Monday, August 30, 2010

Be prepared!

Being a mom is a lot like being a boy scout. You must always be prepared! especially before embarking on a 13-flight (!!) journey. That's right, we have thirteen airplane rides coming up, all with two very active toddlers forced to sit in our laps the whole time. So I am stocking up. On what, you ask? Here are my recent purchases:

Snack catchers. I'm so glad I finally bought these! They've been in use for about half an hour and are already proving themselves invaluable. No more baggies of goldfish or Bamba upended all over the living room floor!

Suction food bowl with lid (some no-name brand so there's no link). We already have one but I got a second for the airplane. They'll probably fling their food everywhere but at least I can make the bowl stay put.

Two little cheap makeup bags to be used as quick-change kits, each filled with a mini pack of wet wipes, a disposable changing pod, and two disposable diapers. They'll be kept in the seat storage pocket to make a quick diaper change without needing to dig through our bags.

(For the record, we're travelling very light. Our carry ons will be two backpacks, each packed essentially as a diaper bag with a few personal belongings. We also have two mesh hanging bags for the backs of the strollers -we're taking our two lightweight umbrella strollers, not the double- that can be easily and quickly removed and stuck in the backpacks. We are also borrowing from friends, until we can buy our own, two baby harnesses. I know this is a controversial issue but the kids need to be able to roam around and not confined to their strollers the whole time we're in airports. But since watching two of them and our baggage and tickets/passports/etc. in a foreign city is not always an option, harnesses will allow them to run around a bit while still being kept safe.)

Most importantly, I'm buying new inexpensive toys for the plane. Things without small parts that can get lost but especially things new and interesting and age appropriate to help captivate their interests during long haul trips. Plastic toy animals (Bracha stole a kid's in shul and started playing with it, 'walking" it along the floor. Time at the zoo was well spent!) and a wooden toy with beads attached to colorful metal rods, a mini version of the kid you often see at pediatrician offices, those sorts of things. The kids are also totally captivated by Sesame Street song videos so maybe we'll bring one of the computers or buy a cheap DVD player. I don't like plunking them down in front of "the TV" (we don't have a real TV, just the laptops) but for this trip I'm ready to do anything to keep them calm, which brings me to our next point.

I'm going to ask their pediatrician her opinion on well, basically drugging kids. I don't want to, but I do want a back-up option if I get desperate. And yes, I know enough to test things at home before the trip (because I was one of those who got wired on antihistamines).

So that's what we've got going so far. My MIL will be glad to know that on place trips we dress the girls in matching outfits :) It help get us attention and garner sympathy from flight attendants and fellow travelers.

See y'all soon!

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