First Aid Essentials When Travelling with Children!‏

   

When travelling out of the country with young children, my motto is "plan for the worst, and hope for the best." The last thing I want while travelling is to have a sick child. Even worse than that is having

a sick child and not having any of the medical necessities and/or conveniences to help alleviate any common discomforts or maladies that could arise. With them or even with yourself! While some prefer to travel without having the minimal extra bulk in their suitcase, I personally prefer to bring some supplies with me. We don't always know what is or isn't available at our destination, and what store hours would be there. Most of us know darn well that symptoms typically strike in the middle of the night and/or when it's the least convenient. And when it comes to infants, toddlers and other children, it's not a risk or inconvenience that I am willing to take, especially when travelling abroad! 

Here's my suggested list of items to bring when travelling out of country with your kidlets: 

• Band Aids/Gauze.           
• Polysporin Ointment.
• Infant/Children's Tylenol or Advil, depending on your child's age. You might want to also pack some for yourself!  
• An oral syringe and/or medicine cup. I would pack two in case you lose one.
• Rectal pain reliever suppositories in case of severe vomiting.
• Pedialyte or other pediatric oral electrolyte solution (Some stores sell small bottles in a 4 or 6-pack.)   
• Children's Benadryl/Claritin or other appropriate anti-histamine in case of allergic reaction or hives.
• Calamine lotion for bug bites and hives.
• Epi-Pen if your child requires one.
• Puffers for any of you that may need them.
• Aloe vera gel in case of sunburn.
• Diaper rash cream.
• Baby powder.
• Pepto Bismol for you in case of tummy upset.
• Imodium or other anti-diarrheal medication for you. Is there ever a good time for diarrhea? Check out this hilarious commercial, which proves my point!  
• Extra hats for everyone.
• Extra sunscreen for everyone.
• Thermometer for fevers.
• A miniature first aid book if you are not familiar with first aid training.  
• Embassy and/or Consulate contact information at your destination. For a list of Canadian embassies & consulates around the world, click here. Leave a copy of it at home with your emergency contact should it be needed, along with your itinerary, flight information and where you will be staying. 
• Look into attending travel clinics to inquire if you and/or your children would benefit from any immunizations specific to your destination. (Some family doctors do this as well, and fees may apply.)
• Document the emergency number equivalent to our 9-1-1 system for ambulance or medical services while there. 
• Do not, I repeat, do not forget to bring your travel insurance information with you if you have purchased it, or have it through your workplace or credit card benefits. With kids, this is something I highly recommend purchasing when travelling out of country! 

Have I forgotten something? Is there a particular item that you never leave home without when travelling? If so, be sure to share! 

Bon voyage!

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****

   

Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour is Vroom-tastic!

   

'Tis the season for staying indoors, thanks to Mother Nature and her chilly weather! And we're on the hunt for indoor activities that will entertain the whole family! We recently attended The Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour  in Toronto and it was just that! As much as this would not normally be my personal cup of tea, I have to admit, I enjoyed it! I have been challenged to expand my range of interests as a mom of 2 boys, and most of the time I have been pleasantly surprised. 

The Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour is action packed and chalked full of not only testosterone, but also estrogen! They have a few female drivers as well who are driving these 12ft tall and 10,000lb pumped up monster trucks. They race around the obstacle course impressing you with their tricks and skills and it is good ole' rip roarin' fun! These trucks each have their own personalities & style and your kids are sure to find one or more that becomes their favorite! The dirt bike attraction during intermission was also pretty impressive to watch! 

The tickets are surprisingly affordable given the type of event.  Ticket prices are geared towards most families' budgets and range on average from $20-$135 per ticket depending on the location. Despite that being said, check for promo codes for discounted tickets in your area to get the best deal possible if you plan on attending the event. Why spend more if you don't have to? You can also buy a Pit Party Pass, which allows you 2 hours of access in the pit before the show to meet these vehicular beasts and their drivers! Some locations even include this in your ticket price, so check your location to see if this is the case for you. *Note - be sure to buy your tickets ahead of time, as they are usually more expensive the day of. 

It's a good thing that these drivers are buckled in with a 5-point harness and wear fire resistant outfits, shoes, gloves and a helmet as they do some crazy and amazing stunts!  You will see typical Side-by-Side racing and the Freestyle Competition, which was our favorite! Seeing each driver show off their skills and abilities was pretty darn awesome! The kids were loving the full size vehicles getting crushed right before their eyes. Turns out that the drivers for the Monster Jam tour usually end up crushing about 3,000 cars per year! To see them in action, check out this YouTube video! You can also Follow them on Twitter or Like them on Facebook to get updates. And if you want to see Monster Jam goers' personal experiences and posts, search the hashtag #MonsterJam on social media! 

Word To The Wise: In my naiveté in never having attended one of these events before, I highly recommend that you get quality and certified noise suppression ear protection headsets for your children, or for those with noise sensitivity. It really is very LOUD! Did I mention it was LOUD?! (Foam ear plugs will not be enough for the little ones.) I have a 6yr old and a 2yr old and they were needed for both. It is especially essential if you have toddlers and/or preschoolers who don't necessarily understand where the noise is coming from initially, or when it will occur.  It can completely catch them off guard and may even frighten them at first. My advice on this is to try and put the headsets on the younger ones as soon as you grab your seats before the loud noises start, or at the gate if you are running behind and the show has already begun. I would not recommend this event for babies.  They do sell noise suppression headphones at the event, and offered 2 kinds for children. They had some cute Monster Truck wheel type headphones, and blue ones. The vendor told me that the blue ones were certified for noise suppression, and that the Monster Truck wheel headphones were not as suppressing. I would say the Monster Truck ones might be more suitable for a 4yr old and above, where I think the blue ones that are certified are ideal for a toddler or preschooler. I ended up getting the blue ones and they worked great for my youngest. In Toronto, the Monster Truck wheel headsets were $20, and the blue certified ones cost $25. For an additional $5, I strongly recommend that you consider the certified ones for your younger kids, or come prepared with the equivalent that you have purchased elsewhere. Prices and availability may differ at each venue, but that would give you a ballpark figure on how much noise suppression headsets would run you at the event. 

Most cities have 2 shows - one in the evening and one in the afternoon. If you are going with young children like toddlers, the afternoon show might be best. With a typical start time of 7pm and end time of 9-9:30, it might be too much stimulation with all the noise and travel time if you do not live in the same city as the event. Each child is different and you want to make sure that you can take advantage of the entire show.

All in all, we give this event a rip roarin' loud thumbs up! I would say that it's best suited for kids 4yrs and up, but if you need or want to bring your toddler with you, just be prepared and have proper noise suppresion for them or they will likely be too startled to enjoy the show. If your children like to colour, check out these Monster Jam coloring pages! 

For 2015, the Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour is visiting the following cities here in Canada:

Jan 17 & 18 - Toronto, ON @ The Rogers Centre

Feb 7 & 8 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place

Feb 21 & 22 - Winnipeg, MB @MTS Centre

Feb 28 - Vancouver, BC @ BC Place Stadium

Mar 7, 8 & 9 - London, ON @ Budweiser Gardens

Apr 25 & 26 - Hamilton, ON @ First Ontario Centre

May 30 & 31 - Halifax, NS @ Scotia Speedworld  

Sept 12 & 13 - Calgary, AB @ Stampede Grandstand

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****

    

Wilton's Mega Sized Cookie Sheet & Muffin Pan Won't Leave You Wilted! + Recipe Ideas!

   

I don't know about you, but our kids seem to eat us out of house and home sometimes and they are only a toddler and a school aged child! I'll make a dozen cookies or muffins and they are gone before I can say "Would you like a ...?" Ok, so maybe it's not truly that quick, but you know what I mean! What's it going to be like when they are teenagers?! I'm scared of what the grocery bill will be when that time comes! Scared I tell you! 

I started freezer cooking recently and it's been one of the best things ever! You simply take some time to be sure to get all the ingredients for the items you plan to make and freeze. Then you set aside one day to do a large batch of cookies, muffins, casseroles, meals on the stovetop, or to dump all required ingredients in a large Ziploc bags to simply be thawed and thrown into your slowcooker at a later date.

It may seem like a lot until you get the hang of it.  But it's not hard! You're making one mess on that day and it saves you time and money! And it ensures that you always have healthy meals that you can turn to on those days when you aren't sure what to make for dinner, or when you've had a busy day. And if you get your spouse and children involved in helping do the prep work, it takes no time to get everything ready and frozen. All while teaching your kids life skills in the process! 

I recently discovered Wilton's oversized Perfect Results Non-Stick Baking Sheets and Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick 24 Cavity Muffin Pans!  Being able to cook large batches with one tray or muffin tin is a godsend, especially for parents with young kids who don't have the luxury of time. 

Most large sized cookie sheets are approximately 11" x 17". The oversized Wilton Perfect Results Non-Stick Baking Sheet is 15" x 21" gives you a lot more space. Whether you are baking a large batch of cookies, individual pita pizzas or anything in between, you will be able to fit a lot more on there than your typical large sized cookie sheet! This is especially important when making larger batches, or baking for a family that has lots of kids! The cookie sheets are great! So far, we have used them to make cookies, Slow Cooker Jalapeno Popper Chicken Taquitos, (the tomatillo sauce recipe for them is to die for!) and mini pizzas. 

The oversized Wilton Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick 24 Cavity Muffin Pan gives you the power to bake 2 dozen muffins, cupcakes or other items at one time, in one pan! This is great if you are baking muffins for school lunches that can easily be frozen! Or instead of using 2 traditional muffin pans to make 1 batch of boxed cake mix, or waiting until the 1st pan is done baking to re-fill it for a second round, you can do it all in one shot!  You could also bake some Bacon Breakfast Cupcakes to save you some time in the mornings when you are rushed! I found a healthier recipe online to make a basic muffin batter. The recipe gives you the opportunity to mix and match your ingredients at the end so you can use up what you have on hand, or make a few different variations. You can easily double or triple this recipe. This allows you to make only one actual batch of batter, but then split it up in different bowls, and fold in different fruit, nuts, shredded veggies, etc to make a variety of flavoured muffins in one shot! I actually quadrupled the recipe and made a dozen each of Blueberry & Toasted Coconut, Apple Cinnamon, Banana Raisin & Lemon Cranberry. (The basic batter recipe gives you ideas on what you can add to the batter, if you aren't sure where to start.) 

I was happy with the results from both pans after using them for a variety of items. Both the baking sheets and the muffin pans have a limited 10 year warranty, are very sturdy, and have a non-stick coating. You can practically wipe them clean with a paper towel!  Even though they are oversized, they do fit in a regular sized oven. While they are also in fact dishwasher safe, it would be a challenge to get them into a typical residential dishwasher. I could not get it to fit in mine, due to the size of the pan.  You might also have to be a bit creative in terms of finding a suitable storage solution for them, particularly for the muffin pan which is higher. But they should fit in most stove drawers underneath the oven. They do all fit in mine. 

These oversized baking sheets and muffin pans can be found at a variety of retailers such as Winners, Homesense, Kitchen Stuff Plus, Bulk Barn as well as some other stores and independent retailers. Some stores only carry either the cookie sheet or the muffin pan, while some carry both. If you are looking for a specific item, be sure to check online or call ahead to be sure your store carries it. The baking sheets retail in Canada for approximately $18.99 and the muffin pans sell for approximately $22.99.  

Happy baking y'all! 

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****