v 5 issue 35: Let's Travel

Gear up and get ready for the travel season with these great products and tips sure to make a fun family trip less challenging.

Cover by Ruthi David










1 Couture style and a soft, jersey material are combined to provide a discreet covering for Mom during nursing. The three different styles of Babybondnursing cover Mom during feeding while keeping baby uncovered. Baby benefits from the social interaction during feeding and Mom benefits from maintaining her level of modesty (& the social interaction too!). Enter code: trends for 25% off purchases thru 4/11/10.

2 100% airtight and 100% leak-proof. Keepin' Fresh Baby Storage Solutions provide the shapes & sizes needed for portion appropriate storage of baby's food. Stain resistant. Microwaveable. Dishwasher/Freezer safe. These are great! innobaby.com.

3 Whether you are out for an evening stroll, a picnic in the park or any spring outing wrap your little one in warmth and comfort with a vintage baby quilt that is completely hand made in the USA from vintage feed sacks. Made by Little Feather, a new collection for Barn Dandys and sized at 38” square. Sure to make cuddling all the more cozy and sweet.

4 Any bag can be turned into a carryall with a Quick pull from Pishposh. With 7 pockets total, the pull-string holds all necessary belongings in an organized manner and encloses the inner pockets with a gathered top. Just drop this carryall into your favorite bag and you're off! Enter code: TOT15 for 15% off all purchases.

5 One of the easiest ways to keep things tidy in your temporary room is to keep the dirty stuff in it's place. The On the Road Travel Laundry Bag from sochicgifts.com is just the thing to keep laundry out of site and ready for the washing machine. A great alternative to plastic!

6 Busy streets, busy places, and yes, busy bodies sometimes require a little extra protection. Peace of mind can be maintained with Safe-2-Go. The child has a soft, plushy animal backpack, while the adult's have a retractable nylon coil tether that fits around the hand.Available @ inventiveparent.com.

7 The Hannah Bag in bronze from Timi and Leslie has style, storage solutions, and more than enough space to pack all the goodies needed to get you on the road. Plus, each bag includes 8 pockets total, a diaper pad, bottle tote, and a zip pouch clutch. Oh yes, it comes with stroller and messenger straps too.

8 Coloring & activity books, age appropriate crafts, & fun-sized toys are all packaged up in a handy tote. TheTravel Kiddy includes so many activities to keep kids occupied, there isn't enough room to write them all down. Traveling With Kids has certainly handled the entertainment schedule, so you don't have to. Enter code: TTW10 for 10% off any order thru 4/15/10.

9 If the name doesn't make you laugh, the home page will. Any way you slice it, LobotoME keeps things sane & organized with smart charts... For travel, the PACK ME planner includes all the thoughts needed for getting packed and out the door for an upcoming trip.Enter code: TotTrends for 15% off any order thru 4/11/10.


Baby equipment rental for travelers
When traveling with an infant or toddler you have so much to pack why not eliminated the need to carry your baby furniture with you. Pack and Plays, toys, highchairs and swings are just a few of the things that young children need so your trip can be relaxed and enjoyable. This is where Granny’s Traveling Closet can help.

Granny’s Traveling Closet, located between Colorado Springs and Denver, provides a full service to parents looking to rent infant, toddler or children’s equipment when visiting Colorado.

We carry high quality products such as LA potable baby cribs, Britex car seats, Graco swings. All our equipment can be viewed on our web page http://www.grannystravelingcloset.com

Once an order is placed we arrange with hotels, airport car rental locations, and host families to have your clean and sanitized equipment available when you arrive. At the end of your trip we will pick it up at a time convenient to you or your host family.

A toy box in a hotel room may just be the answer to ‘What’s there to Do?’
Our goal is reduce the stress of traveling with young children.

Not traveling to Colorado this summer check out this web site http://www.baby-equipment-rental.com You will find a number of baby equipment rental companies in North America.


Taking the Stress out of Traveling with Children
Traveling with children can be a stressful time. Consider traffic jams, delayed flights, and crowded airports.

Here are a few stress reducing tips which can help make your travel plans that much easier to contend with.

1) Make it a family affair. Get your kids excited about your journey. By involving everyone in the planning process, your children will more likely be more invested in the trip. You can easily give them their own tasks to accomplish: Have your child pick out the toys or books she wants to bring for the car ride to Grandma’s house.

2) When it comes to packing your bags, keep things organized by separating clothing in clear zipper bags you can label with names and contents. It’s much easier to locate things when they are labeled “Dad’s underwear” or “Sally’s pajamas”. You can reuse the bags to hold dirty laundry on the way home. Remember to pack an extra duffel bag in your luggage if you intend to be bringing additional items back with you.

3) Let the family know exactly what you’ve planned. Kids, especially younger ones, will feel more secure about your travels if they know what to expect. Some potentially scary situations for little ones could include security check points at the airport. If your children are made aware of how these situations are performed, they will feel a little less anxious about them. You may want to explain that yes, Teddy the Bear will have his picture taken on the moving belt, but he can be picked up again on the other side.

4) Try and book non-stop flights to your destination when at all possible. This can eliminate lay-over hassles when you have children in tow. It’s much easier for a non-stop flight to avoid bad weather thousands of feet in the air than it is for them to land or take off in the same type of weather.

5) Make a “grab-bag” of various inexpensive toys or surprises for your kids. These can be anything from little cars to mini coloring books with crayons, or any other age-appropriate items you can get at your local dollar store. At different times during your journey, you can bring out something new for them to play with for the next stretch of travel.

6) To avoid devastation if luggage is lost in air travel pack 2 sets of clothing for each family member in each others bags. This way if one or more pieces of luggage is lost everyone has at least 2 days of clothing.

While these tips might not seem to be earth-shattering things to do, you would be amazed at how much they can actually reduce the stress levels related to your travel experience. Just a little bit of extra planning and preparation can take care of many potential headaches, allowing you to enjoy your holiday as well.