Our Holiday Packing List!

Hey All!

A few of you have asked me to post my holiday packing list for Arjun.  Remember though that it depends on the age of your child and also the destination and duration.

 

This packing list is for our holiday to Dubai for ten nights when Arjun will be 7.5 months old.

We didn’t take a car seat as the hotel provided us with one.

Here goes ...

 

Hand Luggage (we use a carry on suit case plus Arjun’s change bag)

Changing

·         Nappies
·         Wipes
·         Vaseline (we have been using this instead of nappy rash cream)/nappy rash cream
·         Nappy bags
·         Portable change mat
·         Change of clothes x 2

 Feeding

·         Bibs
·         Muslins
·         Sterilised bottles – we will be taking 4 for a 6.5 hour flight
·         Formula – we take ready made for convenience
·         Gaviscon – Arjun has reflux
·         Beaker with water
·         Meal pouches – with some extra incase of flight delay/late check in
·         Spoons
·         Arjun snacks – we will take some biscuits and Organix sweetcorn rings and carrot sticks
·         Weaning bibs

 Medical

·         First aid kit
·         Bonjela
·         A few Calpol sachets
·         A few Nurofen sachets
·         Ashton’s and Parsons teething powder

 Comforters

·         His blanket (that smells like home)
·         His favourite book – Animal Farm
·         His favourite teddy – currently Henry Hugglemonster
·         A surprise toy – one that he hasn’t seen yet
·         Water filled teether – his favourite at the moment

 Other

·         Antibacterial hand gel
·         A spare plastic bag for keeping dirty clothes/bibs/muslins in
·         Tissue

 
Check in Luggage

Medical

·         Gaviscon
·         Calpol sachets
·         Nurofen sachets
·         Baby talc
·         Infacol
·         Thermometer
·         Bonjela
·         Ashton's & Parsons teething powder
·         Waterproof plasters

 

Changing

·         A change mat – the Poundland ones are brilliant (My Golden Little Nuggets)
·         Nappies
·         Vaseline/change cream
·         Nappy bags
·         Wipes

 Swimming

·         Baby float
·         Swim wear
·         Swim hat
·         Swim nappies
·         Sunscreen
·         Towelling robes
·         Swim toys

Bath time

·         Bath wash – we use Simple
·         Hair brush
·         Face cream – we use Weleda
·         Towels
·         Nail cutter
·         Cotton buds
·         Massage oil
·         Toothbrush
·         Colgate

 Feeding

·         Formula cartons

·         Bottles
·         Feeding bowls – although with pouches you can feed from directly
·         Spoons
·         Beakers
·         Snack pots
·         Wipes
·         Muslins
·         Bibs
·         Weaning bibs
·         Ready made pouches – although Arjun is on solids, we will be taking pouches for convenience. For example sometimes Preetam and I don’t have lunch on holiday (after a hefty breakfast) so taking a pouch would be easy as Arjun would still need to eat.
·         Baby snacks – biscuits and baby crisps.  We will use fresh fruit when there.
·         Steriliser – we use a cold water steriliser with Milton sterilising tablets.  Hotels are generally happy to provide you with a steriliser provided you ask in advance.  I just prefer taking our own.
·         Milton sterilising tablets
·         Bottle brush
·         Fairy liquid to wash bottles and bowls – I take a little in a travel sized bottle

 Sleeping

·         Sleeping bag
·         Blankets – that smell of home

 Travel

·         Snooze shade
·         A few favourite toys
·         Baby carrier
·         Travel pushchair – our one is the Baby Zen YoYo

 Clothing

·         Short sleeve vests – we barely used them last time as it was so hot there was no need
·         Sleeveless vests – I just love how cute these look with shorts!
·         Short rompers – perfect for the heat. I'm taking five this time for ten days. I wish I had more but can't justify spending more on summer clothes when he's only going to get to wear them in Dubai!
·         Baby grows – we only used these for bed time
·         A shirt - he'll probably only dress semi smart one night for our anniversary!
·         T Shirts - plenty to pair up with shorts/trousers
·         Polo shirts - for slightly smarter wear
·         Dungarees
·         Cardigan/Jumper for the breezier nights
·         Shorts - taking five pairs
·         Joggers – for lounging in the room
·         Jeans – for the cooler nights
·         Chinos
·         Going home outfit
·         Pram suit for coming home
·         Socks
·         Sun hats – I love fisherman hats!
·         Shoes – even though he can’t walk, I’m a sucker for cute things!
·         Laundry bags

 Other bits that you may need (depending on your little one/destination):

·         Pacifiers
·         Breast pump
·         Nipple cream
·         Breast pads
·         Feeding cover
·         Bath support
·         Car seat

And, don’t forget baby’s PASSPORT! :)

I hope you find this useful! Let me know if I’ve missed anything! x

 

Boys and their Toys!

Hey all!

How are you all doing? We've had a really tiring day yesterday with lots of moans and groans from Arjun! :( I always find the days we decide to stay at home (for some rest) are the hardest! He seems to enjoy doing things more than just chilling (definitely his dad's boy!).

When he finally got to sleep I thought I'd catch up with some blogging around my favourite Christmas gifts for Arjun.

So for Christmas, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to get some cute baby toys for Arjun that related to his daddy’s favourite things (so really they were an excuse for Preetam to be able to play with Arjun’s toys!)!

Preetam is a keen motor biker (to my joy (!)) and is also pretty hands on when it comes to other bits too – e.g.  plumbing, car mechanics, electrics and computers! He’s a jack of all trades and I’m hoping Arjun will be super clever just like his daddy and will also share some of his interests! So I thought I’d get him some tools of the trade to start him off young in following in his daddy’s footsteps!

 Below I’ve outlined some of my favourites.

Chicco Ducati Multi Play Race Set

As Preetam absolutely loves motorbikes/superbikes and Ducatis are his favourtie, it was only right to get his boy a set of his own wheels. I’m sure he’s going to be a young motor racing fan himself!  I’m hoping he holds fire on wanting to jump on the back of daddy’s motorbike anytime soon though!

From:  Amazon

Price: £50.98

Link: Chicco Ducati Race Set

This track is aimed at ages 12-36 months and comes with 4 different functionalities to accommodate the different age groups.

 (1) Firstly you can create a simple straight track with simple controls. Although Arjun is too young to navigate a remote control (in any ordered fashion!), he loves playing with the bikes and tries to push them along the track as they are just the right size for him to handle. The straight track makes it easy for him to do this.

(2) The second is a circle track to interact with the different track features. The added feature of things such as a finish line and bridges means Arjun has something to dismantle.  He loves to dismantle the race track and particularly finds it fun to pull of the bridges – he’s drawn to the vibrant blue flags!

(3) A full figure of 8 race circuit where the remote controls are used for exciting races. This one is Arjun’s favourite, although he is unable to race himself just yet, he absolutely loves watching his daddy and Chacha (uncle) race (bless them for doing so for Arjun’s entertainment purposes!).  He gets really excited and shows it with his screams, laughter and waving his arms about!

(4) The fourth functionality is that the bikes can be used even off the track as Arjun’s first remote control toy once he is old enough.  Although he is too young to use the remote control function, he loves playing with the bikes.

All in all, this toy is a must have for the sons of motor racing loving fathers!  The track is vibrant and appealing to babies.  The super cute dinky bikes are also baby friendly as there are no sharp bits, they are also a good size for babies to hold.

I’m not sure who loves it more – Arjun or his daddy!

 

 

Baby Tool Set

From: eBay

Price: £22.70

Link: Soft Play Tool Set

This is one of my most favourite toys for Arjun as they are so simplistic in nature yet so effective.  Preetam is always faffing with his tools and Arjun loves to watch his daddy in action so I thought it would be great to get Arjun his own.  I thought Arjun was a little young to get him a plastic set so set about finding a soft play one. I found it really difficult finding something like this in the UK, but I got lucky and spotted this beauty on eBay in the USA and I’m so glad I purchased it! 

The soft play tool set includes: a saw, a spanner, a hammer, a ruler, a screwdriver, a drill and a little tool box to keep all the tools in. 

The tools are really well made with lots of detail and the fabric used is quite tough which is great for durability with a teething baby! The colours are vibrant and fun and Arjun spends quite a lot of his time playing with this set when at home and he’s often spotted out with one of his random tools when on play dates too. His favourite is the spanner and the drill - he finds the shapes fascinating and there's lots to chew on! 

I would highly recommend this tool set especially for the price you’re paying.

 

Felt Food Sandwich Set

Slightly off the topic, but another lovely gift we received was from Arjun’s Puaji (aunt) and Fufarji (uncle).  I absolutely love it! This one was more inspired by me as the foodie!

From: Amazon

Price: £13.57

Link: Melissa and Doug Sandwich Felt Food Set

This 33 piece felt food sandwich set includes lots of vibrant foods for putting together a sandwich including different breads (brown, white, pita and some rolls!), different fillings including bacon, egg, lettuce, cucumber and gherkins, and condiments such as mayonnaise and mustard.

This toy set has come at a great time especially as we are weaning – it’ll help Arjun learn about foods as he grows.  The bright and fun colours make it really appealing, Arjun loves picking different bits up and exploring with different shapes, colours and sizes.

When he’s a little older, this will encourage creative role play (and to prepare mummy’s sandwiches! ;)).  For now though, he loves to chew the different soft bits of food.  His favourite is already lettuce!

 

 

I’d love to hear about some of your/your baby’s favourite toys :) x