Shelly Rivoli's Blog, page 4
April 17, 2017
Checklist for Travel with Babies and Toddlers: Ten Things to Do Before You Leave Home (with Printable)
The checklist for travel with babies and toddlers: Ten things to do before you leave home.
Getting out the door for any trip can have its challenges, but when you travel with babies and toddlers, getting everyone and everything out the door and–finally–on your way can feel like a gosh darn miracle. Here’s a helpful checklist to keep handy in your final days before departure. I recommend taping the printable version it to the refrigerator, your bathroom mirror, or inside your front door for ea...
April 9, 2017
Planning Tips for Travel with a Baby 12 Months to 18 Months
The Ages & Stages series continued: Travel with a Baby 12 Months to 18 Months. Shown above: Learning to walk on a rooftop in Tunisia at Sidi Bou Said.
Planning Tips for Travel with a Baby – 6 Months to 12 Months The Ages & Stages series continued… Planning Tips for Travel with a Baby 12 to 18 MonthsYour child may look more like a “staggerer” than a toddler through much of this phase, and even though he is on his feet, he may be very unsteady and prone to falls. He will likely want to spend...
April 1, 2017
Pack This! The “Trayblecloth” for Flying Toddlers & Preschoolers–and Ideas for What to Pack in It
The “Trayblecloth” in action on an airplane seat-back tray.
When I board an airplane with my kids, it’s hard to know what I want to hit first with my antibacterial hand wipes: The safety belt buckles? The arm rests? Or the fold-out tray where our gadgets and goodies and snacks will inevitably end up?
The “Trayblecloth” goes one better than a wipe–at least where the fold-out tray is concerned. It not only provides a clean, alergen-free surface for kids but helps keep them organized and enterta...
March 25, 2017
Checklist for Travel with Babies and Toddlers: Checking-In Safety Checklist (with Printable)
Room service? We’d like three more hairdryers and some extra goodies in the minibar. And pens. Lots of ball point pens… (Got your checking-in safety checklist ready?)
We once entered a thoroughly modern hotel room to find someone had indeed brought us a portacrib as requested, though he had set it up directly beneath an enormous light sconce protruding from the wall that would have served well on a whaling ship. If it didn’t brain our daughter as she stood up in the crib, it surely would have...
March 16, 2017
Five Great Family Destinations in Ireland
Kids will love “sleeping like a king” in this castle nestled in the Twelve Bens Mountains of County Galway, one of author Jody Halsted’s recommended family destinations in Ireland.
Thinking of planning a family escape to Ireland, but not sure where to begin? This post will help kick-start your travel planning and give you confidence that (yes!) a vacation in Ireland with kids may be your family’s best adventure yet. With tips from our Ireland travel expert at Family Travel 411 (our sister s...
March 3, 2017
Planning Tips for Travel with a Baby 6 months to 12 months
The Ages & Stages series continued: Travel with a Baby 6 Months to 12 Months. Off to a great start visiting Thailand with baby!
Planning Tips for Travel with a Baby – 3 Months to 6 Months The Ages & Stages series continued… Planning Tips for Travel with a Baby 6 to 12 MonthsBaby becomes an accomplished explorer anywhere she can touch down as long-distance rolling, scooting, crawling, cruising, and possibly walking become part of her physical repertoire.
Where to go: If you plan to travel ov...
February 15, 2017
Ask Shelly: Car seat for three days in Scotland?
A fresh reader question from the Ask Shelly inbox! (Readers can submit Ask Shelly questions here.)
I am traveling to the U.K. and France with my 3 year old. For a teeny portion of our 3 weeks trip to Europe (for 3 days only), we will be renting a car to drive from Edinburgh to the Highlands. I really do not want to lug his car seat on multiple airline and train rides when we only need it for 3 days! We have a CARES harness for the plane – which is much more comfortable for him that being s...
February 2, 2017
Planning Tips for Travel with a Baby 3 months to 6 months
The Ages & Stages series continued: Travel with a Baby 3 Months to 6 Months. Baby’s first camping trip at Big Sur, CA — A bouncinette (or bouncy seat) with zip-close mesh canopy was very helpful when we needed hands free to set up camp–and helped keep evening mosquitoes at bay.
Planning Tips for Travel with a Baby – Birth to 3 Months The Ages & Stages series continued… Planning Tips for Travel with a Baby 3 to 6 MonthsYour baby is in his prime for riding—and napping—contentedly on laps and i...
January 19, 2017
Pack This! Kaboost Chair Booster for Travel with Toddlers and Preschoolers
The Kaboost chair booster in action.
Table time can be tricky with little ones for any number of reasons. From infants who can’t yet sit up unassisted through babies who love to wear (and have you share) their food, through toddlers who want to climb out of any strap-in high chair or buckle-in booster for travel you may try (click here to see recommendations for travel-friendly dining boosters and solutions for the youngest travelers). But what I liked about the Kaboost on first sight was how...
January 12, 2017
Five Things You Should Know Before Planning a Cruise with a Baby or Toddler
Cruise with a baby or toddler? Read this first!
For parents that want to escape it all, lift nary a finger for meal preparation, eliminate the risk of getting lost on the way to the next destination, and never be more than a moment away from some form of entertainment, a snack, a restroom, or even a doctor–cruising is where it’s at. But before booking that next best bargain cruise you see advertised, make sure the cruise line really provides all the pluses you’re hoping for–including an envir...
