We have done quite a bit of traveling with our son. When he was 10 months we took him to Vancouver, British Columbia, which is about a 6 hour flight for us. On top of all the stuff that you need to bring for toddlers (extra clothes for unpredictable weather, toys, diaper bag, cameras, etc…) I really didn’t want to bring a stroller and a car seat as well. At some point, all the “stuff” starts to take away from the pleaure of the trip. I much prefer to travel ‘light’.
I wound up buying the Sit’n'Stroll by Lilly Gold, it is one of the only products on the market that attempts to combine a car seat and stroller. It isn’t a great car seat and it isn’t a great stroller, but it’s light, fairly easy to use and did its intended job.
But when my son was old enough to face forward (1 year or over 20 pounds) he did not fit in the seat anymore even though it is supposed to be for up to 40 pounds. My car is a 2001, the year before they started making the latch system. If I had the latch system I think it would of worked. I wound up returning it for store credit.
Our next big family trip was to Mongolia. This time we brought his regular car seat, due to the incredibly poor state of the roads in the countryside and the amount of car time we would have, and a Go Go Kidz TravelMate. The product converts your car seat into a fairly effective stroller. This worked out very well, and I would recommend it.
Check back for a list of travel tips for families. Particularly if you are interested in traveling in developing nations!
My friend Nik, whose fab blog this is, asked me to blog about toys since she loves to ’shop’ at my house when our sons are playing together. I have a big family and people are always asking me what they can buy for my son. I give specific suggestions, since it’s kind of rude to say “please, no big, plastic, battery-powered crap from China that makes me want to jump out a window.” I’ve been trying to keep plastic out of my house (and my son’s mouth) since he was born. His pediatrician had warned me not to let him teethe on plastic. What?!? We live in a plastic world! I do the best I can on toys, and what follows is my list of favorites. Read the rest of this entry »
The best gift this year, in my opinion, is to lend $25 to the nonprofit Kiva, or give someone a $25 gift certificate from the organization so that he or she can choose the person they want to lend to. Best of all, when the money is paid back you can lend it to another person who needs a loan to get his or her business going. Teaching a child early on the importance of helping out those in need may stay with them their whole lives. At Kiva, you can look together through the profiles of people from all over the world who are asking for relatively small loans. The loan repayment rate is phenomonally high–near 100%. What a wonderful feeling to know that in a small way you are helping someone.
One of my all-time favorite gifts is a solar powered rainbow maker that attaches to your window. Over the years, we’ve bought these for more than half a dozen of our friends and family. They’re simple to use and can really brighten up your morning!
How about you? Do you have any suggestions for neat gifts this year? We’d love to hear them!
We have done quite a bit of traveling with our son. When he was 10 months we took him to Vancouver, British Columbia, which is about a 6 hour flight for us. On top of all the stuff that you need to bring for toddlers (extra clothes for unpredictable weather, toys, diaper bag, cameras, etc…) I really didn’t want to bring a stroller and a car seat as well. At some point, all the “stuff” starts to take away from the pleaure of the trip. I much prefer to travel ‘light’. 
But when my son was old enough to face forward (1 year or over 20 pounds) he did not fit in the seat anymore even though it is supposed to be for up to 40 pounds. My car is a 2001, the year before they started making the latch system. If I had the latch system I think it would of worked. I wound up returning it for store credit.
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