My Favourite Place

Just a bit of photo-heavy, positivity today.

What's your favourite place on earth?

Mine's Paris.

I adore so much about it; the architecture, the atmosphere, the style...the smell! The shutters on the apartment windows in the middle of a busy street are quaint and endearing, the view from landmarks breathtaking and the history is almost daunting in it's complexity.

I love Montmartre, the home of the Moulin Rouge, with it's narrow streets, teensy Cafes and steep hills. The climb up to the Sacre Coeur from the 'red windmill' is heavy going but oh so worth it for the view alone and by evening you can see the whole city stretched out before you, glittering romantically.

Not forgetting Disneyland of course, a place to be carefree and magical with or without children. The world is a dark and scary place but inside those walls fiction reigns supreme.

Yes, I think I'm in love. It will forever remind me of my husband, and our first 'proper, non mini-break' holiday together.

What's your favourite place on earth? 

Clare

NodPod

I love a snugly blanket as much as anyone but for me with my dry, sensitive skin, I'm quite fussy when it comes to buying bedding, especially where my children (more specifically my newborn) are concerned. I'm especially picky with my son, not just because of his delicate skin, but because I spend a lot of time picking up, swaddling him and wrapping him up, especially now that the weather is turning to autumn (yay). Some poorer quality fleece blankets can scratch against my skin, and even some more expensive cotton blankets I've previously bought from well-known high-street names have been abandoned in favour of the home-made blankets that were given to us.

The NodPod is a stylish, shaped little blanket that allows you to wrap your little one up all snugly and warm without the need for lots of excess fabric getting tangled in the way. It's a blanket, with legs and hood to ensure that your baby's little limbs are kept nice and warm. At each side are additional pieces of blanket to wrap around baby, keeping their arms nice and close (like swaddling). The shape is perfect for use in the pram, car seat or sling (I've done the first two so far), without the need to extra fussiness and allowance for straps, you just wrap, clip-in and go! Unlike a regular blanket, you know that baby is and remains as covered as he or she was when you put them in their mode of transportation, rather than wondering of blankets have bunched or a leg is dangling out!

The NodPod isn't exclusive to being out and about, it is just as effective inside a cot, crib or Moses basket, still keeping your babe snug and cozy and has rapidly become my go-to blanket of choice if I need to nip out to the garden to tend to my toddler or whenever we leave the house. Here are my pros and cons...

Pros.

- Washes well (maintains it's shape and softness) and is fast-drying.

- Soft to touch.

- The shape allows baby to stay warm.

- Difficult for baby to wriggle out of.

- Suitable for use with straps, slings and everything inbetween.

Cons.

- Can swamp a tiny newborn as difficult to get them to straiten their legs, blanket available in sizes 0-6 or 6-12 months.

- Because of shape, may not be suitable for longer (taller) babies.

The NodPod can be found at Beebies Baby Store in both sizes in a choice of blue, white and pink  from £23.

Clare

Please note, I was gifted this NodPod by the kind people of Beebies Baby Store, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bernard Bee Trunki

I bet you've read a thousand reviews on Trunkis.

I know, they're 'old news', everyone and their dog has/wants one and there's a lot of different designs to choose from. I picked Moo's Bumble Bee Trunki up from Boots when they had a third off of them a couple of months ago. I bought it with our holiday in mind and also for over-nighting with relatives (the imminent arrival of her brother included). It sat in her bedroom for a couple of months before it saw any use...but by gum when it saw use, it saw use.

I chose the bumble bee because Moo is obsessed with the colour yellow. I had only three to choose from (pink, blue and yellow) when I went in to the shop to buy and while she loves pink equally, I was thinking ahead to the second child and a few more years use that I could get out of it. The thought did cross my mind, what if it didn't last that long but that wasn't an immediate concern, despite I remember when they featured on Dragons Den and one of the dragons (Theo?) managed to pull the strap off easily.

The Trunki survived a stop over in Dover and it's trip in the car from Eastbourne to Paris without a single hitch and it did its job beautifully. On our first night I packed it with overnight essentials for the three of us as we were staying in a hotel closer to Disneyland. It weighed a tonne but as it was spending all of the first day in the car, I wasn't too concerned and besides, it had wheels! It would be fine...

When we arrived at the hotel, the lift was out of order. We had to climb up a couple of flights of stairs, the Trunki had to be carried by the shoulder strap. I wish I had taken a photo of it, packed as it was; 3x pyjamas, 3x outfits and one very full wash bag stuffed with three people's worth of toiletries, it was fit to burst but the claps at the side held fantastically (even if my cardigan was making a desperate bid for freedom out of the top). The shoulder strap held really well, I remember worrying when my husband swung it onto his shoulder, that it might snap (Dragons Den...) but no...

The next afternoon we had to make our way back to our campsite on the train after having stored our Trunki in a locker at the park. It received much of the same over-stuffed, swinging and shoulder carrying as it had the day before, this time on French public transport and the walk from the station to our caravan. All in all, I think my husband carried it on his shoulder for well over an hour, weighing more than our two-year-old. I have had adult suitcases that have survived less traumatising adventures and cost me more pennies. 

I was so, so impressed with how the Trunki faired against a bit of a battering and the weight of it's contents. As a suitcase designed for small children, you wouldn't think that it would be able to cope with the demands of luggage that even full-size cases would strain under. Here are my pros and cons...

Pros.

- Quite roomy for pint-sized people things, plenty of room for clothes, shoes, a toy and a couple of books.

- Brightly coloured so difficult to lose and attractive.

- Locking mechanism surprisingly strong.

- Shoulder strap incredibly strong.

- Has the ride-on feature it's well known for that works well with small children.

- Lightweight when empty and compact for easy storage at our destination.

Cons.

- The wheels aren't fantastic on corners so if you have an overly enthusiastic child, older child or you're just plain daft like me, it's likely to tip if you're wheeling it quickly around a corner if there's no child sat on top.

- The locks on the sides of the case sometimes turned too far with the key provided and were then not secure or not unlocked fully. It was also difficult at times to tell whether they were locked or unlocked.

So yes, I'm most definitely a Trunki fan now and would certainly recommend the, if you're holidaying with a toddler.

You can buy Trunki cases and other products from a variety of shops like Amazon, John Lewis and Boots as well as the Trunki store. The Trunki we have is Bernard Bee and currently costs £31.08 from Amazon.

Clare

Please note that I purchased our Trunki with my own money and was not compensated for this post in any way.

Holiday Budgeting

So as I'm going on my holidays on Sunday I thought I'd do a few 'going away' themed posts for you today! So this is the first and probably the most serious, I present to you my top tips of holiday budgeting when you've got children.

- Budget yourselves as parents.
You know how much money you have, in cash or card so sit down before you set out or on your first evening and divide it up over how many days you are away for. Sometimes things crop up, especially whenever children are travelling too, however take this into account for future days, you will have to reduce your budget over multiple days OR from one, depending on how much has eaten into your budgets. I usually carry an extra $20/€ on top of my daily cash allowance plus we carry cards (as an example).
- Budget the children.
It sounds so, so cruel but children honestly do not need everything. They are no less of a person if they don't have things and you are no less of a parent by denying them. Their eyes can get very big when away, especially in attractions such as Disney and other theme parks. Give them spending money at the beginning of the day so that they know how much they have. This is better for older children, younger children obviously don't understand that value of money but it is still a nice experience for them to have their own cash in their own purse to spend. I'm a firm believer that children should not share adult concerns and never tell my child that we cannot afford something (even if we can't), I would like her to be young and enjoy it for as long as possible.
- Get them involved early.
A piggy bank/jar/tin is a wonderful thing. By getting them to save early and put money towards their own holiday spending money you will feel incredibly grown up and excited as they watch their balance grow over the weeks before you go away. I typically give Moo 50p pocket money a week and everything 20p and smaller from my purse at the end of the week. Even if its just a few pence, it all adds up and she's at the age where she's just excited to put the money in! Just before you go, take them to have the money changed (lots of supermarkets have those CoinStar machines), then to have it converted into currency. It's a big adventure for them and kills a morning successfully.
- Buy in bulk where you can.
If you're self-catering (even if you're not) try to go to a local supermarket and stock up on things that you think you will get through a lot of. An ideal example for this is bottled water. You will always need to have drinks throughout the day. You will save money by taking your own bottled water out with you.
- Avoid excess luggage charges.
If you're flying, watch out for excess luggage charges when travelling with a baby. Unless you're going to outer-Mongolia, chances are the will be nappies on sale near you. Buy them when you get to your destination and only take enough for your journey to save space and weight in your luggage.
- Exchange your currency early.
I know everyone knows this but I'm going to say it anyway. It's important. NEVER BUY YOUR CURRENCY AT THE AIRPORT/FERRY/YOUR DESTINATION it is notoriously bad value. Everyone and their dog does currency now so there really is no excuse. Research rates online in advance, I find that the Post Office and Marks and Spencer are the best though my mother-in-law swears byThomas Cook. If you live in a large or destination city/town there will be independent currency shops dotted about also that often have very competitive rates.
- Get a pre-paid travel card.
This is my husband's thing and he swears by it. We hold one for dollars and one for euros with Fairfx. There are a lot of different ones out there, this is just the company that we happen to use. You usually have to pay a small fee when they issue the card, then you load up your money and use it as you would your regular credit and debit cards. You get a slightly worse exchange rate on your money on a pre-paid card than you would cash currency, however you do not have to pay a fee for every time you use it like you do with your regular credit and debit cards, you also have the security of not carrying all your money in cash. You can have second cards issued so you and your partner have one each though we just carry one. If you have a credit card, take that also in case of emergencies. If you had planned to use your credit card for your spending money, you can load up the pre-paid from your credit card without facing any charges for using it abroad. Avoid using your debit card abroad wherever possible. They are incredibly expensive to use; you will be charged heavily per transaction.
- Going to a resort? Make it work for YOU!
All inclusive? Got meal vouchers? Get the full 'bang for your buck'. If your resort offers unlimited cold drinks/snacks/food etc make sure you get your money's worth and minimise dining out. If you're staying at a resort such as Disney that offers a meal voucher scheme and you buy into it, make sure you are getting full value. They are usually charge at one flat rate and offer dining at a variety of venues. Do your research, the only restaurants that they're actually worth buying for are usually the highest rated two or three. Most do not offer great value for money and it would be cheaper to 'pay as you go' so look up the menus before purchasing and ensure that the more expensive food is cuisine that your family are likely to eat. If not, it's probably cheaper to just budget for your meals out of your money rather than paying in advance
- Check your bank.
It's not said often, but banks are great! By upgrading your account you can usually save big time on things like home insurance, break-down cover, gadget-cover and yes, travel insurance! We are with Lloyds TSB and have the basic upgrade of silver on our joint account. It is £10 a month and we use all of the previously mentioned services. It saves us money on our gadget cover alone. Because we are paying it anyway, it meant that we didn't have to take out travel insurance, we are already covered and only need notify them should we need to make a claim. Most bank upgrades offer travel insurance as basic though be sure to call them if you're travelling with children, it usually only covers two of you and you will need to pay an excess to add your children (ours is £25 to add Moo for the year). Do it at the last minute so that you get the maximum usage out of it (you might be able to squeeze a second trip out of it if you plan your holidays accordingly).
- Buy in advance.
If you have an idea of what you're going to do whilst away, you can often by tickets for events and attractions cheaper online in advance before you go. It's usually around 20% off of the gate price.

So there we are, just a few little things that we use when travelling. I'm sure there're other things that I've missed or forgotten, if you know of any handy hints yourself, please comment to help others!

Clare

The Double Buggy Dilemma

I'm hoping everyone is enjoying the wonderful summery weather that we're having!

So I have about eleven weeks until baby number two (or Bear as he is nick-named) is due to make his grand appearance into the world and I've begun to second guess myself in regards to pushchair choice.

Early on in my pregnancy I bought a second-hand Quinny Buzz off of eBay from a local couple. It was a bargain at £150 for chassis, dreami carrycot, seat, both rain covers, adapters, parasol, puncture repair kit, cosy toes and blanket. It is a fantastic bit of kit and will look fabulous when I finally get around to washing it all though it is in perfect condition anyway.

For Moo I had a travel system from Mothercare which has worked fine until recently when the brakes started to play up. It didn't have a carry cot, only a car seat which has since been lost in the many moves we have done since gaining said child. So that has now joined the cupboard under the stairs though I use it if we go out for the day.

When we have our niece-let, we use their double buggy, it's a McClarren and a big ol' beast of a double buggy. I find it heavy and clumsy, but I do have a bump so I should probably give it the benefit of the doubt. My friend has an Out and About three-wheeler and that seems much easier to handle.

Anyways, the point which I am making is...is almost three too young to no longer have a pushchair? Initially I was going to get a buggy board, however I've heard that they are very tricky to fit your toddler on when you have the carry cot attached on the Buzz. I have bought a Maxi-cosi car seat so I suppose there is always the option of taking baby in that when walking with Moo.

The reason for this sudden change of mind is because recently I have been having some behavioural problems with Moo, primarily some running off (once into a road) but also leaving the playground this afternoon, I had to wrestle her into the pushchair to get her home. There was a lot of screaming and a lot of tears which is incredibly rare when it comes to her. I'm concerned about how I will manage when I have a tiny baby in toe also.

So below I have given my top choice for low, medium and high budget doubles...yknow...just in case...

Dream Weavers You and Me - £118.99 - kiddicare.com
Baby Jogger City Mini Double - £399 - kiddicare.com
Bugaboo Donkey Duo Pram and Pushchair - £1099 - mothercare.co.uk

Has anyone else experienced the double-buggy dilemma?

Clare