myplaystory

19 February 2017

bafe1bc9fa4502a464700127a13c0099 almost a year ago, when we first moved to berkeley and we stayed at an hotel for a month, i really struggled to keep julia busy, and on rainny days it was extra hard to keep her away from the screen. so i started searching for activities to do with her in our hotel room. i found that pinterest and instagram are two amazing sources for inspiration. there are a gazillion ideas, perfect to keep her busy when i needed some extra time to shower or distract her from the ipad.

i keep mostly to easy prep activities, repeat some the next month and usually have a few up my sleeve (aka on my drawer) for emergencies at home, brunch dates or even for a flight.

these are a few of my favourite if you would like to see –

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follow my new-ish instagram account myplaystory for some ideas or check out pinterest for so many more, if you’re into this kind of things :)

10 activities for flying with a toddler

6 March 2016

3 Comments

flying-with-a-toddler we’ve been doing a lot of this lately, sometimes i just wish we could stay put and never fly again, ever! it ain’t easy, so i plan activities to make sure julia is kept busy when flying. i can never bring too many activities, she always gets bored and tired, and i don’t blame her. also, i’m all about flying light, but i’ll bring whatever toys and activities i can, to help me ease the pain.

i always bring the ipad with short episodes (peppa pig and doc mcstuffins) and apps, but these won’t entertain her for long. i start out with other activities, and when i’m exhausted i’ll reach for the ipad for a little break.

these are a few activities and toys that we have brought with us on recent flights – flight-friendly-activities

A BOX WITH PAPER CLIPS – we bought this cheap one, great for sorting colours or just making a mess without being messy.
A LOCK – something as simple as this keeps her entertained for a good 10 minutes, she’s obsessed with keys.
ACTIVITY BOOK AND CRAYONS – we love this one by flying tiger, with lots of cute drawings to get creative, and it’s small so great size for packing. this crayons are easy to grasp and perfect size for traveling too.
SQUINKIES – julia loves tiny toys, these are not recommended for under 3, but if your little one can keep them off their mouth, they are great entertainment.
IMAGINE INK ACTIVITY BOOK – these mess free pens have been life savers and i always carry one in my handbag.
PIPE CLEANERS and CHEERIOS – never underestimate the power of cheerios, thread them like beads and they double as treats (this and more activities using cheerios here).
WATCHING PICTURES AND VIDEOS ON MY PHONE – i make a few videos of things we did recently, like watching the flamingos at the zoo, or her train ride, this is always a hit.
A BOX OF BANDAID – our personal favorite, great fashion accessory (as seen above) and fun to pretend play.
STICKERS – always, we love these ones, to practice animal names and they’re easy to remove… they’re pretty much all over the place when we land.
WOODEN PUZZLE – i bought this one by mistake (wanted the magnet one) by it turns out it’s one of julia’s favorite. i just make sure she hasn’t played with it for a while before flying.

i also grabbed this backpack for $8 from zara and gave it to her on our last long flight, it was huge entertainment by itself and got her excited to fly :)

when we’re in europe before we love stocking up at the flying tiger store, so many great knick knacks, cute and cheap. when we’re flying from the us, i stock up in advance, mostly from the dollar section at target store.

any other amazing activities for kids out there? i would LOVE to hear!

ps – 10 tips for flying with a baby and about moving with a toddler

(julia just turned 2 on the day of our last long flight and these were the activities we brought on the plane).

about moving with a toddler

20 November 2015

4 Comments

julia-3852 moving isn’t easy, let alone moving from an island to a city, with a 20 month old toddler. julia is a baby traveller, we take her everywhere, she’s been on more than 40 flights and stayed at numerous hotels, that’s how we roll. everyone told me that if she was used to traveling, she would adapt easier than us. but reality wasn’t exactly like that, we knew what to expect (packing, new places, new people and new ways of getting our way round), but she, she couldn’t exactly tell what was going on.

the first few weeks were really hard, we are definitely not homebodies, but some days i would barely leave the house with the fear of a huge tantrum in the middle of nowhere. we had two episodes (once because she wanted to go to a swing on someone else’s front porch and another time at whole foods) they were embarrassing, and these were the hardest i’ve ever had to deal with julia. i love her to pieces and it broke my heart seeing her so confused and unhappy.

i learned a few things along the way which i hope can help if you’re planning to move with a toddler – Continue reading →

julia 36 / 52

28 September 2015

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julia-3652 julia at 20 months – jumping in the pool, playing sand castles on the beach, hunting for geckos, petting potcakes, and a sandy feet baby life, enjoying her last week in paradise (although she probably doesn’t know) ♡

a weekly portrait of my daughter

julia 35 / 52

21 September 2015

3 Comments

julia-3552 julia at 19 months – we’re trying to pack in as much beach and pool as we can, but it’s been way too hot during the day. also, most of julia’s friends have just started nursery, so that means less playdates :( so we’ve been exploring different spots on island, and i specially love this one with pirates to play with and the turks and caicos map ♡