Going to the beach is a whole new experience with a different meaning when you have a baby. No more basking for the whole day in the sun and enjoying the cool breeze from the sea.  Now your time is spent playing with your little one and watching them enjoy all of the great things that the beach has to offer.  Although you can’t relax as much as you did before the baby, the beach is still just as fun, if not more as you can re-live your childhood years.

So here are our tips on how to successfully keep your little ones entertained and have fun yourself, whilst still enjoying some relaxation:

Give Them Shelter

The beach is both hot and sunny and you want to make sure that your baby has a place to go to to get away from the sun to cool off.  Consider taking a small beach tent or just a large parasol.

Keep Them Entertained

The beach has so much within itself to keep your little ones entertained, but sometimes you want to relax and enjoy your time without running back and forth to the water. Bring a lot of beach toys for you little one to play with. The more toys you bring, the longer you keep them entertained without having to run out to let them play in the sea.

Bring All of the Sun Protection Essentials

Bringing the sun cream, hat, sunglasses, and everything else that will protect your baby from the sun’s harmful UV rays is one of the most important things to remember at the beach. We also recommend that you apply sunscreen before you leave and then once we get to the beach.

Take a Seat

We suggest the very popular Bumbo seat and this is a great item to take to the beach.  It makes baby feel like they are involved in all of the fun as they can see what is going on.

Let Them Explore Their Surroundings

The touch of the sand and sound of the sea can be very frightening for a little one so let them explore in their own time.  Once they see  all of the things that we were doing, they will start to try them out.  It will be fun letting them do it all on their  own and watch them get over any fears to really have fun at the beach.

Take Pictures

Bring your camera with you to the beach and document the moments.  Make sure that you bring sealed plastic bags with you to protect your camera from the water and sand.  Take candid shots so that you can remember them in their element. You will love looking back at them when they are older and remembering how little and cute they were all sandy.

Forget the Push chair

A push chair might sound nice on the beach, but we can tell you from experience that it is a pain in to push in the sand.  If your baby won’t sleep on a towel under the tent or parasol, then just bring the carrier for her to sleep in.

Keep safe and most of all have fun.

Flying with your baby can be a little nerve-racking to say the least.  It would be great to bring baby on board and impress all the travelers with a sleeping bundle of joy, but that might not be the case. These 10 tips for flying with baby can help make the whole process a little less stressful and a pleasant one:

1. Pack new toys.  Bring a few new toys for Baby to play with that he/she has never seen before.  Also don’t forget to take spare dummies if your baby uses one.

2. Feed baby whilst taking off and landing.  Since babies cannot pop their ears, feeding them can help with the discomfort.

3. Red-eye doesn’t always mean shut-eye.  While some babies may sleep wonderfully during a red-eye, others can become too excited by the new environment and not sleep at all. Flying during the day through nap time might be your best bet, so they can still get a good sleep at night if they don’t conk out.

4. Does your baby fly free?  Before you buy your ticket, check to see if your baby (under 2 years) flies for free on the airline that you are choosing for the flight.

5. Try to avoid changing aeroplanes.  Direct flights can be a lot easier than having to take Baby off the plane and then onto another one.

6. Bulkhead is more spacious.  Try to call ahead of time to get a bulkhead seat. There will be more space for you to put all of Baby’s belongings and they may have a bassinet/crib.

7. Give yourself plenty of time.  The last feeling you’ll want to have, on top of stressing about flying with a baby, is stressing that you won’t make your flight on time.

8. Warm chamomile.  if Baby is not into taking milk or formula, a warm bottle of diluted Chamomile tea can help calm them.

9.  Take a baby sling or carrier.  There’s a chance you will have to do some walking through the airport and the aisles of the aircraft with your baby. A baby carrier can definitely help in these situations.

10. Make a list.  Write up a list before you leave of all the things you might need on the flight.  Check it twice.

And finally enjoy your flight!

The ‘casual contempt’ shown for fathers on TV programmes and in advertising, which invariably depict them as hapless and lazy, is being criticised by parents  according to a new study.  In this report, 90 per cent of mothers and fathers say the archetypal bungling TV dad unfairly misrepresents the reality and overlooks the contribution that the modern dad makes to family life.

The research, carried out by Netmums forum on-line, singled out Peppa Pig’s lazy, overweight father, workshy Fred Flintstone and couch potato Homer Simpson as particularly damaging to children’s perceptions of fatherhood.

This study of more than 2000 parents was conducted to mark Fathers Day and it was found that eight out of 10 fathers said that they had made a conscious effort to be better than their own dads had been and would be making an extra effort to be more involved in their children’s day-to-day lives.

So with fathers seemingly trying harder to be a better parent, it is unfair that the media consistently mock them.  So give the dad in your life a break this fathers Day and treat them with the respect that they deserve and teat him to a special daddy gift.

And remember all you dads out there, they are only TV shows and a bit of fun so there’s nothing really to get hung up about.   Keep Calm – it’s only a TV programme!!!!

Exercise is GOOD – but be Cautious…

Exercise is very important, but being aware of what you should NOT do is even MORE important.

Here are 4 Exercises that should be avoided during pregnancy.

1. Avoid deep knee bends (and be careful with squats!) – Because the body loosens up SO much during pregnancy, any bending past 90-degrees while holding heavy weights is not recommended!

Why not try ball squats, but only do them if you feel OK (STOP if you feel any discomfort)                    

 2. Avoid lifting over your head (i.e. standard military press) – Because a lot of women hold their breath when they lift overhead (possibly causing them to feel dizzy and pass out), be cautious of this exercise.

Also, because of the increased lordotic (lower back) curve associated with pregnancy, overhead exercises can place even more stress to the lower lumbar area, causing lower back strain. If you’re committed to lifting overhead – an inclined position may feel better and take the pressure off your lower back.

3. Avoid any “Weight-Bearing” exercises that require you to bend from your waist and compress your abdominals (i.e. deadlifts) – This can cause dizziness and puts pressure on your lumbar spine.

4. Avoid extreme stretching or bouncy movements – Your flexibility has increased greatly, which CAN and does lead to overstretching (painful!) if you’re not careful.

Although Yoga is recommended – overstretching is something to watch out for! Listen to YOUR body, not what the teacher says or someone else in the class is doing.

But don’t let RULES hold you back!

It’s important to be cautious but DON’T let all these “RULES” keep you from exercising. Exercise WILL help you both during your pregnancy and beyond (including post-baby WEIGHT LOSS!).