I hope you have all had fun taking your little ones out trick or treating (if you go in for Halloween).
At the rate my doorbell is ringing I am worried that I will run out of treats!
A little girl from up the road came to the door in the same costume as this one on the right – brilliant!
Source: monozygotic@flickr
Preparing yourself for a long car journey with your kids can make it much more bearable. So, don’t forget:
1. Snacks: Pack lots of little snacks, such as raisins, crackers, juice packs or drinks in a spill proof container
2. Entertainment: Bring a cassette or CD with your child’s favourite story or music on.
3. Essentials: Pack babywipes, a dishcloth, plasters, a bag for rubbish and a roll of loo paper. This will help if there are any spillages or your child suddenly needs to go to the loo.
4. Toys: Let your children bring one or two easily portable toys together with their comforter if they have one. It will probably help if you keep special “activity packs” ready for when they get bored eg paper crayons. [Reading is not recommended if your child suffers from car sickness]
5. Ideas for games: Don’t forget family games such as I-Spy. You will find some more ideas on this Chrysalis blog post
6. Car Sickness Remedies: If your child complains of car sickness, open the window and get them to breathe deeply. You may find sickness wrist bands help if your child is a regular sufferer. Stop the car if you can, but if not, encourage your child to concentrate on something outside of the car. Avoid your child eating rich or sickly foods during the journey.
7. Sleeping/Routines: If your child has a regular routine, it might be worth travelling when they are due to have their nap. Alternatively, you might want to consider travelling in the evening when they will fall asleep. For toddlers, try taking a pillow to help support their heads while they sleep. Remember to wake up your child a few minutes before you stop to give them a chance to adjust.
8. Take a break: It is a good idea to have at least one break on the journey just to break it up. Not only can you have a much-needed loo stop, but you can stop for a meal and just let your kids run around and burn off some of their energy. These days most motorway cafes are well equipped. [In the UK, look out for Moto cafes which have special children's areas with balloons and healthy snacks]
9. Potty Training: Bring your child’s favourite potty with you, together with baby wipes and loo paper. In the early days you might want to consider putting your child in a pull-up nappy to prevent any mishaps. Alternatively, they now have these wonderful super-absorbent mats which you can place on top of the car seat. Take a couple of sets of spare clothes and stop regularly for a loo-break. The common sense rule of asking your child to go to the loo before you start your jouney goes without saying.
10. For older children: Plan your route, and give your child a map so they can follow your progress. Take advantage of your time together and chat to your child. Also, it might be an idea to have a designated quiet time for everyone’s sanity.
If you have any tips, please share them 
Where, near you, are your top five most useful places for parents or people looking after children?
At a dinner the other day, the daughter of a couple of friends was taken ill and they needed to find a late night chemist. And it was a little depressing how hard it was to find one, even with the wonders of the, ahem, digital interweb.
Which got me thinking, what are the top 5 places near me that I’d recommend to parents or people looking after children ?
As a starter for ten, mine are as follows (and though they’re great, I’ve left out places like the Science Museum because I felt they’re a)more widely known, and b) not really local to me.). These are the first that spring to mind as local “secrets” – but there are almost certainly more, there are almost certainly better ones, and almost certainly more undiscovered ones.
Location: West London, UK
If you know anywhere near you that others might not know about, and have a few moments, it would be great if you could share them on your own blog (or here if you don’t have one).
Piers and I visited the Baby Show this morning. It really is a huge exhibition with a large variety of exhibitors.
If you like shopping for your kids then you will love this show. There is everything from baby equipment, clothes and gadgets to opportunities to have your baby photographed or a 4D scan of your baby.
My personal favourite is the First Aid for Kids CD Rom (which you will find on the National Childbirth Trust Stand E16). The course has been developed by paediatric specialists and a number of charities will receive a donation for each CD Rom sold.
If you are taking your children, there are lots of characters wondering around, such as Angelina Ballerina and Miffy and some stands have special entertainment laid on. However, if you don’t want to take the kids around with you then there is always the creche.
The size of the venue can be a bit overwhelming, but luckily there are lots of juice bars and cafe’s dotted around so you can have a break.
To find out more about the show, visit thebabyshow.co.uk
Source: peter.macdonald@flickr
During the month of October, kids go free to a whole number of venues around Scotland.
These venues include:
Stirling Castle
Melrose Abbey
Fort George
Edinburgh Castle
Abroath Abbey
Visit the Historic Scotland site for more details.
Source: porkfork6 @ flickr
The artist Carsten Holler has designed and installed a huge slide (170ft long and an 80ft drop) in the vast Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern. The slide will be open to the public from 10th October 2006 to 9th April 2007. Visitors will be able to travel up to the fifth floor of the art gallery, pick up a canvas sack and whizz down the installation. It is thought that visitors will reach speeds of 30mph.
I do not yet know whether the slide will be open to children, but it is likely that it will be possible for older children to have a go if they meet certain height restrictions. No matter what, I definitely want a go! The question is, how long will it take to go back up to the fifth floor to have another turn?
And the winner is …….
HEATHER!
Congratulations.
Heather said she would love to get some Snap Bands
for some friends in the community
Littlelegends is all about community and sharing things with each other so Heather is right on the ball.
Thanks to everyone who had a look and left a comment
Vicky will e-mail Heather to arrange for the Snap Band to be sent out to her.
So what is a snap band?
As the name suggests, they “snap” around the wrist, or on bike handles or school bag handles making it fun to stay safe and stay seen. The bands are made from the same 3M Scotchlite Reflective Materials worn by emergency services personnel around the world – making them ideal for increasing the visibility of children as they walk to and from school
Source: 3MBeSeen
When the snap bands arrived on my door step I was not expecting much interest from my children considering they are a safety item. How wrong I was. My kids have been wearing them non-stop ever since they arrived. They love the fact that they are so flourescent and believe that they give them special powers! Also, they have spent hours happily snapping and unsnapping them (from straight to curly and back) and even insist on going to bed with them. All my children’s friends are now asking for one!
You can win a snap band by simply leaving a comment to this post. Just explain why you want the snap band and I will give the band to the person who leaves the best comment.
To find out more about 3M High Visibility Reflective Snap Bands have a look at their campaign .
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