June 2015

Mackie plane So in my past life I loved to travel. The journey and discovery of new places and cultures intrigued me. I was lucky enough to live overseas for 2 years and do lots of travelling in that time. Since getting back from living abroad my travel opportunities have not been as frequent as I would have liked but these are the sacrifices you make when starting a new life and family. My mother, Master Menzies and I recently went on a trip to Townsville to visit my grandmother. The time there is a whole other post in itself, which I will get around writing when I become far more clever with the english language.

Travelling on a plane with a near 7 month old baby wasn’t exactly something I was looking forward to. People are rude when travelling, airports are a cess pool of agitated people all with the same goal – get there first no matter the consequences. Add a baby to the mix of that, and it could be the recipe for one of the most stressful events of your life. But, Master Menzies was on his best behaviour on the flight there and on the way back. Charming everyone with his cute smile that lights up his whole face and sleeping on the plane.

But the trip didn’t start as well as I had hoped for. After choosing the perfect outfit to travel, that would adapt to the cold climate of Melbourne and the warm climate of Townsville, Mr Menzies got Master Menzies out of the car and said “he’s either really sweaty or he has wet through his nappy”. Unfortunately the position the car seat had put the nappy in meant that the poo explosion totally missed the nappy and Mr Menzies had his hand over a major mess. So after a lightning fast change of clothes in the boot of the car, Master Menzies was in his carrier and we were on our way to check-in. I have travelled a lot, having lived in London for 2 years and travelling through Europe, I have been to a lot of airports. Never once did I realise just how many people travel with infants and the amount of baby carriers there are. We have the Ergo 360 and it saved my life travelling and transporting baby and luggage, I recommend to everyone that you travel with a carrier. One family I saw had a tribe of kids with mums, dads, aunts, uncles and grandparents in tow. One of the mums had a fold up travel stroller, which as we were in line, wouldn’t fold up. Her family left her there, struggling with a pram that wouldn’t fold, dragging along her child who only wanted his mummy. Seriously people, stop and help your family, especially the stressed out mummy and child! Some tips I have for travelling with babies.

1. Take lots of things for them to do

2. Try and travel during sleep times

3. If flying feed them or give them something to chew on take off and landing

4. If you can try flying with another adult so the baby can have a choice of ‘laps’

5. Be careful when hiring a car, make sure it is big enough and if you need a car seat, that it is installed correctly.

Sleeping Master Menzies

“Does Master Menzies sleep through the night yet?” I wish I had a dollar for every time I was asked this question.

Babies all have varied sleep patterns. I don’t think I have spoken to a single mother who’s baby has the same sleep pattern as Master Menzies or any other baby. Some mummies use rigid routines with their babies and some just follow their babies cues never finding predictability. Strict routines do not suit us but we have fallen into a routine by following Master Menzies’ needs. Routines from the bazillion baby books on the market can be an excellent way for new mummies to learn how much a baby should be sleeping and how to see their new little person’s sleep cues. Master Menzies goes to bed at 6pm because he just can’t handle himself after this time. It works well for Mr Menzies and I because we can have some time together, cook dinner and actually eat a warm meal together. If Mr Menzies and I want to go out for dinner then we can after Master Menzies has gone to bed and he won’t even know that he is being looked after by a babysitter. We have been advised to push him to 7pm so he’ll sleep longer. This will only give us a devil child for an hour a day, cold meals eaten separately again and a baby that will wake up at the same time as when we would have put him to bed at 6pm.

Master Menzies sleeps from 6pm, and that is where the predictability stops. He can wake at 1pm then every 2 hours after that or sleep right through to 5am. A ‘full’ nights sleep depends on any one of the following happening or not happening.

A growth spurt
Teething
Hunger
Wants a cuddle
Doesn’t want a cuddle
It’s too cold
It’s too hot
The water pipes are banged
Daddy is cooking dinner
The heater kicked in
The heater stopped… and so on.

Now I may have dug our own grave here but since the first couple of weeks Mr Menzies and I have had a very easy night times without any crying episodes. And this is due to one thing. The only way I use to settle Master Menzies is boobie. I gave up the rocking, shooshing or cuddling when none of it worked, only boobie works and that is perfectly fine, because that is what keeps my baby happy and Mr Menzies and I sane. It may be a hard habit to break but i am going with the hope that he will just grow out of it.

So tonight I am going to bed and hoping that we get the same deal as last night 6pm – 5am, a quick feed, and then up at 8am. Wish me luck!

Month: June 2015

Have baby, will travel.

Does your baby sleep through the night?