Whether you are holidaying abroad or in the UK, there is bound to be some element of travel involved. Having taken a few holidays with the SnugBoys, I thought I would put together my top tips for travelling with children.

The journey to your holiday destination, be it Florida or Farnborough, Barbados or Bognor, is likely to be fraught with excitement and nerves. To make it as stress-free as possible, it is best to keep the kids entertained. Whether they are babies, or older children, they will need relatively frequent breaks to relieve themselves and stretch their legs. Believe me, you will need these breaks too – if only to give you some fresh air, and clear your head! So make sure you factor in extra time for the journey.

If your children are still of an age where they nap, try to time the journey so that it coincides with nap-time. That way you get some peace on the journey too. If they are too old for naps, you can always try leaving super-early, and try to transfer them from bed to car without waking them.

If you are flying (or driving, for that matter), make sure you take plenty of entertainment for on board – books, toys and things to keep them occupied are essential. And keep it somewhere within easy reach – no-one wants to be rummaging in the bottom of their handluggage, looking for that elusive teddy.

Take snacks. You never know when you may be held up on a journey – delays are almost part of a holiday. Do your best boy scout impression and “be prepared”. Drinks and snacks are a must have.

Accidents and illness can happen when you are away, just as easily as at home (I should know, last year I broke my arm) so make sure you take a first aid kit. It may sound obvious, but it is easily overlooked, and you don’t want to be in your apartment in the middle of the night with a screaming child, no idea where the nearest chemist is, and suddenly need the Calpol!

There are companies who offer a service of sourcing everything you need for your baby on holiday and having it delivered to your holiday accommodation, such as Bebebel, which will save a fortune in extra baggage costs.  There are also specialised holiday firms who let properties that have all the larger baby items you need – stairgates, cots, bed guards, highchairs etc, that don’t usually come as standard. Try Tots to France, or Baby Friendly Boltholes.

Save room in the car, and hassle in the airport, by leaving the puschair at home and taking a sling instead – takes up a fraction of the room, baby gets to see the holiday sights instead of knees, and you don’t have to avoid all those must-see places because the buggy won’t go up the steps.

If you have any fabulous holiday travelling tips, we would love to hear them below…

We have an article, kindly supplied by Cari Parker of Party Sprite, to tell you how…

Have you got a birthday party to plan and little or no budget for it?

You want to give your child and their friends a fun time, but you can see the costs mounting up, venue, food, entertainment, birthday presents, party bags, it can all seem so expensive and time consuming. However it is possible to have a party on a budget, and here we hope to give you some ideas on how to achieve this. I hope you find it useful.

Firstly, make sure you set a budget and stick to it. Costs can easily mount up if you don’t keep a close eye on them, it is easy to say ‘oh that’s only an extra £10 on food, an extra £20 on entertainment’ and before you know it you are well over your budget. Divide the amount you have to spend into categories, allowing for food, entertainment, venue, prizes and party bags, decorations and tableware, and invitations. We will look at all the categories individually in a minute.

Next you need to decide which of these categories is the most important. As I said in a recent article in Practical Parenting, only you remember what you have spent, so focus on the entertainment as this is what your child and guests will remember in the weeks and months following your party. Decide what your child would love to do, remember to think about the age of your guests as well, I know at my eldest’s party we had a range of ages from 2 up to 11 so you need to consider all your guests and try to find something that they can all join in.

Ok, so lets look at your categories. First up is the venue. A good way to save money is to host your party at home, but if you don’t have the space for twenty children running about then this may not be a option. A cheap alternative is to look at local village halls and community centres, even some local groups may be happy to hire out their premises for a couple of hours. These places cost a fraction of some of the soft play areas and other organised party venues, but you must factor in the cost of entertainment and food when you are making your decision.

For entertainment it is quite easy to do it yourself. I remember as an older child, planning a disco for my sisters birthday, I would do a music quiz too and not only did it keep costs down, I have fond memories of it still, some twenty years on. Party games that were popular when I was growing up are now making a real comeback so put your thinking cap on, play pass the parcel, sleeping elephants, musical chairs, musical statues etc. Get some small sweets for prizes, a cd player for music, and away you go! For older children you could reduce the number of guests and treat them to a film. This doesn’t mean more expense though, why not have them round to your house, grab a dvd and make your own pizzas? Or get a few other mums round and do a makeover party for your daughter and some of her girl friends? Boys may like a treasure hunt or even a game of football at the local park.

Catering wise you can really cut back by doing it all yourself. Do you have a helpful relative or friend who loves baking? I catered my daughters party this year and got lovely comments, I even made her birthday cake myself and bought a cake topper for it so it tied in with her Lazytown theme. It may be hard work but with a little thought you can do it all yourself for a fraction of the cost of a catering firm. Remember, young children won’t eat much, so don’t go overboard. Snack food will be a big hit, little sausages, cheese cubes and jam sandwiches are all popular amongst my daughter and her friends.

My pet extravagance is the party decorations and tableware. I know, I have it all to hand and at wholesale prices, so I can afford to get matching themed party supplies, but it is still possible to theme your party without spending a lot. Freecycle is a fantastic place to pick up things that others have finished with, and lets face it, most party supplies are still fine after use. You will probably need some plates, cups and napkins, but you can cut costs by getting plain ones instead of themed, for example buying yellow to go with a lazytown or handy manny theme. This can go for the decorations as well, balloons are a fantastic way to decorate any party and you can let the guests take them home with them. If you want a banner, why not get some backing paper and get creative, or even better for younger children let them get creative! This can also work for invitations too, make them yourself, let your children make them or have a look on the web, you may be able to design and print them off.

Party bags are a real bone of contention. After the entertainment, this is the one category that your guests will be focused on, at a recent party my daughter was invited to we were half way through the party tea and one child asked ‘when do we get our party bags?’ You may feel pressure to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ on this one, but there really is no need to spend a fortune. Trawl the pound shops, or even ebay for small gifts and add some sweets, or why not get a selection of £1 books instead and wrap them up for your guests? Another idea from one of my network of mums is to wrap some sweets in a napkin, tie it with ribbon and attach a helium balloon for a lovely gift.

Whatever you decide to do for your party, remember it doesn’t need to cost the earth, there are lots of ways to keep the costs down so get thinking and be creative!

With Father’s Day fast approaching, I got to thinking about my old dad. I must admit, I am a total daddy’s girl, as Mr Snug will testify. No-one is as good as my dad. Ok, he has his little foibles, like never ever admitting to the possibility that he might be wrong. And the great delight he took in embarrassing me at every available opportunity during my teenage years (particularly if there were boys involved). Come to think of it, he still does this, although the only boy he has chance to embarrass me with now is Mr Snug, and I think we are past that.

He claims to have been a rubbish Dad when I was little – he used to work shifts and wasnt around as much as he’d have liked, and he reckons that when he was there he wasn’t much good. I totally disagree!

The things I remember from being a little girl were the way he used to save  me the last bit of coffee from his flask when he was on night shift, and sometimes (if I was really lucky) the last bite of his corned beef sandwich. I remember going for bike rides with him, and helping him train the dogs.

I can overlook the time he left me outside the library because he forgot to unlock the back door of the car for me to get in (before the days of central locking). He only realised when he and my older brother arrived at my mums work to collect her (before the days of two car families) – I was 8.

Instead, I think of all the support he gave me whenever I spilt up with a boyfriend (one particular break up is fondly remembered by Dad proferring gin and tonic and Haagen Daaz  ice cream).

When I went away to university, he used to write me long letters. Although, they never actually came from him – I had one from Lord Lucan, one from the dog, and one pertaining to me from the British Red Cross (complete with food parcel). I lived in halls and we had a systen whereby we had to ask for our post from the reception. I used to get some very strange looks.

Now I have children of my own, and he is the most fantastic Grandfather I could ever wish them to have. He is just the right mix of play and discipline (and they pay far more attention to him that they do to me). The SnugBoys absolutely dote on him.

Basically I think my Dad is fabulous. I hope my boys grow up thinking the world of their dad, they way I do of mine. Happy Father’s Day, Dad.

This is a subject that has been preying on my mind recently – if you follow me on twitter, you will be aware of my dilemma.

I have just removed SnugBoy#2 from his nursery as he was becoming increasingly unhappy. I have no idea why this was – he has been going happily for the last 14 months, but in the last 2 month he has started asking not to go, telling me he wants to stay at home, that he is not happy. But he can’t seem to tell me why. Very frustrating. I started taking him there so he had an opportunity to play with other children, rather than as a childcare provider. I am very lucky to be able to work from home and have the option of whether to send him or not, I realise.

After deliberating for weeks about the best thing to do, and whether he would come through this (probable) phase, Mr Snug I decided that I couldn’t see the benefit in leaving him there when he was just spending the time being miserable.

So, yesterday I gave them his notice. I hope this is the right thing to do (why does parenting not get easier as children get older??) Now I am investigating all the toddler and play groups that I can, to ensure he still has valuable time with other children. I do think it is important that children spend time with their peers, and learn to play, share and communicate effectively. Just not neccessarily at the expense of his happiness.

I will no doubt be keeping you informed of his progress, but I would love to hear of your experiences and thoughts on this somewhat emotive subject…

It is my birthday today, and it’s a bit of a biggie, so this evening I have been reflecting on recent years and what I have achieved. I wonder if the next 10 years will be as good as the last?

In my twenties I have:

• Graduated from uni and held a high position in my previous occupation
• Bought my first house, with my now husband (and then moved several times – we are now on house number 4!)
• Got married (He claims to be an adonis, but I am reserving judgement)
• Gave birth to my two gorgeous sons
• Started my own business (a huge leap for me!)
• Got my lovely puppy (which was a sort of early birthday present to myself)

All in all, I think my 20’s were pretty good. There are some things that I would like to have done, that I now can’t (for a while, at least) like travelling, but overall I am pretty happy with my lot.

So, go on, tell me what the last ten years have held for you? And what you hope for for the next ten?

With Father’s Day fast approaching, on the 21st June, we are offering some fabulous discounts on the SnugBaby slings that have been the most popular choices with Daddies. There is 10% off selected mei tais from our Summer range, meaning a great saving for you! And as always the price you see is the price you pay – there is nothing extra to pay for postage within the UK.

Make sure you take this wonderful opportunity to spoil the man  in your life with this great gift from your baby while you can (offer expires 21st June 2009)

Starting tomorrow, Monday 25th May, it’s National Family Week.

It’s the first year of this week long celebration of you and your family, and the aim is to encourage families to play, learn, eat, read, compete and – most importantly – spend quality time together.

With sponsors, schools, community organisations, government bodies, charities, local councils, sports clubs, associations, celebrities and even the Prime Minister behind the week, the only thing missing is your family! Families like yours all across the country can enjoy hundreds of events and competitions, offers and promotions to make National Family Week fantastic fun for the whole family. Family is something we all have in common. Regardless of age or stage, shape or size, belief or background, National Family Week promises something for everyone!

The final day of National Family Week, sees National Family Reunion Day – so forget the excuses, reasons and anything else that has been getting in the way, and organise a get-together for your family.  Enjoy!

As reported in The Telegraph yesterday, this is the picture that has come under heavy critism after it was displayed in a Rochdale hospital. It shows a littl girl of about 2 or 3 years pretending to breastfeed her dolly.

It is, of course, perfectly natural for little girls to copy their mummy, and many first children will copy the act of breastfeeding when they see their younger sibling being fed. However, although the poster was designed to promote breastfeeding, it has come under fire, with complaints along the lines of it being “innappropriate”, “offensive” and “shocking”.

Personally, I feel it is a good way to highlight how natural breastfeeding is. We all know breast is best, but there are still many areas of the UK where the majority of babies are formula fed, though choice rather than necessity. Although I only managed a couple of weeks feeding my two children, I certainly do not find this image offensive. At the end of the day, it is a photograph of a child playing. If someone chooses to be offended by what they percieve the message to be, then that is their choice.

SnugBaby#2 copies me and his father (and older brother, but let’s not go there!) all the time. Just the other day, he asked me if he could use the SnugBaby sling which I use to carry him in, so that he could carry a dolly around. I am fairly sure that isn’t disgusting.

So let’s be clear here about what is offensive – is it the thought of a child doing a grown up act (my son hoovers – is that wrong too)? is it a child copying their mother? or is it the actual breastfeeding? If it’s the latter, I think it is a sorry state of affairs, and that the breastfeeding counsellors and midwives of the North West really have their work cut out!

As always, let us know what you think…

Thank you to Claire at for inviting me to write an article as guest blogger. Myself and husband Dan are in the children’s toy business near Axminster in East Devon. We have sold beautiful wooden and traditional toys for babies and young children via www.tishtashtoys.com for four years now.

We also run a team of around 150 direct sales agents who sell our toys and gifts. They are mostly Mums who earn extra working from home. Some agents just sell the toys using our lovely catalogue, others get more involved, selling at toy parties, coffee mornings, fairs, fetes, baby shows, carnivals and the like. We are always looking for enthusiastic party plan representatives and you can set up your own Tish Tash Toys home based business for as little as £9.99.

Dan and I are very keen to do what we can to help the environment, especially with two small children who will be inheriting the planet we leave behind. We strive to adapt our business practices to cause the least environmental damage whenever we can. Many of our suppliers use environmentally friendly materials and processes to manufacture their toys and because we wanted to highlight the availability of excellent Eco toys, we set up www.greatgreentoys.co.uk in 2008. Pop along and check out the website if you are looking for an alternative to the high street and would like to explore fair trade toys, organic products and green baby gifts!

Our latest venture is called Party Plan Together and we’re simply using the skills we’ve developed running our own mlm (multi level marketing) or direct sales company for the past few years, to help others. We set up www.partyplantogether.co.uk in early 2009 and are really pleased with how it’s going.

Sharon & Dan Pavey
Tish Tash Toys

What a find! IkeyDoodles is a fabulous, new, web-based company that hand-make personalised nursery furnishings and keepsakes – bunting with a baby’s name on, or a cushion for a chair make fabulous presents for babies and bigger kids alike. Everything is made to order in your choice of fabrics or colours, so you will be virtually guaranteed to get a gift which is utterly unique!

IkeyDoodles is the creation of Rachel, who is full time mum to Isaac, the inspiration behind IkeyDoodles. She began making personalised items in an attempt to stay at home with her son rather than put him in childcare and go out to work! And I have to say, I think she is going decidedly well. The products are not only beautiful, but incredible well made, and will last throughout your little one’s childhood, as they will never date.

I intend to keep an eye out for more fabulous baby and child products, and will be filling you in on all my brilliant finds. If you have come across anything you simply have to share, do let us know by commenting below.