Finally some sunshine! - Baby Sun Protection

You may have wondered where I have been hiding the last couple of months. I have gone back to work and suddenly my days just seem far too short to fit in all the things I should and would like to achieve! Anyway, summer holidays are coming up soon so there should be more time for blogging. On that note, here is what I shall pack for the Swiss Missy so she does not get burnt by the sun:

(1) A UV protective top from Sunuva (http://www.sunuva.com) and a sun hat from Petit Bateau (http://www.petit-bateau.co.uk)...

(2) Pink "Baby Banz" sun glasses (http://www.babybanz.com/UK/index.htm). They do look a bit wired..., however, they apparently offer 100% UV protection and have a band which wraps them around the baby's head so that they stay in place!

(3) A pop-up UV tent so that she can have some shade to play or for a nap (Safetots has a good selection: http://www.safetots.co.uk/Travelling-Sun-Care-&-Swimming/Sun-Tents/UV-Tents/c124_923_147/index.html).

The beautiful Suffolk coast

Just got back from the beautiful Suffolk coast which is about 2 1/2 hours by car from London so a great seaside weekend getaway! We stayed at the Brudenell Hotel in Aldeburgh, a nice hotel right on the sea front with a very good restaurant (http://www.brudenellhotel.co.uk/default.aspx). They have a sister hotel, the White Lion (http://www.whitelion.co.uk/), a couple of meters further down the seaside promenade, which is maybe more cozy but has smaller rooms so not so great if you have to share the room with a baby...

Hailo!

I have always been a big fan of black cabs (which I tend to refer to jokingly as the "black bus") but have become even more so since having a baby with pram in tow. There is no need for a car seat. You can simply push the pram into the cab, fix the break and off it goes. The only problem until recently was that very often when I wanted a black cab there was none to be found. This was until I had downloaded the Hailo app.

Lake District - the perfect baby-free weekend away!

I just got back from an amazing baby-free (the Baby was with the grandparents...) weekend in the Lake District.

Sicily

A friend has asked me to send her the itinerary for our Sicily trip last spring. As there may be others who find that the only way of getting over the sad fact that the Christmas holidays are over is booking a nice holiday in a sunny place, I set it out below:

The end of travelling light

Luggage of 2 adults and one baby for one week of skiing: 7 bags!!! (2 big suit cases, snowboard bag, ski bag, bugaboo bag, 2 cary-ons and car seat)

We were worried that we would not fit all of this into a cab so tried Heathrow valet parking. This was a really good idea had there not been an accident on the M25... Almost missed our plane!

Baby monitors

I have got the BT Baby Monitor Pacifier (http://www.shop.bt.com/products/bt-baby-monitor-pacifier-7HGG.html?src=2) which does a light show and plays various lullabies which is great for using at home. However, its not really ideal for travelling.

Limewood Hotel

I have just come back from a weekend at the Limewood Hotel (www.limewoodhotel.co.uk) and I loved it so much I cannot wait to go back!

 

The hotel is in the New Forest national park, about an hour and a half drive from central London. The setting is beautiful - a Georgian style manor house surrounded by a park and forest for walking and cycling (the hotel provides wellies and mountain bikes).

Salina - Sicily

For our recent babymoon we stayed at the Capo Faro (http://www.capofaro.it/) on Salina, a tiny island off the Northern coast of Sicily...

Madeira

I am currently longing for a holiday in Madeira. We went there last February and enjoyed beautiful sunshine and temperatures in the early to mid twenties while it was still very much winter back in London. Due to its lack of sandy beaches, Madeira is often overlooked as a short haul sun destination. However, it has so much else to offer:...