BEDA Day 2: Disney Bound

Packing up the car and heading out. Baby Z has a tight hold on her Baby Pooh Bear.

Today we left early on in the day for DisneyLand. It is Baby Z's first time and I was quite excited to be on our way to take her. It was also her first real long road trip as we had an almost 8 hour drive including stops.

Making a pit stop so she could stretch her legs a bit! She loved it! She did surprisingly well in the car. We brought her favorite stuffed animals, books and snacks. That in combination with pit stops and naps kept her quite happy and thus me and daddy quite sane.

We reached our hotel! Squint your eyes and you can see the Matterhorn in the background. 

End of a long traveling day. Looking forward to taking Baby Z into Disneyland tomorrow after getting some Z's tonight.

Traveling With A Baby - Airplane Version

Top Ten Tips for Traveling With a Baby - Airplane Version

●     Don't skimp on packing baby clothes because with a baby you just never know what the day might bring. Try to bring a variety of warmer and cooler weathered clothing in case of unexpected weather changes. Its better to be prepared rather than running out looking for a baby store to quickly purchase a needed item.

●     Do skimp on baby diapers if you are traveling for more than a few days. Bring just enough for the airplane ride and the first 1- 2 days at your destination and then pick up the rest of your diaper supply once you are settled in. This saves a lot of space when packing.

●     If your baby is formula fed bring your formula with you as you may not be able to find your exact brand at your destination. It would not be a good idea to pick up a different brand/version on your travels as your child may have a reaction to the new formula.

●     Bring a First Aid kit with you on your journey. You can pick up mini travel size ones that are catered towards little ones at places such as Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby.

●     Purchase a few small sized toys and books that your little one will not get to see until you are on the plane. This will serve as a distraction while your umteen miles high in the sky. Be sure to only give them one item at a time in order to prolong the distraction.

●     Snacks! Make sure to have packed some snacks for your little ones if they are old enough for this. I brought puffs, squeezable baby food packets and Mum Mums.

●     Bring a wearable carrier. Some places it's just too hard to get a stroller out and about and it also can be a hassle to lug around as well.Some carriers such as the Baby Bjorn are easy to travel with and you can even wear them around the airport.

●     Ask for a extra seat!! I have never paid for an extra seat for my little one but have always been provided one! Sometimes they can arrange this for you right before your flight and sometimes they arrange it for you once you have already taken off. Either way it never hurts to ask and more than likely, if there are free seats they will be happy to accommodate you.

●     Airplane changing tables are a interesting thing. They leave barely any room for you to stand in the bathroom and they seem hard, cold and just plain unsightly. Keep an extra baby blanket with you on the plane that is solely to be used as a changing table cover if you will. It will help cushion it just a bit and is more hygienic. I also found that Baby Z was terrified of plane changing tables so I would always bring in something for her to play with as a distraction as I would change her.

●     Last but not least try to remember that flying will probably be more stressful for you than for your little one. Just try to relax, go with the flow and remember that soon the flight will be over!

A French Hiatus...

This blog has taken a very successful hiatus due to my travels in France over the end of February and beginning of March. I loved France dearly and missed my blog dearly as well.

 Traveling with a 9 month old was not only feasible but it was truly enjoyable. I will sprinkle in some posts over the next few weeks on what my experience was like. I learned lots about traveling overseas with a young child and seeing the world though a little ones eyes.

Our Weekend in Photos...

I wasn't able to blog this past weekend but captured a few snapshots of how we spent our Saturday and Sunday. Since weekends are currently the only 2 full days I have with Baby Z I like getting out of the house with her to get some fresh air together. On Saturday her Uncle brought her the above Mickey and Minnie dolls from a local Disney store. She squealed and reached our her hands when she saw them.

We visited a local farmers market to check out the produce and because it was such a lovely sunny day. Farmers markets are great ways to get your little ones outdoors when you live in more urban areas and get some healthy grocery shopping done at the same time.

Excuse the quality of this picture (blurry hand) but Baby Z was grabbing quickly at items on the shelves when we made a pit stop at Buy Buy Baby after the Farmers Market. Here she was reaching for the sippy cups. I went to purchase some Evenflo size 3 bottle nipples and a Tommy Tippy sippy cup but sadly they didn't carry either item. We did end up with organic baby food though.

Reading books is a priority for our bedtime routine. Now that she is older (we have been doing this since she was practically a newborn) its fun to watch her take more and more interest in the books. She really is starting to pay attention when we read to her and interact with some of the pictures.

Even though its already almost the weekend again, I hope you had a good 'last' weekend. I'm off to bed now. Up bright and early tomorrow for the final work day of the week. Yay!