Back-to-School Must-Haves

admin

Are you ready for the big day? School bells will be ringing and buses will be at bay. As the first day of school comes getting closer and closer, make sure you’ve got everything prepped and ready for your child as he starts school.

Step 1: Selecting the Perfect Backpack

MadPax Backpacks
SkipHop Backpacks

There are so many school bags out in the market but only a selected few are specially crafted for children. Other than having cute and spunky designs, specialized toddler and children brands craft the right straps, sizing and material to perfectly cater to a child’s physique with padded straps and limited weight capacity. Shop from reputable kids brands to make sure your child gets the backpack properly suited for him.

Step 2: Snack Time Essentials
Make sure your child enjoys a hearty meal by packing his lunchies with love everyday

3 Sprouts Insulated Lunch Bag

– Lunchbag: An insulated lunch bag keeps your child’s meal hot or cold to make sure he enjoys it fresh when the lunch bell rings

Monbento

– Snack Box: A snack box with a divider lets him gobble down a fun variety you can mix up for to surprise him with everyday

SkipHop Water Bottles

– Water bottle: Water bottles with flip straws are great for mess free drinks. They can even perfectly match his SkipHop Backpack.

Step 3: School Supplies
This lot may be tricky as the recommended supplies vary per school level but the most essential for all are: pencils/pens, notebooks, coloring materials, non-toxic adhesives and child-friendly shears.

OMY Coloring Pens

Step 4: Comfort Toy

Melissa and Doug Soft Toys

For some kids, starting school will be an adjustment either uncomfortable or exciting, make sure he has something dear to hold to help him with the anxiety he may face or something he can share around with new found friends.

Step 5: Just-in-case Checklist

Jottum

– Spare Clothes
Pack light clothing just in case of any spill or art-related accident that might come your child’s way

MiFold Grab-and-Go Car Seat

– Pocket-sized Car Seat
Unplanned carpools are nothing to worry about if your child always has a handy car seat booster in his pack

Preparing for school need not be nerve-wrecking and stressful! Get ready ahead of time and just follow these steps and cross of these lists, and you will be guaranteed a hassle-free first day for you and your child.

A Middle Eastern Summer: Tips for Babies & Toddlers

admin

 

Summer is here, and it’s here to stay! Summers in the Middle East last for months, sometimes even half the year. But fear not, with these tips in mind, it will just pass like a breeze. Just stock up on these summer essentials and your little ones will have the time of their lives!

 

 

 

  1. Stay Hydrated Intense summer heat may be too overwhelming for your little ones. When outdoors, make sure to keep them hydrated to help keep their body temperature regulated at all times. Always pack boxed juice drinks whenever outside or fresh bottled juices or water, which would be much better. Stainless steel bottles are great for keeping drinks cool amidst the heat.

    Skip Hop Zoo Stainless Steel Straw Bottle
  2. Eat Up If you’re not a fan of the thought of taking too many potty trips, fruits are also excellent sources for hydration. Watermelons, grapes, and oranges are ideal and easy to pack. A great hack to take your summer pack further up a notch is freezing grapes and storing them in insulated lunch packs and viola- mini fruit lollies/popsicles that are not just fun, cool treats but also 100% healthy.

    3 Sprouts Lunch Bag
  3. Dress Cool Light mesh fabrics are perfect for summer; thin layers lets you stay cool and lightweight fabrics are very breathable and doesn’t trap any heat, allowing air to circulate & move freely through the fabric. Cotton, linen or chambray onesies and coordinates are also other good options. Opt for colors that are bright or white as these reflect sun light while dark colors absorb heat.

    Jottum One Piece
  4. Sun Protection Use hats, umbrellas or canopies as a protective layer against sun rays. Choose sunscreen that is specially formulated for babies and kids’ sensitive skin and uses natural ingredients. Though SPF lotions and creams may be a good option, an added external protective layer is still best. Clip on umbrellas and detachable extendable sun canopies for strollers are a definite must have accessories.
    Stroller Summer Cover

    Naif Sunscreen (for the sensitive skin of babies and kids)
  5. Indoor Fun Beaches and pools aren’t the only destination for families to cool down. In the Middle East, the heat may be intense but we adapt tremendously. Indoor theme parks, forests and adventure zones are a widespread and with summer at bay, so are promotions for entrance fees and packages that are better than usual. Also, why not stay creative at home with fun educational toys? A toddler’s imagination can travel so far with playful bonding with their mums and dads or toddlers alike.

    Melissa & Doug Corner Kitchen

JustKidding Recommends: Top Car Seats for Newborns, Babies and Toddlers

admin

Top Pick for Newborns
Newborn to 1 year


 

Pebble Plus

The Maxi-Cosi Plus is a best seller for its cocoon-type seat that gives a very comfortable and secure womb feel for your newborn baby

 

 

 



Top Pick for Babies
Newborn to 4 years

 

Britax First Class

Britax First Class features super comfy removable cushioning that lets the seat grow with your child

 

 



 

Top Pick for Toddlers
4-12 years

 

MiFold

A wallet-sized booster that packs maximum safety that is 10x smaller and just as safe

 

 

 

 

Kidsriver Booster Seat

Most convenient way to make sure your child is safe at all times is Kidsriver Booster seat that easily adapts to any car seat

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kidsriver Alant

A full seat that gives your child maximum safety, the Kidsriver Alant makes sure your toddler is safe, secure and comfortable

 

 

 

 

Top Pick Innovative Car Seat
Newborn  to 1 year

Doona Car Seat and Stroller

The only car seat with integrated wheels, the Doona Car Seat and Stroller lets you convert your car seat into a stroller with ease


 

 

Eid Holiday Travel Essentials

admin

Holidays are coming in a few days. Planning a fun road trip or jet setting for the Eid Holiday? With a toddler or child in your crew list, packing for a trip might be tricky. But no sweat, we’ve rounded up our best travel essentials to make sure you’re ready for your adventure.

1) Be ready for any kind of weather with stroller add-ons

Make sure your baby is protected from the sun’s rays or from rainfall by packing important accessories for your stroller. Be in the know from your flight details to pit stops to weather predictions. Pack your clothing according to the weather in the area and find the best activities beforehand.

2) Be safe and ready

Always bring a safety essential kit for your little one.Just Essentials makes this easy for you with its Safety Kit which already has the essentials for protecting your child from places that are not yet baby-proof and to prevent any accident that might come along. An added tip: When packing for your child, bring spares of the most important things just in case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) Stay organized

A trip with kids means bringing around toys, care essentials, snacks and many others. Be creative with packing a wide variety of different items together by using organizers which you can stick to car seats or strollers to keep things multi-purpose and convenient for travel. You can also opt to give your toddler his own travel bag or stroller. Make sure to pick one that is lightweight, comfortable and fun

 

4) Pack light

Bring things that are versatile, lightweight and compact. Thankfully nowadays, things just find a way to be smaller and easy to carry around. Take for example the Stokke Flexi Bath which folds flat ever so easily. Remember not to bring too many clothes, you can opt to have them washed and remember to keep the shoes to a minimum, or best stick to one pair to wear that is versatile. This tip applies for both mums and kids 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) Snack or Rewards Bag

Babies, toddlers and tykes, love their playtime. Be sure to pack some fun toys and activities to keep them busy at all times. Packing an activity bag filled with fun toys to play with or books to read will keep them preoccupied during the trip. Is the long trip keeping them grumpy? Make sure to bring pocket sized snacks and drinks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6) Travel smart and stylish

Going on vacation is not an excuse to scrimp on style. Luckily there are changing bags and diaper bags are just oh-so-stylish as they are functional! With several pockets for storage and a wide variety of design for every taste, Elodie, Oioi, and Stokke bags are your definite must-haves.

Top Tips For Travelling With Children

admin
travelling with children

It’s summer time again, which means a lot of families will be flying home for the holidays. It’s an exciting time of year, but not without its challenges, the first being travelling with children. No matter if it’s your first trip with your first child or your sixth with your sixth, we can all do with a few tips on how to keep the travel experience as streamlined as possible. Here are our 10 top tips for travelling with children.

Continue reading “Top Tips For Travelling With Children” →

10 Benefits of An Undisturbed Hour After Birth

admin

Babies come into this world straight from the safety and security of the uterus and it’s no exaggeration to say that that transition is a stressful one. Then, in many cases, hospital procedures that involve weighing, measuring and cleaning baby straight after delivery, delay mum and baby’s skin-on-skin time, which causes further trauma and can have short- and long-term consequences.

Evidence shows that newborns who are placed straight with their mothers after birth have better respiratory, temperature and glucose stability. They also cry less, which shows that their stress levels decrease significantly when placed with mum. Ultimately, an undisturbed hour after birth is a critical period that should not be delayed unless mum or baby are in need of medical assistance. To get more information about the benefits of an undistrubed hour after birth we caught up with antenatal/postnatal doula and breastfeeding counsellor, Andrea Allen of The Doting Doulas. Here is what she had to say…

Continue reading “10 Benefits of An Undisturbed Hour After Birth” →

7 Reasons To Hire A Doula

admin

Your hubby’s promised to be on hand to help you with those all-important breathing techniques, so why would you want to hire a doula? Well, as any woman who has had a baby will testify, giving birth is one of those times when a bit of extra support goes a long way, especially when it comes in the form of a doula. Doulas are trained in childbirth and unlike midwives, whose role is to physically deliver babies, they provide emotional and physical support to expectant mothers before, during and shortly after birth. We caught up with antenatal/postnatal doula and breastfeeding counsellor, Andrea Allen of The Doting Doulas, to pick her brains on why you might want to think about hiring a doula. Here is what she had to say…

Continue reading “7 Reasons To Hire A Doula” →

Returning To Work While Breastfeeding

admin
Returning to work while breastfeeding

Just as you’re getting used to being at home with your baby, it’s time to go back to work. Leaving your little one while you return to the workforce can be a daunting prospect. There’s mummy guilt, separation anxiety and a multitude of logistics to consider… and then you throw breastfeeding into the mix. How is that going to work when you and bub are apart for nine hours a day? Well, it has its challenges but it certainly is possible. We caught up with Dru Campbell, midwife and lactation consultant at Health Bay Polyclinic to get her 12 tips for returning to work while breastfeeding. Here’s what she had to say…

Continue reading “Returning To Work While Breastfeeding” →

12 Potty Training Tips

admin

Potty training – two words that can bring even the most confident parent out in a cold sweat. But potty training doesn’t need to be hard or stressful. We sat down with parenting coach and author Andalene Salvesen (aka Super Granny) to get her ultimate potty training tips. Here’s what she had to say.

Continue reading “12 Potty Training Tips” →

How to choose a high chair

admin
how-to-choose-a-high-chair

At around six months your baby will probably be ready to begin the weaning process. That means it’s time to go high chair shopping. Unfortunately not all high chairs are created equal so you need to do your homework in order to find something that suits your lifestyle, space at home and your child’s needs. To avoid a purchase that leaves you dreading mealtimes with bub, there are five key questions you can ask yourself before you go shopping. Here’s how to choose a high chair…

Continue reading “How to choose a high chair” →