The days and weeks are passing before my eyes so incredibly fast of late that all of a sudden our little girl is 5 months old. I wanted to let you know what we have been up to of late.

Recently it was my mothers birthday and as always there was nothing she needed and nothing she could tell me that she would like. So it occurred to me that something she might like is some quality time with her little grand daughter. Given that they live 500km away from us they have not had too many chances to spend time with her. So it was decided that a week long surprise visit was in store!

Packing for a trip like that with a baby is an interesting thing.  They seem to need everything under the sun when you go away and you never realise how many things you use on a daily basis to care for them. It is important to remember though that there are many things you can improvise or substitute, borrow or buy there. For example, instead of a baby bath we use a large bucket for baths or just take her into the shower with us, which is a great, fun, and quick way to get them clean.

And they don’t ever need as many clothes as you think that they will! Remembering those little things are so easy to rinse and hang out to dry. Especially if you are staying with family or in a holiday apartment. Pack light for them and for yourself and you won’t be sorry.

Travelling with babies for long distances in the car is not as scary as it may seem. We have been doing it since our baby was very small. The movement of the car is fabulously soothing to them and sleep pretty much becomes the order of the day! I would recommend making sure they are comfortable, if you want them to be dressed up when you arrive, stop 5 mins before you reach your destination and change them but make sure they travel in a comfortable all in one type outfit. Check that they are protected from direct sun - we find that at certain times of the day our sunroof lets the sun hit her in the face and have to be careful of that. So comfortable and that the temperature is good for them are key to a pleasant journey.

I always take a few of her favourite toys, dolls etc so that things seem familiar. I find that when we are away, especially with family there are so many people who want to play with her that she does not need too many things to keep her entertained. And when we go away just us there is so much to look at that is new that she is not too interested in her old toys from home.

It is daunting at first but give it a go and see how it works for you. You will not regret the chance to get away. I know too many people who have not gone anywhere with their kids when they were little and now have 2 or 3 year olds who are unable to adapt to change or sleep anywhere other than their own beds, cry at the sight of strangers and won’t let go of their parents, or parents who just simply don’t ever go anywhere or do anything out of the ordinary. Not much fun to wait til your kids grow out of that stage to actually go anywhere or do anything! Get them used to going out and being with other people besides you and their immediate family - it will benefit you in the long run and them.

I have an ulterior motive for wanting her to be adapted to the travelling and the change. We have an overseas trip coming up this Christmas to Europe for her to meet her grandfather on my husbands side. A big daunting trip and the more used to being out and about she is the better it is for all of us. We don’t want that trip to be awful for her any more than we want it to be awful for us. We would recover from the trauma pretty quickly, but who is to say how it would affect her and if we would ever be able to travel easily with her again?

We started very young travelling with ours as my parents are so far away. If you have never tried it before and want to, pick somewhere close ish, an hour or 2 to start with and build up to a longer trip or plane ride.  Good Luck!

Enjoy and take care if travelling on the roads

11 weeks ago I was called by the local council mothers group organiser. She was calling to invite me to be a part of he upcoming round of mothers group for new mums. I was keen to participate as I know no other mothers of young babies like mine who live close by. Many of my friends with children are over 1/2 an hour away and with a small baby that is not a ‘coffee and a chat’ kind of distance!

So of course I accepted her invitation and a week later fronted up to our first ‘meeting’. We live in the City of Hume and mothers group here is a lovely program which runs for 10 weeks and is moderated by a wonderful woman who is employed by them. Our 10 weeks encompassed all manner of things from sleep and settling to an awesome CPR session where we learned to resuscitate a baby, child or adult and how to deal with choking. It was very empowering. We also covered first foods, introducing solids and home safety. it was all presented in a very relaxed and social environment (except the CPR which was of course more serious and focused) allowing us to get to know each other and connect.

From day one we were lucky and connected well. We all got together the next week and promptly decided once a week was not at all enough and decided that mums and bubs movies and the local cafes were to become our new occupations! In the 10 weeks since we began, we have become so very close. Confiding in each other, sharing our experiences and asking each others advice on such a wide range of topics I don’t know where to begin.

Now that our formal gatherings are no longer we have made arrangements to share out the duty of having everyone in our homes each week and another meeting somewhere else on another day. It is a beautiful thing. Many a Monday we have gotten home in the very late afternoon from our 10am session which lasts officially for 2 hours.

As a new mum it is easy to get into the same simple routine and only leave the house to do the groceries or visit family. Especially in winter the tendency is to stay home and keep your baby warm and cosy. Meanwhile going slowly insane and perhaps not realising it until it is already well set in :) Mothers group will keep you sane, it may help you make some wonderful friends, make friends for your babies that they may end up going to school with and it will most certainly brighten your weeks and be the day you look forward to the most.

Don’t despair in the sometimes lonely days of early motherhood. It can be difficult, especially if like me, you don’t have family close by to help you out or just come over for a cup of tea or to walk the baby while you have a much needed rest. There are other girls going through exactly what you are. Your mothers group may be like mine, a motley crew of girls of varying ages and backgrounds, attitudes and ideas. Or you may find a group who are similar in personality to you. Either way, embrace the experience and give it your all to get to know the others and get as much from the experience as you can.

Mothers group has taken the joy of motherhood to an entirely new level for me. And in spite of the fact that I am sure I am putting on weight from all the lunches and cakes, I would not give up ‘the girls’ and our babies for anything. Mothers Group - Give it a go - You’ll love it!