Tag: travelled

Reflecting on the Year Gone By

| February 22, 2013

Tomorrow I’ll be turning 30 something! I always find myself reflecting on the eve of my Birthday, looking back over the year and reviewing all that has been.

The past year has certainly had it’s fair share of ups and downs as life has thrown work, health and various other challenges at us which have been hard to deal with at times.

Some of these challenges are still with us and are completely out of our control. It’s these that I find the hardest to manage as we don’t have the ability to change things. But despite everything, we always strive to make the most of every day and to love and appreciate what we have in life.

Some of the memorable events since my last Birthday:

  • My beautiful baby stopped breastfeeding
  • I went back to work… and later decided it was too soon to be away from my baby
  • Imogen started walking
  • We visited our renovation project in France and continued to dream of our future
  • Imogen and I travelled to New Zealand to spend time with family and friends
  • I’ve learnt more about parenting than I ever imagined was possible!
  • Imogen started talking
  • I treasure how much I love being a Mummy

My wonderful friends and family are always so supportive and I’m forever thankful for them. Here’s to a brilliant year ahead, living life to the full and enjoying every day.

Birthday

Enjoying a pre-Birthday drink in Wellington

Travelling with a Baby

| February 11, 2013
John Lewis Shape Sorter

John Lewis Shape Sorter and Stacking Cups

My baby and I travelled all the way from London to Auckland. We flew across the globe together and had a stopover in Hong Kong for a night to refresh ourselves and catch up on a few hours of sleep.

The build up to our flight from London started a couple of weeks before our departure. I didn’t want to think too much about the flight as it would kick start butterflies in my stomach, whilst I wondered how I was going to manage such a long journey on a plane with my baby.

The very thought of leaving hubby behind in London for 8 weeks was daunting. Knowing how much he’d miss us and how much we’d miss him made it almost impossible to fathom. On the bright side we’d Skype daily and Imogen and I would be spending Summer with our family and friends in New Zealand whilst hubby was busy at work in London during the coldest months of the year.

It was the bit in the middle, the journey, that I didn’t want to do. I tried to keep as calm as possible. I was going to travel across the world with my baby. Just me and my baby! I found it easier not to dwell on it too much and put all of my energy into the preparation of fun activities for us and what we’d need to pack in our on-flight luggage.

Here’s my list of on-flight essentials that I’d travel with again:

Fun Activities

Food and Drink

  • Organic Baby Pouches and age appropriate baby snacks
  • Formula Milk Powder in formula pots

Essentials

  • Nappies
  • Nappy Bags
  • Sudocrem
  • Baby Wipes
  • Sachets of Calpol and Nurofen, should they be needed
  • A change of clothes for you and your baby
  • If your baby is walking Baby Reins are brilliant when you’re at a busy airport and queuing for check-in and security

Knowing how hard it was travelling that distance myself made me realise how important it was to make it fun experience for my baby. And last but not least a positive attitude, a strong resolve and a calm approach all helped.

What are your tips for flying with a baby or toddler?