Tastybaby - organic baby food

Are you looking for some great organic baby food? If so Tastybaby takes strides to make sure their baby food is high in nutritional value, healthy & delicious. They make 100% USDA-certified organic products gluten-free and as unrefined as possible by leaving out any preservatives, trans-fats, sugar or salt. They want to ensure that you or your child can enjoy Tastybaby without the worry of an adverse reaction. They are happy to assure you that all 10 Tastybaby flavors are 100% USDA-certified organic & gluten-free. Packed with vitamins & nutrients (thanks to state-of-the-art blast-freezing technology), easy single servings are as eco-friendly as they are palate-pleasing. They use BPA-free / recyclable containers & biodegradable cardboard printed with vegetable-based inks.

At Tastybaby, they embrace the idea that foods should be processed or altered to the bare minimum. Ideally, they would all live on farms and grow the food we eat. Some lucky folks, like the Organic farmers who grow our ingredients, actually do. The rest of us have to recreate that organic simplicity in our own lives.Organic foods are grown without toxic pesticides and fertilizers and are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, irradiation or cloning. Organic foods are produced without antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering, sewage sludge and other dangerous practices.And Organic food tastes great! The color and vibrancy of natural ingredient are left unadulterated, so the delicious, natural flavor of fruit and vegetables is undeniable.

I tried these great products out on my son and he loved them. The shipping was quick, the packing was great and they were easy to store.

Check out http://www.tastybaby.com/ for more info.

Latest in baby travel gear - the POP-A-TOT

The lastest baby travel gear item is now available at JetSetBabies, and its wonderful. The Pop-A-Tot is a portable stationary activity center for babies 6-18 months. PopATot gives you a safe environment for your child when you're busy doing something else; and it goes everywhere! Literally, take it everywhere, because you never know when you need a safe place for your child. The perfect travel gear for baby - use it in your hotel room, at the beach, at the park. PopATotTM opens and closes in seconds with one hand -- while you hold your child with the other. This high quality sports gear for your child comes with a shoulder bag and is perfect for camping, backyards, baseball and soccer games, Grandma's house, the beach, or wherever you need a safe place for your child. It's the most practical baby sports gear in your collection of kids stuff.

We tried one out before offering to our customers and we loved it - as did the children of the moms who work for JetSetBabies. Its light (only 8 pounds) and compacts small and comes with a tote bag for easy carrying. It sets up easily and has loops to tie down baby's toys, and has cup holders for babies drinks and snacks.

We think you'll love it, too! And for a limited time, we have it on-sale so check it out today.

Making sense of all the airline baggage fees

It's been difficult to keep up with all of the different airline policies and prices on number of bags allowed in carry-on and checked baggage, as well as the various overweight bags. In additional to the three different types of fees, the prices change depending on whether you are flying first class, economy, national or international and more!

Now there is a source of information that has all this information on one website and the data is accurate and easy to understand. The website is Airline Ala Carte and it is the perfect resources to make sense of all the confusion.

In addition to containing baggage fees there is a great page containing other resource information to websites that track flight status, travel documents, the TSA, and other resources.

Airline Ala Carte is definitely the place to go for reviewing baggage charges and policies!

Fabulous website for traveling with children.

Sticky Fingers Travel Ltd is an Irish company dedicated to providing information to parents who wish to travel with their children. They are a company run by parents and all of their travel is researched by parents for parents. They provide independent and unbiased advice on family friendly holidays, accommodation, activities with children and things to do and see so that you can plan the perfect family holiday.

They have done the research for you on holidays in Ireland and abroad, hotels with kids clubs, adventure holidays, short breaks, self-catering and much more.

They also feature real parent’s experiences and reviews in Parent’s Travel Forum so that you can have your say, get tips from other parents and plan a family holiday that is enjoyable and relaxing for all of you. Children are only young for so long so travel now and enjoy the experience.

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in Sticky Fingers Travel research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. You must check out their travel tip section - it is a fabulous on-line resource, regardless of where you are traveling to.

Visit Sticky Fingers Travel for more info.

TSA announces Family Lanes at all airports

Just in time for the busy holiday travel season - the Transporation Security Administration has announced the installation of Family Lanes at all U.S. airports. The lanes allow families and individuals unfamiliar with air travel procedures and travelers with special needs to go through security at their own pace. This is especially helpful for families carrying formula, or individuals carrying medically necessary liquids, aerosols and gels in excess of three ounces.

For more information go to the TSA website.

Traveling across time zones with a baby

This blog comes to you from Bree, a JetSetBabies customer who recently traveled all the way to New Zealand with her baby. I wondered how the baby would handle the time zone changes and Bree was gracious enough to send us this story. I hope you enjoy it. If you have a great travel story to share with our readers, please contact me at patty@jetsetbabies.com. If we use your story, we'll send you a gift certificate to use on our website JetSetBabies.


From Bree:

We had a fantastic trip to New Zealand - it was everything we had hoped for and more. We really did love it there, and if it weren't so dang far away, we'd consider living there! we liked it that much. :)

As for the jet lag - interestingly, Logan did not seem to have an issue one bit on the way over. Our flight was pretty rough at first - he fell asleep on take off and slept for about 2.5-3 hrs, but then he woke up and just would not go back to sleep, for about another 3 hrs - I don't think it was due to any sort of jet lag at this point since we were still on our time here, and it was "in the middle of the night" for him. instead, I think he was just way too distracted with everything going on in the plane..... anyway, we finally got him back to sleep and then he slept for the majority of the remainder of the flight which was great.

When we arrived into Auckland, approx. 5am, we were all awake and met friends there -went out for breakfast and then walked around town to see some sights. We then hopped into our car and took a 2.5 hr drive to the cabins we were staying at for that night. Logan was fine the entire day - he took a couple naps, like he always does, but otherwise was fine. He didn't seem to notice the time change at all! He finally got super fussy and cranky while we were at a restaurant for dinner - but, it was about 8pm local time, which is when he normally starts getting tired anyway. He passed out on me, we took him back to our cabin and put him down for the night.

Throughout the trip, MOST nights he would wake up once in the middle of the night, take a bottle then go back to sleep. There were a few nights, usually when he had been more active the day before, where he'd sleep through the night. But, honestly, I'm not sure that had anything to do with the time change since that's how he's always been at home too.

On our flight back home, it was great. Our plane was delayed an hour or two - so we really wore him out playing and exercising and crawling, etc. in the airport. He passed out during take off and slept for 8 hrs!! he woke up for another 1-1.5 hrs and played at our feet and had a meal, then fell asleep again until we landed. We couldn't have had a more positive experience with the flight home.

The few days after we got home was another story entirely. It was a LOT harder to adjust back to "normal" life. Our schedule was really off those first few days back, since Logan seemed to be struggling with adjusting back to Pacific Time. But, more than that, I think he was also having a hard time adjusting to life without Mom and Dad 24x7 (since we both work so he goes to a daycare during the day). So, that probably was the MOST challenging part of the entire trip, was when we got home. He was very clingy, wanting me and only me, when he was super tired, exhausted and needed me to comfort him to put him to bed. He would also cry every time we dropped him off or picked him up from daycare (which he's NEVER done before), had a lot of trouble sleeping at night, often times crying WHILE he was sleeping (not sure how it's possible but he was doing it) but then the minute I'd pick him up to rock him he'd settle back down and snuggle into my shoulder fast asleep.

Each day was a tad bit better, but it took almost a full week before we started getting a full night's rest again and before he was doing better back at daycare. So, it's a good lesson learned for us. It won't stop us from traveling again, but it's good to know what challenges we may face when we get home *after* the next big trip. :)

Bree

Breastfeeding while traveling

Traveling with a breastfed baby is an absolute treat!! I've traveled a lot with both a bottle fed baby and a breast fed baby and what a huge difference. With breastfeeding, no matter where you are, you have warm milk ready to feed baby with.

The trick is to have good nursing clothes (I am a huge fan of Motherwear and had a good supply of both summer and winter shirts) or bring along a good nursing cover as you will most likely be spending most of your vacation nursing in public places. The biggest challenge will be to find quiet, out of the way places, so baby can relax in order to nurse properly, but overall, the experience is so much easier than warming bottles.

Here is my breastfed baby travel story taken from the tips section of JetSetBabies:

Planning a trip with a breastfed baby? Lucky you.

When I found out I was pregnant and due in the month of July I vowed to make my summer of maternity leave a fun one for my five year old son soon starting kindergarten. We planned to spend every day at a beach or playground and thanks to the success of baby and my breastfeeding we did almost that! I never realized the ease of getting around with a breastfeeding baby since my first child had only nursed for five months and most of the time I had spent working from home. Appropriate nursing clothes made feeding away from home a breeze.

When we planned our first plane trip when Anna was seven months old, I just knew it would be an enjoyable one.

We flew to Phoenix, Arizona when Anna was just seven months old and not having to worry about making and heating bottles was a great relief for me. Our first flight was a short one, from Duluth to Chicago, so I nursed her during take off and then stopped after we were in the air. It was just enough to keep her satisfied and yet not full, so she was more than ready to nurse again when we started our descend into Chicago. Unfortunately, there was bad weather in the Midwest that day and we were forced to sit in the Chicago airport for over seven hours waiting for the storms to pass. Lucky for me I didn't have to worry about having enough formula on hand as the milk was always available. I had jars of baby food in my carry on and a banana and yogurt from the store were enough to get through the day. By the time we boarded our flight to Phoenix the kids were tired and nursing Anna during takeoff was enough to put her to sleep for the whole flight!

We had a great vacation and were never limited to planning around eating schedules. We nursed in restaurants, parks, playgrounds, museums, the zoo, and very often sitting in the car while the others enjoyed the attractions. The only time we had to put a crimp in our hectic schedule was when Anna became very fussy in the car and we had to pull over so I could remove her from the car seat to feed her.

We ate cereal mixed with fruit everyday for breakfast. Then I tossed enough jars of baby food in my diaper bag for the day and we would be off. By the time we were ready to leave Phoenix and head home, both my kids were very tired from the busy schedule we had kept, and they both slept all the way home. Our connections home worked out perfect and we arrived home with free tickets from the airline due to the delays we experienced. It didn't take long to start planning the next trip!

If you are breastfeeding your baby and planning a vacation, you have the best of both worlds, so relax and enjoy it!

Preparing your child for a plane trip

Help your trip go smoother by talking to your children about your upcoming trip. Even two year olds need to know what is going on. If this is your child's first time flying rent a library book about airplanes and airports and read it with your child. Better yet, purchase the Shae By Air DVD Toolkit
- and watch the DVD with your child. This DVD was made especially for toddlers and walks them through the entire process of packing, airport security, the boarding process, sitting in their seats and what to expect during the flight.

Make sure you explain the various security procedures. My daughter was only two when we traveled from Minnesota to Atlanta Georgia. On the return flight home our entire family was randomly chosen for search and she was absolutely terrified when we were all separated and searched. We made it through okay by my constantly talking to her throughout the process even though I was not allowed to go to her and touch her or help her out. Still, it would have helped a lot if we had practiced the procedure at home a few times before we left on the trip.

In fact, it will help if you role play the entire flight process. Pretend to drive to the airport, check your baggage, take off your shoes and put them on a pretend "moving belt", then line up your kitchen chairs in the living room and play boarding the airplane, buckling your seatbelts and then bouncing around on the airplane. Someone can even play steward and serve beverages! What a fun way to spend some time together and education the kids all at the same time.

Here are some good books to try reading with your child:

Airlines child lap policy

Like many other moms, I was under the misconception that if flying with a child on your lap were considered unsafe then the airlines just would not allow it. Was I wrong. It took a close call with my daughter before I realized how wrong I was all along.

Like all women, I enjoy a good bargain and being able to avoid having to purchase a plane ticket for a child under two and save several hundred dollars only added to the excitement of traveling with a small child. My son and I took over half a dozen plane trips together all without incident and had a great time traveling around the U.S. when he was a baby. Six years later when my daughter Anna was born and we took our first flight together, we were in for a little surprise.

We were traveling from Duluth/Chicago/Phoenix. We had made it into Chicago and had about a two hour layover there for our connecting flight to Phoenix, when major thunderstorms began passing through the central U.S. Our flight was continually delayed as the afternoon went on and we did our best to stay entertained at the airport while staying close to our gate in case our flight should start to board. The delays lasted into the evening hours and at about 8:00 p.m. both my children (Aaron, then 7 and Anna, 7 months) fell asleep on my lap. They had only been sleeping for about 15-30 minutes when the started to board the flight. I hated to wake up both children and have them very crabby so I just say in my chair waiting until the last call to board.

As they got down to the last group of passengers they made an announcement that they had overbooked and were offering ticket exchange for giving up your seat. Since the kids were sleeping so soundly and had missed their naps, I was in the perfect position to give up our seats and take the "bump". With a lap child traveling and two free ticket vouchers I was as good as traveling free ! And little did I know that I had may a decision that would likely have ended up disasterous had we boarded that plane.

About an hour later another flight to Phoenix was on its way the children were starting to stir from their uncomfortable sleeping positions, so we boarded the next plane and we were off. There were still some small storms and turbulence on the flight and so the plane attempted to route around them as best as it could and still maintain some sort of time schedule (for me we were arriving about 10 hours late anyway). I had Anna on my lap the entire time and things were proceeding normally, when the captain announced some turbulence ahead. As we all buckled in, I wrapped my arms around Anna's tummy and held on to my wrists. It didn't take long before we hit a small bump and I was taken by complete surprise when that little bump took all my strength to keep her close to me. Her bottom lifted off my lap a good six inches and I was absolutely shocked at the force it took for me to keep her from hitting the roof! Luckily for us we had only that one small pocket of turbulence that we hit.

When we arrived in Phoenix, I learned that the original flight we had been booked on had hit a terrible storm and the jostling of the passengers caused 10 people to hospitalized. There is no doubt in my mind that Anna would have been one of them had we gotten on that flight. I was so thankful for the change in events that put us on a different plane, and have never again flown with a child in my lap.

For more information about how the airlines started allowing lap children and other people's stories, read Anya Clowers book "Jet with Kids".

Airline seat assignments

Traveling as a family can be challenging, but even more so if you all arrive at the airport, survive the check in procedure and the bag search, only to find out you are not all seated together. Don't assume because you are flying as a family that you will be all seated near each other.

If you are buying your tickets from a travel agent make sure they do your seat assignments for you. If you purchase your tickets on-line or directly from the airport and they do not do the assignments at the time of buying the tickets, make sure you log into the airline website and do your seat assignments well in advance.

At the website SeatGuru you can find out the details about the aircraft you are flying on, including the seat width, legroom, and so forth. This site also contains contact information for the airlines.

According to the book Jet With Kids, by Anya Clowers, "There are only a certain number of seats that reservation and travel agents are able to book. The rest are blocked out for airport assignment on the day of departure or for online check-in 24 hours prior to the flight. However, unless you are booking at the last minute, it is usually possible for you to get something reserved, and seat selection can make a huge difference in your flight."

One myth is that if you are traveling with a small child the bulkhead seats are the best place to sit. This is not true. According the Clowers, "The added legroom gives a child the feeling of open space and the illusion that they can roam around. If you take the middle seat of another row and your child is in the window seat next to you, this area creates a "box" for your child to play in. They can play with the window shade, on the tray table, look out the window, and generally feel more secure since it is somewhat of a private area."

Plus all of your luggage will be in the overhead compartment as there is no storage under the seat. The tray tables are located in the armrest and can easily pinch fingers. So you may wish to reconsider this seating area.

I used the bulkhead seat once when traveling with my son and it really did not work out as he ended up out of his seat and playing on the floor, eventually falling asleep on the floor, which was not a very safe alternative when I look back on the situation. Being in tighter quarters and kept buckled into a seat is really the safest place for any child.