Free Dining at Walt Disney World, Florida

We are still on a Mickey-Mouse high after our Disney experience this summer in Paris.  We made amazing memories together as a family.  While we were staying at Disney we made the most of our dining plan and the girls loved being able to choose their favourite meals in the resort restaurants.  This autumn, if you book a 2016 Walt Disney World Resort holiday, you could make the most of their 2016 Free Dine offer and, to celebrate, Walt Disney World sent the girls the wherewithall to make their most favourite meal of all - spaghetti bolognaise!

It doesn't matter where in the world we are, or how fussy the girls are feeling, both Lara and Holly will always opt for spaghetti bolognaise if it is on the menu!  Across Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, there are over 450 places to dine across a phenomenally wide range of cuisines so there is bound to be something to suit everyone's tastes.  To bring the Disney dining experience into our own home we cooked the girl's their favourite meal and served in some exclusive Disney Store cookware!

We sprinkled our spaghetti bolognaise with grated cheddar cheese.  But did you know that more than 89 varieties of cheese are used by Disney theme park and resort chefs to help serve up some of the 55 million meals that are served annually in the parks?

Our home Disney dining experience was great fun.  If you'd like to experience Walt Disney World Florida's food offering first hand then you can currently dine for free if you book before the 3rd November.  As part of the Walt Disney World Resort Free Dine Offer, a family of four people could save upto £1000 on a 7 day holiday.  Full terms and conditions are available at www.disneyworld.co.uk.

Top Tips for Travelling to Disneyland Paris

A couple of weeks ago, we took the girls on a very special surprise trip to Disneyland Paris.  We all ABSOLUTELY loved it and I'm so glad we took them.  Lara, who is 6, had a brilliant time on all of the rides and was in awe of some of the more adventurous roller-coasters (though not brave enough to try) - she still felt the Disney magic.  Her little sister, Holly, is 3 years old - she coped brilliantly well with the amount of walking and queuing we had to do.  Holly's big eyes for the entire trip showed how much she loved the Disneyland atmosphere.

A trip to Disneyland doesn't come cheap and lots of people have asked me, in the past couple of weeks, for my thoughts on various elements of the trip so I thought I would share my top tips for making the most of your time at Disneyland Paris.

For reference, we stayed for 3 nights at the Sequoia Lodge hotel which is on-site (around a 15 minute walk away from the parks).  We traveled from Heathrow by plane and took the bus from the airport.  We booked a half-board plus meal plan.

1. Take Water Bottles

We saved ourselves a lot of money on drinks by taking drinking bottles with us on our journey.  There are free water fountains at lots of places throughout the two parks where you can top-up.  Drinks aren't extortionately expensive in the parks, but over a series of days, the price of buying water or soft drinks could add up so we drank water during the day and saved ourselves for dinner time!

2. Use your Magic Hours

If you choose to stay in a Disney hotel your park tickets entitle you to two additional hours in the Disneyland park each morning before it opens to the general public.  We forced ourselves up out of bed early to make sure we could eat breakfast in time to head over to the park for 8am when the crowds were at their smallest and the queues at their shortest.  Not all areas of the park are open, and only limited rides are open but each morning we managed to get on more rides during those two hours than we did for the whole of the rest of the day!  Disney characters are also available in the park at these times for Meet and Greet experiences (but the queues are still quite long).

3. Avoid the crowds

We travelled to Disneyland Paris in August which is the busiest time of year. Ride queues were still bareable but the volume of people in the park was unbelievable!  I'm not good with crowds and the girls aren't good with queues so, during the late afternoons when the parks were at their busiest we chose to return to our hotel for a nap.  Not only did this give the girls a chance to rest and recoup but it meant that by the time we were ready to go out again, the crowds were beginning to leave.  We also found that the hotel pool was deserted during the day.

4. Rainy Days can be Fun Days

If you've spent thousands of pounds on a holiday to Disneyland you can't let poor weather ruin your trip.  We knew that our holiday was going to have mixed weather with incredibly hot days, and incredibly wet days.  Our one wet day was one of our best!  We were well prepared with full waterproof outfits (waterproof trousers are a must on outdoor rides!) but we forgot to take waterproof shoes!  The crowds were MUCH smaller on our wet day and we managed to get onto so many rides during the morning and evening.  We did also try to visit the hotel swimming pool which was fun, but very busy!

5. Think carefully about Meal Plans

There is absolutely no doubt that a meal plan is the cheapest way to eat at Disneyland Paris IF you intend to eat in the restaurants.  There are LOTS of places to eat both inside the parks and in the Disney Village, as well as each of the Disney hotels.  We chose a half-board meal plan which gives you a voucher each day that can be used in a fixed set of restaurants for either lunch or dinner.  We chose to pay a little extra for the 'plus' option which meant that we had a much bigger range of restaurants to choose from.  The hotel buffet was great but we chose to eat out at other places each night.  The food standards were good but the Meal Plan vouchers limited us to a fixed menu with only a little choice.  If you've got fussy eaters in your family, you could struggle.  Likewise, if you want to try a more adventurous menu, or one of the more well-known or popular restaurants, a Meal Plan might limit you.

The best thing about our meal plan was our additional daily voucher for a 'pause gourmande' which was a small free sugary snack and a soft drink each afternoon (between 3-6pm) in the parks.  For us, the total value of the snack each day would have been over 21 euros so this was a nice little perk to get us through until dinner time.

6. Book your own travel

My biggest money saving tip is to take a look at other travel options when you book.  Even if you book your tickets and accommodation through the Disneyland Paris website, do quickly check on the train and plane websites before defaulting to the travel options that Disney provide.  I got quotes for British Airways and Air France through the Disney website and then checked directly on each of their own websites - the difference in price was significant.  I saved around £1000 on flights by booking directly with BA.

A trip to Disneyland Paris is wonderful fun - we all thought it was fun and has given us some brilliant family memories.

Holiday of a lifetime aka "What I spend my money on"

We've just got back from a few days away on a truly magical family holiday to Disneyland Paris.  We have smiled, laughed, swum, sung, danced, hugged, rollercoastered (is that a word?) and eaten.  The girls smiled and giggled and their eyes were wide with wonder for the whole journey.  It was a wonderful family holiday and I'm so glad we decided to take Lara and Holly who were a brilliant age for their visit.  Our holiday to Disneyland Paris was a little bit of a last minute decision and a frivolous use of money but we knew that with a bit of sensible usage of our credit card, we could afford this holiday of a lifetime.

For us, a credit card isn't a way of creating money we don't really own.  We don't use it as a long term loan (there are far cheaper ways of borrowing money!)...Instead we use it to help us consolidate our monthly bills into one place AND, in this case, we use it to help us manoeuvre our big outgoings (such as holidays) so that we can pay them once we, ourselves, have been paid, or once we've managed to withdraw savings.

For our holiday of a lifetime, Mr. B. and I had been saving already for some months and had put some money aside for a bit of a summer holiday splurge.  We just weren't quite sure what we were going to splurge on, and only decided on Disneyland less than a week before we traveled.  Some of our savings accounts and investments require a little bit of time to get hold of the money (although instant-access is far more normal these days) so we didn't actually have all of the funds available when we purchased our holiday.  For this reason, we paid for our holiday on our credit card, knowing that by the time the bill has been generated, we'll have collated all the money we need to pay it off.

We also used our credit card a lot while we were on holiday.  We only took a few small notes of Euros with us for emergencies but in the end we actually used our credit card to pay for gifts and meals while were were away.  These days, most credit cards simply apply an exchange rate to your overseas transactions so in fact, it is an extremely stress-free way of shopping abroad (but check with your credit card provider before you travel to make sure you understand what types of overseas transactions you might be charged for).  

Being able to put our spending onto our credit card while we were away has meant that we didn't need to have cash available before we traveled - we can wait until we get paid before paying off our credit card in full.  It is also a comfort to have your card with you on holiday just in case of any unplanned spending in the event of an emergency; a hotel for the night or an alternative form of transport home!  For us, it was a complete new set of shoes after ours were all ruined from walking all the way around Disneyland in the pouring rain!

Using a credit card carefully and with a full understanding of your own spending limits can give you a lot of freedom for when and how you pay for things but it does require self-discipline.  

Disclosure: This post has been created in partnership with TSB

Holiday Fun with Peppa Pig and Friends

Half term feels like a distant memory.  We took the girls away to France for fun and frolics on the beach.  It was a blimming brilliant way to spend the half-term holidays but now we're back and on the downhill slope towards the long school summer holiday.

This spring there are lots of holiday inspired activities to be found on the Peppa Pig grown-ups website.  There are downloadable counting worksheets, i-spy travel kits, a recipe for homemade lemonade (perfect for sipping in the garden) as well as instructions for how to make your own paper kite.

Not only are there plenty of Peppa Pig activities for your family to take part in, but this summer sees the launch of some special holiday essentials from Peppa Pig.

First up is a new range of Peppa Pig toys with a holiday theme from theme parks to beaches, Peppa and George will be busy this summer.  This Peppa Pig Jumbo jet really struck a chord with Holly having arrived just after we had returned from our own holidays on an aeroplane.  Holly has enjoyed packing Peppa's suitcases into the hold of the plan and then letting Peppa take turns acting as a passenger, or as the pilot in the plane.  There are three seats in the plane so you can pair this Peppa Pig Jumbo jet with one of the two-packs of holiday themed collectible Peppa Pig figurines featuring your child's favourite stars in their swimming cossies!

Also new in the Peppa Pig holiday range are these great travel accessories.  This clever Peppa Pig travel pillow is reversible and turns into a soft cuddly toy.  You can use the pillow to support your little one's head when on a plane or a long car journey.  It is available in Peppa colours or George colours.  Holly is just at the age now when she wakes from a sleep when travelling with an awfully sore neck so this will be perfect for our long drive up from Berkshire to Cumbria during the summer holidays.  It has the added bonus that it can be used at bedtimes as a cuddly toy once you reach your destination!

Also in the travel range is a handy car seat organiser.  I've wanted a car seat organiser for some time because I know (having taken a fair few epic road trips over the last few summers) that my car normally fills up with food and drink debris, crayons, leapfrog games and i-spy cards.  This Peppa Pig brightly coloured car seat organiser straps over one of the front seats of the car and straps in place.  It has one large pocket with a transparent lining which could house a DVD player or a magazine or larger items such as tablets or games.  Lower down there are pockets of several different sizes which can house pencils, paper, drinks and snacks to help you make it through your journey!

And finally, to provide a little bit of in-flight entertainment, or an evening distraction when you are on your travels, these Peppa Pig travel colouring and re-usable stickers sets are a simple, light weight solution that you can put in your suitcase or hand baggage and use to keep the peace when you are travelling!

Keeping the Girls Entertained When Travelling Abroad

Last week, we took the girls to France for what was one of the most enjoyable and relaxing family holidays we have had to date - it was brilliant.  Before we traveled, I had been apprehensive about flying with Holly; she can be a handful even when sitting in the living room for five minutes so I wasn't relishing the though of even a 2 hour flight with her!  Thankfully, both of my girls were angelic for the flights both to and from the South of France.  Phew.

Holidays are meant to be relaxing but research commissioned by Airport Parking and Hotels has shown that flying can be a fairly stressful experience from check-in, through the queues at security all the way to waiting for your bags at the carousel on the other end.  So here are my top tips for how to reduce the stress of flying with children.

1.  Pack Light

Travelling with children is hard work.  Don't make it harder by packing everything you can ever think of.  Have you ever tried carrying three suitcases, two car seats, three handbags, a camera AND herding two children onto an airport carpark bus at 2 o'clock in the morning?

This holiday we consciously packed light.  We are lucky that we no longer need to pack baby food, nappies and wipes but even so, we made a decision to pack only enough clothing for half the week and bank of there being washing facilities.  This meant at least one less suitcase to take.

2. Know the plan!

Travelling with the girls is always so much easier when we know exactly where we are going, and how we will get from A to B. This is partly because it offers the promise of the next exciting thing to come - first the car, then the bus, then the plane, then the hire car and then the hotel.  The girls thought it was great fun to tick off each of the different forms of transport on their travels... for us, it was about being organised and prepped for the journey ahead.

3. Take Snacks.  Lots of them.

Flights are only survivable with small children through the medium of food. We took muesli bars and bought crisps and treats at the airport to last the journey.  Our flight did offer a small snack but the girls didn't enjoy it so I was glad that I had backup.

4. Buy a Magazine or Book at the Airport

A kids magazine with colouring or puzzles and stories is a great way of passing the time on a flight - the magazine also provides entertainment during the stay.    We enjoy taking the girls to the bookshop in the airport to chose a picture or story book to take with us that we can read in the evenings of our holiday, or on the plane for a bit of quiet time.

5. Tech Trumps Everything

I never thought I would be the sort of Mum that relies on kids tech to keep the kids entertained but I'll admit that on this holiday we let the girls take their Leappads on the plane with them.  This meant they each had to carry a bag, which gave them a sense of responsibility.  They played on their tablets for a short while on each flight, each wearing the headphones.  Peace and quiet!

Gone Crabbing - Colin the Crab Pop Up Book

My two girls love a good pop-up book - there is something about the touchy feely element of a pop-up book which engages children of all ages so both Holly and Lara can enjoy a book equally.  Our latest book is Colin the Crab by Susie Mason which is part of the range of seaside-inspired gifts and accessories by Gone Crabbing.

Susie Mason is the founder of Gone Crabbing and this little pop-up book combines her passion for the seaside with the pop-up skills of Robert Crowther.  The story revolves around Colin the Crab who is one of the iconic symbols throughout the Gone Crabbing range of clothing and gifts and Lara was excited to have a story about a crab she already recognised.

Colin and his friends (Sally the Starfish and Mike the Mussel) live in a rock pool and one sunny day Colin's pals are scooped up in a bucket by two excited children who are exploring the beach.  Colin is distraught at the loss of his friends and, when the tide is right, he prepares o set off and search for them.  Thankfully, the two children have a caring streak and return the starfish and mussel to the pool where they found them and so Colin the Crab and his friends are re-united.

I thought this was a cute little book and we've read it as a family several times since we got back from our own beach holiday earlier this summer.  I think that, because the girls have fond memories of their own beach adventures this summer, the book really hits home to them and Lara has certainly picked up on the moral of the story - to leave the beach as you found it and to look after the creatures you find on the beach, however small they might be.

There is quite a lot of text on each page and I don't think Lara is quite ready to read it herself but she does enjoy exploring the pop-ups which include hiding crabs and flappy waves.  It isn't the most adventurous set of of pop-ups I've seen but I do think they add to the book.

I think both of my girls will enjoy returning to Colin the Crab every time they remember their trips to the seaside.  Colin the Crab costs £7.99 from Gone Crabbing.

Our Trunki Paddlepak Picnic Adventures with Ella's Kitchen

This past week, the Mellow family has been on holiday in the Yorkshire dales.  We started our trip with some concern that our two girls, 5 and 2 years old, wouldn't much enjoy walking through countryside but I'm glad to say that they both embraced the great outdoors, made all the more paletable to them through the medium of FOOD!  My girls are driven by their stomachs and so we took every opportunity we could to enjoy a family picnic out in the fresh air; Lara loved bringing along a bottle of water and some tasty snacks in her Trunki Paddlepak bag.

The Trunki Paddlepak is  a water resistant, really light-weight bag for children that comes in lots of fun shapes and colours.  Lara's is a purple octopus!  Because the Paddlepak is water resistant, it is great for taking out on walks (in the predictable UK rain) and, like us, to visit rivers, lakes and waterfalls (I think it would probably work well by the pool as a beach bag too!).

 

Lara and Holly's Trunki Paddlepak was filled with tasty, healthy snacks for big kids by Ella's Kitchen.  Holly single-handedly devoured a tub of "row row row raspberries and bananas multigrain nibbles" while Lara kept going back for more of her  "ee i eei oh raisins + spelt cookies" - any excuse for a snack break when you're 5 and climbing up a slippery stoney waterfall trail!  I was so impressed with how both girls took to the walking on our holiday - I think Lara clocked up about 40km over the course of the week over fields, through streams, gates and cowpats!

We found our Trunki Paddlepak ideal for taking on walks because it gave the girls a little bit of ownership - carrying snacks is a very important job!  Lara struggled a bit to keep the bag on her shoulders so I think it would benefit from a little strap across the front but I thought the weight, and the innovative roll-top closure were both excellent; as I'd expect from Trunki.

We had a wonderful trip to the Yorkshire dales - it was great to get out and explore!  You can find out about more Trunki Travels on their facebook page.

Family Fun in Blackpool at The Cliffs Hotel

This weekend we spent a very fun (yet blustery) weekend in Blackpool - home of long sandy beaches, donkeys and more then their fair share of piers!  We were invited to try out the family-friendliness of The Cliffs Hotel which is part of the Choice Hotels selection.

The Cliffs Hotel is a large, family-friendly hotel to the north of the town centre and it is ideally located directly on the seafront on the Queens Promenade.  The hotel features an on-site leisure club with a pool, jacuzzi, sauna and fitness room as well as a kids club for children over 4 years old.  There are also beauty treatment rooms - I really wish we had been staying for longer so that I could have tried them out!

We found the location of The Cliffs Hotel to be absolutely ideal, it was far enough away from the bustle and noise of the very centre of town to offer a little peace but with a taxi rank, a tram stop and a bus stop directly outside the hotel lobby, it was incredibly easy to get to all of the major attractions.  We paid £4.50 each for an adult day pass for the trams and buses and were able to hop on and off the trams all the way along the seafront from the north shore, to the south shore.

The hotel was well above our expectations in terms of comfort, quality and welcome.  We loved our time in the swimming pool and my girls were keen to join in with the kids activities on offer which included pizza-making!  But we had lots to do and see during the day so we didn't spend much of our day inside!  We took the tram down to the Pleasure Beach for a look around, strolled along the seafront to see the donkies on the beach, took some rides on the south pier, browsed the amusements on the central pier, visited the tower, had lunch at Coral Beach and then an ice cream!  There is more than enough to keep you occupied for several days in Blackpool and if you are staying for a while it would make sense to buy combined tickets for the big attractions to save money.

Our favourite part of The Cliffs Hotel was the food which was, on the whole, excellent.  We were allocated our own table in the large dining room that we returned to each day.  Breakfast was a brilliant buffet with hot food, cereals and plenty of fresh fruit and yoghurt.  Dinner took the format of a self-service starter (the choices were mind-blowing) followed by a choice of around three main courses, followed by a buffet-style dessert.  The children could choose from a dedicated kids menu or a smaller portion of any of the main dinner dishes - this suited both of our girls.  I thought the quality of the desserts on offer was particularly impressive.  I don't think I've ever been to a hotel buffet in the UK that was as comprehensive while still maintaining the quality of food.

Before dinner we enjoyed a drink in one of the hotel bars which had a great view over the sea; we found the bar to be large, comfy and very welcoming to families.  In the evening there was a good choice of entertainment at The Cliffs Hotel - this is not really our cup of tea so we chilled out in front of the TV and watched Eurovision with two very tired little girls.

We had a wonderful time in Blackpool at The Cliffs Hotel and I'm so glad that I managed to take the girls to visit one of the UK's classic seaside resorts - here are some of our highlights!

Choice Hotels have a number of hotels in Blackpool and the Lake District.

B-Sensible Bedding - A Great Travel Idea?

Earlier this year when we went on holiday, we had to take our own bedding with us as we were staying in a private apartment. I can't tell you how good it felt to spend the first night in the apartment sleeping in our own familiar bedding knowing that it was clean and fresh and hygienic. B-Sensible recommend taking one of their breathable, hypoallergenic and waterproof pillowcases with you on holiday to ensure you get a good night's sleep.

We have been using a B-Sensible cot sheet for the girls for a couple of years now - the innovative Tencel fibres used in the fabric mean that the sheet is naturally waterproof to absorb leaks so it is ideal for little ones both at home and away. But B-Sensible also make their sheets and pillow cases in sizes right through to adults.

One of the fab things about the B-Sensible breathable pillowcase range is the array of colours that you can buy the cases in - there are some amazing bright colours which will fit many different rooms and which will remind you to bring it home with you at the end of the holiday! The Tencel fibres mean that the pillowcases and sheets don't cause heat and help you to regulate temperature at night - perfect for hot sticky summer nights. They also help protect against dustmites that might be lurking in a hotel or guest room pillow!

I now really like the idea of taking my own fresh pillowcase with me whenever I go on holiday as it is such a compact thing to pack.

You can find out more about the B-Sensible range at www.bsensible.net .

Michelin I-Spy Spotter Guides - Summer Holiday Fun!

We seem to have done an awful lot of traveling with Lara and Holly in the last year or so.  Time spent in the car with children... it can be trying!  On our recent trip to France we must have spent about 30 hours in the car together; that's a lot of games of I-Spy.  While we were away, Mr. B and I were reminiscing about spotter guides such as the Michelin I-Spy guides that we used to take on holiday as children and then Michelin contacted us to see if we would like to try out some of their current range of books for our forthcoming trip to Cornwall.

The Michelin I-Spy guides are designed for both children and adults.  Each book contains upto 200 photos of places, things or people to spot on your travels.  The topics of the books are really varied from "I -Spy in the aiport" to "I-Spy Dinosaurs".  There are books to cover different aspects of nature, of technology or different parts of the UK.

Each item from the book that you spot earns your child points, you have to record the date that you spotted it and you can choose to add a small note.  The harder to find things score more points.  Once you have earned 1000 points you can write for, or apply online for a spotter's certificate to celebrate your hard work!

To me, the beauty of the I-Spy books is not just that they will keep Lara busy on our next long road trip and holiday away from home.  I'm also looking forward to her challenging herself to find out more about the world around her; the books will encourage Lara to stop and think about the places we visit on our holiday and the natural world around her.  In "I-Spy by the water" there are a number of things that I expect Lara to be able to spot in Cornwall and the fact that each item has both a photo as well as a description means that she can spot them even though she can't yet read.

Lara was also the lucky recipient of an I-Spy Out and About Card set which is a shiny box full of laminated spotting cards.  The set comprises 70 cards which give you a taste of lots of different spotting themes - ours included vehicles, road-signs, nature, trees, birds and a whole lot more!  The box set of cards comes with a spotters notebook so that older children can make notes about the things they have seen and where they saw them.  I think this set is a brilliant thing to take on a holiday as it can be used while traveling and while away.  Lara is EXTREMELY excited about starting her spotting journey and has already been through the set to let me know which things she has seen before.  Holly, meanwhile, just enjoys putting the cards in and out of the box!

Each Michelin I-Spy book costs around £2.50 (a bargain!) and the box set costs around £8.99.

My Glamourous Girls - Holiday Snaps from the South of France

It feels like a lifetime since we got back from our hols and yet I've not really shared many of my holiday photos so I thought I'd put that straight.  We stayed in a small town south of St. Tropez... just about my favourite place on the entire planet.  We stayed in a small apartment which had access to a residents pool but we also swam in the sea several times which was enormous fun.

The swimwear and dresses in these photos are all some of my favourite picks from the Sunuva website where I wrote about summer girls fashion before I went away so they sent me a couple of pieces as a thank you; The Sunuva high summer range is now online.

And these dresses... these were a gift from their Auntie and Uncle, all the way from Panama!

It was great to see the girls so relaxed and happy that week.  We can't wait to go to sunny Cornwall with their Grandparents in a few weeks time.

Cot, Bed or Bunkbeds?

We are back from a scrumptiously lovely week in the South of France.  We stayed in a small apartment overlooking the mediterranean; Lara stayed in a bunk bed which she found phenomenally exciting and poor old Holly was limited to her lumpy bumpy travel cot for for 10 nights in a row... the poor sausage.

Ready for bed on holiday... but soooo not sleepy!

Ever since we got back from holiday Holly has been a total nightmare in her cot.  She won't settle and she keeps standing up.  She reaches for anything she can possibly get hold of from her cot.  I've had to remove the baby monitor (she reached the power cable) and the lamp (she reached the cable) and tuck the window blind in.  And so now I'm thinking about moving Holly into a bed.  I know, it is incredibly early but Lara was only 16 months when I moved her... and Holly is now 14 months.

chocolate before bedtime = bedtime disaster

We only recently bough Lara her own full-sized wooden bed so I think that bunkbeds for the girls are out of the question.  And we've only recently bought a metal bed  as a guest bed for the shiny new fusion guest room / play room.  So really, I'm resistant to buying another bed right now and I'm tempted to see if Holly can last it out in her cot.

From the very day Holly was born I've been excited about the day that the two girls would move into a room together.  I have fond memories of sharing a room with my sister (and throwing things at her from the top bunk of our bunk beds) and I can't wait for my two girls to share.  I'm interested to know people's experiences of moving a younger sibling in with their older brother or sister.  Is it too young to move Holly in with Lara if the two of them will interfere with each other's bedtime routine? Will each other's presence disturb them at night? If Holly moves into a bed, will she get up and wake her sister up?

Disclosure: This is a featured post but it is my own words and I hope it is still fun to read!

10 Exciting Products for Travelling With Kids This Summer

This week we are off on our travels again. I feel like I'm becoming a bit of a pro when it comes to travelling with kids! Here are a few of my favourite summer travel products for toddlers and preschoolers.

1. Totseat
   The Totseat is an all time favourite in our household. It is a washable, squashable highchair that fits in your changing bag and is ideal for when you are going to be eating out at restaurants or staying in accommodation where there may not be a fixed highchair available.

   

   Lara in the Totseat

   
   
2. Content & Calm Traykit
   The Traykit from Content and Calm is part backpack, part tray. It is perfect for use on long plane, train or car journeys as it folds out further than a traditional tray to create a place for your child to play or eat from.

   

   Traykit in the car

3. Trunki
   We've tried other kids suitcases but nothing quite comes close to the Trunki. Both of our girls will be taking their Trunki suitcases with them this summer. It gives them a sense of ownership and they are great for sitting on while Mum and Dad drag them through hotel lobbies and airport lounges!

   

   Lara on the Trunki

4. Contigo Kids Drinks Bottle
   When you're travelling, the last thing you want is a leaky drinks bottle in your bag but during summer holidays it is important to keep the kids hydrated. While we are travelling by car this summer we are going to take Lara's Contigo Kids drinks bottles because they are leak-proof so won't spill everywhere over the back seat!

   

   Lara drinking from a leak-proof cup

5. Snoozeshade Plus
   My favourite buggy shade, the Snoozeshade Plus - I won't go on holiday without it! This lightweight buggy and pushchair cover keeps baby out of the sun with high UPF protection and also helps to provide a shady place for them to fall asleep when you're on the move. Very easy to fit and to remove when you want to reach into the buggy.

   

   Lara posing with the Snoozeshade Plus on the buggy

6. Lindam Flexiguard
   Our Lindam Flexiguard was originally bought as a spare for the Grandparents house but it folds up so compact that it is ideal for us to put in the car and take with us on holiday. As a travel stair gate it works well to block off access to undesirable parts of a hotel room or holiday let.

   

   Lindam Flexiguard

7. Baby Banz
   I will admit that the Baby Banz sunglasses weren't a great hit with Lara who used to always pull them off instantly. But Holly seems to tolerate them for a lot longer and it is comforting to know that her eyes are protected from the sun when on holiday.

   

   Looking cool in the Baby Banz

8. Splash About UV Sun Protection Suits
   We bought our girls matching Splash About UV sun protection suits for our winter holiday to provide high UV protection across their bodies in the sun when they were splashing by the pool or the beach. Splash About sell suits suitable for babies and children and they are stretchy and easy to put on.

   

   Matching Splash About UV Protection Suits

9. Content & Calm Cot Canopy Breeze
   The Cot Canopy Breeze is a versatile shade which covers an entire cot, cotbed or travel cot. For us it is ideal for taking on a sunny holiday because it can provide shade and darkness for our baby girl at a time in the evening when our holiday bedroom would otherwise be bright. It is tall enough that Holly can still stand up in it (with a very cool teepee type hanging mechanism) and has quick access if we need to attend to her during the night.

   

   Cot Canopy Breeze

10. Dream Tubes
    The Dream Tubes bed guard are so compact that I don't mind fitting them into the luggage just in case we need them. They comprise a fitted bed sheet with two inflatable tubes which act as a natural bed rail on both sides. This is great for children who may still roll out of bed when they are in an unfamiliar location.

    

    Dream Tubes

Other things we are planning on taking with us include the Flexibath folding baby bath, a Kiddicare travel cot and a set of mOmma plastic spoons and forks.

What are your top travel items for holidays with young children?