One of our favorite places is Warsaw, Poland.   A few years back, a gig from the Polish National Opera was offered to my husband, and three weeks later, we were in Poland. We have since returned twice, we simply love the place! It really did  take us by surprise just how much we fell in love with it.  I had never really even considered traveling in Poland. For me at least, I grew up dreaming of Italy, Switzerland, and England, etc, but not Poland.   There is such an amazing history, much of it sad, but much of it powerful.  The people are kind, and Warsaw is a very child friendly city.

My son stands proudly with his Polish Flag outside of the castle of Old Town.

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This is the hallway to our apartment, kind of freaky. We are pretty sure the theater is haunted

Outside the theater.  All of Warsaw was our playground.

We were there for All Souls Day and headed to the National Cemetery- one of the most amazing things I have ever seen!  In the USA for Halloween, we dress up in costumes, consume massive amounts of sweets and disembowel  pumpkins. The Polish actually do something meaningful. Maybe it’s not fair to compare Halloween with All Soul’s day (Zaduski)- after all, Zaduski is actually Nov.1st, but the candles in the huge central cemetery do kind of kick Halloween’s butt.

We also spent a few days in lovely Krakow

Our little girl shows what lolly pops can do to your hair.

We learned a funny lesson about not believing our travel guidebooks.  We went to a restaurant that was recommended as family friendly (and to the restaurant’s credit,  they did have a baby chair, room for us to not fold up the stroller and a kids menu). However the waitresses  did not have much to wear. I think we went to Polish Hooters!  At the end of the meal when our waitress came by, Colin told me she did not have pants (trousers) on, only underwear. I found the food pretty good  though, buy maybe we were just hungry after a long day out.

One of our many stroller naps! My husband usually had the afternoons off for us to explore, and explore we did! This is the first year in a few years that my husband does not have a return engagement scheduled for Warsaw and we have been left wanting more! I can only hope we get to explore more of Eastern Europe in the future.

An egg beater touched George’s face this day -very swollen yet still his cheerful self!!

The first few months after this were really difficult – with two older children with no allergies at all – we struggled to come to grips with the way allergies can dominate everything you do. While still breastfeeding I gave up everything George tested positive to, we removed nuts from the house completely in all forms we had to educate our other two children about food and allergies too. George’s skin became so bad he spent over a year wrapped in bandages and all in one body suits that completely covered his hands and feet, if we left him with any skin free he would immediately find carpet or concrete and rub his skin till it bleed.

I sewed bandages into the ends of all his tops to stop him scratching.

We learnt some tricks along the way and like all families we just learnt to adapt to our new situation.  Food habits, bedding choices, clothing choices, contaminants and our approach to birthday parties all had to change. Funnily enough  peace of mind did came in the simplest forms.  I sewed bandages into the arms of George’s clothing so he couldn’t scratch. We traded in our buggy we had used for the other children and acquired a phil&teds smart buggy with the hypoallergenic aerocore seat.  This meant we had no more fabric collecting dust and it eliminated the worry bacteria. The aerocorewas soft and easy wipe clean, and superbly portable – we loved it!

George at the beach in his phil&teds smart

I’m fortunate enough to work in the nursery industry- so I get access to a lot of products. By far our favourite child item was our phil&teds wriggle wrapper. After a reaction from a cafe highchair that had not been cleaned well enough – the wriggle wrapper also became our best friend.  This super product kept George secure, safe on chairs in cafes and gave us peace of mind that George was in a ‘safe’ zone away from allergens. We took that wriggle wrapper EVERYWHERE – cafe’s, mums house, to weddings, on trains and on planes. We attached the wriggle wrapper to almost anything you can imagine from my lap, to chairs, benches, picnic chairs,  and even highchairs that had no harness. I really rated the wriggle wrapper as a truly genius product, lightweight, portable, easy to clean and for our family- a problem solver.

If you haven’t experienced allergies you really can’t understand how they have the ability to dominate everything you do if you let them- George’s allergies have dramatically decreased over the last 5 years – nuts, eggs and dairy still cause a nuisance – he has unfortunately developed food phobias  which is another story in itself),  but armed with his Epipen and some good common sense George has recently started school – we’re celebrating allergy awareness week this week knowing we got through the tough years and we’re learning to control a condition that tried to control us!

  Alicia

The stroller was shipped to our house very quickly and I was amazed at how easy it was to assemble the stroller on my own. It was a sunny and warm day, so the the kids and I headed out to enjoy the beautiful weather! I found this stroller to be perfect for taking two children out on a fun adventure, as the child riding in the rear could stay in her seat napping, while my active toddler enjoyed hopping out periodically to feed the ducks along our walk. It was so nice to be able to let my toddler explore and play, while not worrying about taking the baby out as well!

The classic’s new follow-the-sun hood design was great to use any direction we were traveling. My kids don’t like to wear sunglasses, yet sun protection is so important to me. The material of the stroller was easy to wipe clean when my sweet toddler spilled her apple juice on the seat! I am so pleased to own a stroller that can accommodate a newborn baby as well as a child six years in age. This stroller is built with quality materials, which make it durable and I know we will be able to enjoy it for several years to come.

The second seat is awesome as it adjusts to three different positions, which allow us to use the stroller for both my newborn baby as well as the toddler. The seat was easy to recline or lay flat for the baby! My baby enjoyed riding in the second seat, as she was able to look up at me and feel close to me! I felt at ease being able to watch her closely and check on her as we were strolling. My toddler was excited to put the green buggy liner we had ordered in the stroller, as it made the buggy a fun color that she could enjoy. phil&teds offers a variety of covers and car seat adaptors, which allowed me to simply clip my child’s car seat in with ease!

The stroller is easy to fold quickly, and light enough for me to lift in and out of our car trunk with very little effort! I thought it would be fun to take the kids to the grocery store to pick up a few items and swing by a boutique in the strip mall on our way out. I found the stroller to be convenient in walking on a sidewalk as well as through the store aisles. It was nice not to have the bulk of two children riding side by side, or a stroller that was incredibly long with both kids. The stroller was easy to maneuver with one hand, and the air-filled tires made it very easy to navigate the different terrains, as well as providing a comfortable ride for my kids!

The cost of this stroller is a great buy for the quality and durability of a phil&teds product. I was so excited to show my friend this stroller later that afternoon, as she too has trouble getting out of the house with two kids! She is a tall woman with long strides, so to watch her test out the stroller and not be limited in taking long strides was awesome. She found the adjustable handle height a neat feature as well. I am a firm believer in phil&teds products! I highly recommend this stroller to anyone with two kids looking for a fantastic way to exercise and take the kids out on fun adventures.

Tiffany Keller x

-  you can purchase the classic bundle in the US exclusively at Target.com.

I have fond memories of my study days in Dunedin, but visiting as a parent with 2 younger children was really fun, and Dunedin surprised me!

Highlights”
1. Tunnel Beach – an absolute must, best in summer, and for children over 4. Bring Dad along or someone who doesn’t mind doing some shoulder rides. Steep walk back up, but completely worth it for the view, and the beach! Not for the faint hearted 10/10. Check the stroller tyre pressure before you go!
2. Dunedin Museum – great for kids and adults of any age. Spend the extra $ to go through to the butterfly house, and spend an hour discovering and playing with the science based games before you enter. Stroller parking available in butterfly house.
3. Mornington Tavern – doesn’t look much from the outside, a bit dated, but service, food, and kids playroom for younger and older children is well worth for a relaxing meal.
4. McAndrews Bay – kids need a quick nap, take a 10 min drive around the peninsula. Lovely beach, great for kids, cafe for mum and dad, could spend the afternoon relaxing in warmer weather.
5. St Clair beach. You can take the kids and spend an hour just having fun dodging the waves breaking over the esplanade. Playground close by, and cafe for mum and dad to grab a drink.

I would highly recommend a few days in Dunedin with kids, if you are down that way!!

I’m sure I’m not the only parent whose typical week of pushing a pushchair greatly resembles the song going on a bear hunt. Our family certainly isn’t all about the tarmac.

We’re coming to a tall mountain
It sure is high
It sure is wide

Let’s climb up it

It may be as simple as a trip to the park, a little push across some grass, through a couple of puddles (I live in the UK don’t forget!). But then this turns into a walk along the bumpy canal towpath to a better playground or a ‘short cut’ to get to the car quicker.

We’re going thru the tall grass
We’re going thru the short grass
Hey! Look! There’s a little tree
Well, let’s shinny on up it

Then there are the dog walks, the ones on muddy footpaths or grass paths that turn into a squelchy mess in the winter. With 2 children it’s great to be able to throw (not literally of course) them into the pushchair and head out with them all tucked up and warm.

It’s a big puddle of mud
Can’t go around it
Gotta go right thru it
Yeuk!

Well, let’s go.
Squish, Sqwish, Blaaahh.

This go anywhere ability is perfect for our lifestyle and also great fun for the kids, they get to jump in the puddles, throw sticks for the dog, feed the ducks, go on the swings. Then when they are tired out they can sit back and relax while I do the hard work and all without giving me a hernia in the process.

Of course there is also the trips to the shops or my little Saturday morning treat of a visit to the coffee shop for coffee, babycino’s and cake. An important attribute of any pushchair is surely the ability to push it one handed while drinking a coffee?

So what do you think? Does this sound like your week as a pushchair pusher too? Where have you taken your phil& teds?

I think I should start with  little introduction about my family.  I’m married to Andrew, the best husband and father anyone could ask for.  We live in Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand and have two Birman cats, a Jack Russell, a Border Collie, three horses and several sheep!  Our journey as parents officially began on 7 March 2012, 11.07pm with the arrival of our one and only child, William.  We had a textbook pregnancy/birth – not for things going to plan but rather the opposite.  I won’t bore you with these details just yet, since we’ve only just met.  In a nutshell, we got over our rocky start and now we’re all fit as a fiddle.

It’s hard to believe our first year of parenthood has raced by already.  It seems like only the other day when my husband Andrew and I were staring at our tiny son on the day we brought him home wondering what to do next.  Is he hungry?  Is he warm enough?  Is it the house too loud, too quiet?  Does he need to burp?  When did we last change him?  Should we be writing all of this down to remember?!  People said we’d work it out, and we sure did.

These little people are pretty good at communicating – in fact they arrive with the knowledge that a little howl can get them milk, clean clothes or tucked up in bed for a sleep.  In the early days, it can be a bit of trial and error.  Now that William is older, the communication style is different and easier to identify.  He can say ‘yum yum’ for more food and can spot food a mile off, pointing at it eagerly with his gorgeous little fingers.  We know when he needs changing because we can either smell him (too much information but you could see where that was going), or we can visibly see his clothes smeared in marmite, banana, mud or sand.  Bed time is also pretty easy to identify – the universal sign of rubbing eyes, sucking fingers, yawning or the easy to miss sign of over tiredness when he just runs around the room!

Now I’m no expect of this parenting stuff but I reckon we’ve got a few things right – as A: my son is a happy, healthy boy and  B: Andrew and I survived the first year with everyone in tact!  Here are some words of advice that have helped us to survive the first year…

-          Do what you can, when you can – Those that know me, would agree that I’m a bit of an organised freak and I live by checklists, spreadsheets, folders and files.  I can tell you that since the day my son arrived, the ‘to do’ lists became ‘to do when you can’ lists.  It’s fine to have a list of jobs, things to remember etc (because you’ll find baby brain doesn’t just leave you when you’re no longer pregnant), but be realistic about your expectations.  Some days you just can’t tick anything off the list – just do a little bit at a time, when you can.

-          Cloth nappies – We’ve used cloth nappies in the past year and I think they’re fabulous.  Sure, there is an upfront cost but you can potentially end up saving thousands of dollars over a year.  They’re also so much kinder on the environment, and I believe, more gentle on delicate skin.  I would invest in a good quality set of nappies as the cheaper versions may leak and you don’t need any more extra washing!  Washing the cloth nappies isn’t too much hassle.  I’d also recommend buying one of those round plastic holders that have pegs already attached to them as they’re perfect for drying nappies in the sunshine.

-          Sleep is a skill that will require some teaching!  Everyone will have their own preferred method of getting their child to sleep and how to settle them when they cry.  Again, I’m not claiming to be an expert in this field, but I firmly believe that as parents, we put the hard yards in early in the ‘sleep training’ department and as a result, have a little guy that is generally fabulous to put to sleep.  Let them cry for a bit to go to sleep and don’t rush into their room at every little squeak or murmur.  Only go to calm them down if their crying has reached a stage where you don’t feel they can calm themselves down.  I’d also try your best not to rock or jiggle your child to sleep – you’ll get fairly tired of that when they’re 3 years old and weigh a ton!

-          Routine vs flexible days – Whilst there is merit in sticking to a routine for your young one, you also need to have a little person that can be flexible when required.  You don’t necessarily have to be home at the same time, every single day for a sleep in the cot.  Babies are pretty good at sleeping on the go in their buggy or car.  It’s handy to have a good bed time routine at night – tea, bath, story, milk, bed works well for us.

-          Get outside and get fit – There is nothing like a walk in the fresh air to clear the mind and get you feeling great.  Healthy, happy mum equals healthy, happy son.  Even if you are tired, you’ll be surprised at the difference a little bit of exercise can do for your energy levels.  The fresh air and sun’s rays are also good for our little people and the sights engage young minds.  I joined a fitness group called Active Mums and have been a member since my son was six weeks old.  Take it easy and build up your fitness level slowly.  Feeding a baby and getting over the birth is no mean feat so you will be tired.

-          Make your own – If you’ve got the time, have a look into making your own baby products.  Often it is cheaper to make your own and the end product is cheaper, fresher and/or chemical free.  When I was pregnant, I was given Wendyl Nissen’s book Raising your Baby, Chemical Free, and it’s a bible I swear by.  I make all of my own cleaners, beauty products and even make all my son’s meals from scratch.  Recently I’ve started making clothes for him too but you do need a bit of spare time for this.  If you hunt out bargins at material stores, you can often make good quality clothes for your little ones which fit them perfectly!

-          Good quality gear – As you may have already worked out, the equipment list for a new baby can be fairly extensive.  You need to decide what the essentials are and what you could probably do without.  We didn’t buy a singing/talking music seat, a playpen or fancy solid starter kit and have got by.  We did decide to invest in good quality gear for the major purchases – buggy, highchair, portacot, car seat and monitor.  You get what you pay for and the after service is great if you buy from a reputable company.  We’re huge fans of phil and ted’s because it’s functional, looks good and is built to last.  We love all of our purchases – our explorer buggy get’s a hard life off road down at the horse paddocks, our lobster highchair is the full time high chair (it’s nice and compact and doesn’t clutter up our house and we have a second one at the Grandparent’s house), the smart buggy is our get around town shopping buggy (that isn’t covered in mud and horse hair) and the portacot is a neat bed for travelling around with our son.  Our baby gear has stood up to a year’s intensive use and we’re quite sure it will last in the years to come.

-          Make new friends – The journey as a parent is nothing like you’ve ever experienced before.  We’re lucky to share it with ten other wonderful parents who were part of our antenatal group.  I really recommend attending the antenatal classes as it’s a fabulous support network/family to be a part of.  We still meet up regularly with our group and hope that our little ones will grow up to be good friends.  The girls are also good company to facebook message during morning feeds at 3am!

It’s true when they say that a child’s first party is more of a celebration of the start of a long journey of parenthood.  We certainly enjoyed a few glasses of champagne, stoked with how cool our little boy is.  Bring on the next chapter.

That’s my first blog, done and dusted.  I hope you found it useful or at least entertaining enough to have read this far.  Time to tuck my little one into bed…twinkle, twinkle, little star…

Lisa

 

Photo credit – Vivid Photography

Our poppy sample had been in a few family’s hands already, and they all loved it. As my little miss was approaching two and not using a highchair any longer (in favour of a small table and chairs) I wanted to try it too, but wasn’t sure what she would make of it. However Christmas Eve I took it home with a shopping bag full of strawberries and tomatoes to see just how messy we could get it.

My first surprise was that it fit really well in our smallish house. The second was that Miss Two loved it with the same passion that she loves her rainboots and her twirly skirt. That is a lot. Rather than fuss about being ‘restrained’ she just sat there and ate. The phrase ‘Sit down and eat your dinner’ became more and more foreign to me as the weeks progressed. I began to realise I was going to have to give it back all too soon, eek!

Her favorite part was the low seat setup, as she still felt like a ‘big girl’ and had lots of room to smush strawberries or roll playdoh snakes on her tray. As a feisty two year old learning about ownership and sharing she began to call it ‘my chair’. It was her special chair, just the right size for my baby bear to eat her porridge.

But the holidays ended in a whirlwind of zoo trips and housecleaning and the time came for the poppy to come back. I told her. She wasn’t happy. “My chair. My chair” she protested. Sadly I packed it up one night and put it in the car, so she wouldn’t see. She resigned herself to her table and the daily battle of ups & downs commenced once again.

However she was onto something. Sure the poppy is a highchair, but what was it called when it was low, myself and the rest of the marketing team wondered? The answer came from my experience. It became ‘my chair’. It encapsulated exactly the independence and adaptability of the seat and toddlers in general.

So now whenever I see the poppy advertised online or in print and see the words ‘my chair’. I smile. Because I know that my little munchkin played a part in shaping a great product’s story and also that brilliant ideas can come from the unlikeliest of places, and even from the smallest voices.

Allanah- phil&teds

The Surgical Research Trust was set up in Wellington 20 years ago to support innovative surgical research at the University of Otago, Wellington in Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. As part of that support, the Trust sponsors three or four students each year to complete a summer studentship.

This year Hamish Green’s research project looking into the pathologies associated with neonatal death was sponsored. Hamish recently presented his report to judges of the University of Otago’s Wellington Summer Studentship programme. The findings confirmed the importance of post mortem examination in helping to understand the reasons for death when term infants die soon after birth. The study found that in many cases important information was obtained from examination of the placenta and umbilical cord as well as from the infant.

Hamish’s  research has won him in accolade from the University of Otago, Wellington Summer Studentship for 2012/13. His win as top presented report grants him an extra $700 from the Wellington Medical Research Foundation Inc. and the University of Otago.

We’re terribly proud of Hamish and so have asked him to share a  little bit about his summer research for our community! Enjoy!

 Hamish Green (second from left)

I’m Hamish Green and this year I’m in my 5th year of medical school. I have always wanted to
complete some summer research and as this was my last true summer holiday I thought that now
is my last chance to apply. The work I completed was supervised by Associate Professor Dawn Elder
from the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Otago, Wellington.

I spent 10 weeks researching a condition known as perinatal asphyxia. We specifically looked at
the pathology that is found at post mortem examination in these infants and attempted to make
correlations with various clinical factors. We hypothesised that infants who suffered from this
condition may have experienced events in-utero that decreases their ability to tolerate labour thus
predisposing them to this condition. In the end we found no hard evidence to prove our hypothesis
however we concluded that we are unable to rule out the possibility of an injury occurring prior
to labour in these infants. This is something that we believe needs further research in order to
completely understand the clinical and medico-legal implications of this condition.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time researching this condition and this has certainly stimulated my interest
to conduct other research in the future. Having this background will certainly help when conducting
future research. This topic has certainly stimulated my interest in paediatric medicine particularly
neonatal medicine. The beauty of medicine is that it’s such a vast and interesting field so who knows
where I will end up!

On the first leg of my flight something happened, and this is what I’ve been thinking about.  I noticed a mom traveling alone with two young kids, and an off duty pilot had just taken his seat next to them. I was about three rows back and from his mannerisms it was very obvious that he was not happy sitting by two little kids. I quickly offered to trade seats, and he jumped at the opportunity.  (One of my biggest pet peeves is people who are short with children.  I know kids can be crazy, but we were all once little.  Just a little kindness can go such a long way for families and kids).  The mother was relieved to have a mom next to her instead of someone less patient. Whilst I enjoyed a few moments of respite from a heavy heart as I helped occupy her children. As it turned out, the mother knew some of our opera friends as it can be a small opera world.

I don’t mean to write this in a boastful way because if anything, I was the beneficiary of a distraction from my loss.  I’ve just been wondering about ways me and my little kids can show more daily kindness to people.  It’s hard sometimes when I’m out alone with my kids to go out of my way for people, but it is something I hope I am teaching.

Does anyone have some advice about teaching kids kindness?  We all need more kindness in our lives.

As you add kids to your life, the kitchen becomes an even more important place to eat, teach, cook & talk about your day with your family & friends. However suddenly your kitchen needs to be ‘child friendly’, now when I hear these words, I feel like an inspector is going to come and take away everything out of my kitchen pre kids & replace it with plastic Disney character versions. This doesn’t have to happen, you can still live the life you want to, with kids in tow – this is something phil&teds feel strongly about too!

I think the key to creating a kid friendly kitchen – that is also the kitchen you want – is to look for practical surfaces & materials, simple yet stylish furniture & functional accessories. Here are my picks for a stylish, kid friendly kitchen.

Blackboards are great for helping you remember things like milk & lightbulbs or what day ballet & soccer is on but they are also fun for the kids & can get them involved & learning about food, grocery shopping & developing their writing & spelling. You can even get  crafty & paint magnetic paint under the blackboard paint to then stick their school awards, drawings & other gems up.

It’s easy to loose track of time when you’ve got kids, especially when the toast is too crunchy, they wanted milk NOT water & the cooking oil you just knocked off the bench has now been skated round the house by the dog. Clocks are making a kitchen come back, check out these clocks by Karlsson that we stock at LET LIV.

Feeding kids is another key kitchen activity in which having the right gear can turn chaos into co-ordination. I was so excited when I saw the phil&teds poppy, finally a high chair that’s not clunky, chunky and visually opposed to everything else in your kitchen! The little lightweight (4kgs) poppy has both a passive and an active harness which means you don’t now turn around and see your 10 month old slipping down the seat while still eating pumpkin mash like it’s going out of fashion. It’s simple but genius how it converts to the ‘my chair’ too, perfect for if you have a kids table or the kids joining you at the table.

I love how the poppy is like a mini designer chair (but with it’s own big table for those early years!) I can just see it in the kitchens below sitting alongside these modern, minimal settings.

Another feature of the poppy that appeals to me are the materials that it is made out of. As I said, it is important to use materials & surfaces in your kid friendly kitchen that can be cleaned easily because mess will happen. phil&teds have solved the problem of the dirty hard to clean highchair with biscuits smushed into the seams by creating their own material, aerocore. Get ready for this… YOU CAN PUT THE TRAY & THE SEAT IN THE DISHWASHER!! Aerocore is also comfy, insulating, hypo allergenic, UV resistant, non-toxic, waterproof & wipe clean – you guys are super clever!

And lastly, a favourite functional accessory of mine is a step stool or kitchen helper stool. My pick is the Bekvam stool by IKEA. This iconic little stool is not only loved by kids as it enables them to be involved with kitchen activities but Mums & Dads can use it too. They come in a natural Scandinavian style blonde wood but if you search on Pinterest you can see how people have made theirs their own by painting or customizing it.

See, it’s not all Disney & chaos in a kid friendly kitchen! I hope you’ve enjoyed my picks on how to create a kid friendly kitchen that stylish Mums & Dads enjoy too. Thanks for having me phil&teds! (All images via Pinterest).