Excitement in the Rockies

The truth is that ever since three railway workers stumbled upon a hot spring near the town of Banff in 1883, people have been falling hard for Canada’s first national park. Nowhere else in Canada can you do so much oohing and aahing in one place – over our sawtoothed mountains, our sweeping meadows, alpine lakes, backcountry tea houses, glaciers galore and hundreds of hiking trails. Now is the perfect time for Albertans to rediscover Banff National Park and enjoy the special events and anniversay specials being offered to celebrate the park's 125th anniversary. Check out some of these great events:
June 19th: Banff 125 birthday Launch: 4-5 p.m Banff Avenue Square
July 1st: Parks Canada annual Canada Day pancake breakfast: 9-10:30 a.m Parks Administration Building Canada Day Festivities: 12 p.m Central Park Fireworks Finale: 11:00 p.m. Central Park
July 2nd: CPR Heritage Train & Museum Car: 2-4 p.m. Banff Train Station
July 3rd: CPR Heritage Train & Museum Car: 10 a.m - 2 p.m. Banff Train Station History Stinks at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site: 9-6 p.m Street Theatre: 12 - 6 p.m Banff Avenue Square, Bison Courtyard, Central Park, Banff Park Museum, Masonic Hall Cascade #5 Performnace in the Park: 4:30 - 9:30 p.m Cascade Gardens Parks Administration Building grounds
July 4th: History Stinks at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site: 9-6 p.m
July 17th: Parks Day - free admission to the park Various guided walks and heritage activities throughout the day
July 26th: RCMP Musical Ride: 1-6 p.m. School grounds
August 12th: CPR Heritage Train & Museum Car: Lake Louise Train Station
August: Great Canadian Campout
September 6th: Retro Swim Event: 10 - 4 p.m. Banff Upper Hot Springs
September: Opening of the Banff Legacy Trail

Healthy eating tips when travelling

May is a time when we see flowers bloom, the sun shines longer and we tend to indulge a bit more with barbecues and when family and friends get together. Below is a list of things to do to keep your health and weight in check when we go on vacations or just a day out with the family.

Healthy eating in the carDriving all day cuts your average daily calorie burn by 400. Follow these healthy eating tips to help readjust your intake (from your normal 1,800 calories to 1,400, for example) and bypass the thousands of junk-food-filled rest stop.
Drink up"The recirculated air in a car can make you thirsty, which you might mistake for hunger," says Charles Stuart Platkin, M.P.H., founder of diet detective.com. Keep plenty of water on hand.
Seek fresh foodAlthough a handful of drive-thrus sit right off the highway, a grocery store—with many more good-for-you options—is probably only a few minutes further; there you can get a healthy meal—turkey on whole wheat from the deli, an apple, and fat-free yogurt—for less than 350 calories.
Pack healthy snacksLoad a cooler with low-cal, protein-rich foods, such as apple slices and peanut butter—the protein keeps you fuller longer.

so cool!

Well i stumbled upon the coolest thing for babies. PopATOT. The same concept as an exersaucer i guess, but its easily portable. I could not help but to become a retailer. I remember when my kids were at the pre walking age and it was difficult when we went somewhere and i could not put them down. We would go camping, to grandmas, over to friends etc. and i always lugged this huge exersaucer to keep them entertained. Well PopATOT folds up into a sinch sack about 5 inches around and 30 inches long. You could take it ANYWHERE with ease. They come in red & purple, pink, and camo. How great this is would be when you are travelling.

We are back

Well its been long time since there was a post on here. Thats because Kara has retired from the baby equipment rental business. She is going to be busy enough with her little ones. My name is Cheryl and i took over. I could not wait to jump in with two feet. I love to help people and what better way. I will provide exceptional service to all. I wish Kara the best of luck for the future.

Car seat safety

This article from Baby Center is a useful refresher on car seat safety. Have a read through to be sure that you are not making any of "the biggest mistakes parents make." If in doubt, have a certified car seat technician check the installation of your car seat. There are several here in Calgary.

This is my last blog posting before handing over the reins of Little Traveller to Cheryl Stankewich -- a mom of three and a seasoned traveller herself.

Baby Milo

I haven't posted anything for a while because I've been busy with my new baby boy born March 18. He's a great sleeper but with three little ones in the house, I've had my hands full! Here's a photo of the little guy sound asleep.

We've just booked our first trip for August when he'll be 4 months old. With 3 little ones under 6, we decided to play it safe and head to Tofino again for our summer getaway. We've been there before and we know the score. Some sand, sea and (fingers crossed) sun should help recharge our batteries!

It's snow time

My 5 year old regularly goes cross-country skiing. I think she enjoys the time with dad more than the act of skiing itself, but either way she's out enjoying the sunshine and snow on a regular basis. And because she's familiar with the sport, she's loving the Olympic skiing coverage (although she insists on cheering for the person wearing her favourite coloured outfit.)

If Olympic fever has hit your home, check out the Everything Mom Olympics page which features links to everything you ever wanted to know about the Olympics.

If your family is not that into the Olympics but you still love to get out and ski, then the ski savvy info on the Savvy Mom website will come in useful. They have compiled a guide to ski lessons and daycare options at four ski areas close to Calgary.

And if neither the Olympics nor skiing float your boat, then head to the new interactive dinosaur display at the Calgary Zoo. Until October, the Prehistoric Park features 20 roaring, moving dinosaurs sure to thrill kids of any age.

And if you are travelling to Calgary for any reason this spring and need to rent baby equipment -- including snowsuits -- contact Little Travelller baby equipment rentals.

Flying with toddlers: going the distance

Guest blogger Emma Folz recently returned from a trip to Perth, Australia with her easy-going (lucky her!) 11 month old. Here are some of her insights in to flying around the globe with little ones.

The Journey

* Planning is everything. We booked our flights early and were able to get bulk head seats on all our long-haul flights. Having that extra space in front of you is very helpful for both you and your young ones.
* Break up the flight. Don’t try to do it all in one trip. Stay for 1-2 days at each connection point or after the long haul portion to have some time off the plane and get some decent sleep. We had a 15 hour flight from Vancouver to Sydney and then a 4 hour flight to Perth. Having 2 days in Sydney helped get us adjusted and made it easier on 11-month-old Joah
* Pack a sling and a baby carrier in your carry on. Also, a small umbrella stroller can be checked at the gate on most airlines. I used them all at different times for different reasons
* Sleep Training. Teach your baby to go to sleep in your arms with a trusted nursery rhyme before the trip. It will pay off on the plane
* Safety. We took both the Baby B'Air and CARES harness
* Toys and books. We packed a set of stacking cups and some plastic blocks which turned into many play combinations and doubled up as bath toys. We also packed a hand puppet. The plastic emergency instructions and paper bag in the airplane seat pocket were also a big hit. Lift-the-flap and pop-up books gave hours of delight
* Carry on what you need, but not more. Take a good-sized carry on for your baby items: food, toys, diapers, wipes, creams, medications, clothes and books are critical. Don’t feel like you have to fill the bag right up, this will come in handy when you are looking for items quickly. Pack similar items in separate mesh or plastic bags within your carry on. Take lots of plastic shopping bags or ziplock bags for garbage etc.

Jet-lag

• Sleep before! We didn’t keep our son up late in the nights leading up to the flight. Let them get as much sleep and rest as they can prior to the journey.
• Have a good sleep routine. I truly believe in a good sleep routine at home, which translates in to a good sleep routine when you are away. After bath, milk, teeth and storytime, it was clearly evident to our son that it was bedtime… time to sleep all night.
• Adjusting to jet-lag. The first three nights, if Joah woke up and wouldn’t go straight back to sleep, we allowed him one hour of play and some milk (no food) before back-to-bed. After that, it was non-negotiable; he had to go back to sleep. It only took 2-3 days for him to adjust. It was easier to adjust going east-west, harder coming back this way!

Winter in the Rockies

If you are looking for something a little different to do next weekend, then head to Lake Louise on January 22-24th for the Ice Magic Festival. You can watch the ice carvers at work at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and vote for your favourite masterpiece. You can even try your hand at ice carving at the Little Chippers Festival in Lake Louise Village. There's also magic show taking place inside the Chateau. Click here for more information.

If your kids are old enough, bring your ice skates along for some fun on the ice rink on the lake in front of the Chateau.

The Olympic torch arrives in Banff on January 20 and moves on to Lake Louise on January 21. A number of activities are planned around these events, too. Admission to Banff National Park is free on Wednesday, January 20 in celebration.

Need to rent some baby gear for your trip to the mountains? Check out our website at Little Traveller for some great winter equipment that will make travelling with kids easier. We have snack trays for the road trip, a variety of baby carriers including backpacks and baby slings, and even snowsuits in a variety of sizes.

Favourite Christmas Gifts

Our two children (aged 5 and almost 2) got some great gifts this Christmas. All of these would work well on a trip away from home and they are all fairly low-tech and easy to pack. Here are our top hits of 2009:

Pink and blue LEGO digital camera
A huge hit with my 5-year-old daughter. And it's inexpensive enough to buy for a special trip, too. There's nothing like seeking out interesting objects to take pictures of to relieve the boredom of airports or restaurants or when forced to spend several days cooped up at home because it's too cold to go outside... It comes in a red/yellow/blue colour scheme, too.

"You Choose" by Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharrat
A great book for any age, my 5 year old and 23 month old love looking at this together and because it's interactive you can "read" it over and over again. A fantastic book to share with your kids and stimulate the imagination, and a brilliant book to take along on a trip.

Maisy's Amazing Big Book of Words by Lucy Cousins
My 23 month old, who is just learning to talk, loves Maisy. This book is choc full of classic Lucy Cousins illustrations and includes flaps on every spread. My daughter also loves searching for Panda on every spread.

Little Doctor's Kit
Again, a big hit with both children. My five year old has received these in the past but the new one included a surgeon's dress-up outfit and some real band-aids and bandages that has kept the two of them busy for hours already. There's something about giving doll/sister/mum/dad a pretend injection that never seems to get boring.

Fairies: Petal people you make yourself by Rachel Haab/Klutz
This is some serious crafty fun for girls (and parents, too!). Once we'd made a couple of fairies, my daughter was off in a world of make-believe with them. The product is recommended for eight year olds and up and my 5-year-old daughter needed a fair bit of help with the fiddly gluing, but that's what I love about crafts: everyone gets involved. Klutz make a wide range of crafty sets so if you have boys, check out the Klutz website for more info.

Ease yourself into the new year!

Happy new year! We spent a quiet new year's eve this year at home with the kids tucked up in bed sound asleep. I confess that I, too, was snoozing well before midnight. At almost 30 weeks pregnant, I'm trying to bank up as much extra sleep as I can before baby number 3 comes along in March. (I don't think this is a scientifically proven system, but it feels so good!)

I started the year as I mean to go on in more ways than one. I enjoyed a prenatal massage today at Inner Balance Spa in Kensington. It was a relaxing way to spend an hour safe in the knowledge that it was also doing my achy lower back some good. My therapist was Margaret -- an experienced prenatal practitioner. I've had many massages, but this was the first time I'd experienced an abdominal massage. She also showed me a couple of simple stretches to do at home that will help relieve lower back tension.

Massages aren't just for pregnany mummies of course. If you're a Calgarian or just visiting the city for a few days, I recommend carving out some "me-time" for a visit with an RMT. There's no better treatment for the stiff back that comes from sitting on an airplane for long periods, carrying big babies around, or just generally being run ragged all day long. An hour will cost around $80.

There are many great spas in Calgary. I recommend Inner Balance close to the Kensington Safeway and Prema Sai. Check out their web sites for more info.

New regulations for flying with kids in/out of the US

Following the recent security breach on a US plane, there are some new regulations that affect families flying in or out of the US. The main change seems to be a ban on holding any personal items or leaving your seat for the last 60 minutes of a long-haul flight. This is a daunting prospect if you have have young children. Check out the latest posting from Delicious Baby for ideas on how to keep your little ones occupied.

Here's the link to the US Transportation Security Administration that is responsible for airline security regulations. And here's their information page on travelling with kids.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Little Traveller would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas, a happy holiday season, and a prosperous and healthy New Year.

Babies and balancing on the internet

I came across a couple of gems on the internet this week.

Set aside a few minutes to watch this trailer for a documentary called Babies that will be released in April. It follows four babies born in four very different cultures for their first year of life. It's guaranteed to put a smile on your face for the rest of the day.

I also watched this clip on YouTube and was amazed! Check out the balancing skills on display in this clip from Bangladesh.

Give the gift of music

My life has a soundtrack these days -- one that involves a lot of Sharon, Lois and Bram. I don't go far in the car without that familiar refrain: "music, please!" This is from an article I wrote recently for Calgary's Child magazine. Here are my top 10 picks for best music CDs for young kids. They make great gifts and are easy to mail, too.

1: Mainly Mother Goose by Sharon, Lois and Bram
This collection by the talented Canadian trio should be in every family's music collection.

2. Here Come the 123s by They Might be Giants
This CD won the best musical album for children at the 2009 Grammy Awards and the catchy tunes will appeal to kids of all ages.

3. Putamayo Kids Present: Sing Along with Putamayo
Folk and blues inspired high calibre songwriting

4. The Backyardigans: Groove to the Music
Eighteen original tracks from the TV show, sung by children. The wide variety of musical styles make for a fun listening experience for 2-4 year olds.

5. You are My Little Bird by Elizabeth Mitchell
The 17 mellow folk melodies are calming but never boring. This is one of my favourite CDs at the moment.

6. Family Time by Ziggy Marley
A strong and uplifting message about love and family thread through this CD which features collaborations with many other artists.

7. Putamayo Kids Present: World PlaygroundAnother highly accessible anthology that is a great CD to dance to.

8. The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens
A great introduction to classical music, this is a rousing suite of 14 animal-themed movements. Buy the accompanying book by Barrie C. Turner and Sue Williams to add context.

9. The World's Very Best Opera for Kids (in English) by The Budapest Concert Orchestra
Nineteen classic tracks from Carmen, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly and six other operas. Sung in English, this is opera without the usual language barrier.

10. On a Starry Night by various artists
Soft and gentle, but never boring, lullabies to get your little one off to sleep.

CARES harness wins new award

The CARES child aviation restraint just won another award. The Mom's Choice Award named CARES among the best in family friendly products for 2009. It won a Gold Award (their highest accolade) in the Gear and Accessories/Safety category.

Word is slowly spreading about this innovative product that helps keep young children safe and secure when flying. For more info, visit the CARES page on our website.

CARES harnesses are available to rent or purchase through Little Traveller in Calgary, Alberta.

Fireproofing your Christmas tree

I was shocked and more than a little terrified when I saw this fire safety video on YouTube today. Take a look at how few seconds it takes for a Christmas tree to become engulfed in flames and how quickly the fire spreads around the room: Christmas Tree Fire Safety video

But apparently there's a solution... you can fireproof your Christmas tree by feeding it a special concoction. The tree will be able to hold up to seven times its weight in water. Here's the recipe:

Christmas Tree Solution
8 qts / 2 gallons hot water
1 pint / 2 cups Karo (corn) syrup
2 oz. / 1/4 cup liquid bleach
pinch Epsom salts
1/2 tsp. Borax

Strip 3 in (7.5 cm) of bark of the bottom of the tree trunk to help it absorb the solution. Mix all the ingredients in the hot water. Pour as much of the hot liquid into the tree stand as it will comfortably hold. Save the remaining solution and top up the tree stand every day.

Haven't tried it yet but it's on my to do list...

Organic grocery delivery

I've been using Spud.ca for a while now -- since my first child was born and getting out to the grocery store on a regular basis became more of a challenge. This online grocery company delivers fresh, local, organic produce to my door every Wednesday.

Little Traveller has teamed up with Spud to provide organic/green baby essentials for families travelling to Calgary. If you'd like formula, baby food, diapers or anything else delivered to your hotel or grandma's house or added to your equipment rental order through Little Traveller, drop us a line and we'll arrange for it to be delivered on time through Spud.ca. Visit their website for more product information or send Little Traveller a list of what you need.

Little Traveller baby equipment rentals is featured in the Garlic Press newsletter this week that goes out to all Spud customers and on the Spudfan blog site.

As well as Calgary, Spud delivers to the metro Vancouver area and Vancouver Island (as well as a number of locations in the US).

Stork Craft cribs recall

Foundations folding steel crib

Since January this year, Stork Craft baby cribs have been involved in a recall for their mattress support brackets on cribs manufactured between May 2000 and November 2008. This week, there is a new recall notice on ALL drop-side Stork Craft cribs. Almost 1 million cribs with the storkcraft baby and Fisher-Price branding have been sold in Canada since January 1993. Toys r Us announced that they plan to stop selling drop-side cribs (of any brand) by the end of 2009.

Here at Little Traveller baby equipment rentals in Calgary we have a variety of crib options for your baby. We do not carry any Stork Craft products. As well as full-size wooden cribs, we have folding steel cribs (no drop sides, with a 4" mattress), the Baby Bjorn travel crib light, and pack 'n' play playpens. Call us for more information on 1-877-242-4067.

Baby B'Air contest

Just a reminder that the Baby B'Air flight vest contest through Canadian Babies ends soon. To enter for a chance to win a free flight vest for lap held babies who fly, head to the contest zone and comment on your favourite Little Traveller blog entry. Couldn't be easier!

Images show the front and back of the Baby B'Air.