Category: Travel Gear

Posted in Parenting, Parenting Hacks, Travel Gear

Newborn Must Haves

Posted on by ottawaem


Frankly newborns don’t need much, something to wear, a source of food, some sort of diaper and somewhere to sleep is all they really need. The below list is more to help you get through those first few crazy weeks.

  1. E-reader- there is a lot of downtime/cuddletime with newborns, and you can only binge watch so much TV.  Being able to read a book with one hand is well handy 🙂 another benefit of an e-reader is that you can keep the room dim for night feedings.
  2. Baby carrier you feel comfortable using.
  3. LilyPadz-awesome for preventing those uncomfortable wet spots when out in public as well as protecting your baby’s sensitive new food sources.
  4. Milkies-put this in the other side of your bra when breast feeding and it collects the dribbles. With a bit of squeezing (don’t ask) I could collect a couple ounces per feed that M would use for a night time bottle or freeze for later.
  5. Everything blanket-still a fan favourite, not too thick and not too thin.
  6. Muslin swaddling cloths- so many uses, swaddling wrap, burp cloth, blanket, nursing cover, playmat etc.
  7. Good water bottle you can open with one hand
  8. Healthy snacks (stashed in key locations throughout the house)
  9. Burp cloths- you can buy fancy ones but I am a big fan of soft hand towels or wash cloths
  10. Nursing cover– personal preference but I found my girls would get distracted in public and it made me less anxious about breastfeeding in public
  11. Bag to tote around diapers, extra clothes etc.
  12. Eye mask and earplugs-You need sleep to function. Even if it’s only a 20 minute cat nap, take advantage of trusted adults who want one on one baby time and get some shut eye. 
Posted in Parenting, Travel Gear

Do you really need another one?

Posted on by ottawaem

M posed this question to me a couple of weeks ago when I floated the idea of buying another baby carrier. In his defence it is a fair question, somewhere along the way in our parenting adventure I began to amass a small stash of baby carriers.

  1. Moby Wrap
  2. Pouch Sling
  3. Ergo 
  4. Boba Air
  5. Blue Celery Wrap

and the newest addition, BabyHawk Mei Tai.



I blame it on the fact our tiny humans are little cuddle monsters.  The Moby was perfect when the Tiny Humans were very tiny, the pouch sling great for leaving in the car for emergencies.  The Ergo is M’s favourite and our go to for hiking but I never really warmed to it.  The padding was just too overwhelming.   The Boba Air is my favourite, perfect for travelling or quick trips but it’s black, boring and I started feeling the pull to find something with a bit more padding but still easy to store. The Blue Celery Wrap was the solution to my last round of carrier blahs. I bought it for a steal on clearance at a local baby store.  My second favourite after the Boba Air, the Blue Celery is pretty, easy to store and I can wear it as a scarf BUT Tiny Human #2 is getting bigger and it is no longer as comfortable.  SO in comes the Mei Tai, I knew having a baby store right next to the library we go to for Babytime would prove dangerous. I am still trying to get the hang out of tying it and the weather hasn’t really lent itself to long baby walks but so far it is pretty looking and pretty comfortable.

Will the Mei Tai solve the carrier blahs? we shall see.  What’s your favourite baby carrier?

UPDATE: The Mei Tai did add a touch of colour and got rid of SOME of my blahs but I found the straps annoying when wearing the carrier inside my coat and I could not put it on first then slip the baby inside. For Tiny Human #3 I have added the Phil and Ted’s Airlight to the mix. I worry it may be discontinued. I found it at discount at our local baby store. The carrier has many of the features I love about the Boba Air with the added benefit of working from newborn and folding into a little fanny pack rather than a pouch.

Posted in Travel Gear

Top Travel Gear for Under 2

Posted on by ottawaem
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