Posted in Parenting, Parenting Hacks

Call me dark hearted but I like warm tea

 This post from YummyMummyClub.ca made me laugh this morning it proves the point I guess that a mother’s work is never done.  I’ll be honest one of the things I miss most about having an office to go to each morning is having the time to enjoy at least a couple sips of nice warm cup of tea to start off my day.  I’ve tried to enjoy tea at home, I really have, but it eventually ended up spilled, contaminated by random Tiny Human food or turned depressingly cold before I had a chance to drink it.

Then I discovered S’well bottles, which claim to keep liquids cold for 24 hours and warm for 12 hours.  As a huge water drinker I am always on the look out for new water bottles. (My almost 4 years of parenting have taught me that glasses of water are just asking for trouble) I pined over the bottles for a couple of months but could not justify the price tag.  I put a bottle on my Christmas list and hoped for the best.  The Tiny Humans aided by their awesome Daddy came through.  Tiny Human #1 picked out the bottle, a pattern called “Dark Hearted”a total coincidence her father assures me.

Guess what, the bottle actually works.  I can now have a cup of warm tea that lasts for hours.  I can even make tea the night before and still wake up to warm tea. While not life changing, the extra caffeine is nice, particularly when Tiny Human #2 goes on a nap strike.

Posted in Travel Gear

Top Travel Gear for Under 2

Apart from a well stocked diaper bag, below are some of the items I have found useful when traveling with Tiny Humans
1. Light yet sturdy umbrella stroller with storage (we have the UppaBaby G-luxe, which has worked well for us but the price keeps climbing and I am not sure if I could justify the purchase today, stay tuned for other options at various price )
2. Travel high chair: we have this one which is small enough to fit in your mommy bag and fits most chairs.
3. Baby carrier, you cannot always rely on being able to bring your stroller everywhere and sometimes Tiny Humans just want a cuddle on the go.  Boba air is hands down my favourite for older babies and toddlers. I have even used it on the plane to try and get some much needed sleep. It folds down small enough to go with you everywhere. (I noticed Phil and Ted  and Ergo have now come out with similar travel friendly options)
4. Pashmina type scarf (covers up baby related stains on you, back up blanket and sun shade)
5. Stroller caddy with mesh bag, the bag I bought doesn’t seem available anymore but this one is similar.  I find the mesh bag useful for stowing items you want easy access to like guide books, snacks and diapers.
6. Tide packets, available in the travel aisle of most drugstores, these little packets of liquid Tide are great for washing tiny clothes on the go and treating stains before they set.
7. Baby Gourmet packets of baby cereal, we have found baby cereal stocked in many of the grocery stores we’ve come across in our travels but it doesn’t hurt to have a back up plan.
8. Reusable water bottle, depending on the age of your Tiny Human this may be more for you but for older Tiny Humans, having their own water bottle saves spills, particularly on planes or trains. It is also useful to have water with you for cleaning tiny sticky hands.
9. Foldable bib, there are a couple of different options, I like the Zoo Tuck-away Bib by Skip Hop.  They are cute, fold down super small and quick drying.  All good things when travelling. Skip Hop doesn’t seem to be making them anymore but they do have these really thin silicone bibs.
10. Spoon tips– These are new additions to the Traveling Mommy Bag but so much easier than squeezing pouches out into a bowl or attempting to feed Tiny Humans directly from the pouch. I usually bring a couple of pouches with me but this is another baby item it has been surprisingly easy to track down in our travels through Europe.
I am planning a longer post with some of the tips we have picked up while travelling with Tiny Humans but here’s a little teaser:
Tips:
1. Bring a couple of baby face cloths for cleaning tiny faces, I usually wet the facecloth before we set out for the day and store it in a sandwich baggy or small waterproof bag (like this one) At the end of the day I clean the cloth with a little bit of the Tide soap and let it dry.
2. Instead of bringing baby bowls I find it useful to bring bowls with lids to store extra food