ended up needing to use everything we brought. Also, make sure you have a duplicate bag packed for the trip home exactly like you packed for the trip to your destination. Whole milk was served on the flight and they even had baby food. Check with your airline ahead of time to make sure they provide these items.
My husband is a genius and planned our seat arrangements perfectly. Our son was under two so he essentially flew free but was required to sit on our lap. We got the window and middle seat on each flight and also sat right behind the galley on the long flight to ensure extra leg room. This allowed us to create a barrier with our legs and block our son in the seat. He was allowed to stand or sit on the floor in front of us and it prevented him from wanting to run down the aisle. Brilliant! While on the flight home I did witness a mother being judged by a twenty-something-year-old-girl for having her “five year old child” sit next to her (The child was under two and sat on his mother’s lap). The girl publicly and loudly stated she wasn’t thrilled to be sharing a seat with a wiggling child so the mother asked to be moved and the flight attendants helped her and her son find a new seat. Just be warned that some people may not want to share a seat with you and your child but just keep telling yourself that you’ll never see these people again. Bush it off and tell them to SUCK IT! We were lucky enough to have kind people sit next to us and we didn’t have any complaints from other passengers. Later in the flight, that mother was chasing her son up and down the aisle. Do what you gotta do. But I digress…
The main point I want to scream from the mountain tops is that the complimentary baby cot on British Airways was the best thing ever! He slept all nine hours to London in it and then napped for three hours and went to bed in it on the flight home to Phoenix. They only offer it on longer flights so we weren’t able to use it when we flew from London to Italy but we managed those shorter flights without it.
British Airways Baby Cot
Overall, our boy loved the plane and we wondered what were so worried about in the first place. It was a great flight and I would actually do it again.
Recently we took our 1-year -old son to Italy. We went for about ten days and we decided to take him because he was almost free to fly with us and we were going for several days and wanted him with us. Once we decided to take him, then the panic set in. We started asking hundreds of questions to anyone and everyone we knew who had previously traveled with a small child. My husband and I have traveled internationally before but taking a child to a foreign country was completely new to us. We didn’t know where to begin. My first mission was to get enough clothing packed for him as well as all of his supplies that he would need for the duration of our trip.
Every outfit I packed for my son was placed in a Ziploc bag. I found this to be incredibly helpful while we were on our trip. Each Ziploc contained everything he would need for one whole day: shirt, pants, a sweater, a bib, socks and pajamas. I’m an extreme overpacker when it comes to our son and since we were limited on the number of bags we could take I needed to make sure I only packed what we absolutely needed and a few extra outfits just in case.
Son’s bag packed
Here is a list of what I ended up taking for him (or what I can remember I took):
A medicine bag filled with every kind of baby medication you may need for colds, cuts, headaches, gas, diarrhea, fevers and anything else that might happen
Documents including passport, copy of his passport, a copy of his birth certificate, emergency phone numbers for the country, emergency phone numbers of people we knew in Europe
And a ton of baby food packs: A 16 pack of Happy Baby organic Baby Food Stage 2 Simple Combos Variety, Peter Rabbit Organics 100% Pure Baby Food Variety Pack of 10 and Ella’s Kitchen Organic Stage 2 Variety pack of baby food-7 Pack.
Toys for the flight (I’ll discuss flying with him in another blog)
That’s everything I can think of that we took for him. We packed most of it in his carry-on-bag and then put a few items like the food and an extra blanket in my husbands bag and my bag. In our son’s carry-on we also placed one or two changes of clothing for my husband and I, in case the airline lost our luggage or we ended up having to change on the flight.
Also, our son drinks cow’s milk so we were able to order it on the flights and purchase it at the local stores.
All in all packing wasn’t as stressful as I thought. We ended up losing socks and bibs so I was glad I had extra. We used all but one outfit on our ten day trip. It was a success.
My child was starting to scale furniture around 6-7 months. I needed something to keep him entertained and none of his floortoys were cutting it. I decided that a baby walker might be something he would enjoy. I’ve heard some controversial things about walkers but decided that I would try one anyway since his Doctor didn’t advise against it.
I purchased the Fisher Price Brilliant Basics Musical Activity Walker because it encourages musical play. When we brought it home our son was excited to push the buttons and play with the sounds. He started off playing with it while sitting on the floor. He would hit the piano keys or push the button to make the sax play. He seemed to enjoy it. The item he loved most was the little plastic book, which oddly enough is the only item on the toy that doesn’t make sound. He would spend several minutes flipping the pages back and forth. We tried to get him to walk with it but all he did was hold on to the walking bar, bend his head down and suck on it. He didn’t really get the concept that it moved if he pushed it.
At about 9 months he suddenly seemed to realize that it would move when he pushed it. He’s now cruising around the house and he can even pull himself up on his own to push it. He can’t steer yet so I follow him around and turn it when needed. The only downside to this product is when he pushes it directly into a piece of furniture and gets stuck it’s so light that it flips forward and he flips with it. He keeps trying to push it and has actually hit his head a few times because it flipped forward. That’s the only negative I can think of and it’s an issue that can be resolved by watching your child closely when using this toy.
I would recommend this toy if you’re in the market for a walker. It works for sitting and walking ages and grows with your child. You’ll be amazed how quickly your child will be pushing it across the house. Oh boy!
I should have started writing my sons schedule since the day he was born because it changes so rapidly I’m afraid I might forget. Personally, I’ve searched online for baby schedules to compare my son’s day with other babies his age. It’s been especially helpful during those rough weeks, when I need to analyze what might not be working in his schedule and can try and adjust it based on suggestions from other mothers.
From the day he was born we referred to the Babywise book on all things. I had heard amazing things about it from my friends so we thought we would try it. Within seven weeks our son was sleeping seven hours a night. He is and always has been completely predictable and super happy. I would recommend reading Babywise if you haven’t read it already. It might not be right for every family but it worked well for us. Here is what a typical day looks like for our nine month old formula fed baby:
6 a.m. Wake, Bottle (5 1/2 oz.)
7:30 a.m. Short Nap (If needed)
8:30 a.m. Breakfast
9:30 a.m. Nap
11 a.m. Bottle (6 oz. +)
1 p.m. Lunch
2 p.m. Nap
3:30 p.m. Bottle (6 oz.+)
5:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Bottle (7 oz.), Bed time
This is a rough estimate of our day. If we take music class, he’s going through a spurt or he wakes up later in the morning it will be adjusted. He always gets three meals and at least two naps a day. Bed time is always at 7 p.m. All the time I didn’t note in the above schedule is playtime or learning time. I hope you find this helpful. Please feel free to share your schedule.
I was like many of you and had an amazing baby shower where I received all the essential baby products I could ever want. My baby was due in September and I watched as July passed and August flew by and I realized that maybe I should think about getting a space ready for our new child. I must say I was slightly overwhelmed with all the baby products I received. Surely a little creature couldn’t require so many things or need that many diapers! I decided to put out only the essentials, or what I felt were essentials. After all, babies have been born for thousands of years and the cavemen never had a Bob or breast pump right? The items we put together and put out were the following:
Car seat and installed base in our car
Boppy
Pack N’ Play
Vibrating Chair
Baby Swing
I also stocked the Pack N’ Play storage compartment with diapers and wipes. Right before I left for the hospital I washed all our newborn baby clothing too. That was it and I left everything else in boxes because I felt too overwhelmed to even think about unpacking it all.
Do you know what happened when we brought our baby home friends? He survived! Yes, it’s hard to believe he didn’t require the trendy baby Bob or ask for the top of the line bath immediately but he did fine with the simple items we had. Friends babies don’t require much. It’s easy to get bogged down with all the products and the fancy nursery but they honestly don’t need it. All they need is diapers, your love, food and a few simple products.
P.S. The two other items I wish I did have ready were baby bottles and breast pump. I fully expected to be able to breast feed but since he was tongue tied he wasn’t able to latch so I had to boil everything the minute we walked in the door so I could use it. You may want to have those ready in case you run into the same issue. Trust me when I say that you don’t want to be boiling things when you first bring your baby home.
Being a first time mom I was excited to fill out my registry. However, once I went to Babies “R” Us to get started I was completely overwhelmed by all the baby products and brands to select from. From breast pumps to baby toys, the selection is out of control! Does a baby really need to have 5-6 different bottle styles? What about selecting from several styles of bottle brush cleaners? Where does it end?
Babies “R” Us does try to make it easier for you by offering a quick start registry. This allows you to go through and see the most popular registry items and provides different categories to select from. It does slightly minimize the stresses of selecting between multiple products because you can simply select the most popular brand. But then I thought, “Who says the most popular or highest rated products are the best?” Are you a bad mom for selecting the product that only has a one star rating and not a four star? My mind was twirling with all the different options I could select from. Thankfully, I have been very involved in the lives of my niece and nephew so I was able to select products I know they were most comfortable in.
In my opinion babies need very little to survive: food, clothing, diapers, naps, love, etc. All the other products are simply “extras” that really aren’t necessary. I feel bad for any first time mommies who don’t have an older sister with children to model their registry after. I can mentally picture their homes being filled mile high with multiple strollers and vibrating products that just take up space but don’t really have a function.
My advice would be to ask other moms you know what their top five most used baby items are, just the essentials. You may be surprised at what their answers are but at least you’ll receive practical answers from someone you trust. Good luck with your registry. I can finally say I survived the experience.
Mommy's Wild West 