Sunday, October 14, 2012

What to Look for in a Day Care

          When I was doing my undergraduate studies and shortly following graduation, I had the opportunity to work in full service day cares.  This experience helped guide us in our choices, but truthfully, much of it comes out to gut instincts and the impression a particularly centre has on you.  For example, one centre we visited had the smell of urine, and that was an automatic no go.  Another had a supervisor who sat in her office the entire time, while a staff member gave us the tour.  The children there were clearly bored and misbehaving, and one child ran into my wife at full speed while attempting to give her a hug.           
            There are four things that you should look for in a good daycare.  The first is cleanliness.  From my experience, a child care centre is extremely hard to keep clean.  Kids are constantly, eating, playing, doing arts and crafts, coming and going from outside, and having sunscreen put on them, not to mention the occasional toilet accident.  So if a centre looks really clean, the staff  there have put in the effort to make it so.  This brings us to the staff itself.  The director or supervisor is certainly a key person, and likely the one you will first meet.  She should make a good impression, and come across as caring about the welfare of your children and those in the centre.  It is wise to visit the centre during the course of a normal day.  Watch to see the demeanour of the staff.  Are the genuinely happy to be there?  Is their attention on the children?  Or are they chatting amongst themselves?  At the centre we chose for the toddler room, we were impressed not only by the supervisor and her thoroughness, but there was a staff member we were introduced to, and my wife said afterwards that she hoped our kids would be taught by her. As it turned out, they were, and she was even better than the great first impression she gave.
            Programming is the third important area to think about.  It should be comprehensive and follow some sort of weekly and/or monthly theme.  It should not be “whatever the kids are interested in” as we were told at one centre.  Apparently, they had been learning about bugs for several weeks!  Most day cares post the programming plan on the wall, and many send home a monthly newsletter.  Safety also comes into play here. Does the centre have safe practices and good documentation of any incidents that occur?  Last but not least, check out what kind of outdoor playground and/or play area they have.  There are more and more day cares located in industrial parks or strip plazas that have very small outside areas with limited equipment.
            The final important area to inquire about is the food.  What is the menu and are there enough healthy choices?  Some jurisdictions conduct health and/or food inspections of day care facilities.  If so, ask to see how the centre did on its latest inspection.   Centres may post these up on the wall for parents.   Is there an on-site chef or is the food brought in from outside?  How are allergies or religious preferences dealt with?  As a Jewish family, having a centre that understood that we did not wish our children to eat pork or eat milk and meat together was important to us.  Remember, no matter what the issue is, you have the right to ask before you sign your child up for care.  And be sure to take a tour of the centre to allow those parental instincts to guide your decision.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Why Choose Day Care for Twins?

This story begins a few months before our twins were even born.  Actually, we probably hadn’t named them by this point.  You might ask why would anyone start searching for a daycare before their children are even born?  Fair question.  But first of all, allow me to address why parents might choose a day care centre for daily care giving after both have returned to work. 
            We did consider the option of a nanny.  In fact, we had a nanny part-time, three mornings a week during the last few months of the maternity leave.  But since both my wife and I are teachers, we feel that social stimulation for children is vital and the best place to get this is at a full service day care.  Twins do have each other, but they cannot get enough stimulation just from one another.  This is not a healthy situation in my opinion.  It is true that parents, nannies, and grandparents can take babies and toddlers to community and library programs for some stimulation.  But there are only so many of these.   My wife attended quite a few, and as those with twins or multiples know, it isn’t always easy.  Sometimes, she had help from the nanny or a grandparent, but she even enjoyed a stroller fitness class with her two babies in a her large double stroller!
We realized that the cost of two infants and toddlers in day care would be greater than sponsoring (in Canada) a live-in nanny but we were willing to do this if we could find the right day care centre.  I had worked in day cares during my university years and knew what to look for as far as quality was concerned.  I will share this information with you later in this article.  Of course, many people opt for home day cares, but one of the things to consider with those is that the range of children can be quite varied, and, as an example, many home day cares in Ontario can only accept five children.  Check your state or provincial government to find out what the ratios for each type of care and age group are in your community.  We were pretty sure that we had a great day care nearby, because so many people we knew were recommending it highly—but that meant getting on the list over a year ahead, pre-birth, in order to secure two of ten spots in the infant care room.  And so we did.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

An Orioles Fan Enjoys an Astonishing Season!

I know this has nothing to do with raising twins but I felt compelled to write it.

I am no bandwagon jumper.  I come by my love for the Baltimore Orioles honestly.  I have been a fan since I was a child, following the great O's teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s.  I have also suffered for the last fifteen years watching year after year of bad to terrible Orioles teams, only holding the hope that they might become good once again.  The beginning of the 2012 season was no different. 

But this has turned into an incredibly fun season, no matter the final outcome because this team has seemingly beaten down all its critics and naysayers along with the "stats gurus" and is still a wild card team in mid September.  They have swept division rivals Yankees and Rays in recent series and have some legitimate all stars.  The could even win the AL East division title!

However, it is the way they are winning games that is so exciting.  13 straight extra inning wins, including the one early in the season that went 16 innings and DH Chris Davis pitched two innings to beat the Red Sox.  He had gone 0-for-8 as a DH that particular game, but struck out Adrian Gonzalez to help save the game.  There have been so many of these types of games for the Orioles.  And each night it is a new hero.  The bullpen has been magnificent, particularly Darren O'Day, Pedro Strop, and Cy Young contender and closer Jim Johnson.  Buck Showalter should win manager-of-the-year and has utilized over 50 players this year.

I just wanted to thank them for providing this fan with so much fun and excitement this summer.  Keep it going...hopefully to the playoffs...and the World Series.  With this team, nothing is impossible!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Traveling with Twins Tips # 4 & 5: Travel Toys and Baby Equipment

4..     Dollar store toys can be a great tool to occupy the kids, especially when unpacking at your destination.  We take one or two trips to Niagara Falls each year, and we buy each child a small toy from the dollar store to give to them upon arrival.  For plane trips, we buy “travel toys” that they can use on the plane and in the airport.  For example, on a trip to Disney World, we got our son a magnetic airport scene builder, and for our daughter we purchased a “Where’s Waldo” card game.  These games have been used a few times since on other trips.

5,      If you plan to do a lot of road trips, for example to visit family out-of-town, choose a vehicle accordingly.  In other words, keep cargo space in mind when you make your selection if you will probably be hauling lots of baby equipment.  Especially when your twins are very young, try to figure out what you will need and whether it can be accommodated in your vehicle..  We have a large vehicle that has a lot of cargo space.  Our first couple of years that we rented a cottage or travelled to Niagara Falls, we were able to bring our large double stroller, an indoor safety fence, and two pack-and-play cribs to sleep in, along with our suitcases.  Packing the car was very difficult and for the cottage we packed up their toys in a rooftop cargo holder that we purchased for such trips.  If we had not had the ability to stuff all the equipment in the car, we would have had to make some choices and left some items behind.  However, sometimes it isn’t necessary to bring things.  Many hotels have cribs available and also bed rails too.  I will deal with strollers specifically in my next tip.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Traveling with Twins Tips # 2 & 3: Consider Space and Plan Ahead

2.      Consider space when selecting accommodations.  When we travel as a family we try to stay in suites, so that we have a room for the parents and one for the kids.  An excellent chain for this type of accommodation is the Embassy Suites. There are other chains and individual properties that do have a similar set up.  Even room size can make a big difference.  When our family travelled to Walt Disney World, we chose not to stay in a Disney owned moderate or value priced hotel because we understood that the rooms were very small.  Instead, we stayed at a hotel in the Downtown Disney Resort Area and the room had two queen beds and a lot more space.  Cottage resorts or just renting a cottage is another excellent option and a great way to spend a family vacation.  Cottages are naturally spacious compared to other accommodations and usually include full kitchens and even barbecues.

3.      Plan ahead!  This applies to both longer road trips and plane trips.  Be aware of things such as your children’s nap (if applicable) and bed times and try to plan travel around these as much as possible.  If you are driving, think of where you might stop to eat and/or for washroom breaks.  Smart phones and tablets have apps that can find the nearest restaurant or gas station.  My personal favourite is “Timmy’s Me” which finds me the nearest Tim Horton’s location and can even narrow them down to the drive thrus only.  Don’t hesitate to bring snacks in the car or on the plane.  Most food that isn’t a liquid or a gel is allowed through security.  My wife and I always pack and bring such healthy snacks as granola bars and fruit bites and bars to quell the kids’ hungry moments. 

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Traveling with Twins Tip #1: Saving Money








My wife and I were eating dinner in a restaurant one evening and were discussing an upcoming excursion with our twin children.  An older gentleman sitting with his wife at the next table chimed in.  He told us that when he and his wife went away with their now grown up children, they called it a trip.  It was only a vacation if they went away by themselves.  I think almost all parents can relate to this but particularly those of twins or multiples.  So here is the first of ten tips to turn your trips into events that resemble vacations.
There are several ways to save your family money when planning such a trip with twins.  The Entertainment Book offers discounts on restaurants, hotels, attractions, and even car rentals.  Over the years we have saved hundreds of dollars using it on vacations.  You can buy books for most North American cities for about 25 or 30 dollars each annually. 

If you live in Canada, flying out of nearby US airports can save you a fortune.  For example, my wife and I saved over $1000 on a recent flight to Baltimore by flying out of Buffalo instead of Toronto.  The taxes are most of the savings.  Sure you have to weigh the drive to the airport, and weather is certainly a consideration too.  You may not wish to risk driving through a winter snow storm to catch a flight.  But when you consider the ease of going through the border by car, you actually aren’t losing much time.  I have also flown out of Seattle instead of Vancouver, when I lived there.  Most of the time you should book directly through the hotel or airline to get the best deal.  Many of the hotel chains and airlines will even guarantee this and beat a rate or fare found on an outside website.  Keep in mind that may generic travel websites make you pay ahead of time with no chance of cancellation, which is always risky when booking with children. 

Tripadvisor.com won’t save you money directly, but it will give you an idea of whether you are getting good value.  Trip Advisor ranks hotels and restaurants based on user reviews.  Reviewers rate the property on value and often comment on this.  You can even read only the reviews written about family travel to narrow your focus.

More tips for travelling with twins in future blogs.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Taking Young Twins to Disney World - Getting and Staying There

            As we got closer to the actual trip we had a few burning questions regarding our twins.  This would be their first trip on a plane and we wanted to make sure their time was occupied.  At the same time we wondered whether car seats were feasible or necessary for the plane trip.  In our case, because we were staying in WDW and were not renting a car, we did not have need for them.  We also had our seats professionally installed and did not really want to take them out.  We solved the first question through buying a couple of “travel” games and a portable DVD player with two headphones so they could watch together.  On the plane, Abby and Josh watched the seatback TV, but in the airport they were able to watch the DVDs we brought to amuse them.  This was also useful for some quiet time after a long day in the park back in the hotel room. 
Two huge questions, whether you have multiples or not, are how are you getting to Orlando and where are you staying?  We were flying and since our focus was entirely on Disney World, and we were staying at a hotel on the grounds, we did not need a car.    However, we did need to get to and from Orlando International Airport.  Through my research I discovered town car service.  It works like a limousine, except that they meet you at the baggage area, help bring your bags to the car and even provide car seats.  However, I did not know that I had to install the car seats, myself and they were not very good ones at that.  One of the best aspects was the fact that we could stop at a grocery store on the way to the hotel and buy drinks and snacks for the week, such as bottled water (which is expensive in WDW).  My wife had already packed some snacks because, while security does check all bags entering the parks, they turn a blind eye to food and drinks.  So there is me at the grocery store, dressed in my Canadian winter jeans and sweatshirt in the Florida heat.
If you actually stay at a Disney Resort, you can use their Magic Express bus service for free.  But keep in mind that it has mixed reviews and many reviewers said they waited hours to get their luggage at the hotel.  On the way back to the airport, we decided to use a Mears shuttle, which was cheaper and quicker, and we didn’t need the car seats.  Another option, of course, is to stay off the grounds in either a suite hotel or a rental condominium.  With multiples, having extra room is always great, but you would definitely need a car, as most of the outside hotel shuttles to WDW are very infrequent.  Also, you might want a kitchen or kitchenette to be able to save some money on meals, which are expensive in the parks.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Taking Young Twins to Disney World - Planning Help

            My wife Lisa told me a story about the last time she had been to Disney World as a young adult in the early nineties.  She told her father at the time, “The next time I come back here, I’m coming here with my kids.”  Little did she know, it would be with nearly four year old twins.  As for me, I had not been to Orlando’s Disney World since I was a teenager in 1982.  Epcot had just opened, and there were was no Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios at the time.  But both my wife and I wanted to take our twins, Joshua and Abigail, now aged four, at a young age but not too young as to not remember anything or appreciate it. 
            It is one thing to plan to take young children, but as multiple parents know, twins or other multiples always provide their unique challenges that don’t always apply with different aged siblings, so planning for Disney World had its own series of questions to be answered.  Hopefully, my research, discussions, decisions, and experiences will help answer some of your questions and assist you in better planning your trip, should you decide to go.  One thing is for certain, you do need to plan for Disney World.  Just showing up and hoping to enjoy yourself fully doesn’t really work, with so many options, and limited time and resources.
             There are many invaluable guidebooks and much of the information was garnered from the ones that I read.  I started by checking out a few from the library to see which ones were the most helpful.  You won’t always find one of the current year, but try to find one as recent as possible.  Most of the information will not change, and you can choose to purchase any that you find will be useful, both in your planning, and to take to the parks.  The guidebooks explain all the attractions in detail, including what rides might scare young ones; suggestions for renting or bringing strollers: hotel information and recommendations for both inside and outside Disneyworld: and restaurant information, including character meals.
In my opinion, the one guide that is the best for pre-planning is The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World by Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa.  It has over 800 pages of information on everything related to Disney World (and even a chapter on Universal Studios as well).  The best thing about this book is that they include quotes from actual families so you get an idea of what people like yourself experienced.  The best book for the parks is The Passporter’s Guide to Walt Disney World by Jennifer, Dave, and Allison C. Marx .   It includes fold out maps, planning sheets, and pockets to hold information, tickets, etc. 
There are many great websites with information including allears.com.  Websites such as this give important information such as restaurant menus so you know whether or not there is a kids menu, and what the choices are.  My son Josh does not like pizza with sauce on it, and usually wants a grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwich.  Allears.com gave us great information including the prices.  The last website I want to mention is tripadvisor.com.  This website provides user’s reviews on hotels, restaurants and attractions, and ranks them based on how people rated them.  We chose the Holiday Inn in Walt Disney World in large part due to the reviews on tripadvisor.com.  Everything they said in the reviews was correct including how nice the rooms and pool were, the high level of service, and the frequency and punctuality of the shuttle to WDW.