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.

Tips for travelling with baby

Travelling with a newborn can be daunting, but in fact young babies are often good travellers. Here's an article I wrote for The YummyMummy Club out this week with some tips for travelling with newborns.

Keeping toddlers busy

What's your favourite travel toy for airplane journeys and road trips? I love the Mudpuppy mini magnetic play scenes (rated for 3+ years because of little pieces). I bought a few different sets and keep them hidden away until we have a long car journey or plane ride. They even have an airport themed play scene. The Usborne Great Searches book series also work really well for our children who love studying the busy pages.

Delicious Baby posted some great articles recently about keeping your little ones occupied during airplane journeys. Debbie calls her bag of carefully chosen toys an "airplane busy bag". Here are three recent blog posts about packing a busy bag that's appropriate for your child:
- Packing an airplane busy bag
- What's in my airplane busy bag?
- Travel Toys (by age)

By the way, one of Debbie's favaourite travel products is the CARES airplane harness. To find out more, click here to access Little Traveller's information page.

Money Saving Tips

If you love to read, and love reading to your kids, but don't want to pay full price for new books then check out these money saving tips and websites:
- Purchase previously rented books from your local library. I've found lots of great 50 cent board books for my toddler this way. (And since she's far from gentle with her books, it makes it easier for me to bear when she rips all the flaps off the page.)
- Head to local garage sales, thrift stores and flea markets for some great finds at low, low prices.
- If your children are no longer interested in certain titles, swap them with friends who have children the same age
- Join the online book swapping community at bookmooch.com. It's free to join and free to use -- the only cost is postage. Also try www.paperbackswap.com

CanadianBabies contest

Little Traveller is running a contest at the moment through CanadianBabies.ca to win a Baby B'Air infant flight vest (for lap held infants who fly). To enter, visit the Canadian Babies' contest zone. All you need to do is comment on your favourite Little Traveller blog entry. Couldn't be easier! For more info on the infant flight vest, visit Little Traveller's website. Good luck!