LIFESTYLE

TOP TIPS FOR TRAVELLING WITH BABIES

While flying can be overwhelming during these challenging times, travelling with a baby can be a daunting process-it requires a lot more prepping and extra packing. The most important thing to remember is to stay calm and be patient with yourself and your baby.

Car rental experts at StressFreeCarRental.com have put together a range of ways to make travelling easier with little ones from bringing double the baby necessities to pre-booking airport transfers.

GO TO THE AIRPORT BATHROOM BEFORE

BOARDING: It’s a good idea to board the plane with your baby’s diaper being freshly changed. Head to the airport bathroom before heading to your gate. The bathrooms at the airport are roomier and better equipped than ones on the aircraft.

BRING DOUBLE THE BABY

NECESSITIES: Never underestimate the amount of baby necessities you will need for a flight, especially if it’s a long haul. Bring twice as much formula, bottles, baby food and snacks on the plane than you think you’ll need. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, you’ll be grateful.

DRESS IN COMFORTABLE

LAYERS: If it’s your baby’s first time flying, you may be tempted to doll them up in a cute outfit but think of comfort and convenience first. You want your baby to be as comfortable as possible to avoid any fussing, and make sure their clothes are easy to change. BABY CARRIER: Managing luggage, coffee, gate details, tickets and food is complicated enough when travelling, so it’s worth getting a baby carrier and wearing your baby whilst you’re going through the airport.

PACK ZIP LOCK BAGS: Babies can be messy. It’s worth having zip lock bags with you to easily clean up and dispose of any mess that your baby may make rather than waiting for a flight attendant to come around for rubbish. It’ll be easier to manage, and your fellow passengers will be pleased.

PLAN YOUR AIRPORT TRANSFERS IN ADVANCE:

Be sure to book your transfers to and from the airport in advance and specify that you will be travelling with a baby. By doing this you won’t have to hang around the airport waiting for transport with your child. Your journey will be smooth and quick.

BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF:

Stay calm and be patient with yourself and your little one. There are usually friendly flight attendants who will do whatever they can to make your flight go smoothly.

DR DELSEY is the founder of InstinctualParent.com an online community of parents looking to better their relationships with their children. She explains that meltdowns can be triggering for parents and that simple refl ection exercises may help in those moments.

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In case you didn’t know, meltdowns are normal! If your child is losing it on a daily basis, then they are on the right track. Meltdowns are a normal part of a child’s development.

Meltdowns occur when a child cannot make sense of or process, a situation or experience. And so instead they express through behavioural outbursts.

Firstly, remember they are NOT doing this on purpose.

Secondly, it has NOTHING to do with how good you are as a parent, (so, we can all dump our parent guilt here and read on).

Tantrums are hard for ‘us’ as parents… When our children are dysregulated, it can trigger us and make us react in those moments.

The first thing to understand is YOU and your emotions, then the situation and then your child.

Usually, we’re quick to think that something is wrong with our kid, and we need to ‘fix’ them so that our problems go away. In my experience, it’s the ‘parent’ that needs the most attention. In reality, our kids are a reflection of us. This can be quite confronting, I can imagine. Sometimes when I look at my son, I see parts of me I don’t want to accept…

So next time you face your raging kid, ask yourself: Are you regulated? How is your energy? Are you present?

Are you thinking how you are going to teach them a lesson? Because when we focus on teaching them a lesson, we aren’t able to be present. When we focus on their behaviour, it’s always going to seem ‘bad’ and we miss what’s happening beneath the behaviour.

Check your tone + pace. A HIGHPITCHED tone and fast-paced words won’t calm you nor your child. Going s-l-o-w and using a soft tone will calm and reassure them. All of this takes practice. So, give yourself some compassion and love.

I dive deep on this in my FREE Guide, and you can grab yourself a copy by going to: www.instinctualparent.com

WELLBEING

MOVING FROM SURVIVE TO THRIVE!

BILL POTTER – Maverick Thinker. Global Speaker. Personal Power Coach. Bill has made personal presentations in 53 countries. Here is a summary of a keynote to 7,600 in Hong Kong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToRhF22nARM

One explanation for the concept of ‘wellbeing’... are the actions of practising healthy habits daily, to attain effective physical capabilities, display ongoing emotional well-being and enjoy confident social interactions, so that instead of just surviving... YOU, are thriving!

Start with the regular confirmation that... ‘I am Me!’ I can do this!’ Firstly, discover who ‘Me’ really is already. After an ‘honest’ self-evaluation, activate a practical journey to become and continue to be ‘my Best Me’. Then decide how you will perform the ‘life support’ options below.

Some people cannot even do that! Get plenty of good quality sleep. Don’t smoke/vape (Duh!). Drink alcohol sparingly. Eat good body-enhancing food. Exercise regularly, because there are so many options. Be positive or else, you may become a Negaholic. Join ‘hot’ groups.. Avoid ‘techno-kidnap’, especially ‘social media-dependency’ and, know that, a ‘Smartphone’ (which even demands a capital ‘S’) is cancelled by a ‘Dumbowner’. Have regular check-ups. Take your IQ with you when you’re driving! Enjoy music, humour, social gatherings. Sing.

Visit quality websites to keep up with all that can make a ‘Better You’. Read more. Help others, because their grateful smiles will vibrate your soul! As my eyes open each morn, I say ‘Thank you God for yet another day’. Gratitude is everything. Try this ‘happy’ List. Start with #24. OK. Ta. https://www.bradaronson. com/happy/

The REALITY is this : YOU are responsible for your Wellbeing. Even if you have challenges, it is YOU who must ask first. Don’t beg. Start with ‘Would you be able to help me or help others?’

My LeaderSpeak© Course, is only for achievers, who want to inspire and lead others. Mostly for those who have ‘lost their way’. I am a lifelong ‘Maverick’, so I do things ‘differently’. Many Leader courses do not! If you really believe in yourself and want a better world... contact me. We need a BETTER WORLD now! Are you capable? Cheers. Bill.

duitdammit@gmail.com

available now

In celebration of Howick’s 175th Anniversary, Times Media has published a compilation of stories from Howick Historian Alan La Roche, mbe, documenting the history of our region. OWAIROA < HOWICK

A compilation of stories documenting the history of Howick and districts from Howick Historian Alan La Roche, mbe, celebrating the region’s 175th anniversary , celebrating the region’s 175th anniversary RRP $39.95 AVAILABLE FROM Times Media, 10 Central Tce, Howick and online at www.times.co.nz Also available from Poppies Books Howick, Paper Plus Howick and the Howick Historical Village

IT’S ALL ABOUT THAT JAB THAT JAB

Two questions veterinarians often get asked are ‘What are these vaccinations for?’ and ‘Does my dog ‘What are these vaccinations for?’ and ‘Does my dog really need another booster shot?’ In this column really need another booster shot?’ In this column DR ADRI ROSSOUW of True Vets Ormiston explores of True Vets Ormiston explores some commonly occurring disease we should some commonly occurring disease we should vaccinate our dogs against and explains why.

Let’s start with the most infamous viral disease in dogs ... Parvovirus. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, veterinarians were also experiencing a challenging Parvo outbreak. In recent years the Parvovirus has become more contagious. It can survive in soil for up to two years, and while it used to be a disease of unvaccinated dogs, we now see partially vaccinated dogs getting infected too!

Parvovirus not only causes serious gastrointestinal symptoms, but it also weakens the immune system, making it harder for the dogs’ body to fight off the infection. The sad truth is that we lose countless dogs each year from this terrible disease.

Next up is Leptospirosis, which is anecdotally known as a rural disease, but we have already seen quite a few cases at our city-based practice! Leptospirosis can be found in contaminated water sources. It can infect numerous organs including the liver, kidneys, and eyes and is contagious to humans too.

We are currently in the middle of another outbreak! Canine Cough has been wreaking havoc in parks and other public spaces where dogs congregate. In most instances it only causes upper respiratory tract inflammation and the associated ‘goose honk’ cough, but it is highly contagious! I think you will all agree that there are a few scary diseases out there that we need to protect our dogs against, but why all the fuss over booster shots? Puppies receive immune protection through their mother’s milk which counters the full antibody response to the vaccine. The duration of this immune protection will differ from one puppy to the next. Some might already have a weakened immune system at eight weeks whilst others will only receive the full benefit of the vaccination with the 16-week booster.

For optimal protection against these diseases, the immune system needs a ‘yearly reminder’ through a booster vaccination to ensure that they can fight off the infection if they do get exposed. A bonus of yearly vaccinations is that veterinarians make use of the opportunity to do a thorough clinical examination on your dog to make sure your furry friend is happy and healthy.

True Vets Ormiston is a beautiful new small animal clinic situated in Flat Bush. Our philosophy is True Compassion, True Quality, True Care, something we strive to in everything we do. We believe pets are part of the family and we have created a welcome environment for both you and your pets when you need us. We offer consultations, surgery, dentistry and so much more. Dr Adri is a talented ultrasonographer and Dr Jennifer is passionate about animal reproduction. We look forward to having you as part of the True Vets Family!

We provide

truevets.co.nz (09) 265 2838 enquiries@truevets.co.nzTRUE CARE

We believe pets are part of the family and have created a welcoming environment for both you and your pets. CONSULTATIONS, SURGERY, DENTISTRY AND SO MUCH MORE