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!

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!