Back from Disneyland...

Jar: 18.22 USD

We went to the Disneyland Resort from Thursday to Sunday.  The drive is about an hour and half from San Diego to Anaheim, unless you run into some traffic.  6 month old slept the whole way, and 2 year old was happy to get out of the house.  If you can. I recommend some days at home before the trip.  When we do this, a car ride for them seems nice and when we get home, they appreciate it so much more.

We checked in to our hotel, (The Disneyland Hotel) and were asked if we wanted an upgrade to their fancier hotel, The Grand Californian for one night.  We wholeheartedly agreed and we got to stay in a suite... it had a beautiful view and was ridiculously large.  Sometimes hotels in general find a candidate who might want this upgrade, and offer it to them for a number of reasons... one is someone somewhere overbooked some rooms and they are trying to move people around before the trouble hits.  Sometimes, if they see there is a returning guest, they try to see if they can give them a preview of the nicer hotel, for maybe a future visit.  

The girls enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Disney of course, has a very family oriented style of living, so things like large balconies always tiny spaces so little ones can't fall through.  Room was bare and minimalistic.  And I swear, their beds are really comfy- even more so than the Westin Dream Bed.    

Stroller:  We bought a Graco Duo Glide from a garage sale for 25 USD and take it to occasions like this- it's a long double stroller, with plenty of storage space on the bottom, cup holders and most importantly, both seats can lay down pretty well.  Also, we didn't mind if we left this battering ram outside... and kept valuables in a backpack that we carried the whole time.  

Amusement park must haves if you have an infant or a toddler:  

Stroller that folds back all the way

Pacifier Leash, 

plastic rings to hold toys, drink cups etc.  

sunscreen, 

a light blanket or an extra form of "shade" for the stroller

basic snacks, 

a small cooler

To save money:

bring a case of your own water

juice boxes

invest in a soft sided cooler

snacks

share portions of purchased food with your kids (or have them share with each other.)

have a souvenir budget

Safety Tips on The Road...Excerpt from Travel Guide for Toddlers and Infants

Jar: 15.02 USD

For reasons to be named later, I can only put excerpts from The Health & Safety Chapter in the book, on the blog.  I tried to pick out the most important things and post them on here, but of course, this is not everything, so just use it as a bit of advice.  Remember, the best thing to use is common sense because there are so many different countries with their own set of what is acceptable safe behavior and what is considered deviant behavior in their particular country.  

First Aid Kit:  You need some basics on here to have a good infant/toddler medical kit...a good start is this little pod they sell at stores like Target or Marshall Fields (on the East Coast).  It's a good start because it comes with band-aids, non-stinging cleaner, antibiotic ointment, basically stuff for scrapes and cuts that Toddlers and babies love to get.  

But, here is my First Aid Kit and it covers a wider range of ailments for both adults and the wee ones.

In a quart size ziplock container: (TSA Approved as well.)

Big Band-Aids

Regular Band Aids

Smaller Band-Aids

Non-stinging antiseptic Cleaner (we use that foam, "boo-boo juice")

Alchohol Swabs (6-8 of these)

Sting relief pads

Antibiotic cream/ointment

Small roll of medical tape

gauze

thermometer

Infant Tylenol

Infant/children's Benadryl

2 sets of earplugs

aloe vera gel

sunscreen (small, emergency bottle or wipe)

burn cream

ice/hot pack (there is the kind that is both)

small safety scissors

baby nail clippers

anti-itch cream

cortizone

Any prescription meds (if needed)

any prescription copies from your doctor

eye drops

ibuprofin

acetometaphine

blister care

Baby Proofing While on The Road:  

Blue Painter's Tape: this kind of tape works wonders for babyproofing your hotel room or any place your staying.  It comes off easily and doesn't chip or peel the paint of the furniture.  You can also use it to cover electrical sockets and tape washcloths to the sharp corners of tables.   

Misc Safety: 

Pictures: Another good idea I read about somewhere said that you should take a picture of your babies in case you get separated from them.  Is the picture an okay depiction of the babies?   Have a copy of this picture in your wallet and also have a picture of your family with your child's things, that way they can make the connection if you ever got separated.  

 

Keeping Mosquitoes and other Annoying Biting Flies Off Your Family!

Jar Savings $12.23

The hardest thing about going to South East Asia with a 3 month old, was trying to find the perfect mosquito repellant before we left.    With Malaria, Dengue Fever and a slew of other diseases brought on by those little pests was enough to make me crazy.  I narrowed it down to a few products.

California Baby Mosquito Repellant- safe for infants, smelled nice, and wasn't oily or greasy.  It lasted a few hours and didn't give the girls or us any kind of rash.  Main ingredient was Citronella. 

Avon Skin-So-Soft Line-  There is a bug reppeller/sunscreen at SPF 30.  It didn't stink, and it kept off almost every kind of bug.  Also, the regular skin so soft oil has always repelled mosquitos although I find it to be too oily.  

Patches: Made By OFF!

We found these in Asia, but I haven't had a chance to look for them here.  You could stick on clothing or the baby carrier that repelled mosquitos for 8 hours.  This was perfect at night, so you wouldn't have to keep reapplying.  

It's hard, finding stuff without DEET that was effective for the baby.  The Toddler on the other hand, was okay with kids stuff.  I recommend putting stuff on their legs first to see if they react to it.  There are also numerous companies that make mosquito nets for portable cribs, carriers and strollers.  Which really worked out well for the baby when we were outdoors eating or something.  Also, a random tip that is somewhat related, be careful when you put even "safe for babies" stuff on their skin, (this goes with sunscreen also).  We forgot and put the stuff on the back of Memmy's arms and she rubbed all over her eyes and she ended up with sore, stinging eyes.  Poor thing.  

Where is "Safe?"

My two year old?  Wakes up to cereal and Barney, and a hula skirt where she dances to Lilo and Stitch on a portable DVD Player.   She has fed the seals at Sea World, and the closest she gets to being near a goat is at the petting zoo.  I am afraid of tetanus, e-coli, stress about 5-point harnesses on car seats, make sure there are plastic covers on all electrical outlets in our house, worry about her banging her head on something sharp, not getting enough nap time, getting to bed on time and stress about brushing her teeth twice a day.  

A few months ago I was talking to a travel client about her daughter.  Her daughter is about 5 months older than Myla, and so we instantly had a connection.  She was inquiring if it was possible to send her daughter to the Philippines with her mother so she could live there temporarily.  I started my usual textbook answer of how I couldn't give any kind of immigration advice and started to name a few people I thought who could help her.  Truth, is, I wasn't really listening to this woman, even though we had a common interest and bond.  It's just a handy trick of the trade when you talk to as many people as I have.  My mind instantly goes blank, and I think of other things while I look her straight in the eye and she really, truly, believes I am listening.  We are both mothers to two year old girls, and in our early 30's.  She went on to volunteer more information as to why she wanted to send her two year old daughter to the Philippines to live with her mother.  

"He doesn't have a job, and he gets frustrated sometimes..." she began.

Now, I'm listening.

"He cut her hair the other day... to punish her for being bad..."  

At this point, she is starting to cry.  

We got her daughter an open ended ticket, and her mom (grandma) a round trip one as well.  This little girl, just a few months older than my own little girl lives in a farm about 40 miles east of Manila, Phillipines.  She collects eggs from their chickens and can feed a handful of poultry and knows where to take the goat when he needs to graze.  She will be in the Philippines until her mother can figure out how to get rid of her husband, and they send me emails about her progress, and she is growing fast and strong.  Keep in mind this baby is 2 years old. 

 

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't sound like a bad way to live at all.  In fact, it sounds great. And fulfilling. and uncomplicated.   This client is just recently asking for a ticket so she can move back to the Philippines with her daughter.  Away from the abuse and the complications of America.  

This leads me to wonder, can't I take both aspects of living somewhere else and living here and make it wonderful?  Downside of living here as opposed to a foreign land... insurance companies.  Automated messages, robots who determine the outcome of your healthcare.  The need for money all the time, HUMONGOUS portion size and consumerist society.  Just the need to have more and more and more is so stifling.  The upside of living here?  Most diseases and nutrition problems are abolished with immunizations and proper sanitation in the city. People know that proper hand washing is what kills germs.   I don't have to take a two day trip to get my daughters or husband to a hospital.  If I want a certain kind of cheese from anywhere in the world I can more than likely get it almost immediately.  I have the freedom to go places if I like.  

Even though there is a higher risk of bad healthcare in third world countries, and basic societal functions are unheard of in most of them, this two year old girl who moved to the Philippines is still safer cleaning up after a goat, not washing her hands and then eating, than she was in her own little apartment alone with her stressed out, abusive father.  

There's something wrong with that.