Off on our travels!

Well we leave tomorrow for our first proper holiday as a family to the Dominican Republic. I feel like we are competing with Victoria Beckham for luggage as there seems to be so much of it! I have been away quite a lot over the last year but always to stay with family and friends so I have bought most things I needed for my stay once I got there. This time however I have to pack everything! Food, milk, nappies, swimnappies, snacks, toys, etc, etc, for 2 weeks! Phew! Hopefully I will have tales of holiday happiness to share with you on my return when Christmas will be just 2.5 weeks away! Crikey!

Hasta luego!
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Fertility Matters

It took me two long years to conceive Charlie. After an array of tests the conclusion was that there was no clinical reason why I could not get pregnant. I started on a course of acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine as a last ditch attempt before turning to assisted reproduction and after 4 months I got a positive on a pregnant test! I kept a blog with a record of my experience, not only for myself to look back on but also to hopefully help others going through a similar experience. It was a very dark period in my life at times but Charlie was worth every day that I waited!

http://costaclaire.blog.co.uk

We do have a section for those trying to conceive or facing fertility issues on www.mumsinspain.com. Another site I can highly recommend if you have been trying for a long time or are looking to turn to assisted conception methods is www.fertilityfriends.co.uk, they have a great forum and also quite a few women who are travelling from the UK to receive treatment at various clinics in Spain so plenty of information and experiences to share. I myself have experience of Ceram Clinic in Marbella where I had my fertility investigations www.ceram.es. They have one the highest success rates for IVF in Spain as far as I recall and Ruth Pellow, fertility nurse at the clinic is also a moderator on the Spanish board on Fertility Friends.
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Zara Home online

Worth mentioning that Zara Home are now offering online shopping. I have yet to check it out myself but I am sure there will be plenty of temptation! Goes without saying I will be looking at the children's section first! Why is that?? I hardly ever look for myself anymore when I shop, even if I go out with that intention I always end up getting distracted by things for Charlie!

www.zarahome.com
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Travelling with a baby

I have travelled a far bit with Charlie in his first year and a bit of life as I imagine many of you will have done with your little ones living abroad. I remember when I was pregnant that the thought of travelling with a baby terrified me, but when it actually came to it I found the experience enjoyable! The first time I flew with Charlie he was 8 weeks old and I was with my husband then. The second time he was 11 weeks old and we were alone. It was January 17th, 2007 and a huge storm hit England. My plane managed to land at Stansted Airport but I waited 1.5 hours for my luggage and pushchair because it was too windy for the captain to open the hold door! So there I was, stood in luggage reclaim, with this young baby waiting for my bags and I had a connecting flight to the Channel Islands fast approaching take off time. Finally I got my bags and pushchair and ran to check in for my next flight, got through the rigmaroll of security again, read on the screen that the plane was boarding at the gate, ran for it, only to find on arrival that the plane had been cancelled due to the bad weather!! Charlie and I ended up stranded at Stansted that night. The trains were cancelled because of the weather, trees were down on all the major motorways so a taxi to central London was not an option, all of the closest hotels were full of other stranded passengers! We just about managed to get a B&B a short distance away and I burst into tears when the guy confirmed it to me!! The following day the next available flight was full so Charlie and I had to take a National Express coach to Gatwick and get on another flight!!! What an adventure!

How were we through all of this? I was a blubbering mess.......my son was serene and calm simply sitting in his buggy gazing up at me with, I swear, a small smirk of amusement on his face at all this chaos! Bless him!

Now I always make sure I am prepared for every eventuality!! My husband actually made a remark to me that surprised me, he said that it was nice travelling with a baby as you took your time more. It is so true. Normally everyone charges off of the plane as fast as they possibly can, races to get to the passport control queue as fast as possible, collect bags and off you go. When you have a baby you have no choice but to take it at a slower pace and to a certain degree what will be will be. Far more stress free in that respect.

A good website with a growing amount of information for those travelling with little ones is http://www.holidaywithbaby.com/. It has a good section on ideal destinations for young families, etc as well as helpful packing suggestions.

Happy Holidays!
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In the Night Garden

Does anyone else absolutely love this programme! It reminds me of the kind of thing I might have watched when I was little, so gentle and nice. I have tried not to introduce Charlie to children's television yet as he has plenty of time for that in the years to come but on the odd occassion we have flicked to CBeebies this is the program that has been on. Now when it comes on he looks at me and immediately wants to sit on my lap to watch it! He is mesmerised and to be honest so am I!! A friend told me it is the most researched children's programme ever and costs a fortune to make. The BBC might not be as up to scratch as they used to be in other areas, but in Childrens Television they stil excel.

www.inthenightgarden.co.uk
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Klingon??

I know I said I wanted Charlie to be tri-lingual but was the third language Klingon? It certainly sounds like he has mastered it this morning! Every week or so he seems to shift from the sounds he generally makes to this strange but adorable noise and just chats all day like he is excited by his new found ability! If you could bottle the way it makes me feel when he talks like that the world would be a happier place!!
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"Baby on Board"

Spain is well known for being child friendly. It is always a culture shock for me when I do head back home in that children are not always welcome at restaurants in the evening and even if they can be accomodated friends frown on the fact that we plan to bring them. Spain couldn't be more opposite and I love that. But I am at a loss to understand how a nation that pours over young babies and toddlers offers so little in the way of real facilities. Changing tables, feeding rooms, highchairs in restaurants, mother and baby parking spaces, etc. They are few and far between. Having said that even if there were mother and baby parking spaces they would probably be taken by any tom, dick or harry much the same as disabled spaces are respected!! Here on the Coast there are an increasing amount of restaurants offering facilities like highchairs and some even fitting changing fold-down tables but they are still sadly in the minority and nine times out of ten I found myself laying Charlie on the floor in a small cubicle to change him. Don't forget to pack that changing mat!
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Christmas Tree with a Toddler

I have always loved my tree, I love Christmas full stop! Last year Charlie was immobile, sitting quietly in a bouncy chair.....this year he is into everything, literally! Just pulled him out of a cupboard! So what should I do about a tree, are there any solutions. I thought of putting it outside and just having extra Christmas decorations around the place inside to compensate but I am not sure about having the tree on the terrace. Perhaps I shouldn't bother at all....

I have seen someone online mention a tree skirt ring that you can buy in Babies R us that has walls to keep baby away but I am not sure if they stock them in Spain. Maybe I should get out Charlie's playpen and use that to keep him away.

I did see some play yards on http://www.ebay.es/ which would be good but they would take up too much room in my lounge I think!

These sites give some good safety information about Christmas and toddlers:

http://www.childalert.co.uk/
http://www.capt.org.uk/
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Are Spanish babies smaller than average?

I only ask as since birth everyone has remarked how enormous Charlie is, from the very moment he was born actually! the Dr's first words were "que grande!". The thing is he was distinctly average, 3.5 kilos and 53 cms. The cleaners and the nurses on our ward all said the same and the comments haven't stopped since. I have English friends whose babies are just as big and even bigger and I actually think he is quite small in the sense he has a little face and very compact body. Is it perhaps because Spanish babies are very small??
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Chickenpox vaccine

These are fairly new and still optional, you need to pay extra mind. Charlie had his when we went for his 13 month vaccination visit last week. He has been fine with all of his other vaccinations, barely any side effects at all other than a little sleepy, but this time he really seemed to suffer. Maybe it is just because he is that bit older now and more aware but after having the vaccine in the morning, by the late afternoon he was very upset and just crying which is very unlike him. He wouldn't even take his bottle at bedtime or any medicine. He didn't have a temperature but was obviously feeling very sorry for himself. The vaccine cost about 40 euros.
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Bi-lingual babies

Being English speaking myself and with a Swedish husband living in Spain Charlie has his hands full. Up until now he is really only exposed to English at any length. You hear of it taking longer for multi-lingual children to start speaking and I do worry sometimes with the pressure of getting it right how we should best approach introducing him to all of these languages. We do want him to be tri-lingual. A friend mentioned this site and I hope it will answer many of the questions that I have http://www.bilingualbabies.org
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Keeping family informed

When I was pregnant I actually had a webpage for Charlie with scan pictures, etc to keep my family up to date with everything as it happened. No birth video on YouTube though!!! The internet is fantastic now when you live abroad as it is so great being able to involve people in ways that otherwise wouldn't be possible.

If you are pregnant or have a little one already and would like to set something like this up a good site is http://www.babysites.com/, they have great templates and make it really easy for you to upload anything relevent so all your friends and family can check in and see how you and bump are doing, you can keep using it right through to when they are born and beyond.
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Spanish Baby Online Stores

I know that there is a wealth of shops online based in the UK and elsewhere but even though they stock a great array of products the delivery costs always end up being pricey, and even if you are in the UK to collect them you still have to get them back with you, so I have been trying to find some Spanish stores online that I can use with a little more ease.

I actually bought my travel system from an online store, it was free delivery from Barcelona, got to me within 10 days which was better than the local El Corte Ingles could do, and all in all I was very happy. They have all sorts of other things as well http://www.chiquiguay.com/

Although I haven't actually ordered anything from them, http://www.bayon.es/ seems to be another very good site for online shopping in Spain for all things baby / children related.

I was desperately looking for someone who sold large fireguards and came across this site too which might be worth a closer look http://www.bebemibebe.com/

Verbaudet also have a Spanish site http://www.vertbaudet.es/

Happy Shopping!
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Formula milk in Spain

Why is it so bloney expensive? I just don't understand it. The first brand of milk I gave Charlie was recommended by my paedatrician, Blemil Plus Forte, and it was over 23 euros a box!! Just the regular more popular brands like Nestle, Hero and Aptamil are still at least 14 euros which is significantly more expensive than in the UK for example.

Today I have been to Gibraltar to shop as I think it is worth it. I have bought 10 large tins of SMA progress milk as Charlie is still on follow on milk, at a cost of 6.99 pounds each, so I have probably saved myself about 40 euros on that one visit.

Only problem is I have probably already spent what I have saved as I end up getting tempted by all the other things that they have there!! Don't even mention the Christmas aisle!!
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Baby goods and toys in Spain for holidaymakers

In my online research for www.mumsinspain.com I came across a great company who organise baby packs for people coming to Spain on holiday. As we all know you don't get an extra luggage allowance for infants sitting on your lap during the flight which makes packing food, nappies, milk, etc quite tricky. I know I have had to pack hardly anything for myself just to fit it all into my suitcase. Anyway http://www.bebebel.co.uk/ will fix that for you! They have different packs available according to your needs and make sure it is waiting for you wherever you are staying.

Someone else worth mentioning is a baby equipment hire company on the Costa del Sol http://www.travellinlite.com. What makes them more interesting if they actually hire out toys boxes as well which I think is a brilliant idea. They have them in age ranges and you can hire them by the day or week. I always take a small bag of toys with me for Charlie when I travel and invariably buy more when I am away to keep him amused but this is a fantastic service.
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Protective sunsuits out of season

We are leaving for a family holiday this weekend, a much needer break for all, but I found it so difficult to find "summer" accessories out of season, even living on the Coast of the Sun!! Thank goodness for the internet is all I can say. I went to every store I could think of locally looking for a sunsuit for Charlie but couldn't find them anywhere. Anyway I came across a webpage selling sunsuits and other accessories for babies and children based in Spain so FREE delivery! http://www.rafisol.com/ is based in Granada and has a great collection of suits, seperates, beach shoes and reusable swims nappies. All I need to do now is find something for myself which is proving a lot more difficult!
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Cold mornings, cold little feet

You know when Winter is here when you don't want to crawl out from under your duvet in the morning - a feeling I more associate with my years in England! It is definitely chilly now in the mornings and the marble floors are like ice. I have been worried about Charlie's feet as he had them bare all Summer, but now of course the floor is very cold and so are his feet. As he is not a firm walker yet slippers seemed too chunky and restricting, not to mention he would have them off in seconds, so I bought him some soft leather booties from http://www.jojomamanbebe.com/ although a few different places sell them. They are perfect for inside with socks as well to keep his tootsies warm, and also prevent him from slipping when he does walk which would be the case with just socks.
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Welcome to our blog!

My first post on our new blog.... which has to take place late at night when the little one is fast asleep as he has a complete obsession with the laptop! People laugh when I tell them but he is so tuned into it that as soon as I open it up, regardless of where he is or what he is doing, within a millisecond he is on his way over with a huge grin on his face!! Monkey!

He is still crawling most of the time even though he can walk on his own. I think he needs more confidence and a little more balance. A lot of the time he walks like he has just downed 10 jugs of Sangria! Sadly for me, although he loves to walk, he demands that I hold his hand which means sitting time is much reduced for me at the moment!!

I hope to be able to add lots of experiences that will prove useful to other Mums out there as Charlie and I proceed through the minefield that is parenthood for me and growing up for him in Spain.

Thank you for visiting us.

Claire & Charlie / www.mumsinspain.com
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