Why Dubai is our top destination to travel to with a toddler.

Like many other millennials, Gurpreet and I are very fond of traveling. Jumping on a plane and embarking on an adventure of the unknown is one of our absolute favourite things to do. Now that we have Kai in the mix (our 15 month old son) being so spontaneous hasn’t been as easy as before. None the less it didn’t dampen our need to chase warmer sunsets and we have managed to take him on a couple of holidays this year. Dubai being our favourite for numerous reasons and here’s why;


The overall cleanliness of the city / No need for vaccinations
Many parents go above and beyond to keep everything sanitary for their little ones and for all good reasons too; their under developed immune systems cannot handle a wave of foreign germs at home or abroad.
This is why we favour Dubai, there is no need to have any vaccinations / immunisations specifically to visit the UAE.
It’s also good to know, bottled water is widely available in supermarkets and most hotels leave your room stocked up so there’s no need to venture out to buy any.
The cleanliness of the city is unmatched to any other place we’ve been. Communal areas are relentlessly cleaned and are left gleaming. Every public baby changing / feeding room we have used has felt like an emperors suite; beautifully presented, doesn’t smell to the high heavens of poo and have always been so spacious I could rave it out in there if I wanted to!


Level of service has been impeccable
From guidance out the airport, hotel staff and general service in the malls and public areas, we have been helped so much. Travelling without Kai was so different, we could afford to be so carefree and nonchalant but now my mummy radar is on 24/7 and I’m all eyes and ears over; ‘where are the baby changing rooms?’ ‘where can I warm my milk?’ ‘is the air conditioning going to be on/off?’ ‘will it be noisy?’ ‘is there space for a pushchair?’ ‘do they make baby food?’
You get the drift, the bottom line is, mummies to do not switch off. This is why it’s a little more reassuring to vacay in Dubai. Everyone was so accommodating to our queries (they all spoke English fyi) and were happy to lend a helping hand when we were in need; which takes the nervous jitters you may experience travelling with a baby, down a notch or two!


High level of security
Travelling to a Muslim country, I’ve know some to question if it is safe for women. They hear all these stories on strict rules, what you can and cannot wear, how you have to act in public etc. I’ve visited 9 times in total, even travelled there solo and I can wholeheartedly say it’s safe. Be mindful of their culture, dress respectfully and compose yourself with dignity in public (which is how 99.9% of people conduct themselves anyway) then you’ll be just fine!
I think the media have unfortunately cast a shadow on travelling to Muslim countries therefor warping our perception of what it really is like. Put aside the assumptions and give it a try!
Aside from the safety for women aspect, it’s been perfect for Kai, we didn’t experience any odd encounters with anyone in any public areas and we were happy to let him play solo in the playgrounds.
Also when playing with Kai there was no fear of our belongings being stolen, anyone caught steeling or attempting to, can face imprisonment starting at a minimum of 6 months. So its safe to say, if you get carried away multitasking over your little one and forget to close your handbag its one less thing to worry about in Dubai!


Food is fresh
I’ve been a hands on mama since the second Kai popped out. I very rarely let others take over and share responsibility. So when it came to weaning him I made everything he ate at home. This has been one of my biggest struggles on holiday, because if I’m not in an self-catering apartment then I’m relying on the restaurants to cook food for him (which I get very sceptical about and paranoid over the ingredients) on our visits this year with Kai we stayed in Fairmont, Sofitel and Atlantis all situated on the palm island. The hotels were happy to make food for Kai even if they had a buffeting system. His puree’s and meals would be made specifically for him. This took a massive weight off my shoulders because Kai was a hungry baby and organising his food was always my biggest worry!


Time difference works like a dream for babies (from the UK)
Dubai is 4 hours ahead of the UK which meant Kai’s 7pm bedtime could be stretched out till 10:30ish in Dubai and his wake up time of 7am turned into 10:30am and in my books that’s a holiday lie in!
Not to mention on our return to the UK, he was out like a light by 6:30/7pm every night. The forward time difference has just worked a charm for us.


Endless activities
With Kai being our number one priority it was essential we found things that could tickle his imagination and excite his mischievous character. Dubai doesn’t disappoint from that department, from beaches, waterparks and splash pool areas the outdoor entertainment is exhilarating for the best of us. If the heat is too much for you to take and you would prefer an indoor retreat there are plenty of soft play centres and activity rooms, we were spoilt for choice. If your hotel doesn’t offer any baby/ toddler activities then there are plenty to choose from in the public areas. I’ll list them all our in a separate blog post for those that are interested.


So as a brief roundup, we loved it before Kai and we love it even more now that we have him as our travel buddy and would thoroughly recommend it, if you were considering to visit!

Pregnancy anxiety

It’s safe to say pregnancy brings on a bucketful of emotions, good and bad. Although my pregnancy journey was a positive one I couldn’t help but experience bouts of anxiety.
I don’t feel like anxiety attacks are fully understood, I came across this statement online which explained it perfectly;
Anxiety attacks don’t have to be hyperventilating and rocking back and forth, they can also be categorised by but not limited to;

- random burst of irritability
- obsessive behaviour and nit picking
- hypersensitivity
- pacing
- silence
- zoning out

It’s a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome. Which now looking back on, I’m sure every pregnant woman for the first time experiences.

For me, it was dealing with all these self proclaimed doctors / advice givers.
I had ‘advice’ (a term I will loosely use) flying at me from all directions. Everyone I came across had an opinion or piece of information to give me, whether or not I asked for it.

Don’t eat this – eat that
Don’t exercise so much
Wear these clothes instead of those
Name the baby this
Follow this piece of religious text
Make sure you read this to the baby every day
You’re not eating enough
Listen to this music- it's good for the baby

I can laugh at it now, but during my pregnancy I was so sensitive to everyone's opinions. My biggest hurdle was battling this picture I had painted in my head of what I thought the journey would be, but my pregnancy was far from glowing / nervous giggles and joyful planning ahead.
I was highly irritable 99% of the time, had a difficult time adjusting to the physical and would be so bad tempered when others tried to tell me how to act / what to do.
I guess the introvert in me wanted to be left alone, left alone to manage what I knew I could handle from the start.
I wanted to be left alone to enjoy the process by myself, that’s how I conduct myself most the time anyway; I’m the girl that favours a quiet night in 99% of the time.

I guess the point of this post is to remind ourselves of the comments we make daily.
There is a difference between constructive criticism, criticism, advice and opinions.
It’s insensitive to throw out information based on personal opinions and expect someone else to follow suit; It’s controlling and unfair.
I know so many other young mummies whom like myself have had to deal with the annoying ‘advice’ It’s rather insulting to think that people accuse you of not acting accordingly or saying your lifestyle choices are jeopardising the babies’ health.
I was extremely grateful to be in the position to grow a little human I would never have done anything to cause harm or risk the baby’s health. So it threw me countless times when I was critiqued on my diet / exercise / lifestyle.
I always encourage health, after all the better your physiology the better your psychology.
So unless you have advice that will actively help someone instead of hinder their personal progress; keep it hush hush.

Remember to not forget the basics during pregnancy.

In this day and age with so much emphasis on material items I think it’s crucial to remind yourself half of it isn’t necessary. I mean I felt it so much during the pregnancy that I decided to stop blogging all together. What irritated me was this constant need for everyone online to push items, push sales, convince someone they need products.
Not sure if you’ve noticed but for a good year, I’ve stopped linking items to the blog for that specific reason.
I don’t want to make anyone feel like they need anything, I don’t want to encourage disposable fashion, I want to encourage stability, eco friendly lifestyles and all round positive mind-sets.
Don’t get me wrong I love shopping and I love new things, but in all honesty its not needed.

Let’s talk about baby expenses.
Now initially this was one of the biggest factors that we reviewed before trying for baby Suri. How expensive can a baby be? Will we be able to afford it?
Hand on my heart, I think the saying ‘when you have a child, you make ends meet no matter what’ is very very true.
The initial expense is the cot, pushchair, clothes and nappies. Everything else is a luxury.
Again, I feel like the baby industry is such a lucrative one that baby shows and magazines can throw you off a little. They push sales for all the innovative products which claim to ‘help’ raise a baby with ease and through all the blogger promotions and advertisements, you feel almost brainwashed into thinking you need it.
Don’t get me wrong Gurp’s and I were convinced at times we needed specific items because someone recommended them, but in all honesty, all the extra items were little luxuries not necessities.

Comparison is the thief of joy.
For this reason specifically, I detest social media. It’s a glorified snapshot of so many peoples lifestyles; a little window that paints the idea of paradise.
Just because others have every baby item under the sun it doesn’t mean you need them.
Do your research and weigh out the importance of everything, I remember going to a baby show and they had all these extras for pushchairs; Gurps and I were baffled, we really felt as though our little list of necessities was all wrong. But now im on the other end of the pregnancy I can honestly say, trust your instinct, if you think you can do without, you most probably can.
Don’t let the media fool you into thinking you aren’t capable to raise a baby without all the fancy gadgets.
Your baby needs you, love, care and attention. It doesn’t need bedding in 13 different colour ways, 7 different contraptions for sterilising or 5 interchanging seats for the pushchair travel system.

Let’s rewind to our parents time.
If at any point you are stuck in the social media storm rewind your thoughts back to our parent’s time. As millennia’s most of us are living the life of luxury in comparison to our parents.
Luckily we haven’t faced the struggle of relocating with nothing, we haven’t had to all work from a young age to contribute to family bills and sacrificing education as a result. We have experienced life from a very selfish point of view in comparison to them.
We haven’t started from the complete bottom due to their diligence and hardworking natures. We are in an advantageous position where luxuries are considered the norm.
So if you erase all the social media, advertisements and catalogues, be realistic about what you need, if our parents managed to raise us with hand me downs, bare basics and half the technology we have; are we really that incapable of matching their ability to raise children?

Just believe in yourself.
The irony right? A blogger preaching about avoiding the material industry. Just remember, I started this blog as a personal visual diary to look back on, it just so happens you have all decided to join me on the journey too.
I know how strongly I feel about specific blogs driving products / promoting items because they have been paid to do so. It’s made me feel insufficient at times and I’ll be damned if what I do makes anyone feel that way, that is not my intention.
I’m simply sharing my journey, if it includes sharing my love of specific items consider it as a friend’s recommendation.
I don’t want to make you think you need anything to be amazing, if you take the time to read, better yourself and focus on positivity then you’re already there!

Getting used to being pregnant.

Admittedly the first few months of pregnancy got me down, it was physically and mentally exhausting, not to mention we were in the process of moving homes and my grandfather passed away on the day I was admitted into hospital for Hyperemesis Grvidarum so the stress of everything came all at once.
Unfortunate, but that’s just how things pan out sometimes.
After getting my head around the whole situation I started to enjoy it. I felt comfortable in my own skin again, I accepted these changes were temporary and at the end of it my body will produce a tiny human.
The further I got into my pregnancy I kept thinking about time and how it wont wait for anyone.

As a young woman who has dedicated herself whole heartedly to education, working and being a financially stable individual, I can relate to all the other ladies who push aside the idea of bearing a child until they have satisfied all their career goals.
After all, if we work just as hard as our counterparts why should we give it all up in an instant? Expected to bear the struggles of growing a child and still continue with life without any special allowances.
I guess that’s just the biological lottery women lost out on when we were created.
My main point here is, even though there is that inner battle in most women on when they will or wont be ready, it’s almost a gamble.
It’s a gamble because we are already born with a finite number of eggs.

‘Women are born with approximately two million eggs in their ovaries, but about eleven thousand of them die every month prior to puberty. As a teenager, a womanhas only three hundred thousand to four hundred thousand remaining eggs, and from that point on, approximately one thousand eggs are destined to die each month.’

But what if these statistics don’t run true for you, what if you are the minority where you waited too long?
It’s unfair to say the least, but if you have a partner, see a future with them and dream of having a family, my advice would be don’t wait.
We are never ready for anything until thrown in the deep end. Pregnancy isn’t an easy task, nor is raising the children but the sooner it’s done, I believe the easier it will be.

‘’ I felt like I may not get opportunities to do this ever again, so it’s about time—it’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There’s almost no such thing as ready. There’s only now ‘’ - Hugh Laurie

One of the wonders of being a woman is even after bearing the task of growing and raising children, we are still capable of fitting back into society and can achieve goals and unimaginable achievements. That being said, it’s a shame we’re still seen as secondary in many aspects of life.

Pregnancy emotions - the early months

To say pregnancy is a rollercoaster of emotions is an understatement, it’s a life change, its everything you thought you knew about yourself out the window. Your body changes without knowing it, it’s hard to mentally keep up. Your mind is between the now and the future. Its almost the biggest reality check I’ve ever had. The concept of time goes quicker than ever before.

Remain grateful to be in the position 
In the early months of pregnancy, I remember feeling down and frustrated with my bodies changes. I felt like everything was getting turned upside down for me, while the rest of the world kept spinning and seemed normal for everyone else.
I was losing the body I had worked so hard daily to achieve. My appetite for the little food I did like had gone out the window and unfortunately I suffered from severe morning sickness (Hyperemesis Grvidarum) and ended up being admitted into the hospital. So not only did I feel awful, I looked it most days too. Pregnancy glow?! Far from it, I only experienced that after passing the 5 month mark!
Throughout the initial stages of wishing I didn’t feel the way I did, I had to snap out of what I consider a ‘first world luxury slump’.
I was being over emotional; there are so many women in this world who would kill to fall pregnant as quick as I did, there are so many women in this world who would do anything to experience growing their child, there are so many women who struggle alone with all the symptoms I did.

As awful as I felt, I needed to remind myself, I had a family that cared, I had a support system to fall back on, I had the NHS to overlook all the complications, I had help.
It’s easy to fall into a dip when exhaustion and emotions are at an all time low, but the main thing is to remain as grateful as possible. There are girls in this world who dream of having my life on my worst days, who am I to stand here and complain.

Research – educate yourself
After I pulled myself out of the emotional slump, I decided to get clued on. What exactly is happening to my body, what are the side effects, what is to come. I needed to know. It would be foolish of me to have access to resources such as books and internet and not know what my body is about to undertake.
I’m a strong believer of educating yourself. Never wait for others to hold your hand and show you, get up and better yourself for no ones benefit other than your own. I needed to know everything so I can then be the healthiest / fittest possible for my child.
I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardise the responsibility I had oF creating this little human.

I started off reading How to Grow a Baby and Push It Out by Clemmie Hoper. A nice little introduction to the world of pregnancy, with step by steps on what to expect each week in terms of changes to your body, the foetus development and explanations of all the blood tests / immunisations / labour procedures.
Confident about knowing my bits and bobs, I wanted to know more; I wanted to know what to anticipate closer to the babies’ arrival, so I read What to Expect the First Year Book by Heidi Murkoff. Now this book most definitely made me feel clued on, I had a clearer vision of what to expect and its in-depth explanations on all scenarios from breast feeding to dealing with guests was very helpful to read.

It’s just in my nature to read, I didn’t want to feel lost at any point so instead of feeling anxious about what was to come, I wanted to prepare myself the best way I knew how.

Communication is key.
I’m relatively level headed but during my pregnancy my emotions were on an insane rollercoaster that just kept getting faster.
But instead of stomping around and expecting Gurps / my boss / my family / friends to understand my moods I had to break it down every single day; How I felt emotionally and physically. I had to, because I was already in the unknown in terms of experiencing everything for the first time, I needed as much support I could get to carry on with a positive mental attitude. Being grateful was half of it, but the other half was needing physical support.
Pregnancy is draining, it honestly takes it out of your body. I considered myself fit before the pregnancy but I was shocked at how challenging I found it.
I was open with everyone and explained what I was struggling with and they were all accommodating and helped. If you don’t ask for help, no one will know. So don’t go through it alone, reach out.

Erase the millennial issue of f.o.m.o.
Having children doesn’t stop anything unless you let it. I had many one liners about ‘no more holidays’ too many in fact. But I don’t believe it.
You dictate how your life goes, if you want to travel with children you will make it happen. If you want to maintain a high social life with children you will make it happen, anything is possible.
I was willing to drop the f.o.m.o (Fear Of Missing Out) and focus all my energy on being pregnant and then preparing myself to be a mother.

Slow progress is better than no progress
Sometimes I feel like I talk sense but I have a bad habit of ignoring myself. I know what I need to do, I just don’t do it. By writing things down I remind myself of what I need to do, positivity, communication, forward thinking and bettering myself are still my main goals, some days I’m more productive than others; the main thing through the pregnancy was to keep going. Slow progress to being better each day is better than no progress.