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Great for travel – Fisher-Price Doodle Pro

Keep handy by attaching to a backpack or belt

I put a lot of thought into taking our first flight with our first child. I was concerned about safety…if we have car seats in cars then what do we do in planes? I found the CARES Harness and our business Little Gulliver, was born.

Very soon afterwards, our baby grew into a toddler and siblings came along. The next travelling dilemma developed – how do we keep someone who never sits down (or stops talking) occupied during long trips? How will I manage? The result – Little Gulliver now has a well stocked ‘Play’ range with products from Magic Pen, magnets, sticker books and even kids headphones! All tested and popular with our 3 children now aged 3, 4 & 5.

A great, all round favourite travel toy that works across different personalities and age groups is the Doodle Pro. We stock a ‘travel’ size and carabiner ‘clip on’ size Doodle Pro. Being Fisher-Price, its built tough and has top quality drawing capacity. If you’ve ever used a different brand you will notice the difference immediately – tough casing, sturdy pen and clear writing surface. Its built to last!

Kids love the Doodle Pro for independent play, but parents can become involved when you want (or need!) to occupy the child with some fun games together. You can find them here in our Play/Draw and Colour Category.

Favourite games for families to play on your Doodle Pro Clip On are things like;

ages 2-3; draw a car and add the wheels, draw heads and fill in the faces and scribbling (fill in the whole cover and wipe clean)
ages 3-4; draw planes, houses and trees, letters and numbers
4+; practise your name, Dots and Boxes (how to play here). And you can’t go past Noughts and Crosses. The possibilities are endless!

Here’s some feedback;

“Little kids love this! It’s just like drawing without the mess of the paper and pencils. It’s easy to wipe out and start all over again. It’s Fisher Price so you know it’s good quality.”

“great idea no paper no mess …this toy is a good investment”

“Less messy than crayons or paint but allows same type of creative ideas.”

And when you get home? You could keep the doodle pro clip on in your luggage so its ready to head off next time OR keep it in the pocket in your car. Doodle Pros love driving too!

Visit http://www.LittleGulliver.com.au today to see our range of travel gear for kids. We’re always happy to help.

Car Travel for Kids in France

Ange said: April 17 2012 11:42 PM

Just wondering if you have any info regarding safe car seats in France? Is Britax the same company as safe n sound and do Australian car seats fit into French Peugeot cars? I think I know the answers to these questions but just don’t know how to go about organizing car seats for our French trip.

Also I am planning on getting the CARES harness for my 2.5 yr old but was wondering what the safest thing would be for my 6 week old?

Thanks

Ange

Donna @ Little Gulliver said: April 20 2011 2:16 PM

Hi Ange,

Hmmm, a trip to France sounds fantastic to me right now! I think you’re at the same place as me, when we first started travelling with our kids…we’re so geared up to keeping them safe at home and suddenly there is this black hole of information and the rules and regulations suddenly disappear (this is how Little Gulliver came about). It makes no sense to me and we’re fairly determined to make things easier and clearer for folks.
I’ve broken your query down into a few points, I hope you find it useful;

* any info regarding safe car seats in France?

I’m sure you’ve already read up on the basic car seat regulations in France, such as;

A child under 10 must sit in the back and “use restraint system appropriate to weight (between 9-15 kg child seat, over 15kg booster seat in conjunction with normal seat belts).” So I guess you’ll need either 2 car seats or a car seat and a booster. More about safe car seats in France later…

* is Britax the same company as safe n sound and do Australian car seats fit into French Peugeot cars

Yes, Britax is the umbrella company which manufactures the Safe n Sound range available here in Australia. But – do they fit in French cars? I wish this was so much easier for us travelling parents to navigate! I cannot say for sure, but my understanding is that while the Australian car seat would likely fit in the car, it wouldn’t be approved for use in Europe. One reason being the safety anchor bolt we use in our cars is not present in European cars. I’m also not aware if the Peugeot has the Isofix system, if it does you would need an Isofix car seat (not yet available in Australia).

Have you seen the Bubble Bum? If you are happy to use a backless booster for your older child and if they meet the requirements etc then it may be worth checking out… (we can’t sell it here because it isn’t approved for use in Australia, but it is approved in France)…

* Also I am planning on getting the CARES harness for my 2.5 yr old but was wondering what the safest thing would be for my 6 week old?

The CARES is perfect for your 2.5 yo. For your baby, there are a few options.

You could try to book an on board bassinet. You generally have to book ahead and may not be able to secure one. Also, some folks don’t like them as the seats in this area often don’t recline. If you know the make of aircraft, maybe check on Seat Guru and see if you can get any more info.

The airline (if it is Australian) will provide you with the “supplementary loop belt” you have probably used before with your toddler. There are other products available you may like to look at, such as the Baby B’Air and the Flye Baby. The Baby B’Air, while it looks like a great product, in my opinion, doesn’t provide a lot more protection than the supplementary loop belt provided here and cannot be used during take off and landing. I do agree that it is smart to have to the child restrained in case of unexpected turbulence. The Flye Baby certainly sounds popular and has recently been made available in Australia. Again, I’m iffy about this one too (again, just my opinion and this is why we don’t stock it at this stage). Note, this is not a safety device and again cannot be used during take off and landing and while the seat belt sign is lit. I can see that it may be handy if you are the only adult travelling with a number of children and a baby. I must stress here though, don’t be afraid to ask the crew for help or accept it when its offered (learnt this the hard way).
Of course, there is also the option of taking a car seat on board. This could be considered the safest option and CASA provide some good tips and info here. Again, look out for red tape and this has to be approved with your airline. If you have an Australian car seat and you are not travelling on an Australian airline, chances are your seat won’t be approved. There is no anchor point on the plane however, so the seat is attached using the seatbelt and again, you may not be able to use the seat in your vehicle in France. (Check out the Go Go Kidz TravelMate if you do consider taking your car seat with you).

I’d love to hear your thoughts and how the rest of your plans go. All the best for your planning and a great trip.

Kind regards,

Donna

Information Sources and Handy Links;

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowTopic-g196658-i2958-k742712-Child_carseat_laws_in_france-Beauvais_Oise_Picardy.html

http://www.survivefrance.com/group/franglaiskids/forum/topics/whats-the-law-on-car-seats-for

http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/babies-and-kids/travel/transport/isofix-on-its-way.aspx

http://www.deliciousbaby.com/travel/france/paris/

10 Things You Must Know Before You Travel with a Toddler

10 Things You Must Know Before You Travel with a Toddler

Travelling can be a unique challenge no matter what the age of the individuals in your party, so proper preparation is critical. When travelling with a small child, in particular, there are several things you should keep in mind before you leave. This will help ensure that your journey is safe and pleasant for both you and your toddler.

1. Allow plenty of extra time for all stages of your trip if you are travelling with a toddler. You will need more time to make stopovers and connections with a child, and driving will take longer due to the extra toilet breaks and other assistance your child needs. Also remember to pack a few toys and a couple of games.

2. If you are travelling with several family members, it is important to talk about a few things before you begin your trip. For example, it would be wise to discuss how the chores will be divided during the trip, as well as how you are going to balance being with the children and being apart from them. It may also be helpful to discuss how miscellaneous travel bills are going to be handled.

3. Purchase a bracelet for your child that includes contact phone numbers and a home address. This is important just in case your group becomes separated; even though you never think it could happen to you, accidents do occur all of the time. It is better to be prepared.

4. If your toddler has any allergies or disabilities, add any relevant information about them to a medical alert bracelet or disposable wrist band. This could be a lifesaver if you somehow become accidentally separated from your child.

5. If your finances are tight, look into the possibility of swapping homes with another family. The recent economic downturn has drastically increased the popularity of this trend, with many different websites now available to help you form home swapping opportunities. Individuals all over the world participate in home swapping arrangements, which can save both parties a significant amount of money – and can provide a much more comfortable environment than a hotel if you travel with a toddler.

6. If you do choose to stay in a hotel, research it thoroughly ahead of time. Small amenities like free continental breakfasts and indoor swimming pools can make your trip much more convenient and enjoyable for both you and your toddler. Of course, you should check that the hotel in which you plan to stay allows children, since some are limited to adults.

7. If you will need babysitting services at your destination, make sure you locate and secure a reputable child care center well in advance in your trip. If possible, ask friends or acquaintances near your destination for recommendations, since it can be difficult to pick a high-quality facility based solely on a website.toddler. Of course, you should check that the hotel in which you plan to stay allows children, since some are limited to adults.

8. If you will require any unique products for your toddler, like a trundle bed or gluten-free meals, make sure you contact the hotels and restaurants you will visit ahead of time to ensure that they will be able to meet your needs. You may like to take a travel bed with you, such as an Inflatable Ready bed or fold out Regalo Child Bed.

9. If possible, take your child to the doctor before you begin the trip to ensure that he is healthy and has all necessary medications and inoculations. This is especially important if you will be traveling abroad, but it is wise before any trip since your child will be more vulnerable to germs to which his immune system has not yet had the chance to develop a resistance.

10. Before you leave, talk to your child about the trip, where you are going and what you will be doing together. Children enjoy being involved in activities with their parents, plus this can help prevent them from becoming nervous about the trip.

5 ways to light up your holiday

Whenever we’re travelling with our kids we tend to end up in the dark! Something about holidays makes you tend to relax, stay out a bit later and venture into theme parks and places with ‘dark’ spots. That’s why we’ve introduced so many great ways to light up your kids, your belongings, their belongings and even your accommodation during your next holiday.

Here’s some suggestions from our ‘Light it up‘ category;

: Glow Stick Bracelets 5 pack

1. Glow Bracelets;

Our kids had to best time lighting up their triple bunk, on a recent holiday, with their glow bracelets. Our eldest (proud top bunk occupant) was very impressed that it meant he could easily navigate the steps in the dark if he had to go to the toilet. The connectors mean they are easy to join together to make a bigger glow necklace or join onto backpacks and strollers (or bunk steps)! etc.

Glow Light with Carabiner: Glow Light with Carabiner

2. Smart Glow Light;

We’ve also introduced glow lights with handy carabineer clips. The clips can be used on your own gear and also attach neatly to our 3-in-1 Lanyard. Effectively you can light up anything you like!

The picture shows them in blue, but they also come in pink, red and green. They come in a pack of 1 and have an extra long life of 8 – 10 hours.

: BOING Magic Light Ball

BOING Magic Light Balls;

If you find yourself at concerts and amusement parks and the kids want to buy every flashy, sparkly souvenir there is, then the Magic Boing Light may be for you. What I love about it is the batteries are replaceable (though it comes with some to start you off). It has its own lanyard and you simply squeeze to change the colours.

Wear it, drape it, play with it and light up those dim spots!

: Swivel Night Light

4. Swivel Night Light;

And for apartments and motels the handy night light is a must-pack for us. Little Gulliver range 2 different styles. This one is directional, meaning you can swivel it to face any direction you like. Face it away from sleeping children or towards a midnight nappy change.

You never know where a power point is going to be located and this night light lets you limit or increase the light a little, based on where its located. You can turn the direction of the light to face toward or away from the kids if you like. And it has an auto sensor!

5. Auto Sensor LED Night Light;

We like smart things! This light also switches on when its dark and off when its light.

Its a good, small size LED which gives plenty of light to a child or parent in an unfamiliar night environment. We always travel with this night light. It is always handy somewhere – a hallway (navigate the way to a bathroom) or light up an unfamilar bedroom.

Venturing through aquariums and museums – you can be in broad day light and all is well. Then, the next display is in the pitch dark, just as the baby cries in the stroller and the toddler runs…where is everyone? We hope you enjoy our ‘Light it up’ range. More to come soon.

Go Go Kidz TravelMate

Its been redesigned and re-badged for our local market…welcome Aussie Kidz Travel Mate!

Anyone who has ever travelled with kids has had to consider – will I need the car seat? At Little Gulliver, we’ve been asked about the Go Go Kidz TravelMate many times over the years and we are thrilled that the product is now available in Australia. Redesigned and approved for Australian / New Zealand carseats and renamed the ‘Aussie Kidz Travel Mate’, its the same quality and style of product that has been popular in the US and Europe for many years.

When travelling, either being picked up from your destination or hiring a car you will need a car seat for your child. The Aussie Kidz Travel Mate makes your car seat easy to transport and acts as a travel stroller to boot!

And you can accessorise it…the handle pouch makes the Aussie Kidz Travel Mate even more convenient, its attaches easily with velcro and had 3 large compartments to store anything from spare nappies to spare change. It also fits on most extendable luggage handles.

Previously, buying a Go Go Kidz TravelMate meant buying a product from overseas, which was designed to fit overseas car seats. A US mum, after moving to QLD, loved her Go Go Kidz so much she bought the license and had the product redesigned to fit our car seats. Thanks Abby!

Kids love them…

Mum and Dads love them too! Check out this this testimonial, from the Go Go Babyz Website;

“I recently purchased 2 of your gogobabyz travelmates for a trip we took to San Diego from Chicago. I have two sons, 3 years old and 9 months old. We hemmed and hawed over whether or not to lug the car seats with us on the trip or to rent them from the car rental place. I had seen your product in a few different catalogs and thought, why not give it a shot. The cost of checking the car seats or renting them from Hertz for the week was pretty close to the cost of the actual travelmate plus I could use it over and over again so it would be less expensive in the long run. I found the travelmate very easy to use (although I did struggle with unlatching it at the first couple of time but I got better at it). I used them to tote both of them through the airport and then unlatched my 3 year olds car seat to put it on the plane and checked the other one at the gate. During the trip it was a space saver because we didn’t have to bring a stroller and when we went to the zoo and other places we just attached the car seats again and away we went! I wanted to tell you how much I loved this product! I got so many complements and inquiries from people throughout our trip that I wouldn’t be surprised if you get a rush of orders coming in!! Thank you so much for inventing such a great product!!”

Wendy Cimino, Chicago, IL, USA

Please contact us at Little Gulliver for any information about this great product.

CARES on a Cessna bench seat?

Melissa said: March 4 2012 6:16 PM

Hi there. We have a Cessna 172 with a bench seat in the back. We are currently using a car seat but wondering if this will fit around the double seat?

Ben @ Little Gulliver said: March 5 2011 10:26 AM

Hello Melissa,

Thank you for your CARES child aviation restraint query.

We do have CARES being used in many small aircraft but I’ve not had any feedback on it being used on the rear bench seat of a Cessna 172. Some quick google research suggests the distance from the left of the pilots seat to the right of the co-pilots seat in a typical Cessna is 96 cms.

The CARES stretches comfortably to fit a large padded seat back of 70cm width and may stretch a little more if the seat is not too thick. On these dimensions, the CARES may not stretch enough to allow the main red anchor strap to correctly install over the bench seat.

I hope this assists, please let me know if you have any further queries.

Kind regards

Ben

Best Toddler Bed for Travel

Julie-Anne said: March 2 2012 10:03 AM

Good morning,
I hope this email finds you well. I have a very tall 2 and half year boy and we often try and get away for weekends.I have searched everywhere and I am desperately need some advice on a bed that is off the ground but still has sides to stop them rolling off that I can buy in Australia or get shipped here. Can you please help direct me. Thank you

Donna @ Travel Toddler said: March 6 2011 11:03 AM

Hi Julie-Anne,

thank you for your email.

I’ve been thinking about your query and after some investigation cannot think of a bed which comes with the features you’ve mentioned ie – some are off the ground but have no bed rails and others have bed rails but are not off the ground. I guess this is what you have also found! At Little Gulliver, we’ve put together a range of the best travel bed options for different age groups, so you may like to take a look at our Resting category.

Here’s a couple of our options which may suit you;

Off the ground Have a look at our Regalo Child Bed. It doesn’t have sides but does sort of ‘hug’ the child a little. It folds up to be quite compact and is 18cm off the ground. The video I’ve included shows how easy it is to set up. (It was popular over Christmas, when so many of our customers were heading off camping and caravanning. We also had an excited Nana grab one for the grand-kids coming to visit)! See my extra info below, talking about bed rails for travel, which may be of interest also.

Sides to stop them rolling off The other thing to consider is the Ready Bed.

The 2+ (Winnie the Pooh) version has side bolsters to prevent the child from rolling out and also has a built-in headboard.

At 2 1/2 and tall, your son may be around a metre tall? So, size wise, this may be a good fit – the bed size is approx: 135cms L x 71cms W x 32cms H.

For other info I’ll include a post I did previously, in case you haven’t seen it; Bed Rails for Travel. It is looking at various options of bed rails which may be easy to use on the road. Don’t forget to scroll down for the comments on the post. I wonder whether the Magic Bumpers or Dream Tubes may be helpful if teamed with a Regalo?

I hope this information helps and please let me know what you decide. Travel beds and bedding is something we all wonder about, so we love to hear what works for different families!

Kind regards,

Donna

No, sorry 'Come Cry With Me', I don't get it

I’ve been away with my 3 kids and didn’t see this article in The Age; Come Cry With Me. Thanks to Travel with Tots I was able to catch it on their facebook feed…it’s a great article.

But

While I think it’s amusing, cute, factual, well written and described what it can be like to fly with ‘kid’ (he only has 1), I’m ready for an article which DOESN’T make flying with kids out to be a complete nightmare. Sure it’s tiring and you’re never sure what is going to happen next – but that is what parenting EVEN AT HOME is all about.

The Verdict

I noticed that today there is 121 comments at the bottom of the article online. I haven’t read them….I am assuming that most of them will be single travellers describing the time they heard a child crying on a plane and it really upset them?! And what about the time that noisy child PLAYED the whole flight from Sydney to LA?! Fancy having to tolerate not only crying, but hearing another child making noise too. Give the person a medal please!

Seriously folks, taking the kids to the Supermarket can be hard. Do we really need any more articles telling people how hard it is to fly with kids? Lets see some more about how much fun it is to sit around, play with the kids, cuddle them and have people bring you food…no making beds, no washing machine, no bathing, (OK no sleep either – but there has to be some good)!

And don’t start me on the passenger who had to drink a bottle of duty free Vodka (on a return flight from London) because he had a “really stressful job”. But, he didn’t have kids with him, so…

Colour the Nativity Scene

With Christmas concerts coming up, talk of the Nativity has become a common occurance at our place. Our daughter is very excited to be playing ‘Mary’ and is taking every opportunity to tell everyone about this. We have also found she is a bit of a method actor, testing various dolls for ‘baby Jesus’ worthiness and practicing her scene (picking up the baby Jesus).

I was suprised to see so many Nativity Scene colouring pages available. These are free to print out, so if you’re like us and very interested in the wise men, the star and such – lay out some pencils and print out some colouring pages. Fun!

Nativity Scene Colouring Pages

New Zealand to Ireland with 2 children

Jude said: December 6 2011 9:19 AM

Hi,

I just purchased a Cares harness for long haul flight from New Zealand to Ireland with 2 children on my own. I wanted to avoid lugging the bulky carseat around airports esp as I haven’t got the spare hands! Air NZ specify the cares harness but unsure of Aer lingus, where can I get a letter for crew if I come across any problems?

Many thanks.

Ben @ Travel Toddler said: December 6 2011 11:07 AM

Hello Jude,

Thanks for your CARES query and your order, the parcel will be shipped to you today.

The best approach with Aer Lingus seems to be the approach followed by a customer recently on the USA CARES facebook page. Back in Sept 2011 they said they emailed Aer Lingus saying they were using the CARES and received the following email:

New Aer Lingus statement:

AMSAFE CARES harnesses are permitted on board, but not as the primary restraint. The harness must be used in conjunction with the aircraft seat belt.

Harnesses by other manufacturers such as CRELLING require special Irish Aviation Authority authorisation. This authorisation requires some extra time to arrange, therefore passengers who require such a harness should contact Aer Lingus special assistance; specialassistance@aerlingus.com as soon as possible in advance of the flight. The make and model of the harness should be included along with details of any other particular requirements.

The CARES customer then received a further Aer Lingus email:

And my final follow up-Received an email this morning from aer lingus stating CARES is permitted and that cabin crew have now been made aware and given instruction on how to use it. This is from the Aer Lingus head office in Dublin.

It’s also worth noting that Aer Lingus are not very clear with their car seat approval process either and seem to leave it at the discretion of the staff on the day. This is from their website:

Please be advised that with the number and variety of infant car seats available on the market it is not possible for us to guarantee in advance that any particular seat is suitable for use. In the interests of safety, Aer Lingus reserves the right to refuse permission for the use of certain types of car seats on the aircraft or during take off and landing. In these circumstances the infant must be carried on the adult’s lap (under 2 years) or in a seat using the standard lap belt (2 years and over). Safety is always our first consideration.

We’d recommend taking a copy of our airline list (attached) that shows what our local airlines say on their website about the approved use of CARES. Also, try and have it noted on your booking that you intend to use the CARES harness. Also, show any curious airline staff the tag on the CARES unit that states FAA approval and “Approved for Aircraft Use”.

Hope this helps, have a great trip.

Kind regards

Ben