is it a pram, a scooter, a buggy board....or all 3!

And while we are talking innovation, lets just check out the fabulous Mountain Buggy Free Rider. It it a pram? Is it a scooter? Is it a pram with a buggy board?...well its all of the above! A pram with a scooter that just clips on just like a buggy board but even better. No more dragging an exhausted left hip home from the park on his scooter up that big hill whilst trying to control the right hip in the pram in the other hand. It gives you all huge flexibility and more control! We love it...I want it...I need it!

Mountain buggy have just won a very prestigious award in 'the moving and travelling baby accessories' category for this design phenonomen at the Kind + Jugend trade show in Germany. Fabulous job Mountain Buggy...We love hip products like these!

Why we love Mr Phil & Mr Ted

Me, and Mr Phil & Mr Ted go back a long way....Well 3 and a half odd years to be exact. Hubby and I purchased our Phil & Ted Sport model back in 2007, and oh, what good times we have had, and great places we have visited. When left hip was little, he obviously had it all to himself. Now right hip is here, there is joint custody, and even though right hip usually gets relegated to the back, sometimes, she gets the privilidge of sitting up front when left hip fancies a stroll. Poor second child eh!

But things have moved on in Mr Phil & Mr Ted's world. Not only does it seem that 'everyone' have now joined the bandwagon, and also consider themselves good chums with them, but Phil & Ted themselves have created so many hip things of late, and my love affair with them (and everyone else's) just keeps getting stronger and stronger...

So, what exactly have they done to win so many hearts? 'Adapt and Survive' is Phil & Ted's motto, and adapt and survive they surely have. Those savvy New Zealanders have not only been growing their own brand (prams, porta cots, highchairs, car seats, carriers, and other hip things), but now Phil & Ted have taken over fellow competitor and fellow Kiwi brand, Mountain Buggy, so they certainly have their finger on the pulse. The P&T prams, with classy names like classic, sport, dash and vibe, are not only innovative, but also really clever. P&T know they we need to transport more than 1 little hip around, and they also know that we need to pound the pavements AND and climb every mountain should we wish too. Smart. But what's really smart is the new pram additions to the Phil & Ted family; the explorer, hammerhead, smart and sub 4.

The explorer is basically a brand new funkier version of the Sport (the one I have) and is even more fab and versatile with 7 different configurations to adapt to a growing family of little hips. Phil & Ted have created a fab guide to how it all works...make sure you have a good look.

The hammerhead (and my left hip would love this one as he loves a good old hammerhead shark), is the 4WD version of the Phil & Ted, with 4 snazzy wheels. Brand new, plus this concept is brand new to P&T as they mainly concentrate on the 3 wheeler. Saying that, there is one other 4 wheeler, and that is the rather funky and very handy super light and extremely versatile smart. This is more like a stroller than an actual pram, but looks so funky. We love it as its totally excellent for travelling with the hips as, not only does it folds up really easily, but you can also choose to use it as a travel system, or with a bassinet aswell. So very clever.

But I reckon I have saved the best and most exciting product till the end, and that's the Sub 4. Coming soon, the Sub 4 is classified as 'the world's fastest jogger'. You just have to check out the demonstration below, and get excited too. Adapt and Survive they say...well thats certainly what they are doing...thats why we love Mr Phil and Mr Ted.

hip tips from little melbourne

Today, I am passing the baton over to a fabulous guest blogger, Jo, from the wonderful Little Melbourne. THE guide to all the latest happening's in & around Melbourne for Babies, Toddlers and Kids. Those of you in Melbourne, those of you who want to be in Melbourne, and those of you who are planning an interstate or international holiday to Melbourne, you have to check out Little Melbourne.

Jo is here to tell us about her tips for travelling with the hips...enjoy, and thanks so much Jo.

So Jo, tell us a bit about you and your family?

In our little family you'll find:Jo - mumma and founder of Little Melbourne

David - Proud Papa

Ruby - 'Busy as a bee' Toddler

Henry - Our Christmas Day babe

& Ash - our senior citizen cat!

And where have you been of late with your little ‘hips’?

Auckland, New Zealand

How did you get there, and where did you stay?

We stayed at Grandma's house right next to the Botanic Gardens. She immigrated to NZ from the UK about 7 years ago.

We travelled with Air New Zealand.They were fine until we arrived at Auckland airport and we realised our Maclaren stroller was missing! After a restless night we received a phone call saying it had been located and sure enough a courier delivered it at 9.00am that morning. Very impressed!

On board staff did everything to make our journey as comfy as possible, we were given a few bottles of Only Organic food, a sippy cup, an activity pack and one flighty fished Ruby a muffin from business class!

Your biggest challenge?

Definitely getting Ruby to eat proper meals. This was a new challenge for us as she normally devours everything on her plate. There were tears, tantrums and lots of refusals, but she did find a new love though....Kumara (sweet potato) and happily devoured a 'fluffy' (babycino) at the many cafe stops.

Any big recommendations?

This time we did quite a bit of touristy stuff;

Kelly Tarltons Antarctic encounter, which was a bit over-priced and we personally found our underwater world in Melbourne way better.

Butterfly Creek was a big hit - a great day out with the family, there is an animal farm, train ride for the kids, playground, crocodile encounter, butterfly house, a cafe and so much more.

We made daily trips to the Botanic Gardens, fed the ducks, ran around on the grass with a ball, spent money at the cafe and like Melbourne, they have a children's garden too.

One of our highlights was the Ambury Regional Farm Park. The park sits on ash-covered lava flows from Mangere Mountain and has views across the harbour to the Manukau Heads and Waitakere Ranges. It's a working farm and you can mingle with the farm animals in their paddock. Bring the wellies!

Other than this, it rained A LOT during our visit, so we ventured off to lots of kid friendly cafes; The Library Cafe welcomes kids and families and I have never encountered a more friendlier cafe experience. They had it all and I felt happy to support their eco practises and the fresh organic food was divine!

What are your main tips for travelling with kids?

Be organised and always try to plan ahead (or have some idea of what you'd like to see and do!) I always research our destination before we head off and read lots of books about travelling and aeroplanes to our little one. We also took some time 'studying' a map of the world to give Ruby some kind of indication we were going on holiday and leaving home for a little while.

What would you not have left home without?

We have a list of things.......;

Trunki (hard case suitcase on wheels) was Ruby's fantastic travel companion. They're a must have for any toddler and so much fun at the airport when you need to get from A to B in a hurry.

Brauer's Calm - A natural medicine to help soothe irritable or restless children.This worked well for both flights.

Tiger Tribe magnetic play books - to ease the boredom.

Baby Wipes - We like Gaia natural's as the top closes and they don't dry out.

Sigg water bottle.

Rafferty's Garden smoothie pouches and muesli bars, they're quick and easy snacks for when you're on the go.

Whole kids organic sultanas - we love these

Ipod with a long playlist including favourite songs by Yo Gabba, In The Night Garden, Justine Clarke, Playschool and Music Class.

Ruby's bedtime friends, Teddy Bear, Minty, Dolly Katie and Suki.

Books, Colouring Books and Micador travel pack of crayons and pencils.

And finally, anything else you want to add?

Some great links we found very useful:

www.thelittlehiptraveller.blogspot.com - Great tips for travelling with the hipsters

www.kidsfriendlytravel.com - great site for visiting NZ

http://www.librarycafe.co.nz - Very Family Friendly Cafe

http://www.brauer.com.au - Brauer Calm Relief

www.metromum.com.au - To purchase Trunki

http://www.butterflycreek.co.nz - Butterfly Creek

www.littlestyles.com.au - Tiger Tribe Magnetic Play Books

a hip trip to the farm...

Picture this; the crisp fresh air, the lush green grass, (or perhaps the satisfying squelching of your gum boots through the mud), the morning sun, the distant 'baas', and 'moos', the clip clopping of the horses, the smell of freshly made coffee and hot buttered toast....

No, we are not away on a country escape, but rather the countryside is in the city, always. Melbourne's "own city farm", only 4km from the centre of Melbourne, Collingwood Children's Farm is such a perfect spot to take the 'hips' on a morning adventure. Open every day from 9am till 5pm (and costs only $4 per child and $8 per adult), there are cows to milk, horses to ride, guinea pigs to cuddle, pigs to oink at, earth worms to get grubby with, and much more. There are currently some gorgeous little spring lambs and calves to watch as they stumble over the grass trying to keep up with their mums and dads (just like a certain little Miss right hip of mine!)

Yes, some of us grew up with these animals on our doorstep, but just remember, some of our little 'hips' often don't have the opportunity to even step foot in the countryside, let alone stroke a lamb, or pat a horse. You will be so bemused by how excited they really get.

After frolicking around with the lovely little lambs and gregarious goats, a visit to the farm cafe is an absolute must. Organic, free range, healthy, you name it,..its a fabulous place to pop by for a great bite in a beautiful location. The cafe is located right next to the children's farm, so you can, and are also encouraged to head there even if you are not visiting the farm. The Farmers Breakfast, and the Goats Toast are faves of hubby and I (or the Ploughmans lunch if I am feeling a little bit homesick!), and the 'hips' were really happy with Toastie Soldiers and Babycinos.

The first sunday of the month is family day where there are cows to milk and tractor to ride. Another fabulous tip is to go to the farmers market (second Saturday every month) where entry is only $2 for adults and the 'hips' go free, and this entitles you to stay at the farm as well...what a bargain.

And even if you are not in Melbourne, and the chances are whilst you read this you are not, why not check out your local farm, as I am sure there is one. Where I grew up in the UK, we used to go to Godstone Farm on both school trips and family days out. Even though we lived in the countryside, it was still so much fun to have a hip day out on the farm...

travelling alone with the hips...please help?

Last month, a mum, travelling alone with her 2 young hips, had the fright of her life, when her 3 year old 'hip' fell onto the tarmac whilst climbing the stairs onto the plane. Mum, was behind carrying all the luggage, and the 18 month old hip. Miss 3 Yr old hip had climbed up the stairs by herself, and when she got to the top, turned around to look at her mum, lost her balance, and then proceeded to fall through the small gap between the stairs and the plane. She was airlifted to hospital but was later released unhurt! What a shocker...how would you feel?

It all happened on budget airline RyanAir, however they were very quick to advise soon after that they had toughened up their safety procedures. Surely though, its not entirely the fault of the airline, but also, the operators of the airport equipment. And perhaps us as 'responsible' parents?

But the real question is, if an airline sees a passenger struggling with a couple of 'hips' and the large amount of hand luggage that you inevitably need to carry when travelling with kids, should they not make it a policy to actually assist? Yes, parents should do all possible to control their kids, but really...sometimes its just not that easy, and we don't always have the luxury of travelling with an even ratio of adults to kids.

Any thoughts?

right hip in chilli red Walnuts...

Okay, I just bought the most beautiful Mary Jane Chilli Red shoes for little Miss Right Hip who is now rushing around everywhere. Just love them and so does she. We love Walnut Melbourne, and methinks I may have to get a pair for me (perhaps not the same, but from the rather funky mummy range). Perfect Spring shoes for out and about little 'hips'.

feeding the 'hips' in the air...

We all know that airline food can be a bit hit and miss. And when you are travelling long haul with the 'hips' you need to make sure they are fed and watered appropriately, however it can be a bit tricky. The key is, just like they say in the brownies, (or was it the cub scouts?)...be prepared.

Recently, I've experienced some brilliant airline food, however having chosen to fly with mainly Asian airlines such as Singapore and Malaysian airlines, perhaps that is why. Lots of yummy asian dishes and lots of choice. I do have to draw the line at noodle soup for breakfast though. Normally I would love this dish, but having it for brekkie just doesn't do it for me (especially when its actually probably about midnight in real time.)

My best airline meal was definitely Austrian Airlines Business class, where everything was beautifully cooked to order. and my worst, and most forgettable was Aerolineas Argentinas where they ran out of food by the time they got to us, so we didn't get anything!

Anyway, back to travelling with the 'hips'....as we mentioned before, preparation is key, and one thing I strongly advise is to make sure that you have contacted your travel agent / airline to book the appropriate special meals required. If not, at the very latest, contact the airline a week before travel and book an infant meal or a child meal. The great thing about booking a 'special meal' is that usually the flight attendants serve these meals first, which is great for kids. Best to keep them happy. Best not keep them waiting. This also means the parent can assist with the meal before their own meal comes. A great tip is to actually ask the flight attendant to save a specific meal for you (so they don't run out like my experience on Aerolineas Argentinas), and then you can really help the kids / infant with their meal. Then just press the buzzer and they will come and serve you, and take the empty kids trays away. Again, these meals can be hit and miss, but generally kids meals are not too unhealthy, and quite plentiful.

Be warned, infant meals again will be provided (if previously booked), however may not be age appropriate. My 12 month old was given 4-6 month old pureed food as the only option. So be prepared. The best alternative is to take along a few packs of Rafferty's Garden. The 'hips' just love to suck / squeeze the yummy food from the very handy tubes, and even older babies won't mind these as they are just so delicious.

Most airlines on long haul flights will also provide snacks. They are either offered between meals, or else, just head up to the kitchen area, and they usually have a basket of sandwiches, rolls, crisps, fruit etc for you to consume whenever you want. This is a perfect option for the 'hips' who may not have eaten their meal and need a snack. Of course, you must bring your own healthy alternative aswell; sultanas are great, as are a few favourite treats.

Make sure your 'hips' are well hydrated. Water really is the only drink they need onboard, however you can get milk from the flight attendants. Again, be prepared. Sometimes, if they are busy, they may not be able to warm up milk in a hurry. Try and get young 'hips' to get used to cold milk before travelling.

A few more tips;

Bring a bib. Pelican bibs are the best as they are plastic, so easily wipeable, and fold up, and also catch all the food before it goes all over the floor.

Bring wet wipes, and lots of them.

Zip lock bags are really handy for putting snacks in, or using to put bibs in etc.

Bring something to suck on for take off and landing.

And finally, a change of clothes for all.

Oh and enjoy, especially if its an Asian business class flight (as if...)

Image: Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net (biscuits)