I realised I haven’t done a post in a while on what Fin has been up to. Well, here is a little video we did to send to his family.

We began our trip with a big dedication to public transport – we used the Sydney Airport line – and as most Sydney-siders know, this is a joke. If you can catch a cab, do it, but we decided that we didn’t want to stuff around with cabs and car seats, so we caught the train. We’d done a “dry run” to Melbourne the week before so we knew what we were in for in terms of carrying a baby, a pram and luggage. What we carried; our Bugaboo bee in its travelling case, our baby bjorn travel cot (super light weight – great for big trips), one suitcase, hand luggage and Fin of course strapped to me in an ergo baby carrier. Three items to check in. Not bad, not bad at all!

Here is a quick city by city run down…

SAN FRANCISCO: We arrived and headed straight to the BART and into town. Really easy to get into the city. We stayed in the Tenderloin area which I have been told is an up and coming area for the last fifteen years. It is. And it isn’t. But it’s not too hard to get to as there are two BART stations close by. If you are travelling around the city with a stroller or pram most BART stations have disabled access so it’s quite easy. If you are doing the touristy thing with the cable cars, take a baby carrier or a very small, lightweight fold-up stroller. We also caught the ferry to Marin County to visit a friend. The ferry’s give you great views of the bay area. The buses we rode did not have disabled access so you have to fold down your stroller.

CHICAGO: Rode the El right downtown and planned our trip before hand so when we made our line change, we did it at a station with disabled access.  There are some stops on the El with disabled access and it just takes a bit of planning. To be honest, did most of our getting around this great city by foot. Walked up to Lincoln Park and the zoo, walked down to Millenium Park and the Art Institute. It’s easy taking the El though, and we jumped on one down to the Printers Row / South Loop area, had breakfast at my favourite place in Chicago, The Bongo Room and had a long stroll back up town that took up the most of the day.

TORONTO: We had no idea about the public transport situation when we landed in Toronto, but one thing we had going for us was flying Porter Airlines, as they land right on an island in the centre of town. We were staying on Queen Street West, and after a little bit of scoping on google maps we saw it would take about 30-40 minutes walk from the airport up to the hotel.  So mm jumped in a cab with our gear, and Fin and I stretched our legs and walked. It’s a great neighbourhood to explore so this was not a problem. Maybe some of you reading this may baulk at a walk that long but besides always wanting to stretch my legs after a flight, that length of walk is nothing to us. We do a lot of walking normally at home so that distance was fine. During our time in Toronto we caught a few trams around (the ones we caught we had to fold our stroller up as they are quite high off the ground with steps – I am not sure if they have disabled access at certain times) and we aslo caught a train out to Niagara Falls. The trains are really easy to get on and off and there is a big area in a very clearly marked carriage that has room for wheelchairs or strollers if there is no one in a wheelchair using the space.  The train conductor even puts out a little bridge so it’s easy to get on and off the train. The bus that takes you to the falls from Niagara station has disabled access so you can wheel your stroller straight on. And yes – if you do the Maid of the Mist, you can wheel it on board too. Flying out of Toronto, mm got another cab back to the airport with our gear and Fin and I had a brisk walk again back to the island.

BOSTON: We thought this would be a cake walk – get off the plane, and get a train that would take us straight to Back Bay Station – a mere ten minutes walk to our apartment.  But the airport line was being renovated and we had to change trains at some point and had to climb stairs with our luggage. We were OK (sort of) as we had Fin in his carrier, but we helped a lady who had a tiny baby in a pram and some luggage up some stairs and onto another platform. But once we got on the train city-bound it was very easy. Boston is other wise a great city to get around. Their subway is extensive and will get you to most places you need to and it’s also a great city to just walk. The great east coast railway line also means that getting to our next destination (NYC), simply meant walking back up to Back Bay Station and jumping on the AMTRAC heading south.

NYC: Ah, what a city! And one of the best to get around with a baby in the world. Since my last trip in 2008 there had been a lot of work upgrading subway stations to make them accessible, so jumping off at Penn Station meant a change down to the B line and a quick ride over to Brooklyn. Our stop was 7th Avenue, but a bit of forward planning showed us that with a slightly longer walk, if we got off at Atlantic Avene instead, there was disabled access.  The stairs down to 7th Ave at other times were very easy to negotiate with two of us and fin in his stroller – just with our luggage we need that lift! But what can I say – the subway is one of the most kid friendly systems in the world – stations are very easily identified as having access or not. We got a bus one day to Red Hook and while there is wheelchair access you don’t wheel your stroller aboard.  We got married in NYC and got the subway to the registry office. It sort of seems bonkers to do anything else. And for our journey south to Philadelphia, we just headed back to Penn Station.

Next post…

• Philadelphia
• Washington DC
• Paris
• London
• Hong Kong

I have three pairs and I wear them 6 days out of 7…OK, most times 7 out of 7.

I saw a girl wearing them in Brooklyn last summer and wanted a pair straight away.

They are a bit stiff to start with and that lasts about 30 minutes and then you sort of forget you are wearing them.

They can be found at Dragstar, or on-line at Little Pinwheel.

Yep, they come in kids and adults sizes.

They remind me ironically of the sandals that I avoided wearing at school for most of my primary school life even when it was so hot the bitchemen melted.

They are the perfect mummy-shoe. Comfortable and so cool they are HOT! Walk for miles and miles. Even ride your bike!

Even my mum has a pair.

I get asked about mine every time I wear them. I’m not exagerating. OK, maybe a little. Every second time I wear them.

I like the idea of Fin wearing them too but I can’t do it to him. I should get over it as it’s so bloody hard to find nice shoes for kids. I did get him a great pair from Hullabaloo on Australia Street in Newtown, and some pairs for later from Zappos that I got via shophopgo (check them out especially when you are trying to get stuff from OS and they don’t ship internationally).

Shorties is great as the kids clothes are perfect for a little inner-west kid and the store itself is great to. There is a little gate so your little buddy can;t run off into the street and lots of toys to play with. Cecilia and the gals there rock.

Little Pinwheel has a great collection too. Great clothes – things that aren’t everywhere. I have to admit I get a lot of it on sale - especially when Fin was little and going up a size every three months. But now he’s wearing a mix of 0s, 1s and 2s, paying a bit more for stuff doesn’t seem so excessive – especially when it’s good quality.  Haley also writes an amazing blog that I read a lot – inspiring and honest and funny.

He’s still got his Bonds stuff, and bits and pieces from Cotton on Kids. But I cannot go into Target. I hate most of the stuff in there. And it smells. Maybe I am imagining things, but it smells of stinking plastic. And that can’t be good can it?

Now, for shoes, this gets even harder. I had plans on getting Fin some saltwater sandals, but you cannot get me out of mine. And I;ve said it before but it’s a slippery slope that can lead into MotherBoy mode.

While it’s not a jumpy castle, young kids will love it! It’s amazing materials and structure literally draw light into the space and create the most incredible atmosphere. The kids loved it. The adults loved it. Fun for all! It’s only $10 and it’s recommended that you book tickets in advance.

The first item on the agenda is our new bike.

When my other bike was stolen last year it gave me an excuse to get one that I could put a baby seat on the back. Having an expensive road bike just sitting there made me feel very guilty about buying a new one. The old bike was just not the type you could put a seat on the back. So while I was VERY annoyed that it was nicked (bike thieves are scum – do you hear me??) it meant I could get out and start bike shopping.

I stopped into a few bike shops and the people who served me were really uninterested in what I needed. It was like as soon as I mentioned “baby seat” their eyes glazed over and they became very “whatever”. I stopped into Cheeky Transport in Newtown and it was a different story. The guy listened to what I wanted (be able to put a bike seat on back, step-through “girls” bike, high risers so I can ride high up, gears and as many as possible). He showed me a few options, let me take out and test drive two of them (while he crouched next to Fin and had a bit of a chat) and in about 40 minutes I’d bought a bike.

mm came and picked Fin up and I rode home. It felt great! It was a looooonnng time between rides and it was a very nice bike to ride too.  What I did notice was how considerate all the cars on King Street were, and then I realised I had the baby seat on the back. I guess drivers don’t really care about cyclists in general, but no one wants to be a kid killer. (I exaggerate - most drivers are pretty good around cyclists – it’s the bad 5% of drivers that make riding dangerous in our city.)

When I got the bike Fin was nearly 11 months old. The guy at the shop said as long as he was stable when sitting up and had good head control he’d be OK. I waited for a few weeks before I took him out. I wanted to be very familiar with the bike myself and confident.

The first ride I was terrified. We rode around the loop a few times at our local park and came home. Fin seemed to enjoy it. I got a bit more comfortable as the ride progressed, but I have to say that I was still quite nervous.

And I still am. I’m not terrified anymore, just a very alert. I guess that’s an OK thing – and it certainly makes sure I’m very alert of cars, pedestrians, driveways, kids, other bikes – you name it – I’m watching out for it. When I do relax is when I can get down to the cycle path along the river.

Top tips:

1. Get a bike that is really comfortable to ride – ask if they will give you a little test ride around the block. If they won’t, go to another bike shop. I reckon this should be the case even if you aren’t buying a bike to ride with your baby.

2. Make sure your baby is happy and stable when sitting in their seat – no wobbly heads or slumpy bodies

3. Go on rides alone first to get comfortable with the gears, the strength of the brakes, how it turns.  The guy at the shop rightly said the main thing to keep your baby safe is you being a good rider and confident on your bike.

4. Go for short rides – one of the challenges I have found with the bike is that we can’t take off for a long period of time. I made the mistake last week of riding with Fin to the pool, then had a play in the park with his friend, and then a coffee, so by the time we headed home Fin was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. He screamed (and I mean SCREAMED) all the way home as he was so exhausted. I’m not sure he’ll get used to sleeping in the seat. I’ve seen other kids asleep in a bike seat, but for now, Fin aint on of those kids.

5. There are lots of choices of bike seats to get – and it depends on how you want to ride, how long you want the seat to last etc. I really liked the idea of one of the seats that you put in front of you but two factors made me chose a back seat. The first was I wanted a step-through bike to dismount easily. The front child seats sort of defeat the purpose of getting one. The second was about the weight a seat can take and the back seats take a larger child, so I figured the back seat had a bit more longevity. Cheeky had both types – go in and chat with them.  The guy who served me has a front seat and said it’s really nice to be able to ride along and tell your baby what’s going on and have a little chat.

6. Get them to fit your baby’s helmet in the shop – they really know what they are doing and they’ll help you get the right size.

7. If you can get a bike with a basket or a front rack. My bike has a large front rack so I can strap a picnic blanket, or a large swimming bag and cover it with a stretchy net, and when we don’t have so much stuff I pop on a basket over the handle bars to throw in a small bag. A lace to sow your stuff is critical – espcially with a rear seat.

We are still getting used to it, but it’s a lot of fun and it’s a nice way for Fin to look at the world from a different perspective.

Traveling with a baby is, to state the obvious, entirely different to traveling without a baby. It’s exhausting, and not the “we walked all day in New York and my feet ache” exhaustion, but more in the “I’ve had two hours of uninterrupted sleep for the past two weeks” sort of exhaustion. It feels a little like being back in the new born days at night. Unsettled sleep is a big part of traveling with a baby, even when they’ve been a relatively good sleeper before you leave. And some nights I can deal with that, and other nights I have found it harder.

Some days I wonder is all is any good for any of us – Fin having a bad night, me in a bad mood the next day because I’m tired, poor mm suffering from me being Oscar the Grouch.

But this is a great experience. It feels like we spend more time together as a trio, and I think Fin is thriving because of this. He’s verbalising more. His first ‘chatter’ to us was a repeat of ‘blah-blah-blah.’ He has started cruising about the apartments we are staying in. He’s tried (and liked) olives, ice-cream, raw capsicum, and quiche.

He’s allowed us to start conversations with loads of people that you never would normally chat to. On the subway in New York, at a cafe at MOMA, in a lift in Chicago. Having a baby allows people to connect with you and you to them. He smiles at them and acts all shy, people ask a question about him like how old he is, and then it goes on from there. I’ve been to NYC 6 times and vie never spook a word to anyone on the subway. With Fin we spoke to someone every time.

I’ve taken a photo of him in front of some of my favorite art work. I’m looking forward to showing these pictures to him when he’s older, explaining to him why these works are important and why I love them, and how I was happy to show them to him when he was a baby.

We’ve tried to find a good park for him to ‘exercise’ in (the more physical he gets in a day the more likely he is to at least have a semi-decent sleep at night) and some of the best parts of the trip so far have been him crawling off on some adventure; watching other kids play, stopping to touch some clover, and in Paris, trying to stuff cigarette butts in his mouth.

As I’m writing out this post he’s crying trying to get to sleep. I’ve thrown out all the ways used to be able to get to get him to sleep. I’ve gone back to the method I used when he was tiny – just hold him and sing to him until he crashes out. Which is what I should be doing now.

Tips so far for traveling
- apartments rule. Hotels are OK if the room is big enough, but that’s often hard to find in some cities. Apartments also give you more bang for your buck
- we’d planned to cook Fin’s food just like we did at home, but sometimes you just run out of time. Most places we’ve been to have had really good organic options that he seems to like (even in Paris where we were warned the baby food is like dog food. It isn’t)
- Lower your expectations. This is something I’m still struggling with, but most days it will feel like you’ve not seen much, trying to fit in sleeps, crawling, nappy changing, negotiating public transport etc. It’s easier just to go with the flow and see what you can. One of the best days we have had was yesterday were we headed to the Jardin du Luxembourgh and just wandered. It was lovely.
- have some ‘down days’. You can’t keep going the whole time, especially on an extended trip like we are doing. Today was boiling hot in Paris, we had a bad night (not just with Fin, but a psycho by the canal banging a bin for most of the night, then hurling bottles at our building when the building residents started to yell at him, followed by some of the guys who live a tent-city under the bridge tackling him in the canal and beating him up, with the police then turning up…) so today was a write off. So we chilled and napped, and then had a walk in the park late in the afternoon. I feel so much better for that. Have a day to relax, read magazines, do your washing, sort bits and pieces out. Give your baby a day out of the pram.

Over the next few posts I’ll cover how it is traveling ENTIRELY using public transport, review some of the places we’ve stayed at and how ‘baby friendly’ they’ve been.

So, we slipped back on the yellow hood on the bee for maximum wet weather visability, donned the foot muff for the first time for added warmth, and covered it all up with the rain cover.

Me? I put on an overcoat and carried an umbrella. Thank god for the bee’s ‘wet-weather handling’. No probs with one arm holding the umbrella and the other pushing/steering.

And Fin managed two pretty good sleeps. Maybe it was the nice sound of the rain falling on his cover.

About 4 people told me they wished they could get pushed around like him, all snug and warm.

With winter setting in there will be more days like yesterday. I’m in need of a cool raincoat. I saw a quite covetable one at Pretty Dog by Karen Walker, but can’t really justify spending so much. Anyone have any suggestions? Otherwise I’ll wait to pick one up in the UK. I’m sure they do a good rain coat there. Also saw my friend Bek had got some super spotty gum boots from K-Mart for a bargain price. I hope she doesn’t mind if I get a pair too…I see many puddles in my future and me in some boots trudging through them all.

He’s eating three quite large meals a day, topped 8kgs on the scales, has a little tooth with one more on the way, moves around and on the verge of crawling, squeaks and hoots and laughs a lot, likes to make eye contact with strangers and is fond of smiling at people on the train, is in love with a waitress, has a big walk with his dad every evening, likes nothing more than to suck on some ice, isn’t sleeping through the night (which I keep reminding myself isn’t a developmental milestone so who cares), has the best pinching fingers on earth, and has gone today for his first trip in his pram facing outwards (I didn’t like it, he was fine).

There’s a million other things I could have said about him. He’s amazing.