Toddler Sniffles or a Full Moon...?

Last night saw both hubby and I struggle to get to sleep and once we were there we both had frantic vivid dreams and were restless all night. Freddie struggled too, after going to bed at 7.30 the first call was at 10pm, ‘mommy’s bed’, was the cry, daddy dear sorted and lulled him back off to sleep only to have to go through the whole procedure again at midnight. By 3am we gave in and let the little rascal sleep with us.

He was as restless as us, kicking and jumping in his sleep. I often dozed off only to find a foot in my face where he had made a 360 degree turn somehow without us knowing! At 6.45 he was raring to go.

The night was VERY strange, which made me look at the moon cycle – although it has never been scientifically proven I am convinced that a full moon ignites something in our brains which makes us restless – however it doesn’t affect my older 2 children aged 18 and 21 who slept like logs!

Freddie trotted off to his little 3 hr stint at pre-school with a few dark rings under his eyes followed by me with bags the size of golf balls!

12 O’clock pick up and he and I still looked like rubbish, but now he has a cold and a croaky voice. A bowl of soup, yogurt and cup of milk later and he was fading fast, with sniffles and a little temperature to boot – so Calpol and Vicks vapour rub to the rescue, a little of David Attenborough’s “Frozen Planet” – he loves the penguin scene – and now he is fast asleep...

Last night was a full moon so who knows what caused the night of restlessness moon or onset of a cold... next full moon due 10^th December next cold due ?

Barcelona with a toddler - booking with Easyjet

Freddie and I are off to Barcelona in March, in search of child friendly properties in the Costa Dorada area, and I have just finished booking our flights. This time we are flying with Easyjet. For those of you flying for the first time with youngster’s, children under 2 have to sit on an accompanying adults lap and babies under 14 days are not allowed to fly. Flight time: just over 2 hours from Stansted.

Why do we pay for a child if sitting on our lap?The cost of our flights weren’t bad but I have to question the price charged for Freddie to sit on my lap! £12.50 each way, my return flight was only £19.87! The official response on this charge was: ‘Each passengers (and luggage item, by the way) weight affects fuel consumption, hence the fees’

Luggage allowanceAs we will be looking for child friendly properties we cannot travel light which means very large suitcases… for which we were charged £16 each.
Official response when I asked about baby items on flights:
‘You can carry up to two mobility items for children free of charge (a pushchair, a buggy, a car seat, or a travel cot), provided that the child is travelling as well. They are treated separately from your baggage allowance. Yet, please remember that infants do not have any baggage allowance.’ 

And below are details directly from Easyjet's website regarding pushchairs, car seats and baby milk being taken to the gate:

Can I take a pushchair with me?

Yes, easyJet allows you to take your pushchairs, buggies, travel cots right up to the aircraft steps and/or door, where they will be taken by cabin crew and stored in the hold. This is free of charge.
We do not deliver buggies at aircraft side on arrival. They will normally be delivered with baggage on the baggage carousel.

Can I take a car seat with me? 

Yes, you can take a car seat onboard providing these conditions are met:
· The car seat must have a rigid metal or plastic frame;
· It cannot be wider than 42cm;
· It must include lap, shoulder and crotch straps.
Booster seats are not accepted, they must be checked in.
Car seats are accepted for any child between the age of six months and 3 years for whom a full fare seat has been purchased.

Can I take baby milk or food onboard?

Yes, you are able to take baby milk onboard; you will be required to taste the milk while passing through security. Liquids must be held in bottles containing less than 100ml. As baby bottles are generally smaller than that you should not encounter problems at security but you are advised to check the size of the container.

We are more than happy to supply hot water onboard to heat food and milk.

And the other add ons... 

You can obviously add all the extras:
· Speedy boarding @ £15.50 (however unless you really want a special seat it’s not worth paying for as you are allowed onto the flight before all other travellers if you have small children.
· The other option is travel insurance; I would never travel without it, especially with young children. Easyjet offered it @ £9.75 but as we travel quite a bit we will be renewing our yearly policy (currently with Norwich Union – but we are going to shop around and I will post our findings).