Recently in Travel Gear Category

Got a serious pint sized snob? Or maybe you're a Mom Snob and would accept nothing less - this Mini Burberry Carry On wheelie is right up your alley. How adorable is this? The signature plaid is printed with berry colored hearts. The case is made from PVC like most of their luggage and bags which is actually a good thing when it comes to luggage because as snobby as your tot may be, she is still a little rough around the edges when it comes to being perfectly delicate and precious with her belongings. When it says "mini" they mean it, this is teeny tiny at 16" high so strictly made for doll clothes only. At Neiman Marcus for $750.

Grab this and go for hours of fun and organized play. Sure, at home tots make a sport of finding crayons at the bottom of drawers, etc., it's part of their daily activity. But when they're out, major meltdown or constant whining ensues when she can't find "blue". Plus, when you're at a restaurant, you want something that is contained. Imagine spreading this out after dinner when grown ups are still chatting away, reluctant to end their rare night out. The backpack is made of waterproof laminated fabric in different designs and they are packed with a removable pocket pouch, 10 washable double-sided markers (thick & thin tips) and an activity book with sticker sheets. At Bumble Boutique for $39.

My husband would like to point out that your first vacation with your tots is not a vacation. Set your expectations of relaxing appropriately low to none (for example, you won't need to pack your novel). With the summer approaching, you are probably making elaborate plans to go to some fabulous far away destination. I have traveled A LOT with tots so I just want to help out those who have delusions and illusions of a 8 city European tour or some other itinerary equally nightmare inducing. But don't be alarmed, you can still have fun as long as you keep things simple and keep the following in mind.

Same City, Same Hotel - Do not try more than one destination. Stay in one place, whether it is a hotel or a friend or family's house.

Big City - Go somewhere that has an airport within an hour's drive. For example, do not take a connecting flight and then drive 3 hours once you land to get to your final destination.

Car Seats - By far this causes the most problems on a trip. There is no way around it, you need to bring your car seat. But DO NOT bring it on the plane with you, unless you have an infant and plan on getting a seat for him/her. For tots who are over 1 year, get the CARES Seat Belt, it allows you to turn the plane's seat belt into a 5-point harness. Check your car seat at check in. Make sure you have a travel bag for your car seat so you don't have to deal with the plastic trash bag the airline will give you.

Car Rental - Rent a car that is manufactured after 2001 to ensure it comes with the Latch system (I'm pretty sure most rental cars are newer than that). If you are traveling with another person, have that person take the shuttle to the rental office with the car seats and have it installed before coming back to pick you up at the curb. Trust me, you do not want to, A) get on that shuttle with all your luggage and your tots; or B) deal with installing car seats at the curb while the airport police is yelling at you to "MOVE". You can hang on to the luggage unless you have a tot who is already potty trained because you will not be able to run to the bathroom with a cart full of luggage.

Short Road Trip - For maximum enjoyment for all, the preferable first vacation should be a short distance road trip. No more than a 3, you can push it to a 4, hour drive. You can pack as much stuff as you want, no worries of car seats, you are in control of when you go and when you stop and you are in familiar surroundings. Make sure you have a full tank of gas and have all your errands done BEFORE you even back out of the driveway. Do not extend the trip by stopping for gas, snacks or coffee. The objective is to minimize the time spend in the car. If you have a potty trained tot, get a portable potty (I have the Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus, $14.99) for the car as well as some Travel John Jr.-Disposable Potty (6 pack for $9.99). You will save yourself a lot of grief if you can avoid accidents in the car or panicked searching for the nearest bathroom (which also eats up a lot of time).

Snacks - DO NOT forget the snacks! Always pack more than enough and for emergency bribing purposes, bring along treats that you normally don't give to your tots (candy and the likes). And water, too. TSA will allow water if you put it in a bottle or sippy cup.

Limited Activities - You will be less stressed out and the tots will be less cranky if you limit your activities in one day. If you do have a list of sights, do the most important one first because chances are, that will be the only one you'll get to. Keep in mind, museums are boring for tots and they tend to touch everything which is very stressful for you.

Early Mealtimes - If you normally eat dinner at 6pm, go to the restaurant at 5pm. You will miss the crowd and avoid meltdowns if the service is slow or run into some other hurdle that keeps food from hungry mouths.

Check Hours - This sounds obvious but do not miss this step. Check the hours of your destination, regardless of what it is. You think Legoland is open all the time? Wrong. Children's Museums tend to close early and are closed on some days. Whatever it is you are doing, call ahead, double check, look at their website - it takes a few seconds and will save your day.

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JFK with Trunki (hoping to wear them out, didn't work); Overcast but a beautiful view of Milan from our apartment

New York to Milan on a redeye. The risk associated with taking a redeye with tots does not justify the rewards, whatever those are. Saving a day? No, you are actually ruining 2 days. Our flight was at 6pm, the flight was 8 hours long, so best case scenario, say we slept the whole way, we still arrive at 2am New York time. A 6pm flight pretty much ensures that there will be no sleep and just the last 2 hours of the flight if any. Which is exactly what happened. But prior to falling asleep though, there was misery, for all on board. Tired but not tired enough to conk out means cranky incessant whining with actual crying sprinkled throughout. They were doing horrifying things: i.e. standing up on the seat facing the passengers sitting behind us and coughing right at them (I stretched my hand out to cover her mouth but not in time for that first spray); escaping her seat and clawing and crying and waking up passengers all along the aisle. I have often been complimented on how well my tots are on flights. Clearly not this time, they thought we were wolves.

We arrive with too much luggage (there were 5 of us, 3 adults and 2 tots) and 2 car seats. Cars in Italy are small. We called for a van but a small sedan arrived instead. We gave it a college try to get all people and luggage in the car, but we ended up leaving my husband behind at the airport with still more luggage for a return trip back. I couldn't leave a tot behind but both car seats would not fit, so I did the unthinkable (unthinkable if we were home), one sat on my lap. Milan Milpensa airport is an hour away from the city, and we arrived at 8am local time which means rush hour, so it took us about 80 minutes. Everyone smokes here, I am not sure if that was the cause but the car smelled like cigarettes and my older daughter got sick - car sick probably from the stop and go traffic and smell. I was afraid she would have an Exorcist moment but thankfully, it was just stomach slosh that came out. Luckily, I had a Travel John with me in case she did actually vomit.

We arrived at a friend's apartment we are staying while we're here; it is on Corso Italia, right in the center of the city. I was happy but delirious from not sleeping. Good thing I have a friend here who arrived a day earlier so she was in good shape to watch my one tot while I headed straight for the bed with the other. One long nap and a perfect meal later, I am recovered but wide-awake at 4am feeding the tots the dinner they didn't eat at dinner time. Let's see what tomorrow brings, our first full day in Milan. Oh, and there's not internet connection at the apartment so who knows when you will here from me again!

Day 2
Dylan's Candy Bar, Giant Piano in FAO Shwarz

I decided to spend the money on a car service so that we can get more done and have car seats. It was totally worth it!! The day was relaxing and we had the BEST time ever. No logistical nightmares to speak of. It allowed us to hit every place we wanted to go so to rationalize the expense I figured it would be cheaper than having to come back for a return trip. We even stopped by a street vendor for gyros and ate them in the car instead of having to stand on the street. Were were able to hop in and out and go anywhere we wanted without the headache of having to find parking (if we got your own car, which I would not recommend), getting in and out of cabs (no car seats), schlepping the entire gang through the subway, getting lost, walking endlessly, getting tired and cranky, carrying all the packages we acquired along the way and most of all, wasting time in transit. As you can see, Day 2 was A LOT more productive than Day 1 =)

FAO Shwarz - 767 5th Avenue, New York - (212) 644-9400
This is a must for tots. It's the biggest toy store in the world, and nicest!! They are known for their life size stuffed animals but they have it all. The Giant Piano (seen in the movie Big) is pretty much the most fun you can have. Don't miss the show, check for times because you do not want to miss that.

The exhaustion of Fashion Week has nothing on a weekend with tots in New York. I have been in NY by myself for a week for shows, meeting and showroom visits - like 10-12 appointments a day and I feel fine at the end of the day. My two tots and husband joined me Friday night and we spent the weekend together doing nothing but fun tots' stuff. Taking the subway to avoid cabs (no carseats!) and walking from one destination to another, along with tantrums, bathroom runs and settling fights between my 2 tots, is to say the least, draining and taxing. I spent a lot of time on this most amazing ultimate itinerary but it is very ambitious. We were not able to get to all of them because we either ran out of time or energy but I will share them all with you.

Day 1
The first day was spent all on the upper west side because that's where all the tots' stuff are. It was easy to enough (or so I thought) to take the subway up there and just walk around once there. Our first stop was the marionette show of Three Little Pigs at The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre at 79th St at West Drive, Central Park (212-988-9093). We walked from the 72nd St stop but we didn't realize this was IN the park so we got lost, did a lot of traversing back and forth and was 10 minutes late. You must make a reservation (by calling) but if you're late, they give the reservation away. Luckily, the lady at the door was nice enough to let us in but it was very difficult to find a seat in the dark. It was all worth it though, the show was super cute and everyone loved it. This is a very high quality production and the Swedish cottage was actually a cottage, very quaint and lovely.

In Eat, Pray, Love (yes, I'm reading that) the writer equates traveling with having children - it is a huge hassle but the joy and love of it makes it all worthwhile. So does that mean traveling with tots is ten times more joyous? Because it is ten times the hassle! I travel a lot with my tots and have found very helpful products to get me through it as breezily as possible. But nothing has been as fantastic as this, which does make traveling ten times more enjoyable - for you and your tot!! This ride on / pull along suitcase will make your time at the airport seem like an amusement park, to quote my daughter, "It is the mostest fun suitcase I ever had". And the bonus is of course, they are carrying their own stuff!!. There is a long strap for you to pull your tired tot or when he/she decides she wants to run now, you can easily pull it behind you or on your shoulder. Toys, books, snacks, extra change of clothes and DVD player all fit nicely in there but the inside is not lined, it is just the plastic of the case. There is a criss cross band that holds things in place. It is incredibly lightweight and very well thought out and designed. The latch has a lock so things don't accidentally spill out, but the key to the latch is on the strap so you'll never lose it. When you're at home (or hotel room), it acts as a ride on toy! The only downside is, tots over 48" will have a hard time scooting. The Trunki Harley the Ladybug Rolling Suitcase is $59.99 and Tipu the Tiger Rolling Suitcase at Amazon for $59.99. Solid colors are $49.99. Worth every penny, in fact, it's worth double!!

I have the Gogo Babyz toddler seat cruizer but for those with infant car seats, this will help you out. Maybe. Consider that you will still need a stroller at this age and most strollers have an attachment to hold the infant carrier seats so this might be redundant. But if you have 2 tots this might be the perfect solution for you. Put your older one in the stroller to avoid having 2 strollers. Whatever your situation, do not EVER try to carry the infant car seat through airports without assistance!! This is also a great alternative to attaching the seat to a stroller, it makes it more compact and it clicks in just as you would a stroller adapter. The Infant Cruizer Travel-All is a bit pricey at $149.99 so consider wisely.

Happy New Year!  As we celebrate a brand new decade, I would like to look back and recap on my favorite products from 2009.  These are things I cannot live without, some are luxuries but all of these make my life as a mommy better!

Beaba Baby Cook

One of the best inventions of all time!  We all want fresh and nutritious food for our tots, but who has the time?  This Beaba Baby Cook does all the work for you, just throw in the washed produce and it will steam and puree it for you.  This is not a luxury, it is a necessity!!  Beaba Baby Cook for $149.

Cares Child Restraint System

Do not even consider getting on a plane with a car seat unless you have a new born under 9 months.  This 5-point harness seat belt will save your sanity and make your travel actually pleasant!  For $74.95.

I thought Pediped Originals were the best things on earth until they came out with Pediped Flex for toddlers.  Super cute and incredibly comfortable.  The best part, the insoles that come out as your tot grows so you get extended wear by one whole size!  That is serious value because we all have barely worn shoes that were outgrown before they made it out the door. Prices range from $39-45 depending on style.

Right Bank Babies

Oh how I love this line!  Original, spunky and more style than my own wardrobe.  My tots always look their best while glowing with their own personalities in Right Bank Babies designs.  I have to stop though, they are starting to look like paid models for the line!

Chasing Fireflies - Best website ever!  You will find so many treasures from clothing to gear to unique toys.  The only problem is, they do not tell you the designers of their products are you are pretty much stuck buying from them.  Luckily, they have great customer service and their prices are great, with incredible sales!!  They take care of me so I just make my life easy by going to them first.

Nalgene Tritan Grip-N-Gulp BPA-Free Water Bottle - Best Sippy Cup!  I don't do spring cleaning, I do new years cleaning.  To start off a brand new year, I have to clear out everything I don't want or need, which includes all the sippy cups other than the Nalgene.  I still love Siggs for the road but for everyday use, this is the only leak proof sippy that does not have a thousand little valves and nozzles.  It has one.  Try it, I promise you will not look back. For $7.70.

Monica Rich Kosann Jewelry

Sentimental jewelry becomes even more special as a mom.  But you have to be careful because there are some really bad cheesy photo pendants and lockets.  Monica Rich Kosann is real precious jewelry, the details are exact and delicate for pieces that are worthy of a Jewel Snob.
Take a look at the collection.

Little Giraffe Blankets

I have a pile of blankets that is higher than the height of my closet.  And that pile pretty much stays untouched because the only blankets I end up using are the Little Giraffes.  They are soft, lightweight, thin and as comfortable as a cloud.  Hands down the best gifts for a baby shower.
At Layla Grayce for $78

Uppa Baby Stroller

I have 6 strollers so I know what I'm talking about.  This Uppa Baby is the best.  The reason I have so many strollers is because there was not ONE that fit all my needs.  Sometimes I'm going for a long walk so I need the performance of the Bugaboo, other times I need my Maclaren Volo for it's lightweight and easy collapse features for the New York subway.  Then there are those days you know your tot will fall asleep so you need one that reclines.  The scenarios are endless but this Uppa Baby seems to handle them all with ease. For $669.99 at Uppa Baby.

Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black)

I am pretty sure most parents already have the Flip but in case you don't, get one immediately.  You will never miss another YouTube moment every again with this tiny 2 oz HD camera that takes up less room in your bag than 2 tubes of lip gloss.  The picture quality is amazing, truly HD and easy easy easy to operate. And for $149.99, it is an easy sell.

Yeah, sure, this is not the cutest contraption out there but if you are tired of sweeping up every 5 minutes and having your car look like the bottom of a trash can, then like me, you won't care about aesthetics. We all have the Snack Trap, which is great for the responsible tots who really don't want to spill because all it does is prevent accidents. It does nothing for the 99% of normal tots who want to spill. Mine opens up the flaps and just dumps everything out because she can. The Munchie Mug does a much better job at keeping snacks in. There is a fabric opening which makes it nice and soft for little hands but also a real challenge to dump. The big slot handles on the sides make it easy to carry around and the big mug makes sure you have enough snacks for the entire trip! At Amazon for $15.95.