Absolute baby essentials by Dunja

As Ari’s becoming a big girl now, I’ve had to start putting aside certain products she’s growing out of, and to make the whole process easier on myself, because we all know how sentimental we can get about these things, I decided to share with you a few of my all time favourites!

Number one has to be the Bonds zip wondersuit. No word of a lie, the instant Ari started sleeping in these, she went 12 hours straight. They regulate temperature so can be used all year round, you just change the sleeping bag to a lower tog in summer.

As for sleeping bags, the best of the best has to be the Aden + Anais muslin cozy for warmer months, and cozy plus for the cooler months. Combined with the wondersuit, it guarantees a perfect night of sleep!

My husband thankfully didn’t get involved in many baby purchases, but one thing he absolutely insisted on was the baby bjorn high chair. It has no harness to strap on the baby, the tray just clicks up (easily done with just one hand), and hey presto, the baby can’t go anywhere!

Now, I don’t like to blow my own trumpet, but using an army backpack as an alternative to a nappy bag, was a genious idea. It has even more compartments than a nappy bag; it’s ten times cheaper; is waterproof; comes in lots of different sizes although I think the smallest ones work the best; is extremely comfortable on your back and shoulders; and ofcourse, it looks great on both mum and dad, which my husband was very greatful for.

And finally, the foldable travel bath. An essential product for those of us who don’t want to clatter our house with baby things! Baby baths can be especialy unattractive, so having one that looks good and can easily be stashed away, is very important in my book.

Happy New Year from Australia by Dunja

This year for the holidays I decided to head off to warmer climates and hang out with my family in Australia for a couple of weeks. It was a holiday I was looking forward to with slight trepidation. The holiday itself sounded charmed. After all, two weeks in the sunshine, hanging out by the pool with my family and friends doesn’t sound too painful. But you can imagine that the thought of a 24 hour flight alone with my two year old rascal who gets stir crazy in our three bedroom house, was enough to send my anxiety levels through the roof. So I packed military style. Stickers, magnet books, familiar toys, new toys, a gazillion nappies and wipes, milk and her favorite food and snacks. Not to mention hours of Peppa Pig downloaded on the ipad. Being prepared calmed my nerves ever so slightly. By the time we actually got on the plane, Ari and I were both running out of steam. Luckily the plane was half empty so Ari had her own seat and Qantas entertainment contains Peppa pig, so bingo, didn’t even need to take out the ipad! Whilst my baby girl watched hours of Peppa pig and sat there quietly playing and eating, I managed to relax and watch three films pretty much uninterrupted. Every now and again, between films, we’d walk around for a bit and hang out with some other kids on the flight, but otherwise we just took it easy. This of course was only the first, short leg of the flight. But by the time we reboarded for the 13-hour leg, Ari and I were so exhausted we both cuddled up and got about 8hrs sleep each after our meal and woke up in time to watch some more Peppa and another film for me! I have flown back and forth to Australia at least 8 times in the past 15 years, and never had I had such a restful flight. So if there’s any parents out there who are dreading getting on a 13 to 24 hour flight with their toddler, rest assured, it’ll probably be the most fun you’ll have on a plane.