parenting Archives | Travels With Baby

Travels with Baby wins NAPPA Gold in Parenting Resources

Shelly Rivoli — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:45:00 +0000

Travels with Baby
has been awarded a 2008 NAPPA Gold from the National
Parenting Publications Awards in the Parenting Resources category.
This is a great honor and valuable
distinction for any parenting resource!

Thank you to everyone who made this possible, including the many parents who participated in surveys and interviews and shared their stories with me, my children who have been the most delightful guinea pigs, and my husband Tim who agreed: “You CAN take a baby to Thailand…” (and a dozen or so other places) and has shared this amazing adventure with me.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby

The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

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Travels with Baby Tip #24: Think Outside the Car Seat

Shelly Rivoli — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:02:00 +0000

As mentioned in Tip #23, we were not as prepared as usual for our recent 11-hour road trip to Oregon, nor did we have the benefit of fair weather as we do in summer, when usually make this trek. By the time we were half-way home again, the girls voted unanimously (and animatedly) that they were done with the car and, of course, with their car seats.

With some 5 or 6 hours still to go, we had to come up with something new and wildly different from the menagerie of toys now flung all over the car and repertoire of road songs we’d grown almost hoarse from singing. The frigid rest areas where even dogs scarcely stepped outside of their vehicles held little entertainment value for any of us at this point. We had to think of something else, and fast.

That’s when Tim took a detour on the mountain pass in a quest to reach one of the last patches of snow still accessible by car. It was on the slope beside a dirt road within eye-shot of I-5, completely iced over from recent rains with a smattering of roadside splat and tree needles. But the children were ecstatic, shouting and chanting as we set the brake, “SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!”

Although Tim and I grew up with flurries of the stuff, it’s something we certainly never get at our home in California–except on T.V. They kids could hardly contain their excitement as they reached out to see just how cold it was. Making the most of this unlikely roadside stop that we could, Tim devised an impromptu sled out of one of our car seat travel trays, and we whooped and howled like deranged coyotes as we slid down this less-than-picturesque hillside, trying to avoid the mud puddles below. In under 15 minutes, the girls had exhausted themselves from the laughter alone, and they were beginning to feel cold enough to actually welcome a return to the warm car–and even their car seats.

A mere fifteen minutes out of the car and not a nickel spent, yet we were all the better for it–and have a very fun memory. It was a good reminder of why I like to travel with my children. The simplest things we take for granted in our grown-up travels (like expired snow on the roadside in this case, pigeons or airport “people movers” in others) can be such a source of joy and wonder to small children.

Every stop of the way doesn’t have to be Disneyland on a road trip with toddlers or preschoolers. There are plenty of simple, meaningful ways to enjoy a break from the drive with your child. Here are a few ideas:

1. In unfamiliar towns: Hit the local library to use its restrooms, drinking fountain, and enjoy a storybook (or a few if there’s time) in the children’s section before climbing back into the car.

2. At scenic turnouts: Have a picnic or snack outside of the car, using your ice chest and stroller or blankets for seating (or keep your lawn chairs handy if you’ve brought them along).

3. At rest areas: Bring an inflatable beach ball or rubber ball to chase around the lawns of roadside rest areas.

We’ll always have a warm, fuzzy spot in our hearts for Dunsmuir, California–and our handy travel tray.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby
The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

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Travels with Baby Nominated for Two Book Awards

Shelly Rivoli — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:14:00 +0000

I’m very pleased to announce that Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children has been nominated for two ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year awards. This is one of the most prestigious awards given to independent publishers, and it’s a great honor to be selected as a finalist—and twice over!

Travels with Baby has been distinguished as one of only 10 finalists in the Travel Guides category, and one of 13 finalists in the Parenting Books category (click the links to see the finalists). I’d like to take this chance to say thanks to everyone who helped to make this possible, including the three best travelers I know: Tim, Angelina, and our Rosalyn.

Cheers,

Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby
The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

About the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards:
ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards were established to bring increased attention from librarians and booksellers to the literary achievements of independent publishers and their authors. Our awards process is unique because we ask a jury of our readers, librarians and booksellers, to select their top categories as well as choose the winning titles. Their decisions take into consideration editorial excellence, professional production, originality of the narrative, author credentials relative to the book and the value the book adds to its genre.

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Travels with Baby Tip #23: "Unexpect" to Travel

Shelly Rivoli — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:31:00 +0000

With the sudden news of a death in the family last week, I was humbly reminded that not all trips one takes in life are planned. We had just returned from an overnight trip out of town and were unpacking the car with the girls still asleep in their seats as the call came through. We had to hit the road A.S.A.P. In about an hour, we’d used the potty, changed a diaper, and loaded everything we could think of, including funeral attire, into the car for an 11+ hour journey into the Pacific Northwest beginning that late afternoon. We were also haunted by the knowledge that there was still a nail in one of our tires that we’d discovered just the day before, which was causing a slow air leak I’d planned to have repaired the next day.

I watched as some of my own sage travel advice for road trips, such as “Making good time doesn’t always make for a good time,” flew out the window in the face of this family emergency. And after the first few rounds of, “OUT DIS CAH SEAT!!!” from our traveling toddler, we turned to what we thought would be our saving grace for this time-crunched trip–the shows we’d already loaded on the laptop for previous travels. It was then that we discovered half of our laptop power cord was M.I.A., and the battery was of course dead. As we proceeded north, we began to think of a few other things we’d forgotten, most especially that there are places where it could still be only 35 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of the day.

Still, we could manage just fine with what we’d packed. What was more difficult was masking our grief over the loss of a parent during the long drive, and figuring out how or exactly when we’d explain to our eldest daughter that we wouldn’t be able to see their beloved Grandpa when we finally reached his home. Other than the occasional spider in the house, or ill-fated house plant, her understanding of death so far has been blessedly limited. And so, finally, at a fast food restaurant in southern Oregon, Tim took her aside to have the talk, leaning heavily on the concept that death is a natural thing that happens to people who have lived long lives and eventually get old. She nodded her head to say she understood, and remarkably didn’t shed a tear. But a moment later she asked, “What’s ‘died’ mean?”

He had to think of another explanation, one more obvious to a preschooler. “It’s when an old person’s body stops working,” he offered. This seemed to suffice. But after we reached Grandma’s house, she started exhibiting some peculiar behavior, particularly in the bathrooms. Tim reopened the topic of Poppa’s death, only to discover there had been a gross misunderstanding. What Angelina thought he’d said was: “It’s when an old person’s potty stops working.” I think we could both hear Poppa’s laughter echoing in our hearts.

When faced with a family emergency, it can be hard enough to get out the door in a timely manner and deal with the business at hand, but once you have a baby or small children to consider, it is extremely helpful to be as prepared as possible should an unexpected trip arise. Some “good travel habits” and gear definitely helped us to get on the road quickly and travel more comfortably, such as our children’s travel kit, car seat travel trays, and a ready supply of shelf-stable boxed milk on hand, but there are ways we could have been better prepared (Note to self: keep back-up garden training wire in the diaper bag!). So to other families spread across the miles, I offer these tips to consider now in case an “unexpected trip” should arise down the road.

Help your family be prepared for “unexpected travel”:

1. Keep your child’s travel kit intact at home, particularly the carry-on version if an emergency may mean air travel (Travels with Baby page 204). It’s organized and handy any time you need to access these items at home, and you won’t have to go digging or second guess what you might need as you try to get out the door.

2. Stock up on the “Every parent should have in the car…” items ( Travels with Baby, pages 165 – 166) and make sure they are in your car at all times.

3. Store essential travel documents where they would be accessible in unexpected hours, especially if you would need to fly to reach extended family in case of emergency. Passports and birth certificates stored in the safe deposit box may prove a major inconvenience and cause delays in some cases.

4. Tuck an “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) contact sheet in your wallet, with cell phone and home phone numbers of friends and family close to your home in case you leave suddenly, as well as extended family and friends you may not call frequently but would likely need to reach in the places where a family emergency may find you.

5. Discuss in advance how you might respond to a family emergency that calls you away from home. Would you drive? Would you need to fly? Where might you stay? Would you travel all together, send one parent alone, or send one parent ahead and meet up at a later time? As well, consider how you might finance the unanticipated expense.

6. Remember that a baby gear rental agency may be available to provide helpful items you’ve left behind–the stroller, a crib, Excersaucer, babyproofing items, toys, etc.–and you can check the online directory at TravelswithBaby.com for an agency near your destination.

With the luxury of time, there is much we can do to prepare for pleasant journeys with our children, but in the face of unexpected travel, I hope these tips will help to smooth your family’s way.

In loving memory of our “Poppa,” 1933 – 2008

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby

The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

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Travels with Baby Tip #22: Have Dinner Delivered

Shelly Rivoli — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:45:00 +0000

Most parents with babies and small children find that eating out in restaurants can be exhausting enough in their own hometown, let alone in an unfamiliar destination where the menu and presence of high chairs or boosters is a question mark. (And don’t get me started on countries where dinner service only begins at 8 p.m.)

However, opting for a vacation rental or hotel room with a kitchenette and planning to cook and clean up after every meal may not feel like much of a vacation either.

How to find a happy balance? At least one night of your trip, have your dinner delivered to your door. Room service can be a real sanity — and time — saver while traveling with infants and toddlers, but it’s not always an option. Pizzas can be delivered in most cities around the world–yes, even to hotels (check the phone book in the drawer for numbers).

But for the lucky visiting Vancouver, B.C., you can now even have child-friendly foods (“Mac the Cheese”) along with gourmet grown up fare (wild sockeye salmon risotto) freshly prepared and delivered to your door by Meals for Mums(the ingredients are organic and all natural to boot).

If you’re headed to San Francisco, you might take advantage of Waiters on Wheels, which can deliver everything from pancakes and omelets to sushi and falafel from dozens of S.F. restaurants (see the menus online–you can even print the ones of interest to tuck into your suitcase).

Dining out with toddlers anywhere can present some serious challenges, and then there’s New York City… so when you’ve finished juggling the stroller and have exhausted the few child-friendly options, try GothamMenu.com for a first-rate collection of Manhattan’s to-go menus, including restaurants with delivery.

And now delivering restaurant-prepared dinners to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Boston, NY Metro, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and London: SeamlessWeb.com. Of course, you’ll need Internet access to take full advantage of most of these services, so if your hotel doesn’t offer free access, make a pit stop at a cybercafé during your sightseeing.

Related posts:

Eat in the easy (and gourmet) way in Vancouver, B.C.
Dinner with our private chef in Costa Rica

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby
The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

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Travels with Baby Tip #14: Sleep in.

Shelly Rivoli — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 04:10:00 +0000

Sure, you probably gave up on the idea somewhere between months 3 and 4 of parenthood, or possibly months 8 and 9, or years 2 and 3? And now, it’s hard to imagine a family vacation as being anything less hectic than family life at home. Night waking, early risers, picky eaters, and fearless explorers give the family vacation a shape and color you couldn’t have imagined before parenthood. You need a vacation–but you worry that if you go you’ll only end up needing a vacation from your vacation. So how do you and your mate manage to each get what you need most from your precious time off? Take turns. Give each other at least one morning of your vacation to simply STAY IN BED. Draw straws to see who gets their turn first, and agree on the hour of late-waking ahead of time. And when it’s your turn to rise and shine, strap on the baby or pop the tot in the stroller and roll on out of there to chase seagulls on the boardwalk, eat donuts in the diner, or stretch your legs on a good walk around the hotel. The time you spend one-on-one with your child away from the hubbub of home could be precious, and you can bet the time you spend sawing logs will be, too.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby
The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children

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