Sure, it was a bit rushed and crazy since we had to get a bigger tent the night before we left since camping attempt one was rough on us.

We booked last minute (within 48 hours) frequent flier mile tickets to Billings, MT.  We really needed to get in a few more trips before Wyeth turns 2 and this seemed like a reasonable way to use up miles before he diluted their value by requiring us to get a third seat.  Just over a month ago, United removed fees on last minute bookings using frequent flier miles, making this trip possible.  The availability of tickets shifted around and in evaluating the options for flying a number of cities around Yellowstone, these were the only ones available and they only became available 2 days before we wanted to leave. So off we went…

Alas, the new baggage fees hurt when you are traveling with kids.  The airlines have publicly stated that they want to cut down on excess baggage.  I think what they really wanted to do was cut down on the number of kids on the planes and the reduced weight in luggage was a bonus.  (Southwest Airlines does remain kid-friendly and does not charge for the first 2 checked bags.)

For the record, we lugged all of our stuff a mile down the street to public transportation (subway), which we took to the airport.  Each time we travel, this gets harder and harder and carrying camping gear did not help.

I estimate that we brought 150 lbs. of luggage in total.  The young lady in front of us, however, had individual bags over 70 lbs. so maybe we weren’t doing too badly.  Hopefully she had more than a week’s worth of stuff, unlike us. A bag over 50 lbs. is charged a $100 fee.   I do not understand why large suitcases are even sold anymore.  Our largest suitcase is 26*40″ (XXX – check this value) and it represents the maximum size.  Pack it full and it measures 50 lbs. +/- 5.  If it gets weighed like ours did on the way there, I took out 1 pair of jeans and the weight was under 50.  If the weight limit ever changes again, we will most likely get an appropriately miniature-sized suitcase.

So here’s the list:

• Item 1. Suit case – checked (50 lbs.)
  • Large suitcase – full of clothes more or less. Other random things thrown in include toiletries (contact lens solutions add weight!) and ~20% used for camping stuff.
• Item 2. Large duffle bag – checked (~35 lbs.)
  • REI Half Dome 4 tent (9 lbs.)
  • Sleeping bag
  • 2 camping pillows
  • 2 sleeping pads
  • Small camping stove (Jetboil), and some utensils
• Item 3. Graco – Pack ‘n’ play – checked 25-30lbs.
  • With last minute packing, there was random stuff like blankets and diapers stuffed in along the side too
• Item 4. Stoller – checked at gate
  • Peg Perego (Pilko P3 Classico – bought used and beat up already)… Veteran traveler – lost a handle on a flight a year ago, good for naps on the go and doubles as a decent feeding seat. Has a great sun/rain shade – key for being out and about. A bit heavy but travels pretty well.
• Item 5. Suitcase – carry-on size (~30 lbs.)
  • Diapers, books, camera bag
• Item 6. Backpack – carry-on
  • books – adult (not sure why we bothered…)
  • books – baby
  • diaper changer
  • extra diapers, wipes, snacks, water bottle
  • baby blanket and puppy
• Item 7. Handbag – carry-on
  • more food, snacks, water bottle, pens, baby passport
  • assorted crap

What might we do differently next time?

BABYBJÖRN Travel Crib

So the question is: how can we pack lighter?  Or how can we avoid more airline fees?  Along the same vein, what if we weren’t able to rent a huge four door car? Or if we had more kids, how would this work?

The pack ‘n’ play is brutally heavy and not easy to wheel (too awkward to rest well even on our biggest wheeled suitcase) or carry (nothing but a handle – no shoulder strap).  We would love to cut down the weight of this.  One of the best options out there seems to be the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light at about 7.5 lbs. that folds into a little briefcase-like bag.  We are continuing to research the choices and seriously considering this one as it sure looks better for plane travel. At $225 ,the price is steep but at least on Amazon.com, 60 of 73 reviews give it 5 stars (12 4’s and 1 3), which is promising.

Another option (that won’t change the fees, but will change the weight) is an umbrella stroller. We haven’t spent much time looking at those because we’ve already got some working wheels. For the time being.

New suitcases. They only last so long, especially the wheels.

Potty training. Diapers take up a LOT of room. One option is to buy the diapers at the other end, but somehow you always manage to carry quite a few (either on the way there or on the way back). Plus, it’s not something you want to be without (tip: put some in every bag in case one is lost!). We’ve got a bit of time yet, but having a potty-trained child will do wonders for the bulk in bags.

In the end, it’s hard not to pack a lot when traveling with a kid… or more than one kid! They need extra clothes, a couple toys, books, shoes, blanket, etc., and that’s not really ever going to change. Maybe someone will start a family-friendly airline…

No related posts.

pee all over your leg and shirt is never really a good thing

but

a few days ago I could not really complain so it was worth a good laugh.

At this point you have to wonder how I could “not really” complain with a lap full of pee.  I think this really starts on the ninth floor of Priceline-selected random hotel choice of the Crowne Plaza, the tallest building in Billings, Montana, at 6:30 in the morning.  After a week of traveling in Montana on a much needed very last minute vacation/camping trip (more details in a later post), we were ready to head home.

Camping with a little one and last minute travel planning did not lead to a large amount of eating for one week and on our last night we had gorged on pizza.  Not sure if it was the pizza or something else, but at 6:30 a.m. and under two hours to go to our flight, neither Lena or I thought that we would be getting out of bed.

A little bit of the spins, must pack stuff up, sit down on floor, don’t forget the baby and what ever he stuffed under the bed and the couch, remember to take the sugar tray and coffee mugs out of the trashcan, lay on floor, must get to car and get to airport and clean car, and wipe down the leather seats coated in baby food and splatters of whole milk.

Neither of us felt like standing but Wyeth was ready to go, full of energy, and wanting to run around.  The first flight was pretty good to Chicago; we bought one muffin before the flight in hopes that it would quell the nausea and Wyeth gobbled up the whole thing, oh well.  Of course the smaller planes don’t have diaper changers so we just waited it out for 2 hours.

No worries, made it to Chicago.

Much worse feeling than in Montana, we had an hour to naviagate over 4 terminals in O’Hare airport.  Having been our home base for 5 years, we knew our way around which was nice.  The 10 minute walk took us about 40 minutes and involved 2 rest stops to let things settle down, bathroom stops, and a diaper change, plus 1 stop at Jamba Juice for some overly smooth fruit something-wild-boost (parents thought it was so-so, Wyeth slurped it down).

Alright just another 1.5 hour flight to D.C. and we can lay down and not get up for a day or two.  Get on the plane, close the door and we hear, “Hi, this is the captain speaking, the pressure in the strut is kinda low so a mechanic is going to repressurize and check things out.  Should take 10 minutes.”  Wyeth immedietly tests his screechiest voice a few times to ensure that everyone knows where we are sitting.  A few hard kicks to the seat in front and a few head bangs on the wall and it looks like it could be trouble for us.  15 minutes later, “Flight attendents disarm doors”. Oh boy.

Lena, a bit green in the face, nods off, but Wyeth is having a great time.  Not sure if it’s a guy thing but he really loved that Sky Mall catalog.  Over the nearly 3 hours it took for us to get to D.C., he was happy as could be ripping every page out one by one and sitting rather still in my lap.  There was that nagging worry that having a lap child with his diaper  hard to the touch in every spot but we were in the window seat and would have to get through a sleeping mom and some random slightly-grumpy-for-having-to-ride-near-us buisnessman to get to the aisle.

Wyeth is having a fabulous flight, happy as can be, looking out the window, ripping up the magazine, eating a few snacks, drinking water.  We hold tight until 10,000 feet and descending through the clouds over D.C.: the rain starts.  It looks sunny with nice white fluffly clouds but for some reason I am starting to feel really warm in my lap.  A few moments latter I realize that I am soaked and Wyeth is sitting there calm and as happy as can be.  Nothing to done but just hang out and look out the window.

Overall a great flight, we didn’t even make any enemies (that businessman said Wyeth was the “number one baby” he’d ever flown with) and Wyeth was given the little plastic flight wings so that he could attempt to poke his eye out, for being so good.

On the whole, no complaints. Where to next, because we plan to keep traveling with kids and flying with kids and hopefully get in a few more flights with a lap child before we have to cough up for another seat?

No related posts.

Calvert Marine Museum

What to do with a one-year-old on a muggy, stormy day? Dave suggested an old standby: the Calvert Marine Museum down in Solomons Island.  The museum is a 1-1.5 hour drive out of DC down route 4 in Calvert County, Maryland.

Why we like it:

Otters. There is an outdoor (though shaded) otter habitat where you can watch two river otters cavorting about. What was extra cool about this visit was that right behind us, in the water around the docks, were three wild otters swimming about! We spotted them snuffling around on the far part of the dock itself, but then watched them swish through the reeds and play under the docks. So cool!

Some lucky kids (and adults) seemed to be able to check out the staff feeding the otters. We will look into this in the future.

Boats! The museum has a big boat collection both on the water and in a giant shed. You can’t climb in them but you can see them up close. There are also boats inside that you can get a look at from the second floor/catwalk area.

Aquarium. This is one of Wyeth’s faves, and a big reason for us to go. There are some smaller displays of seahorses and little fish, and a snakehead (ack!), as well as some jellyfish. The big draw is the larger tank of bigger local fish. Wyeth also liked the stuff duck.

Fossils. Who doesn’t like big bony models of aquatic creatures hanging from the ceiling? There was a spooky shark video playing too…

The Discovery Room. This place rules. There is a little-kid-sized lighthouse (with a blue light inside) with three steps to climb. An active toddler’s dream come true… There is also a little play house with some wooden “cookies” and a tin and a little chair and a window. Too fun! There are some not-so-clean looking dress-up clothes – a good wash and they’d be fine. There is also a real boat you can climb in with a very cool mural of sailboats behind it – makes for good photos – and some sailor hats. Finally, there’s a tank full of terrapins and conch and other sea friends and a staff member there to tell you about them.

We didn’t check out the upstairs part… next time?

The stingray tank. Wyeth loved this – he could perch on the edge and watch the rays go round and round. It’s cool that you can see them from above on one side, or up closer if you walk around the pool.

The lighthouse. Can explore the different rooms and see the set-up that the lighthouse keeper and family had. Our favorite part, even though it’s hot and stuffy, is the light itself and the view of the bay. We also like the deck around the lighthouse. Doesn’t look like such bad digs!  This is not the most infant/toddler friendly lighthouse unless you are comfortable climbing up ladder-like stairs and going through a relatively small hatch in the floor.

Some drawbacks to keep in mind:

$7 admission… but under 5 is free! Yay for free toddlers and preschoolers who have limited attention spans!

There is very slow turnover on the main exhibits, on the order of years.

Overall:

All in all, the CMM is a manageable size – not overwhelming like many larger museums. There’s also enough to do that even kids (and parents) with short attention spans will be able to enjoy the variety of exhibits.

Related posts:

1. Traveling with Kids (always a journey)

Kissing doggie

I will just begin by saying that I never would have purchased My Bag without some good reasons to. Its $80 price tag is very very steep for something used for and by a baby.  That said, when we pulled this thing out of the box, Wyeth started doing his version of oohing and aahing (uuuh uuuh UUUH!). He loves the doggie face on the side. For a week, every time he saw it, he would crawl over and kiss it. That alone is enough to make me give the bag an extra chance! Also, it arrived right before Wyeth was going to start daycare for the first time, and thus became The Daycare Bag.

Pros:

• Roomy! We can fit a package of diapers, changes of clothes, a little lunch cooler, shoes, etc. I’m frazzled enough remembering everything that has to go to daycare, so fitting it all in one bag is super. It’s also definitely big enough for a trip being the size of a standard medium sized duffel bag.  The bag is sufficient size that we could see it being useful in a year or two when he has to carry his own bag.
  

  Ready for daycare!

• Sturdy handles big enough to sling over my shoulder (a little tighter on dad, but doable).

• An outside mesh pocket. Not particularly snug – things can fall out – but I like it to drop my keys and phone in when I carry him to and from his classroom. This prevents him from getting the keys and I don’t end up putting them deep into the bag.

• Comes with accessories – little drawstring bags for “dirty pants” (I think this is the Canadian way of saying underwear…), “sleepy”, “clean”, “stinky”, and “shoes”, two mini insulated cooler packs for snacks and first aid/toiletries, and a toddler size pillow with fleece cover and a matching fleece blanket. We have found that we haven’t used any of that stuff yet, but Wyeth did like throwing things in and out of the bag… I do like small drawstring bags for travel, especially with kid-sized clothes, so I expect those will come in handy.  We’ll see if the bag and accessories make the cut for our next adventure and update accordingly.

• Place to write the child’s name inside. *see below

• Kid appeal – again, when Wyeth was kissing the bag every time he saw it, I felt like Kushies had clearly hit on something good!

• Has a handle at one end for quick grabbing, or, I suppose, dragging?**

• Nice size for resting on top of a bigger parent suitcase on wheels.

• Big enough that you could probably check it without it disappearing.

• Zip pockets at both ends with gussets (love gussets!) so goodies or favorite toys or blanket can be accessible without spilling out all over.

• Construction seems pretty sturdy, including feet on the bottom to keep it off the ground.

Cons:

• Price! Good gracious, I’ve never spent this much on a duffel! Granted, it comes with accessories, but $80?!

• No shoulder strap. Wouldn’t use it all the time, but it would be nice to have the option, especially when carrying a lot of luggage.

• A little big for a kid to carry him/herself but maybe if the kid grows things will work out in the future.

• The cooler packs are a bit on the small side – can’t really fit a sippy cup, which is usually what I want to keep cool. Ideal for string cheese though.

• *Should sew in a light-colored label for this – can barely see the name!

• **The bottom is not reinforced, so extensive dragging (as a preschooler might end up doing in an airport, for example) could take its toll.

All in all, despite the price, this bag is worth considering if you’re willing to invest in a larger, sturdy, duffel-style bag for your child.

We’re able to give out a discount code if you’re interested in checking out My Bag or other Kushies gear (we like their diaper liners inside cloth diapers). Usedragem10 to get 10% off at http://www.kushiesonline.com/.

Related posts:

1. Kokopax baby carrier review: one SWEET ride
2. Skip Hop Pronto review: A high priority travel accessory

Try 1. Life jacket = screams

We went to a local West Marine and decided to check out all the life jacket options.  There were probably about 6 different types in the life jacket aisle, from Dora the Explorer to the generic specials. We took him out of the stroller and tried on every single one, hoping to find something that would work. He screamed and yelled. Every single time. In hindsight, I am not really sure what we were expecting — we were strapping him up in 3-inch-thick foam, sitting him on the floor, where he would look up dazed for one second with his arms straight out to the side, attempt to crawl and then topple over backwards and roll to his side, at which point all he could do was flail his limbs and let us know how he felt.  And let us know he did. I think he let every person in the aisle, store, parking lot and town know that he was not a fan of this shopping trip.

Hoping that one of these large foam straight jackets would be better than the rest (less screaming and flailing?) we just had to try them all on.  More or less the same result every time. We gave up and I had to carry him around the store for a while to ‘cool off’.   There was a cool neoprene water skiing life jacket on the other side of the store but we didn’t even try it.  I was wondering why it didn’t come with water skis and if he would actually be able to water ski if he couldn’t even stand up.  I’m glad we don’t have a super advanced kid who wanted to go water skiing before the age of 1 because that life jacket cost about $75 more then the regular ones.

After 45 minutes of strapping him into life jackets, screaming, pacing around the store to cool him off, we were ready to make our decision.  Aggh, let’s just get the cheapest, thinnest one and be on our way!

Done.

Try 1.  Going swimming wearing this thing is not much better than trying them on in the store.  Scream away, pause look at the water and the swimming dog, remember that he is still strapped in the life jacket and scream away, look at water, scream, repeat until the life jacket is off 5 minutes later.  See picture above.

Try 2. Trick him at the local pool where he is able to crawl in himself and get him to wear the jacket for a bit in the water. Maybe he’s a big bigger?

Try 3.  A month later and things have actually gotten better.  We were able to take him in the water swimming off the end of the dock and I took him out in a little fat kayak.  It really was a pleasant surprise, no screams and maybe even a hint of enjoyment.  We were on the water maybe 10-15 minutes, nothing major but maybe… Overnight kayaking trips anyone? Mom?

Kayaking with kid

No related posts.

Skip hop pronto diaper bag field testing

One thing is inevitable when you are traveling with kids: a major diaper mess.  And since you are traveling, the diaper messes will be bigger and grosser and more of a pain to deal with than anything you could expect.  This diaper changer has been with us every time we have headed out the door since month 1.

This diapering accessory is sleek and small and gets the job done without having to schlep the whole house.  This thing folds up small and typically goes inside a larger diaper bag so you can still pack half the kid’s room and extra clothing.  It’s the escape pod of diaper bags that still docks at the mother ship.  And really, who wants to bring along a big bag into a potentially grody bathroom.  This thing is about as manly as you can get for diaper duty; it’s the modern briefcase of diaper changers.

What exactly is this this thing you ask?

• Fold out diaper changing pad with a little head pad.
• Storage for ~1/4 bag of wipes
• Storage pocket that holds a few disposable diapers or 1 cloth diaper

That is it.  A small diaper bag that can be tucked under you arm for changing the baby on the go.

Diaper changes on the go, dad tested and approved

We have now field tested this in many locations including:

• airport bathroom, airport bathroom, airport bathroom, etc. …
• airplane lavatory (and you really don’t want to bring anything extra in there)
• airplane lavatory without changing table.  This involved a quick maneuver on the back of the toilet seat.  Just make sure you know what you are doing, move quick, and get the job done.  In such tight quarters, avoiding a pee stream would be impossible, so move fast.
• back of car
• Amtrak train
• back of rental car by the side of the road in a random town in Mexico
• picnic benches (on the bench not table part, of course)
• Vince Lombardi service station on NJ Turnpike (among many others)

Our Skip Hop Pronto has made it out the door on any excursion where a diaper change is a possibility.

Quality

One thing that I would like to see is a higher quality zipper for the wipe compartment.  Otherwise this thing is well made and takes abuse as it should.  For $30 and free shipping it easily makes our top 10 list.

Durability?

After a few months of use, the outside stitching was coming undone on one side.  A quick email to Skip Hop and we mailed the item back and got a replacement a week or so later.  While we did have to go over a week without the Skip Hop Pronto we appreciated the fast customer response.  The ‘new’ changer has been with us for over 6 months and been on many major excursions and we have had no problems with the stitching or elsewhere.

Like the other items (and advice) on our website, we could care less if you purchase this.  If ours gets lost, destroyed, or  stolen, we will be buying our own replacement pronto.

Bonus Mom-endorsement:

It also fits under most strollers and has a convenient loop strap with a clasp that can fit over the handle of an umbrella stroller or around your wrist for when you don’t want to carry a larger diaper bag. It’s small and light enough to tote along when you are carrying baby in a backpack too – and even has a pocket on the outside for incidentals like a credit card, cash, keys, etc.

Top quality reviews

• none
  

Medium quality reviews

• A decent short pronto diaper bag review
• and one other short viewpoint review of the skip hop pronto
• Joggingstroller.com has a 2 paragraph review on the pronto

User reviews

• For the best collection of user review buzillion has over 75 reviews of the skip hop pronto

Related posts:

1. Kushies My Bag review – Heading off to daycare!
2. Kokopax baby carrier review: one SWEET ride
3. Travel blankets (and swaddling, snuggling, drool-mopping, cool-looking blankets too!)

No camels yet, but we’ll get there.

When you travel with a friend, you often encounter aspects of that person that you didn’t necessarily plan to see. It’s hard to hide your irritability when you haven’t slept, showered, or eaten more than digestive biscuits in more than 72 hours. Or when you are afflicted with some sort of stomach virus that has things coming out of you with startling and sometimes terrifying force, in a small bathroom in a strange city in the middle of the night. No matter how strong you think you are, you give in to the love of a real friend — and a real friend is NOT going to abandon you in these hours of need, but will gamely feed you sips of Sprite and know that it is likely his or her turn next.

People have said to us, “Wow, I could never do that” (for “that”, insert travel for five months in Asia with two backpacks filled mostly with classic books we skipped over in high school, walk up a Himalayan mountain to volunteer at a school with no phone or email, endure an overnight bus ride with no A.C. and a drunken businessman-turned-monk chatting  away all night, or sleep on the floor of a restaurant when there were no rooms to be found at 2 a.m. during a festival in India). We never thought we could either, but what else can you do when you are on a budget and off the beaten path? When you are with your best friend, truly anything is possible.

We need to mention, however, that it’s not just about the person who is your life partner. We dragged a classy, well-bred comrade along to visit another dear friend in a small town in El Salvador, not exactly a major tourist destination. Aside from a few emergency trips to the bathroom, he had a blast hitch-hiking in the back of a liquor truck, drinking fruit smoothies out of plastic bags, climbing a dusty, windy volcano escorted by armed guards (federal law due to too many ladrones), and swimming in an huge, clear crater lake next to an old lovely hotel, empty except for us.

Juice in a bag!

Traveling with a friend means you can take advantage of strengths and balance out weaknesses. Dave has an amazing ability to create a mental map of wherever we are going, but won’t remember much more than the first letter of the name of the place. My sense of direction is abysmal, but I can easily recall the place name (correctly spelled) and several landmark names along the way. Dave reads the guidebook and makes a rough trip outline on the plane (and memorizes the maps in half a glance), while I prefer to catch up on pop culture via the scintillating airline magazine. When it’s my turn with the book, though, I pore over the tips, “what to watch out for”, and (my favorite) the first aid section… and I remember to pack the toothbrush. Between us, we make sure that we know where we are going, when we might arrive, the name of the best bakery, and what insects might bite us along the way (and what to do when they do).

So, our advice is: TRAVEL with each other. If you don’t have kids yet, spin the globe, buy the ticket and GO. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is once you get going and how inexpensive it can actually be with just a very little bit of planning. Travel teaches you to be flexible, dirty, and happy all at once. Kind of like being a parent. In our minds, then, traveling with kids is just the next step.

Related posts:

1. Traveling with Kids (always a journey)
2. Update on traveling website

Enter Aden & Anais and their muslin wraps.

When I saw these I instinctively snapped them up and have been glad I did! And I have given them to every new parent friend since (5 sets and counting). (And now that the Aden & Anais blankets are on Amazon, the full range of patterns is easy to get, and sometimes there are slight discounts.)

Why I think they’re fabulous:

• They come in four-packs 
  • 1 for plane and carseat
  • 1 for bedding
  • 1 extra for everything else, like wiping various goobers
  • 1 clean one at home
  • (they also come in singles and 2-packs, in case you don’t want 4! or need some extra)
• They wash well and they just keep getting softer without falling apart.  These really are the softest baby blanket we have found.
• They pack small… but…
• They aren’t small.
  • They are big enough to cover you while nursing without making you and baby too hot.
  • They’re big enough for a larger kid to sleep under.
• They have cool patterns (nice change from doggies, truckies, flowers, and such, plus helps hide those aforementioned goobers).
• You can wear it one as a scarf or shawl if needed (try that with a pink fuzzy mini-blanket with satin edges). Especially good for the plane or emergency parent sunburn protection.
• They are the perfect size to cover the bottom of a pack’n’play or travel bed or most of an unfamiliar crib mattress. Great for bringing a little bit of home to a new place.
• They work as sun shields in the car (just wrap the corners around headrest posts) – flexible, huge, not too dark and hot, fun for peekaboo (at least the first 3,052 times).
• They are big enough to cover a stroller completely as a sleep-inducer, or a complete or partial sun shade.

A note on swaddling:
We loved these for swaddling when Wyeth was a newbie and it was HOT. We didn’t feel like he was a little sweaty over-baked burrito and he stayed put, snoozing away, because he couldn’t fling his little arms around. I’d imagine they’re great for cold-weather swaddling too because they are so soft and cozy. Also worked nicely for legs-only swaddling – he couldn’t unravel the blanket, but it also didn’t have to be too tight. Once he started to sleep sans swaddle, I felt good about having a lightweight, breathable blanket in bed with him – we usually folded it a few times so he wouldn’t get tangled when he wiggled around. Now that he’s a bigger dude, he loves to flop around on the blanket and usually ends up sleeping with it stuffed underneath him. It’s light enough, though, that we can often extract it and cover him once he’s sleeping soundly. Finally, it’s good for teething – Wyeth chews and tugs and drools profusely on it and it has stood that test well!

Aden & Anais have some more gear

• winter weight blankets
• “dream” blankets
• towels
• washcloths
• sleepsacks

I can’t vouch for these but if I had spare cash or more room in the blanket box, I’d go for it.

˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜

An additional option:

I need to put in a word for Mr. Bobbles Blankets as well. This is the familiar flannel receiving blanket gone jumbo (and jumbo-er if you buy the toddler size) and comes in funky fabrics, all chosen and manufactured by a mom-owned small business.

They work beautifully as a lightweight, packable, warmer layer.
Mr. Bobbles’ Blankets also makes absolutely fantastic play yard sheets.

Top quality reviews

• About.com review of Aden & Anais blankets by Robin Weiss
  

Medium quality reviews

• The Aden and Anais website links to all reviews, most are all similar about 2 paragraphs long and link to the product or discuss a giveaway that has expired
  

User reviews

• Amazon has the user reviews (35) 30-5’s, 4-4’s, 1-3

Related posts:

1. Skip Hop Pronto review: A high priority travel accessory

One of the most important pieces of gear you can have for traveling is something to carry your baby in. We’ve tried a few and all have their merits, but for our ever-growing little man, the Kokopax is a clear winner.  Great for a very light pack that looks good while walking around town.  We are going to try out the Tough Traveler child carrier for more serious hiking.  While the Kokopax made it 5 miles this weekend, it leaves a bit to be desired on longer walks.

We first looked at back carriers at REI and while there were a number of choices, everything seemed huge and heavy even before inserting our son.  Not to mention 417 straps and possible adjustments.  Our combined educations were not enough to figure out how to get the baby in a comfy position.  Are people buying these things to climb Everest?  What are you supposed to do if you want to throw the kid in and go get milk?  We searched the web desperately for a back carrier “like the kind we rode in in”.  Turns out that was a Gerry carrier, and someone else had the same idea, and did something about it!

So here we go:

The Kokopax classic carrier

Pros:

• Baby loves it. Loves. It.
• Baby can see the world! He can turn his head without effort. He’s also getting a higher-up view of the world than in his stroller – no exhaust fumes, doggie tongues, or people leaning suddenly down into his face.
• The only comfortable way to carry a small, not-yet-walking person in the rain! All I need is a big umbrella and we’re off!
• No wrapping, winding, strapping, or adjusting needed. Pop the kid in and go!
• Easy to adjust the harness for babe. Has three height settings.
• Easy to buckle baby in without poking or pinching him.
• Easy to adjust the shoulder straps and hip rest for the grown-up (thus making it easy for someone else to take a turn carrying your child).
• Cool fabric patterns and colors – works for casual use or at a wedding and a nice break from cutesy baby prints.
• Not made for hiking but works for decently long rides (for both wearer and passenger).
• Comfortable for baby. (Wyeth can’t explain this to us, but he can definitely show us. He rides in the Kokopax MUCH longer than he would tolerate anything else. He’s even been known to sing! “wowowowowowoooooow wow wow wowwwww”) Enables him to lean back, stand up to look over our shoulders, reach over the front or side as needed, and sleep.
• Harness is situated in a secure yet comfortable location for baby. We find he’s not strapped it too tight and doesn’t have buckles poking him, but he still can’t fling himself out.
• Room for baby to snack or play or “read” a little book.
• Weighs about 2.7 pounds (this is great and about half of what other carriers weigh)!
• Carries a child up to 35 pounds.
• Has a sturdy kickstand so you can put a little person in and take him/her out without risk of toppling.
• Doubles as a seat for eating on the go. This is no small feat – our guy is a mover and a shaker and he’s willing to chill out and have a snack in this thing.
• Has a pocket (with a cute button!) on the back to contain the harness strap-ends and maybe a diaper and some wipes or a snack.
• Comes with a carry bag/cover.
• Has a tie and a ring on the inside to attach Kokopax-brand accessories or your own.
• There’s a discreet little loop on the left shoulder – perfect for clipping your keys. Could surely be used to rig up a little mirror (like those fancy hiking packs), dangle your cell phone or camera from a strap, or stash an emergency mini Hershey bar for yourself.

Disclaimer on the “cons” list: many of these are things that could perhaps make the carrier slightly more comfortable for longer wear; however, what makes this thing SO GREAT is that there are absolutely no extra dangly straps or sharp plastic bits hanging off it. When placing a squirmy child in a carrier and picking him up, this is a huge benefit.

Cons:

• This thing costs serious money… not the ~$30 that the old school models used to cost.
• Yes, you read that right: $179.99. Nope, not cheap.
• No chest strap.  We have talked about adding one.
• No waist straps.
• The shoulder strap padding might start to get “flat” with heavy use? (Whatever, I’d buy it again…)
• Can’t ball up and toss under the stroller like a soft carrier. It is so light, however, that you can carry it anyway.
• No accessible grown-up pockets or attachments. Again, however, this is not a hiking pack and if I have to go somewhere on a longer outing, I just carry the diaper bag anyway.
• Can’t easily wash the cloth part. (It can be spot cleaned, but with a little teether chewing and drooling on the side, plus sunscreen weather, plus playground sand, plus occasional cracker consumption, the poor carrier is up against a serious mess onslaught.)
• You might never use your stroller again.

Maybe Kokopax will come out with a washable model, or a heavy duty use model, or even a hiking model. I think I would still buy this scaled down, super-lightweight version though.

When I walk around town with it, people ask about it constantly and comment to Wyeth on how he’s “got it made”. It even fits in the top of one of those two-tier shopping carts at Trader Joe’s and Wyeth stays in it! I assume you’ll be seeing more of these around as they make their way into more stores and continue to get more rave reviews. Count us among the growing legion of Kokopax fans!

Related posts:

1. Kushies My Bag review – Heading off to daycare!
2. Skip Hop Pronto review: A high priority travel accessory

Wow.

We came home early so that everyone could nap in the afternoon.

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, a short drive from D.C., has bear warning signs up all over the place and tips for what to do with trash and food so as not to attract unwanted attention.  I don’t think that we could have guessed that by heading into the woods our little one would turn into a bear.

Always nice to have a helping hand setting up the tent, especially when it's my dad!

We spend the night trapped in a tent with a mini caged bear occasionally searching for milk.  Every 45 minutes he would wake up, sit bolt upright, paw the side of cage (tent), and lunge around until he circled the tent two or three times touching every edge and every one of the 15 sq. feet of sleeping space.

Thankfully, he slept peacefully for the final 4 hours of the night laying across the top of my head wedged into the upper left corner of the tent.  We managed to make it through one night with only minor injuries including a bruised lip, bruised head, and little sleep.

At this point, we might have to buy another tent before we go out camping again.  The bear can have his tent, the parents will get the new one.

Rrraaarrr!

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