Tuesday's Travel Tips - To Stroll or Not To Stroll

When flying with a infant, baby, or toddler should you bring a stroller?  There are a few different answers to this question but for the most part and to always be safe than sorry I highly suggest bringing a stroller for any child under the age of two/two and a half.

I would always bring a stroller if:
-you are travelling without a significant other or help.  If you are alone bring a stroller.
-have more than one plane to catch, especially if there is a long lay over.

I may not bring a stroller if:
-your traveling with help and it's only one flight (bring a carrier for a little baby and something to occupy a toddler.

My first time flying alone with my son, I decided not to bring a stroller, just a carrier but it was much to stressful. Now that he's almost two and a half I'll still bring the stroller anytime I am flying alone with him and most of the time I'm with my husband.  A stroller does so much more than just hold the baby, it can also hold all your stuff (and you tend to have most stuff with kids) when your little ones are running around.

Tips for flying with a stroller:
-don't bring a complex, giant stroller: a small umbrella stroller or other light weight stroller is ideal (I'm a fan of the Combi strollers myself)
-check the car seat: unless you plan on using the car seat in the plane or you have a snap and go stroller, I'd leave (check it or rent one) the car seat, it's one less thing you have to worry about before and after you board the plane
-with 2 kids (not twins) bring a carrier for one child and a stroller for another.  This way you don't have to deal with a giant double stroller but the kids can take turns depending on need (big kid wants to stroll, use carrier for baby, big kid wants to walk then either use the stroller for stuff or the baby)

Second time time Tavish and I flew, I was smarter this time flying with a stroller.   Our Valco strollers a little big and complex to fold for in an airport, I got smarter over time.

Flying with my Combi Stroller (perfect airport stroller) - on the tram to the airport.

21 weeks

Well I am getting there I'm now officially half way done because I don't think my OB will let me go past 41 weeks (not that I want to).  This week according to the Baby Center our baby is the size of a carrot (I find these references so funny because carrots can be any size, bigger or smaller than a banana which the baby was last week, weird.  I think they need to find something other than veggies to reference baby sizes from). This week I had two major appointments: 20 week ultrasound and 20 week OB appointment.  The ultrasound when really well.  They confirmed we are having a boy (there is no question about that), and he's about 13 oz right now (normal size for 20 weeks).  They found a minor issue with his kidney so I'll have to go back for another ultrasound in 8 weeks but it's nothing I'm worried about.  I also have to have an Fetal Echo on Monday but again it's nothing I'm worried about (only because there are a few minor heart issues in my family they just want to rule out).   My OB appointment also went really well, everything looks really good for my VBAC and it does not look like my doctor will play the big baby card or make me schedule a c-section if I don't go into labor on my own.  I really like my OB she is so bubbly and nice, I just have to meet the two other OBs in her practice as one of them will deliver this guy.  I also got the news that my mom can come into the delivery room if this little man decides to out on time (my mom and grandma are coming up the day he's due).  19ish more weeks to go.

20 week Ultrasound pictures

Friday's Fabulous Finds - myphones

I don't know about you but there is only so much children's music I can take,  hearing the Hot Dog Dance or Old MacDonald 500 times a trip is not my idea of fun.  We recently  bought our little man his very own set of headphones so we could spare ourselves hours of kids music while on a road trip or flying.  While at Target I was quite surprised at their selection; most kids headphones were cheap looking but not so cheap in price.  I knew they would not last more than one trip with my not so gentle 2 year old and for $19.99 they should last a long time.  Then I came across myphones, there were not cheap  $39.99 (I just found them cheaper at amazon.com for those interested $26.90 on sale today), but they look solid, like they could take a bit of abuse from a toddler and the best part was they have a "always-on Volume Limiter" so I don't have to worry about him playing with the volume control and damaging his ear drums.  Not only are they practical they are cute too, they come with 3 sets of covers (pink, blue, and orange) and templates for your artistic child to decorate as they see fit. They are also adjustable to fit most kids heads.  I am hoping they will last a long time and this will be the only pair I have to buy until he's 10. I'm looking forward to using these again when we embark on our epic 3 plane trip to Alberta, I know they will come in handy for both his iPod (yes we have a shuffle for him, I'm not about to give up space on my iPod for kid music) and the portable DVD player (desperate times call for desperate measures and I'm not opposed to a little TV or movie as a treat especially in the Toronto Airport which I think is the World Worst Airport for kids).

Tavish in his myphones (he fell asleep listening to his music while coming home from a road trip).

More info about myphones can be found at:
http://www.myphoneskids.com/

Disclaimer
This product was purchased with my own money and I have no affiliation with myphones, target or amazon.

Tuesday's Travel Tips - Pregnant Travels

Today's Travel Tip - Flying (Travelling) While Pregnant

A few more tips for those taking longer flights while pregnant:

-drink lots of water to help keep yourself hydrated
-get a seat near a bathroom (with all that extra water your drinking you'll need to get up to use the facilities a few times)
-walk around as much as you can as this help keeps blood in your legs circulating
-check out the back of the plane on international flights.  There is usually food and drinks back there and it's a great place to stretch and walk for a bit.
-bring as little as possible but make sure you have everything you need including a change of underwear and pants (you never know when a sneeze will be an issue)
-if you suffer from morning sickness, bring a toothbrush, some mints and anything that might help keep food down
-most airplane food is not the greatest so pack some food you know you and you'll baby will like

Note: these tips will work for other modes of transportation such as train and bus trips

I'm about 9 weeks pregnant on my Glacier Express Train Trip in Switzerland.

Slip and Slide

We were having some friends come over yesterday for a nice little Fathers Day BBQ.  The temperature outside was suppose to be around 35 (90 something in Fahrenheit) and with all Canadians coming over we figured we needed something to help cool us down (most of us are not too accustomed to it being this hot in June).  Target was having a sale on Slip and Slides so I figured it would be the perfect way to cool down and for $3.99 if it's the only time we use it who cares. I was not too sure how well Tavish would like it as he's only 2 and sometimes he loves water and other times not so much.  Well the test run was a huge success:

20 Weeks - Halfwayish Done

Well only on Sunday's will I update about my pregnancy.  Well today I am 20 weeks.  Yeah.  Halfwayish done and I am so thankful because pregnancy and me don't get along very well.  This week has been touch and go with good days and not so good.  Some days I feel great and went for a couple 4km walks with my dog (I think she liked it) but then I had some really bad days with the joys of acid reflux starting.  I often feel like I am still in my first trimester and don't have the energy to get out of bed (why is it always on these days my son gets up at 5:30 am).  There have been some good things though, I have been feeling the baby move for a few weeks now which is the most amazing feeling in the world.  This little guy is going to be my little soccer player but I'm a bit scared how hard he is going to kick in a few more months (hopefully he's just excited about World Cup but England has been playing terrible ????).

This next coming week is a busy one, I have my 20 weeks ultrasound on Tuesday along with my doctors appointment.  I am really looking forward to my doctors appointment and really hope that I see one of the OB's and not the nurse practitioner (she is great but I have lots of questions she can't answer).  As I am really wanting to have a TOL (trial of labor) instead of a repeat c-section, I have so many things to ask.  I was also shocked to learn that I won't be able to have a doula come assist me in my birth as the hospital I am delivering at bans them (something that worries me).  But I did gets lots of good news this week.  My mom and grandma are going to try and be here for the baby's birth, which is great so my grandma can watch Tavish and my mom can come to the hospital with me (my husband and I need all the help we can get).  I also found a massage therapist that will do a labor inducing massage at 38 weeks and I also found a homeopath that will do an induction.  I am all about going into labor before 40 weeks with this one.

Obligatory food reference:  Today my son is the length of a banana.

And here are some Pregnancy Pictures for those who want to see them.
20 weeks - getting bigger

18 weeks

16 weeks - I have a bump starting

12 weeks - not much there but it's coming (and a terrible picture)

Friday's Fabulous Finds

In addition to Tuesday's Travel Tips, I've decided to add Friday's Fabulous Finds - reviews of some great and not so great travel products for babies, toddlers, moms and more.

First Fabulous Find - CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System)

For those of you who fly with toddlers and don't like the idea of them sitting in that big chair with just a lap belt or the thought of dragging a car seat on the plane in addition to your toddler feels like torture, then this is the product for you.

It's designed for kids 22 to 44lbs and only weighs about a pound. Essentially it's a harness system that attaches to the existing seat belt on the plane.  We love it and have been flying with it sense my son was 18 months old.  My only complaint about it (more so about leather plane seats) is that with a slippery seat kids can slip a bit so you have to watch they they don't slide under it but it has never been a problem for us.

We'll be flying in a few weeks and this is a must have on our trip and worth every penny.

Tavish on our trip to Edmonton, Alberta when he was 18 months old in his CARES.

To find a CARES and more information visit
http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

Disclaimer
This product was purchased with my own money and I have no affiliation with CARES or it's parent company.

The Air And Space Museum

Well my husband is away right now and I hate sitting at home when there is so much to do here.  The weather is not really that nice out and the pools are closed anyway, so I'd figured Tavish and I should head off too the 

National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.  

This morning was not looking too promising though as my son was in full melt down mode.  The kid did not want to get dresses and we are not going out in his pj's.  A good hour later he was finally calmed down and we were ready to go.  We had a great time, we checked out a IMAX movie (not sure he got much out of it but he really wanted to go) and then looked at all the planes.  This museum is really interesting as there are so many different types of airplanes and space crafts but my only complaint is there are no hands on exhibits for the kids (I guess we need to go to the one in D.C. to do that).

Tavish getting ready for the movie.

Hanging out in the WWII section.

A view of the gallery.

A test prototype of a Space Shuttle

If you want to visit the center check out:
http://www.nasm.si.edu/udvarhazy/

Blog Again

So after a long, long, long break from my blog (I blogged more on Everything mom), I have decided to give things a go again.  I have changed things up, starting with my title: no longer Travel, Fluff and Finding a Job now it's And we're off too....  The change in title comes with a huge change in my life, as we moved from Ontario to Virginia.  The focus on my blog is going to focus on travel and trips and less on fluff and finding a job (not looking for a job right now as I don't have a work permit and we're expecting again). And I am sure that my upcoming pregnancy will creep in here a bit too.

We have done some big trips in the last year: DisneyWorld and the Bahamas in July, Ottawa in August, Washington D.C. in October and November (where we moved to a suburb).  This year we have started doing some local trips and some camping too.  I also went to Switzerland by myself which was interesting while 8 weeks pregnant.  We also have big plans for the rest of the summer and 2011 looks like we'll be traveling lots with the addition of a new baby.  I'll be posting about old and new trips a like.  And starting from now on Every Tuesday will be Travel Tip Tuesday, where I give out a tip on traveling with a newborn, an infant, a toddler, alone with kids, pregnant or (when the time comes) traveling with more than one child.  So for Today's Tuesday Travel Tip:

Travelling while Pregnant:  Never underestimate the power of support socks.  While stylish they are not they are great for circulation and just for peace of mind.