Parenting

Cruising with toddlers -10 tips for amusing toddlers on a cruise

17/10/2018 By Savanna Robinson Leave a Comment

We just returned from our second cruise with our toddler daughter and thus this has been top in my mind. Cruises are great cost effective holidays but what is there available on a family cruise when cruising with toddlers to do and how do you keep them occupied for a week or longer? These are the 10 tips for cruising with toddlers that we discovered and used.

#1 Choose a family friendly cruise line.

Some are better than others at catering to the needs of your whole family. Our last 3 cruises have been with Carnival Australia Cruises on the Carnival Spirit from Sydney, and they are just brilliant for the littlest members of your family. Do your research first to check they have great options for your toddler.

#2 Utilise Kids Club.

Cruise lines that cater for children generally have a Kids club option included. Although your child can cruise international waters from 12 months old, the kids club will not take them until 2 years of age. We still found plenty to keep our daughter amused when we married on a cruise just before she was 14 months old. Check the details of what they allow with their Kids club (do they change nappies, provide meals/snacks, only open certain times at sea and at port?). Carnival Spirit was a good fit for us with a 2-year-old (approaching 3). We just provided nappies and wipes for any changes needed during her time there. We had an old-fashioned mobile to carry with us so we could be contacted if she needed us.

#3 Set dinner time in the dining room.

If you are able to get a set dinner time where you go to the same table each night for dinner it so much easier with toddlers. Even if you end up with the late seating as we did (which was a struggle when cruising with a toddler, but we made it work with late rising), a permanent seating is so much easier as the waiters get to know you and the kids by name. They miss their own families from being at sea for 8 months, so will do their best to help entertain or distract upset toddlers, or even take them on a walk around the dining room so parents and other family members can eat dinner without running around the whole time. On our first cruise with her, she got cheap plastic kids sunglasses to wear at meals from the Maitre d’. This time she was into colouring, so got about one menu/colouring book a day, plus two rubber ducks and flower lei. And lots of photo opportunities with staff who just adored her being around.

There are usually several different types of eating places on board. Buffet style, sit down restaurant, café, fancy high priced restaurant. And all had things that fussy toddlers will eat. And are willing to get different dishes if something is not liked. On one occasion when Miss 2 wasn’t in the mood for eating when her meal came out, they even got a fresh one brought out when she started to get hungry again.

#4 Stairs are your friend.

Believe me, there are SO many stairs on a cruise ship, and your toddler will love to go up and down them all multiple times. Even if the ship is being a bit rocky. Of course, this is much easier with toddlers that have been walking for a while. I personally tripled my usual step count every day on the cruise just by following her around. And you get the added benefit of burning off those 3-course meals too! There are lots of levels to explore and take a long walk if that’s what’s needed to burn off some excess energy.

#5 Shows

The productions shows that are for general viewing are enthralling for toddlers with the lights, music, and dancing. Our little darling even clued into the fact that shows happened after dinner, and where they happened, so would try to sneak out early from the restaurant and start heading that way seeing they were both on the same level.

#6 Shore tours

Little kids enjoy tours at ports of call just as much as adults. A lot of the bus tours through Carnival take under 3 for free if sitting on a parent’s lap. And baby carriers are so useful for walking around and exploring the surrounds as a family. (I may have even jerry-rigged a sarong as a wrap to carry a tired toddler when I left my carrier onboard for one port).

#7 Elegant night

Toddlers can get dressed up fancy too! It is something a little bit special that they probably don’t get to do too often. Be sure to pack a bib or similar that will cover their outfit for if they decide ‘that spaghetti bolognese is life’ like our toddler did. And they will be so cute you will want to take heaps of photos, which leads me to #8.

#8 Photo opportunities

Cruise ships ALWAYS have photographers snapping shots at different moments on board. From coming onboard, to dinners, to ports of call to elegant/formal nights. So many opportunities to buy some great formal shots or just take your own candid ones. Most toddlers love to see photos, even if they won’t cooperate for all snaps.

#9 Free movies screening

Toddlers really seem to love anything on the big screen! And you can easily whisk them away if they start to get bored, unlike your usual movie theatre. In-room channels usually offer movies on rotation too. ABDKIDS was even shown on Carnival Spirit when the satellite was cooperative and in range.

#10 Opportunity to meet other little travellers

If you are on a family friendly ship, you are very likely to meet other families with little ones too. Our toddler made friends with a couple of boys a bit older than her seated a couple of tables away at dinner. It was such a delight to see them play around in between dinner course and chat with others from their family. Our little extrovert was not at all shy about telling everyone about her day and showing off her latest outfit.

As you can see, although toddlers can prove challenging at times, you can still find plenty of things to keep them amused on a cruise. Please come back and let me know of any other cruising with toddlers activities to do on board!

Road trips with kids – toddler road trip essentials

How to be an organised mum

06/07/2018 By Savanna Robinson Leave a Comment

When you first find out that you are going to be a mum you hope that will have your life together and be an organised mum like so many television shows have portrayed over the years. But not all of us ladies have those OCD tendencies to be super organised about every aspect of motherhood. So this post is for those who want to have a bit more structure in their mum life, but have struggled so far in life to get that perfection you’ve seen in so many others. These are tips on how to be an organised mum from a mum who hasn’t got it all together yet, but knows these things can help.

Use a calendar

We all have things in our lives we need to remember whether we are a stay at home mum, have a career away from home or do something from home while juggling the kid stuff. This could be things from birthdays to medical appointments, date nights to when bills need to be paid.

There are so many choices with technology these days that you are not restricted to just pen and paper items. There are apps for calendars and planning – complete with reminder alarms that can be set to remind you of each event.

But first I would organise a calendar that is on display for the whole family to see. Whether you have an event involving the kid’s soccer training, your partner’s days off or when the electricity bill is due, they will all be visible to the whole household.

You can then keep your own personal events in a diary, planner or app of your choice that travels with you.

Write down all things that you need to remember for certain dates. This many include:

-school events
-play group
-medical appointments
– birthdays/anniversaries
-school holidays
-your holidays
-bills
-appointments

Have a place things belong

When you are not organised it can be so easy to misplace important belongings. My husband is forever misplacing things he needs and then panicking if he can’t find them when he’s running late. So find a spot for items in your house and ALWAYS put them back in that spot.

Some common things that will need their own spot are and suggestions where to home them:

Keys- key rack or bowl

TV remotes- spot on coffee table

Dirty dishes- on sink or in dishwasher

Shoes – place in wardrobe or under bed

Towels in use- towel rack

Toys – toy box or book shelf

Shopping Lists

Shopping with children (especially toddlers) can be one of the most daunting experiences as a mother! But when you get to the shop, with child in the middle of the worse tantrum ever, and forget what you actually needed to buy, it can be super frustrating.

Get a notepad you can leave in the kitchen. I find a long one with magnets on the back that sticks to the fridge is perfect! Even if the bench gets inundated with dishes or other stuff, it can still be found.

Whenever you run out of an item from the fridge or pantry, write it down. If something is running low, write it down. Before going shopping, check what you might need or refer to a checklist.

This not only limits the ‘what else did I need’ moments, but also cuts down on the budget blowouts of impulse buying.

Don’t put things off

My last tip on how to be an organised mum is not to delay too many tasks. Yes, there might be a few things we put aside as we have to wait for our pay to come in, but it shouldn’t be everything!

If a note comes home from school, fill it then. (If you have to wait for your payday for that excursion fee, put a reminder in your calendar about it NOW).

You see something out of place, go put it away now. Don’t keep stepping over it to leave for the next five months.

Hopefully following these simple things can help you become more like that organised mum you’ve always dreamed of. And don’t panic if you can’t achieve them all! Baby steps can help us in our journey to become a more organised mum.

Being a mother is tough – working out this parenting gig (again)

Breastfeeding is hard. Breastfeeding is easy. The pros and cons of breastfeeding in modern society.

07/01/2018 By Savanna Robinson 5 Comments

The pros and cons of breastfeeding

It’s good to see breastfeeding being actively promoted these days as something you should try to do with your baby. For many years this biological functions was deemed as beneath humans to do and that feeding artificial milk, that though vastly improved on previous generations is still not the same as what our body naturally produces, was the best way to go. Which has led to a lack of understanding about how breastfeeding works and to a misguided view of some that a child nursing is an act not to be observed by the common man, woman or child (but yet scantily clad women are shown regularly in advertising and movies that exposes even more flesh than a child being nursed). And breastfeeding can is hard, but breastfeeding is easy as well. The pros and cons of breastfeeding are many, but in this post I will tackle just a few.

Breastfeeding is easy.

Breastfeeding is the easiest way to feed a baby. The mother’s body creates the exact right nutrients for the stage of development of the child, from colostrum for the first few days after birth, to milk for a newborn, an infant and a toddler (if you are lucky enough to get that far). It comes already prepared with no need for mixing, heating or finding a bottle the child will accept. Going out to the shops requires no other preparation than having a nursing bra and top with easy access. (I’ve found ready-made nursing tops are not essential, just one loose enough to lift is good. Skin tight clothes just leads to boob compression, which you really want to avoid).

To some women, breastfeeding comes really easily and they are able to keep going as long as their child wants. Or till they reach the milestone they were hoping for whether 3 months, 6 months, or 2 years. And they absolutely love it!

But to some other women breastfeeding is a journey fraught with pain, discomfort and body issues. They dread the thought of feeding a child in public. To these women breastfeeding is hard!!

Breastfeeding is hard

The Village

With our disjointed society in the 21st Century, we have lost our sense of ‘the village’ where your close relatives all live nearby and can help out with the baby and child rearing tasks. You’ve heard the expression “It takes a village to raise a child”? It is so true! Having your first child can be such an unknown in life – so many new things to learn as a parent and as a mum.

We no longer constantly see women around us breastfeeding their children. We don’t always have our mum, sisters and cousins, aunts and girlfriends around us to see this skill practised. There is no longer a whole village to consult on how to do this strange new skill.

The need for professional breastfeeding help

And although breastfeeding is a natural act, it can take time to learn how to do it – for both mother and baby. With my first daughter it was over two weeks till I felt comfortable enough to know I could continue with breastfeeding. Even with my second I was ready to throw in the towel at 6 weeks with some issues, except I know that I could do this as I had before.

Because of the lack of a Village to ask about issues with breastfeeding in our modern society and our modern focus of needing to have our babies in hospitals, we have a lack of firsthand information on these vital skills. Luckily some people have seen this need for more education and we now have Internationally certified Lactation consultants based in at least all major hospitals or offering private services to families.

Issues that make breastfeeding hard.

There are a number of issues that can occur with breastfeeding that can make it especially hard to continue. Tongue ties and lip ties is a very common one heard about lately. It can cause a lot of latching and discomfort issues and undiagnosed case can cause so much pain or feeding problems, like loss of weight, that many mothers stop before they can find the real cause.

Blocked ducts are often painful and hard to predict. I had none with baby #1. Quite a few with the second! If left untreated they can also lead to mastitis- an even more painful and serious condition needing antibiotic treatment.

Thrush is another common culprit. Untreated it can be passed back and forth from mother to child.

Another highly under-reported condition with breastfeeding is called vasospasm. With two causes for the blood vessels tightening and going into spasm; trauma to the nipple or a condition related to Reynaud’s phenomenon. It causes painful cramping in the nipple and breast tissue, often accompanied by a whitening of the nipples and then colour change from red to blue/purple.

This was one I discovered with my second child, and only became aware of it being a thing after posts from other mum’s in my online mother’s group. It made feeding so painful on one side that even though I’d experienced a reasonably pleasant breastfeeding journey with my first daughter, that I felt like giving up when number 2 was only 6 weeks old.

Thankfully I found out about vasospasm, and with some advice from a lactation consultant I increased my magnesium which saw relief come quickly. I’m so grateful for finding that solution as I successfully breastfed her to 22 months…a massive achievement!

The pros and cons of breastfeeding can make or break your breastfeeding journey

There’s a lot to learn with breastfeeding. How do I get a correct latch? How do I know when a newborn is finished feeding. How can you judge if they’re getting enough milk. What to do if away from baby for an extended period. What medications you can take when feeding. All of these issues can make it seem too hard, too painful or too much work without the right support for many women to continue their journey. And past experiences with bad advice from some professionals that should know better can make women not want to even give it a go on their next baby.

For further support with your breastfeeding journey visit Australian Breastfeeding Association.

I’m hoping that as we become more educated as a society on what is hard and easy about breastfeeding, that more women are able to have a successful and enjoyable breastfeeding journey for as long as they and the child are wanting. And for those finding they have one of these hard issues I’ve mentioned (or any others) that they can get the right support to help them, instead of just feeling like they have no other choice but to give up.

Comment below on how your breastfeeding journey has been.

References

Australian Breastfeeding Association (2017, August) ‘Vasospasm’. https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/vasospasm

How to stop breastfeeding a toddler (who doesn’t want to give up)

Road trips with kids – toddler road trip essentials

15/11/2017 By Savanna Robinson 12 Comments

We recently took a car trip to Canberra from Sydney with our toddler to see Floriade. As we journeyed, these are the thoughts and ideas that came to me about surviving a long car trip with a toddler and other kids. (And yes, some of this did happen to us! ) So here are my musings on road trips with kids and toddler road trip essentials to make your trip more enjoyable.

Musings on road trips with kids.

Be well rested beforehand! A long drive and a cranky toddler is not something to handle on little sleep. Same goes for older kids who like to ask hundreds of questions.

Don’t let your toddler take off with one of their drink bottles before you leave the house. It will get left behind! Thank goodness you packed another!

Similarly for the older children, check that they have all things they require for the trip packed, as heading back home after an hour’s driving is not a nice option.

Train your children to like music you don’t mind listening to. Otherwise you’ll be stuck listening to the same album of children’s songs for hours on end! Or with older children give them a listening device and earphones.

Don’t put on moisturiser before feeding them at least 2 snacks. It is nearly impossible to open a packet of biscuits with your hands all smooth!

When you stop at McDonalds (as let’s face it, it’s one of the only regular stops on Australian Highways where you can get food fast enough to appease the ravenous toddler who just finished biscuits, a cheese Stringer and a banana), DON’T let the toddler catch sight of the children’s playground if you don’t have time for a play session. There will be major tantrums!!

Be prepared for the toddler to practise a variety of vocalisations in an attempt to amuse themselves.

If you stop and wake toddler for a break stop, it is doubtful they will sleep for the rest of the day. Choose carefully!

For the older kids pack some games they can play in the car without needing your help (particularly if you will be the only adult in the car). Lists of things they need to find can be good for those who are able to read. Electronic devices such as tablets or music players are very handy for game apps or movies to watch, providing they are charged before leaving. (Remember to pack all chargers for them too!)

Toddler road trip essentials

Pack a snack bag with things that are easily managed by your toddler, and that won’t be too messy. Some things you could include: biscuits, cheese Stringers, yoghurt pouches, fruit, muesli bars, water bottle.
Take a small basket of toys for the car trip and the time away. Nothing with little tiny pieces that can easily get lost. Of course, this basket will be upended to be used as a drum 30 minutes into the trip.
Have a back seat mirror on the back headrest for your rear facing child. You can see them, and they can see you. Saves on the screaming! (well …sometimes it does. Let’s face it, sometimes these toddlers just want to experiment with screaming).
A change of clothes in the nappy bag for drink bottle spills or nappy explosions is a great idea!
A sleeping bag, blanket and comfort toy for bedtime can give familiarity to a strange location. Order a cot/crib for your toddler too if available.
Take toddler-sized sunglasses as they will grizzle if the sun is in their eyes too long!

Hopefully following some of these tips, your next road trip with kids will be enjoyable. What essential thing do you think is required on a car trip with kids? Comment below.

Being a mother is tough – working out this parenting gig (again)

How to stop breastfeeding a toddler (who doesn’t want to give up)

How to stop breastfeeding a toddler (who doesn’t want to give up)

05/10/2017 By Savanna Robinson 1 Comment

Learning about how to stop breastfeeding a toddler is a tricky task! There isn’t a lot of information on stopping at this age! Even going to the Early Childhood clinic nurses they didn’t have much helpful advice to share. It’s all advice about continuing to breastfeed a baby. So here’s my thoughts on the whole process.

Not in a million years did I ever think I’d still breastfeeding a toddler of nearly 20 months! It hasn’t been uneventful either with grazes, vagospasm and blocked ducts, and a few times I’ve wanted to just give up on it all. But I’m quite proud of this achievement we’ve reached together.

Breastfeeding with toddlers is trickier

Toddlers are NOT like babies when breastfeeding. They’re wriggly! They have some teeth (which they seem to forget every time a new one pops up)! And are super distractable! It is not a task for the faint of heart to breastfeed a toddler! They can feed from any position- sideways, upside down, downward dog- you name it, a toddler can probably breastfeed that way. For the last 9 months I’ve had to feed her in a quiet room most of the times or she just stops and starts for hours.

With my first daughter I decided at 14 months that I wanted to wear pretty bras again, instead of nursing ones, and by 15 months she was weaned. But she was also only on 3 feeds a day from the age of 9 months when I went back to work full time. And it was fairly easy to do.

My newest addition is more stubborn. She really loves the comfort of breastfeeding. At 11 months old I managed to get her down to three feeds a day, and separated them from sleep times, thanks to a 4 night stay at sleep school. And a week later was teething again, and that all went to pieces- the sleep and the feeding!

We have lasted through a relapse of my multiple sclerosis, requiring me to have high dose IV steroids and a hospital stay. Luckily the hospital supported my breastfeeding rights, and arranged for her to room in with me. When I met up with my new neurologist and MS nurse it was recommended I should go back onto medications to help with the MS, which then meant weaning her.

All the advice I could find was to either completely stop cold turkey (which I didn’t like with my tendency to get blocked ducts and the risk of mastitis) or to just let her wean when ready, or to not refuse if they ask but not ask if they wanted it. What I’ve ended up doing is just trying to drop one feed a day for a week or two and then trying another. It’s not a perfect method, but is better than being in pain with engorged breasts.

I’ve had mixed feelings about this. Yes, it would be nice for her to be finally weaned! But on the other hand, I also miss that closeness you get nursing a little one who so enjoys a breastfeed.

How we’ve gone so far

Anyway, my little miss had other ideas. She is highly resistant to weaning. It took me months to get her back to 3 feeds a day, then to two. Now 6 months later, she’s down to one feed a day in the morning. Of course when sick, or upset, she tries her best to get another one. Toddlers know where the boobs are hidden and try their darnedest to get at them! (And are VERY determined!)

And as the end of this breastfeeding journey nears, I get more and more sad feelings about it. Yes I know it is best for my health to go back on disease modifying medication, but I will miss it! She is my last one and this won’t be experienced again. I will miss being a breastfeeding mum.

But we have had the best possible start to her life! It has helped with any illnesses she’s caught in 19 months, including a doozy of a flu virus we had locally a couple of months back. It’s also been found to be best for MS to breastfeed at least 12 months and more if possible. And should reduce my risk of breast cancer in life. I think those are all great things to have achieved with my two girls!

In the meanwhile I’ll continue trying to wean my girl, so other things can start.

How have you found weaning from breastfeeding? Easy or hard? Comment below.

Come read more about my parenting journey here.

Being a mother is tough – working out this parenting gig (again)

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Reading with infants- tips to make reading with toddlers easier

29/09/2017 By Savanna Robinson Leave a Comment

Reading with infants

We’ve all heard how important it is to read with our little ones! For a lot of parents you want to instill the love of reading and this life-long skill your child will need far into their future. But you will soon learn that isn’t always the easiest task to achieve with babies and toddlers. So here’s my tips to help with this new challenge in your parenting life.

Keep the paper books for later

When your baby is new, they do lots of exploring and investigating with things in their mouth. So keep those precious paper books for later on in their childhood! Books made from fabrics, plastic or board books are best for first books.

Fabric books can have different textures and sounds when touched. We have one with a crinkly noise page that was a hit! Plastic books are great for having fun during water play or in the bathtub, but are also pretty immune to any dribble from your youngster. And board books are tough cardboard pages that are designed to last longer than ordinary paper with a baby. It may get a little worn around the edges, but the majority of the book will remain intact past the toddler stage!

When they sit still

At first if you are reading to your child, they will listen wide eyed to the story as you read and watch the pictures as you turn the pages. Try to use lots of expression to make it interesting and keep their attention (which won’t be for very long- 5 minutes can be enough!)

Independence leads to new skills

As your child gets older and learns how to do more things like holding and playing with toys, they will start to want to do some of the tasks in reading by themselves. They may wish to pick the book, to hold the book, turn the pages, or start at a certain point. Don’t worry too much about the storyline at this stage or the proper way to read a book- your child is just exploring and trying to copy and do what you have done with the book so far, but by themselves this time. Let them explore! It’s not going to hurt, and it does help maintain their love for books and reading later on.

Pace of reading

Look to your child for the pace you read your chosen book. Some days they might want to quickly flick through all the pages, so do a brief read of the pages. And other days they want to stare at the pictures on each page for several minutes. You can describe and talk about what is there, but sometimes they just like to quietly take in all that is on the page. There may even be days they want to do the book backwards. As your child grows older, they will get to the stage of wanting to listen the entire story in order. But it can take time! Be patient!

Hazards to books with children

Infants do tend to go through a stage of putting EVERYTHING in their mouth for a little while at least. And when teething, they find things to help relieve that pain. Corners of board books seem to be a favoured teething toy, especially in our house. Very few board books survived without at least one corned nibbled on!

Toddlers do like to walk around with their favourite items, including books. Watch out for access to the bathroom or toilet when they can walk, or you may find soggy books around the house.

Another danger factor is food! Smooshed up, half eaten food that somehow ends up on the books. Try to avoid mixing reading and eating. It never ends well!

Once they discover what books actually are, your child will notice them in other places around the house. If you want to keep any paper books safe, they will need to be placed out of reach (even from climbing..bookcases can be inviting climbing towers to the adventurous toddler!)

Enjoy this time

Finally enjoy the beginning of your child’s love affair with books and reading. Don’t be stressed if it’s a super quick session, or the opposite, they’re taking forever with pages. It all helps develop a fascination with the medium of reading! And they won’t be little forever. They do grow up and then no longer want a story read by you. Keep it interesting though, and that won’t be for many, many years!

Interested in more of my parenting adventures? Click here.

Age gap worry- how long to wait between kids?

Breastfeeding is hard. Breastfeeding is easy. The pros and cons of breastfeeding in modern society.

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Parenting

#1 Choose a family friendly cruise line.

#2 Utilise Kids Club.

#3 Set dinner time in the dining room.

#4 Stairs are your friend.

#5 Shows

#6 Shore tours

#7 Elegant night

#8 Photo opportunities

#9 Free movies screening

#10 Opportunity to meet other little travellers

Use a calendar

Have a place things belong

Shopping Lists

Don’t put things off

The pros and cons of breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is easy.

Breastfeeding is hard

The Village

The need for professional breastfeeding help

Issues that make breastfeeding hard.

The pros and cons of breastfeeding can make or break your breastfeeding journey

References

Musings on road trips with kids.

Toddler road trip essentials

Breastfeeding with toddlers is trickier

How we’ve gone so far

Reading with infants

Keep the paper books for later

When they sit still

Independence leads to new skills

Pace of reading

Hazards to books with children

Enjoy this time

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