Flying With Toddlers – My Tips

People who have been following me on twitter and my blog recently will know that I wasn't feeling entirely mellow about the prospect of a flight with my very-nearly-2-year-old sitting on my lap. I've flown with Lara on my lap on several occasions; I've even been transatlantic with her and yet this time, the idea of an hour and a half with a wriggly, heavy, angry toddler on the verge of the terrible twos just filled me with dread.

So what are my top tips for surviving flights with toddlers?



Tip #1 – Tire Them Out
On the way out to France we managed to keep Lara awake all the way through the airport despite having had an extremely early start by offering her food and by taking our Trunki pull-along suitcase with us so that Lara walked all morning rather than being pushed in the buggy. She fell alseep about 2 minutes after take-off and woke up about 10 minutes before we landed. Genius.



Tip #2 – Take Lots of Food
We packed loads of food to last us through each flight. I've learned that it is one of the best ways to distract Lara on a plane. We literally filled Lara's suitcase with crisps, dried fruit and biscuits on the way there and on the way home, we tried the bribery of a packet of chocolate fingers (very messy, but they certainly helped to achieve a level of calm).

Tip #3 – Take Books and Apps
It is tempting to travel as light as possible when travelling with kids because you know you HAVE to take the essentials such as nappies, wipes and drinks. This time, for the first time, I decided to take 'entertainment' for Lara on the flight. A handful of books bought us a few minutes of peace, a plain notepad and crayons seemed like a good idea but the crayons fell on the floor and it was tricky to recover them. We also took a couple of Ipod apps to play which ate up a little time in the airport but didn't seem to hold much interest for Lara once we were in the air.



Tip #4 – Bury Your Head and Hope For The Best
In the past I used to be really embarrassed when Lara screamed and cried on a plane but now I think I've resigned myself to the reality of travel with young children. It's life. It can be hard and the likelihood of ever meeting any of the other passengers again in your life is low so relax, and if it bothers other people... so what?

Tip #5 – Distract Yourself
My final survival tip is not one I'd recommend but it certainly took my mind off Lara screaming “naaaaappppppyyy change” at the top of her voice despite having just had her nappy changed by Daddy.

On the flight home to London, my Mum had breathing difficulties and the entire staff were scrambled to help her out with oxygen cylinders and whatnot. For half of the flight we were surrounded by panicking staff with clipboards; Somehow Lara's whining pailed into insignificance. Lara fell asleep halfway though a wail of “naaaaapppppy chaaa...” as we touched down at Heathrow airport.

Note: This is a sponsored post, but that doesn't stop it being fun to read.

Lara Does … The Beach!

There was something rather fantastic about showing Lara the sea for the very first time. OK, I'll admit that she has seen the sea before... from her pushchair... in the freezing February winds... in Southsea. But, last week we took her to the REAL seaside – we took her to paddle her toes in the clear waters of the Mediterranean sea in the warm French sunshine of the Cote d'Azur and to build sandcastles on the long, clean beaches.

At first, Lara seemed a bit wary of the sea and didn't want us to put her down on the sand. Due to luggage contraints, we hadn't taken a bucket and spade for Lara but her ingenious Grandparents fashioned a set from the inside of a pedal bin and a rather battered plastic rake they had found in the garden of the self-catering villa!



There was a point when Lara realised that the beach was indeed a giant version of the sandpit she plays in at home or at nursery. Being outside in the sunshine with the gentle sea breeze rushing through your hair, the heat of the sand warming your toes with the gentle lapping of the waves on the beach is a far cry from our back garden in Berkshire.



The difference in location is more than just a change of weather; It's about experiencing the real world and understanding the wonder of the natural world. I'm so glad to have been able to show Lara the enormity of the sea;I think it phased her for quite some time but hopefully, in years to come, she will share the same mesmerising fascination as I do each time I see the sea and will enjoy, as much as I do, scouring the beach for plants and creatures that you never find anywhere else.

Being outside on the beach is also incredibly good exercise – walking on sand uses muscles you never knew you had! And swimming in the sea is about three times as much effort as swimming in the pool and is incredibly invigorating.



A dip in the Mediterranean is an experience that Lara won't get very often so I'm glad she took the opportunity to join us floating in the warm, clear salt waters and to feel the sensation of sand between your toes while also enjoying being surrounded by her family (and burying them in sand).



Lara's outdoor adventure has obviously had a lasting impression on her. Ever since we came back from holiday, when people have asked Lara what she did on holiday, the answer has always been “build sandcastles... with.. Grandpa”. That makes me smile.

This post was written for this month's Tots 100 Blog Hop .

The Sunday Review – Little Tikes 2-in-1 Cart and Wheelbarrow

Every gardener enjoys a new garden gadget! Lara loves to play with all of her garden tools in the back garden... digging, raking, moving compost from one place to another. Her latest garden gadget is a pretty impressive one – the Little Tikes 2-in-1 Cart and Wheelbarrow – it has brought (and will continue to bring) plenty of fun in the garden for Lara to push her tools and her compost from one part of the garden to another.

Like every Little Tikes product I've ever set eyes on, the wheelbarrow is bright and bold and irresistibly appealing to toddlers and preschoolers. Each piece is made with simple chunky plastic in a rounded, tactile manner which I'm sure accounts for the irresistibility! I have no qualms keeping the cart out in the back garden all of the time because I know it is so easy to clean.

When the wheelbarrow arrived, Lara was desperate to unpack it and assemble it IMMEDIATELY. Unfortunately it came in about 2 million pieces that I had to assemble with a hammer and a screwdriver so it was a great test of her patience. I'm not sure that the levels of stress involved in constructing the toy within the time pressures of an over-eager toddler merited the cost and space savings of shipping the toy in it's collapsed, DIY state. Personally, I think I'd be prepared to pay that little bit extra for it to arrive pre-assembled.



The cart has a removable shade at the top. It looks really cute, you have to admit, but actually it presents Lara with a few problems because really she is too tall for it. When the shade is in place, she can't see the potting tray without kneeling down. I've actually found that we use the cart without the shade more often than not.

I love the little potting tray – Lara genuinely does pot up seeds on it. I'm not entirely sure that Little Tikes expect their pre-school users to be using their wheelbarrow and cart for actual, real-life gardening which is why the product comes with two plastic plant pots and plastic flowers.



When you remove the potting tray and the shade, the toy is quite a simple wheelbarrow at just the right height for Lara to pootle around the garden. She loves bringing me things inside it such as more plant pots or a bag of seeds.

The wheelbarrow comes with a couple of little garden tools – a plastic fork and trowel which have proved to be more effective than I had thought. It also comes with a water spray bottle which Lara fascinates Lara (who can resist a water gun?) She uses it for spraying the plants but the spray is a bit weak so she quickly discards it in favour of a watering can.



The Little Tikes 2-in1 Cart and Wheelbarrow retails for around £48 which, for a product as hard-wearing and multi-purpose as this, is incredibly good value in terms of the number of hours of play that we have already got out of it.