February 10, 2012
Any parent soon learns to perfect the Reverse Shoulder Dislocation Toy Grab. You know the one – junior drops favourite plaything A into the back seat footwell and begins howling for it as you’re hurtling along the M4. You reach backward with your left hand and begin fumbling around blindly for the offending item, eyes fixed wildly on the road ahead.
No more – the Content&Calm Traykit Traveller Collection has come to all of our rescues.It’s an all-in-one carry-on backpack and play-tray that attaches to the back of your driving seat or sits in your child’s lap. Voila! An extendable play surface with raised sides that reduces the opportunities for the old dropped toy trick. It’s great for trains and planes too because you can strap it firmly onto a tray table.
The TrayKit contains coloured pencils, stickers and a handy journal including travel games, a photo library and a fold-out world map. So, no jumping up every two minutes to get something new and entertaining from the overhead lockers. Matching Traveller Passport Holder and set of Luggage Tags will give your junior traveller that sense of grown-up ownership that will stop them wandering off and abandoning it on a seat in Departures. For more information, take a look at www.contentandcalm.com.
Here’s a way to make sure that budding baby swimmers stay trendy and accident-free in one cute package. Award-winning Bambino Mio have a new range of funky swim nappy prints for 2012.
No need for bulky disposable nappies as the little person begins to discover the joys of paddling in the swimming pool or the sea.
Elasticated waist and leak proof leg cuffs stop the sort of nasty leaks that tend to make you and the baby unpopular poolside. An adjustable waist band ensures a flexible, secure and comfortable fit, a lightweight cotton lining is soft on the skin, and super-stretchy swim fabric will allow even the most active tot to splash about without problems.
Completely reuseable and available in brown stripe, pink stripe, orange stripe, blue shark and pink daisy, the Bambino Mio swim nappy is available from stores and online for a RRP of £8.75.
For more info, take a look at www.bambinomio.com
February 6, 2012
We all know that new parenthood turns a walk in the park with baby into a military-style operation requiring roughly the same amount of kit as a marine takes into battle. It’s a shock at first, but we all get used to it on our home ground.
I don’t know about you, but I like a trip away to bear absolutely no resemblance to that everyday life. I want to be able to spontaneously set off for a seafront stroll with junior without taking my own bodyweight in nappies, wet wipes and changing mats along for the ride.
Baby.Go by Koo-Di is the answer to that particular dilemma. It’s an all-in-one emergency baby changing kit that you can shove into your back pocket.
It contains a disposable nappy, three large wet wipes and an antiseptic hand wipe for mum or dad, all wrapped up in a disposable changing mat. Once you’ve handled the inevitable messy moment, everything wraps up in the mat and the original cover becomes a disposable bag.
Available in four sizes, for babies from 3-18 kgs, baby.go comes in packs of five. For more info, take a look at www.koo-di.co.uk
February 1, 2012
It’s one of those ‘Doh! Why didn’t I think of that!’ moments. A neat little invention that’s so simple you can’t believe you didn’t think of it yourself.
Remember when yours were tiny and they’d (finally, mercifully) fall asleep on a blanket? I’d tip-toe over and try to bundle them into my arms and off to bed – and of course I’d wake them up in the clumsy process.
So, why not invent a blanket with handles? Too late – David Solomons has beaten every other travel dad in the world to the punch.
He dreamt up the Bundl to help his wife lift and carry their baby daughter when birth complications made bending down a no-no, and his own dodgy back put him out of the frame too.
It fits into car seats, pushchairs, cots and cribs and is ideal for the supermarket trolley baby seats. No more having to lay a blanket down before you lay your baby down. Now you lay blanket and baby down at the same time.
The Bundl has already picked up a business innovations award from Barclays Bank. Really wish I’d thought of it first….
For more information, take a look at www.snugglebundl.co.uk/
January 7, 2012
Hey, we’ve all been there. You and the family decide to take a nice. long country stroll on day 2 of the trip. But toddler is experiencing the first thrill of mobile independence and howls when you try to put him in his buggy.
He wants to walk!
You know how it’s going to end when the three of you set off. But there’s still that sinking feeling when, 15 minutes into walk, the words ring out: ‘Carry me, Daddy. My legs are tired.’
And so begins the mile-long, boiling-hot shoulder ride that ruins the morning and leaves a worrying twinge in the small of your back…
The Pack it! Hip Carrier could be the beginning of the fight back against that particular holiday moment.
It’s so small and light that it can easily be popped into a bag or coat pocket. But it unfolds to a sturdy hip carrier to help support a toddler’s weight without tiring your arms. Suitable for toddlers from 12 months onwards, the Hip Carrier can be worn on either side and the adjustable padded shoulder strap gives additional comfort and support. The waist harness also ensures a wriggly toddler is securely buckled in.
The Hip Carrier sells for £12.99.
For more info, take a look at http://www.koo-di.co.uk/packit_hip_carier.php
November 7, 2011
I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit of sucker for any single gadget that tackles more than one problem. Probably why I seem to possess more Swiss Army knives than could be considered strictly necessary. And why I feel that the Toddlebike is the very essence of Travel Dadhood.
The little bike fills the gap into which most frustrated 1-3 year-olds fall between baby pull-alongs and scooters and balance bikes. It weighs less than a kilo, which means it makes easy hand-luggage.
Just as importantly, it’s perfect for turning those agonising hours at the airport into a fun playtime. And – the big one for thousands of beleaguered dads – knee-aching toddler shoulder rides are reduced to minimum and (if your junior traveller takes a real liking to the new mode of transport), you might be able to leave the bulky buggy at home.
Toddlebike is priced at £19.95 + £3.95 P&P online. For more info, take a look at www.toddlebike.co.uk.
November 2, 2011
Autumn’s first frost left our back garden crisped with white this morning. It seems we’re finally staring down the barrel of winter. So – a perfect moment to start making plans for a spot of mid-summer family glamping to take the chill out of the air.
I found myself staring dreamily at pictures of the funky limited edition Rhubarb & Custard bell tent, designed by Ali Torkington at the Glam Camping Company. It’s stripy shape magically conjures up images of August weekends in the country with the kids, the scent of BBQ smoke drifting across an open field at sunset on a warm evening.
Inside, the tent is light, roomy and airy. But it’s also solidly made, so can withstand the fickle nature of the UK climate. A zipped-in groundsheet ensures that no draughts or damp can creep in. And – major bonus – it’s very easy to put up.
It sells for £430.00. For more info, call the Glam Camping Company on 0845 869 8960 or take a look at
www.theglamcampingcompany.com
October 19, 2011
Dining out can one of the most testing times for a new Travel Dad (or Mum). Let’s assume you’ve already made the mental & emotional adjustment to the idea that a restaurant or cafe experience will now resemble a food fight rather than a romantic meal for three. There’s still the moment when you have to convince junior to slip into an unfamiliar high chair without pulling an almighty strop.
The Concord Lima travel high chair might help you win that particular battle. Compact & quick to fold away, it fits smoothly into the boot of a car or among the luggage as you head for the airport. But the major plus is that it snaps painlessly on to any normal chair to slide the small person smoothly in next to you – no more wrestling a normal bulky high chair into position as the child-free couple at the next table give you death glares. And because the Lima travels everywhere with you, it will be baby’s familiar meal time friend & therefore less likely to provoke a full-throated rejection.
Washable, padded seats mean one more reason to have less fear of the food fight. The Lima retails at £64.99. For more details, take a look at www.concord.de.
It’s early Spring & the thoughts of Scarlett, 8, and Fin, 5, are turning to camping trips. But it’s raining stair rods outside & any possibility of setting up camp in the great outdoors is looking slim if the pitch-black sky outside is anything to go by. It’s only half way through Saturday morning & promising to be a loooong weekend.
