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Pack this! Organic baby food pouches for travel by plane, train, or car

Shelly Rivoli — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:57:00 +0000

True confessions: Not sure what exactly I would find in Thailand, especially after we headed out of Bangkok, I packed several glass jars of organic baby food in a heavy-duty Ziploc bag in one of our checked suitcases. Did it add a bit of extra weight? Heck ya. Did any of it break or leak? Thankfully, no. Would I do it differently today? You bet.

I’m loving these new organic baby food pouches – which even my older children happily guzzled down yesterday as a fruity side course to an otherwise starchy snack (yes, there are beets in there!). There are so many options available now, with clever blends of fruits and undetectable vegetables blended in for good measure.

The pouches are shelf-stable, so they need no refrigeration (until after they are opened), plus they are lightweight and squish nicely into the corner of your diaper bag or outer pocket of your day pack.

For babies, you can simply squeeze little bits onto a spoon as needed, or with toddlers around 1 year and up, let them self-feed from the tube “smoothie style.” Clearly these are a much simpler, tidier solution to doling out baby food from the jar or tub in flight, and may be just the thing your toddler or preschooler needs in the back seat when you’re not “almost there yet.”

Click here to check out the wide variety of organic and GEI-free blends available, ranging from simple fruit blends to savory meat and veggie meals, made for those only 4 months old on up through toddlerhood (or in our case of my older kids, beyond that).

I think I will not only stock up on these for our outings, but for our earthquake / emergency kit as well. Have you tried any of these pouches with your little ones yet?

Click here to see more “Pack This!” recommendations – and don’t forget to enter to win our CARES harness giveaway on now!

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli

Author of the award-winning Travels with Baby guidebooks

Save 20% on Travels with Baby guidebooks and qualify for FREE Super Saver shipping or Amazon Prime

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All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli 2007 – 2011

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April / May Roundup

Shelly Rivoli — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 03:03:00 +0000

I know everyone’s been busy on the bridge between spring break and summer’s anticipated arrival (ahem, rain clouds, you can leave now), so here is a recap of Travels with Baby topics and news.

In the Blog:

Awards?! This blog that I humbly thank you for subscribing to was named to two prestigious lists – the Tripbase.com 10 best family travel blogs and the Babble.com 25 best travel blogs for families (#2 in Insider Tips & Tricks). I am very honored to be honored! If you email subscribers haven’t seen my cool award badges yet, click the headline of this post (or here) – and leave me a comment while you’re at it. (Hey, it gets lonely at this water cooler!)

Also, don’t miss the latest Pack This!, Tip Tuesday, and Worthy Website features I continue to post, along with my Photo Faves (love the view from the toilet at Casa Vista!).

On the Website:

If you’re curious about where we stayed in Costa Rica, check out the reviews of our first three amazing accommodations up now (and more soon):

Buena Vista Hotel, Alajuela (San Jose / Central Valley)
Casa Vista vacation rental house, Playa Manzanillo (Puntarenas/Nicoya Peninsula)
Blue Batik villa, Playa Hermosa (Puntarenas/Nicoya Peninsula)

If you haven’t had a chance yet to enjoy Our dinner with a PrivateChef in Costa Rica, I hope you will…and you can keep track of all our Costa Rica tips and reviews as we add them here.

There are also new additions to the Worldwide Directory of Baby Gear Rentals. If you are thinking of renting gear for your trip this summer, be sure to make your reservation ASAP.

Be sure to bookmarkthe Trip Planning page for quick links to those areas that may help you lay your family’s travel plans—or get motivated to do so!

The new Destinations page continues to grow as well. Be sure to stop by for ideas and advice about the places you plan to go.

Discounts on the Books:

Need a new baby gift? Did you know you can get 20% off BOTH Travels with Baby guidebooks now? And qualify for FREE Super Saver Shipping and Amazon Prime? Get the links you need here.

Giveaway in Progress!

Yes, I realize that most of you reading this already have both guidebooks (thank you!). Nevertheless, I’ll be giving away a signed set of both books next week. Tell your friends, or heck, enter to win the set for them (or keep the signed set for yourself, I won’t tell). Just click here and leave a comment to the latest Q2U blog post. I look forward to hearing your answers. (My apologies to those who were unable to post when it first went live! And since I haven’t had a lot of time to promote this one, your odds are good!)

And finally… watch for me at your doctor’s office.

No, I’m NOT pregnant, but I’ve been included in an article in the new issue of Fit Pregnancy magazine. Thank you, editors!

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
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All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli

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Pack This! BedBugz inflatable bed rail for travel with toddlers and little kids

Shelly Rivoli — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 06:27:00 +0000

What I love best about the BedBugz inflatable bed rail – aside from the fact that thanks to it I no longer have to sleep with one eye open, ready to leap out of my hotel bed to make sure my toddler or preschooler doesn’t spontaneously flop out of hers – is that it helps you make the most of extra beds where you find them as you travel with toddlers.

If you find yourself in any of these situations when you travel with your family, chances are you’ll be glad to have a BedBugz onboard (or in your suitcase at any rate):

Will you co-sleep during travel?
Will you stay in hotels where two double/queen beds are an option – but a Pack ‘n Play may not be?
Will you stay with relatives who have an extra bed – but not a portacrib or Pack ‘N Play?
Will you stay anywhere that offers a pull-out sofabed you could use – if you had one of these?
Will you stay in a cruise ship cabin or train compartment where berths are narrow and fall-out risks are even greater?

Since it straps around the mattress and adjusts to fit a variety of mattress sizes, you have a snug fit that is far safer than piling pillows or sofa cushions, or pushing chairs up alongside of the hotel bed (trust me, I’ve tried it all). The cover is also removable and washable – also definite pluses.

Clearly there is a good case for traveling with two of these, and since they pack down to almost nothing and weigh very little, that’s do-able. However, we have done pretty well with just one (which I paid for myself, BTW). Great applications you might try for your BedBugz inflatable bed rail:

Turn it sideways to create a narrow and cozier sleeping zone for smaller children between the headboard and bed rail of a queen-size hotel bed.
Use it in the center of a queen-size hotel bed to help keep siblings from waking each other.
Use it as a soft bumper that goes the length of your toddler bed at home (much more kid-friendly than the metal frame rails).

Worried about huffing and puffing? Have enough inflatables to fill on your next resort vacation? Go with the BedBugz deluxe that comes with its own lightweight foot pump.

> See more “Pack This!” features

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
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All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli 2007 – 2012

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January Roundup (giddyap)

Shelly Rivoli — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:04:00 +0000

January was a busy and “big” month in the Travels with Baby sphere, and I know that most of you have been busy as well, recuperating from the holidays, looking toward the new year and what travels–and in some cases babies–may be on the horizon for 2011. I, myself, am looking forward to seeing Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby mentioned in some great national parenting magazines and a very well respected website in 2011–stay tuned!

Blog in review – I covered a lot of ground in this blog during the month of January, with baby and toddler travel tips and highlights spanning from San Diego to Seattle, and Paris to Vancouver, all by way of a taxi in London, in which case if you’re headed there, you should also be aware of One Very Good Reason to Fly British Airways with Your Baby (or Lap-Held Toddler). And if you missed it – there are two “Pack this!” recommendations you may be glad to know of for upcoming travels with your baby or preschooler.

Website in review – TravelswithBaby.com also saw some great new additions over the course of January, and a founder-pleasing 19,500+ unique visitors – thanks to all who stopped by! Not to be missed: The new “5 Best with Children Under 5: Paris” page with excellent recommendations and tips from Camille Spanjaard, resident mom in Paris and founder of baby’tems baby gear rental agency. We are adding additional tips from others who want to contribute to the page, so let me know if you have recommendations or links to other helpful resources and posts for travelers planning travel to Paris with children under 5. Here is a peek at the Google map you can add to your resources:

View TravelswithBaby.com – 5 Best with Kids Under 5: PARIS, France in a larger map

There is also a new header being implemented across TravelswithBaby.com, making it easier for you to jump to the information and recommendations you seek, and also to bookmark or share with friends anything you find especially useful (thanks!).

Guidebooks in review – The new Take-Along Travels with Baby guidebook is off and running, and just became available in a Kindle edition compatible with your favorite “take-along devices” (iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, laptop PC, and of course: Kindle). So for any of you who have appreciated the pre-trip planning tips and advice in Travels with Baby, do not pass go and upload or order this new book of on-the-go tips to help once your trip gets underway (here ends book sales pitch; I thank you for your enthusiastic support).

Current giveaway – “Would you give your child Benadryl to help him sleep on a flight?” If you haven’t yet entered for your chance to win the new Take-Along Travels with Baby, post a comment with your thoughts on why or why not you would do so. You can read my cautionary tale and the comments of other traveling parents in this post.

Meanwhile, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and let’s just say there’s more than one reason why I’d like to check in to a good hotel—even as a family. You might, too.

Thanks so much for following this blog. And if you have thoughts or suggestions you’d like to share, or just a tip for how I can get out of cooking on my next family vacation, I look forward to hearing from you. More great tips for travel with young children–and the anecdotes that go with it–are on the way.

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
https://travelswithbaby.com/ Travels with Baby on Facebook

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