Tag

baby

Browsing

toddler netflix

We just came back to Toronto from our first flight with two kids. Baby D had flown twice before but at 3 months old. which made this officially his first time, where he will hopefully remember everything. Before the trip, I did a couple of things that really helped traveling with my two babies.  Here are my 5 Tips to Travel with a Toddler and a Baby, Including what Netflix shows you should download for offline viewing:

netflix canada streamteam

1. LOTS OF SNACKS

So on our plane ride to Vancouver, I packed some juice boxes, goldfish, cookies, and some dry fruit. But what the heck was I thinking! That’s a lot of sugar to give to a toddler on a plane where the options to burn that sugar off is very low. I ran out of options to keep his tantrums from escalating and learned very fast what I shouldn’t have done. That being said, on our plane ride back to Toronto I was prepared! I cut up cucumbers, carrots, and apple slices right before the flight and stored them in a tin snacking bowl that has a cover. To keep them fresh you can even sprinkle very little orange juice or lemon juice. I also got another pack of goldfish, veggie snack chips and bananas (has the natural muscle-relaxants magnesium and potassium, that helps children sleep better).

[Tweet “#DidYouKnow 1 in 5 #Canadians have suffered through a flight with no entertainment due to faulty in-flight systems. @Netflix_CA “]

5 tips toddler netflix ideas

5 Tips for Airplane Travel with a Toddler and a Baby, Including Netflix Downloads

[Tweet “Nearly half (45%) of those watching on the go have caught a backseat binger snooping on their screen Screen snooping can have real consequences! In fact, 20% of public bingers experience “show shame”, the feeling of embarrassment over what they were caught watching”]

2. NETFLIX OFFLINE DOWNLOADS + CHILD-FRIENDLY TABLET

Baby Ds first tablet was actually a tablet that was given to me for my birthday. It was the newest Samsung tablet with all the bells and whistles! But soon as Baby D got his little hands on it, the tablet wasn’t mine anymore. Kind of bittersweet because now he was self-sufficient for a couple of hours a day but I lost one of my favourite gadgets. Long story short, he cracked the screen and then we got him a child-friendly tablet with a cover. We got him the Amazon tablet (click here) that has been proven to be child-friendly and the tablet cover (click here)  has saved this tablet from damage, even when thrown from the second floor! P.S We bought the tablet brand new off of kijiji because it’s not available in Canada or wasn’t at the time we purchased it.

I downloaded:

  1. Land Before Time (Dinosaur movie) This movie keeps him glued to the tablet because he loves dinosaurs so much. I also played dinosaurs with him while the movie played in the background with the toys I brought him.
  2. Paw Patrol – At least 5 of newest episodes that he hadn’t seen yet. Yay for the new season on Netflix!
  3. Octonauts – He loves sea animals!
  4. Dora the Explorer – What I love the most about this show are the scenes where Dora interacts with the viewers. Asking questions or to do something.
  5. Magic School Bus Rides Again – He’s been loving this show as much as I did when I was a child.

Magic School Bus Rides Again

One thing I did learn through our trip to BC was that it’s so loud on the airplane that you can barely hear anything from the tablet. I tried getting him to use the earphones but he hated it and threw them off. We went to the mall while in BC and picked up headphones in hopes he would use it. When we first showed it to him and how it works he said a hard “NO!”, but then I sneakingly plugged it in so he could hear the sounds coming from the headphones. Then after a couple more minutes, I put them on him and he let them stay. But to ask me a question he took them off and then wouldn’t put them on again. We did this at least 10 times. Then I gave up and hung them from the armrest as if they were just extended speakers. New plan: A month before our next trip we’re going to practice putting on headphones, and hopefully he’ll understand the concept and accept it.

[Tweet “64% have laughed out loud to themselves while bingeing in public”]

 

2. SMALL TOYS

Make sure the toys you choose are soft and not too noisy, to ensure you don’t disturb the people around you. Especially toddlers they’re unpredictable and might feel like throwing them in the air. Yes, it happened to us. Smaller toys will also be easier to travel with. Here are some suggestions for toys and where you can buy them:

Light squishy plastic dinosaurs – Found them at Wal-Mart for $2 each

Kinder Surprise Eggs – Any convenience or grocery store

Play-doh – You can make anything out of it!

Soft/Teddy bear booksExample

3. ACTIVITIES

You have to plan ahead for what kind of activities to keep your toddler busy. Especially if you have other children traveling with you, activities are the only thing that will keep them busy and be playing friendly. I brought colouring books and a massive Peppa Pig sticker book that kept him busy for an hour. We put the stickers together and then coloured them. He loves to build stuff so Ièm going to look into getting some soft toy building materials. Maybe from an arts supplies store and put together a ziplock bag of items we can use to build stuff. Another thing to take note is that the flight attendants can get very pushy about when the seat trays have to be put away. A toddler doesnèt understand that and it could easily turn into a really bad tantrum. This happened to us on the plane.  For the next trip, I plan to purchase a travel tray or I saw one that skip hop carries used for cars. That might work as well.

4. REWARDS

Have a couple of surprises to reward for good behavior. However, stay away from candy, chocolate or anything with too much sugar. Organic fruit gummies or a new toy will suffice.

 

5. STRETCH IT OUT

Make sure your seating situation makes it easy for you to walk around or for washroom breaks. Your toddler and baby will be drinking a lot more on the plane to stay hydrated, which means more washroom breaks. After diaper changes in the tiny plane washroom, I sang a song and do a little wiggle dance with him so he can stretch out. You can do the dance near the exit areas where there’s space if you’re feeling brave.

netflix downloads for toddlers

 

humjk logo small

 

 

Baby, it's cold outside

There are so many baby shower theme ideas to choose from. Just do a simple keyword search for a baby shower on google or better yet, Pinterest and you’ll see! Baby D was born in February, a very cold time. So you know when I saw the ‘baby, it’s cold outside’ theme, I related to it, as it was my exact thought every time I wanted to take my new babe out. If your baby was born in the wintertime then this is the very best theme to go with! Also a great one-year birthday theme.

As soon as you know the theme, start looking out for items that you’ll need whenever you go shopping. I remember some of the items I bought months in advance. For instance, three glitter snowflakes. One large, medium and small from Pier 1 were regular $75 and had gone on sale for $40 right after Christmas. I figured they would make for great winter decor around the house during the season, so I bought them! They looked beautiful on our cake/dessert table. Side note: My besties and sisters (love them SO much) wanted to help with everything but I actually really enjoy doing the crafty stuff and organizing so I just couldn’t resist! If this is you, you can instead definitely get help putting it all together, hosting and don’t forget the games!

baby its cold outside

The sign I used, as seen above – was the same art I used for my e-cards and then I followed the same design and colours into the baby shower theme. The cake, napkins and you can’t go wrong with white for a winter-ish theme.

It took me a long time to make this (because it was my first time) but making your own table garland made with wrapping tissue paper is the best! It was my version of knitting, while in nesting mode. Here’s a really good tutorial.

tissue paper garland diy

I also made my own cupcake stand with two boxes stacked on each other wrapped in white tissue and hot glued some white snowflakes on the front. Would’ve been a cleaner finish if I glued some on the sides of the box too.

snowflake theme

For this theme, I found having a hot chocolate station is a MUST. Imagine coming in from the cold to an event where they have hot chocolate. YAS!

hot chocolate station

hot chocolate station baby its cold outside

Some of the games we played were passing the chocolate poopy diaper to music (or I think it was a balloon.) whoever was caught holding it when the music turned off they were out, and the last person standing/sitting won a prize. Basically the game hot potato. We had other general baby shower games like holding on to a clothespin. Can’t say certain words and if you do, you get your pin stolen from you from whoever catches you saying it. The one with the most pins wins a prize. We set this game up near the entrance to ensure everyone got a pin and also set up the takeaways at the same table.

takeaways

The takeaways were snowflake cookies made by the same wonderful lady who made my cake. I ordered some brown boxes online to put them in and some stuffing to keep them in place. The boxes are called kraft boxes and with lots of research, I found the best price I could find online, here. 30 for $13.80. I was told it was a great find 🙂 Totally didn’t stay within the theme for the late lunch. We had Italian and Indian food catered. 

Baby, it’s cold outside game idea for baby showers

baby shower ideas

We also had my baby book (where I keep all of his ultrasound pictures and first time memories in) at the table for people to leave messages for myself or Baby D. I decorated it with snowflake decals too. Gah. Snowflakes everywhere!

snowflake cookies

 

Here are some great printables for this theme:

Hot Chocolate Station

hot chocolate station

favor tags baby shower

bundle-up-baby-green-3_1

bub3_3

Other great winter baby shower/winter birthday ideas:

  1. Use cotton as snow around your venue.
  2. Create your own polar bear made from cardboard: link
  3. A snowman diaper cake:
    winter-baby-shower-ideas
  4. Water bottles, label them as ‘melted snow’.
  5. DIY glue snowflakes: link
    diy_glue_snowflakes

hum jk signature

 

easy lemon bundt cake

baby goes to daycare

Every baby is different. Transitioning for your baby might be easier or worse than my experience. I hope to shed some perspective and light on this topic for those mama’s who might be going through this or are thinking about going back to work.

Transitioning Day 1

We were both up really late last night and although my husband gently woke me up this morning, we hit the snooze and slept in just a little bit more. Transitioning days at baby D’s daycare are 930 – 1130am for three days. We arrived for day 1 around 10:05 ish. During the visit I hadn’t seen any cool toys or books laying around so I was a bit hesitant on choosing the place but as soon as we entered the infant room, we could see lots and lots of cute stuff. As usual, baby D was a little shy at first. Scoping out the room and looking at his new playmates. I had fun talking to the caregivers and also sat there and observed baby D to see whether he was enjoying himself, scared or did he have an idea of what was to come on day 4. He played shy for a bit but every time someone acknowledged him or when other babies would come to talk, touch or play with him he’d turn to me and smile. After 30 minutes he was slowly and cautiously walking towards other babies and different toys. He would then come walking back and give me a big hug (maybe in case I was feeling scared) and quietly babble stuff to me. He’s so loving. Come 11 am I noticed they started to have their lunch so we left early and planned that tomorrow we’d come for 9 am – 11 am. So I think even though it was just an hour, I feel like he’ll enjoy his time there. He loves other babies and he’ll love making new friends. *fingers crossed*

TIPS: I held him at first and then every few minutes tried to move away and let him explore. Also, when I was playing and talking to the other babies I think it made him feel more comfortable with them and curious.

Transitioning Day 2

Today baby D warmed up to the new environment in 5 minutes! Which is pretty awesome considering he was woken up from his nap. He walked around the room and played with the other babies and all was great! Everything was great until I found a staple on the ground and that really concerned me. Considering how baby D is going through a stage where he puts everything in his mouth, this was scary. I gave the staple to one of the caregivers in the room. I scanned the room to see where it came from and noticed that they use staples to put up “group work” on a board right above where the babies play. I thought about this when I went home and I really don’t like “complaining” because I’m afraid it comes off rude or bitchy. I asked my mommy friends what they would do and they had a good point when they said bring it up as a suggestion rather than a complaint. So, tomorrow I’m definitely letting them know.

Transitioning Day 3

Baby D and I woke up late today so we only went for 30 minutes. Plus tomorrow is his birthday and I have some last minute things to do. It took him just a few minutes to warm up to everyone again and once he was cool with everyone he was playing, walking, talking.. doing his thing. I think he’s going to be okay! On my way out I let the manager of the daycare know about the staple board. I suggested maybe they could use tape to put things up instead and how baby D puts everything in his mouth so I was just concerned about him getting a hold of a stray staple. She was very appreciative of my suggestion and told me she was glad I told her. Phewf. His full day of daycare without me starts after the weekend and I don’t think I’m ready to part with him for that long but it must be done. I’m really nervous.

Full Day One

I was feeling brave as I left him at daycare. He looked like he was having fun too. I went downtown to see my mom and I logged on to the live streaming video of him and first think I see is him crying. My heart broke in a million pieces. Bittersweet having this extra service to be able to watch him whenever I want. It was a busy day for me so I didn’t get many chances to watch him. There was a snow storm so I was running late to pick him up, so D (husband) picked him up. When he brought him home baby D just ignored me. He was definitely upset with me and kept giving D hugs and lots of attention. I tried to redeem myself with games of peekaboo and cookies. Finally he forgave me and I got those hugs I longed for all day.

Full Day Two

I’m depressed. I ran some errands at wal-mart and some other stores and saw so many babies and I started missing him really badly. His smell, his cute smiles and everything about him. I just keep thinking this isn’t right. I can’t do this. I just want to break down and cry but I’m holding back. Because I know if I do, I’m going to be even more miserable for the rest of the day. Logging in to watch him on the live stream and he’s being rocked. I can tell he’s sad. Probably thinking he can’t believe I did it again. I don’t think I can do the full day, so I’m going to pick him up in a few hours from now. In total I think after I pick him up he would be there for five hours. That’s enough for today, because I really need his hugs right now.

Full Day Three

He was so good today! I watched him explore the room, eat lots of food and give hugs to the caregivers. I think he’s starting to build trust with the environment and the caregivers.

Day One (back from the weekend)

It’s like starting all over again. He cried so much when I left him and he’s been crying since. It’s now lunch time and I’m watching him on the live stream and he’s eating a little bit but crying. But there’s hope. After lunch he took his nap, hopefully a good long one to recuperate from all the crying.

The best thing to do before you decide if daycare is the right approach so you can go back to work is list out other options and the pros and cons of each one. That’s what I did and I found daycare would be best for baby D. Some of my pros were his early interactions with other babies, having a fixed schedule and the location being very close to home. Also, if you’re starting your baby in daycare a little bit before you go back to work (highly recommend) you can have some time to adjust, get yourself together and get all those things you’ve wanted to do around the house, done. If your daycare doesn’t offer live streaming maybe you can suggest it to them for an opportunity to make more money and just keep yourself busy and ask lots of questions when you go to pick your child up. I saw some moms even stay by the door so they can peek and know what’s going on. Whatever you have to do to get comfortable with everything.

What do you find the most challenging about this change? Let me know below!

Hum JK Blog Signature

huggies

This is my first baby related post under my baby series! Yay! I received a Huggies little movers diaper pack complimentary for testing purposes, so I figured I’d take this opportunity to really dive in on my opinions, reviews and stories on baby related things.

If you’re a part of any mommy groups in the real world or online on Facebook etc you’ll see occasionally posts pop up regarding diapers. The most popular diaper post being the famous question: Pampers or Huggies? 

As a new mom I was clueless on which brand to go for and I know some people say Pampers are better for boys and Huggies for girls or vice versa. But really there’s no right or wrong diaper brand. It all comes down to what works best for your baby. I’ve been using Pampers diapers on Daniyal (my now 10 month old son) since day one. The baby dry ones for overnight and regular during the day. I’ve had a few messy leaky ones but just thought that’s just the way all diapers are. I like to fold the top inwards and then seal the sides. When I don’t, 70% of the time I get a leaky diaper to change. In that case, I always fold in the top. 

He’s now crawling, standing and getting into all kinds of adventures. Definitely a little mover 😉 Love the name of these huggies diapers by the way. My little mover put these huggies diapers to the test and here’s what we found:

FRONT

About Huggies Little Movers Diapers

Designed specifically for the way your baby moves.

DryTouch® Liner: absorbs moisture on contact, providing comfortable movement for your baby
Contoured Shape: ensures the diaper stays in place and moves with your baby
Double Grip Strips: Use your baby’s weight and movement to help keep the diaper in place and fasten at four points to provide your little one with an outstanding fit.

The Results (from using the diapers for 2 days)

DryTouch® Liner: There were no leaks, so it definitely does absorb moisture.
Contoured Shape: The shape is perfect! No need to fold in the top and tuck in. Stretches out enough to go around the waist.
Double Grip Strips: These strips are awesome! Not the regular strips that lose their stickiness when you accidentally stick it to the wrong place. Guilty.

So, will I purchase these diapers again? Yes. #IChooseHuggies

i choose huggies

Hum JK Blog Signature

Pin It