April 17, 2007

Anushka scores


She turned 20 months on Monday. I though this is a good time share how the journey ( literally) has been with a baby in tow.

I have heard some mothers groan about travel with kids under 2 years. I used to dread having a kid on the same compartment/ flight as me when I was not a mother.

Anushka has been travelling since she was a little over a month. She has used planes, cars, bikes, autos and trains. And it has been a great ride.

Here is why babies make great travelmates:
Even the cliched become exciting - We visit zoos and parks and take boat rides on little ponds that masquerade as lakes. The journey itself is fun since it is a new experience for the baby
You see things differently- I am attentive and point out to things that i feel may interest Anushka. In the process I discover more.
Every visit / outing leaves you with the feeling that the child has experienced a little more- either social skills or just her being able to prance about in the open or hearing the cow moo rather than her father's impression of it
The kid has fun and enjoys being outdoor and most of all with you
There is no guilt of using up "our" time as "me" time- it is family time- the " quality" time we keep looking for.

And why not-
The baby may fall ill.
You have to fend for them all the time. But that is true even if you are at home with them. (Unless you have some domestic help. Anyway you will find them easier to keep engaged when you are out.)

The trick is to plan well ahead, choose the right kind of places, be adventurous enough to change the plans if need be. More posts to follow in a few days on this here.

12 comments:

Sunita said...

We haven't yet taken J out for an out-n-out outing. Drawing inspiration from you & orchid.

Anonymous said...

I think its good to start them young, provided the child is not the type to fall sick very easily; That way, they don't think of occasional changes in food habits etc as scary.

Unknown said...

Lovely post. Have always been chicken about travelling with brat and have only just started venturing out of the city....salutes to you.

Kowsalya Subramanian said...

I second karmickids. Abi had/has some food allergies and so I plan trips only to places where I have close relatives, so that I have a kitchen where I can cook something for her taste and needs.

I was actually thinking of asking you how you manage so much travel with Anush :)

Artnavy said...

Glad u guys enjoyed this post. As I said there will be a more elaborate verison shortly.

Anush has had her share of feeling unwell during soem of the travel.

At Mysore - she was running a severe cold due to the train ac but we consoled ourselves that she could contract a cold at home as well....as Navy says it will only make her more resistant and immune to dust in the long run

so while we hope for the best and do not intentionally sit her in the sun or under an AC blast, we do not get overly worked up if she gets any of the common ailments

Sree said...

it is truly an adventure to take kids along and more so if you really ensure they have the best of everything :)

Fuzzylogic said...

This couldn't have come at a better time Art.I'm right now planning to travel with Ina to India in 2 weeks from now and though I have travelled with her before too it was never on such a long stretch. She has been on flight before but just for a couple of hours and now it's going to be almost 20 hours of travel and I am dreading it. Keep the tips coming:)

By Deepa and Supriya said...

I always say..kids make great travel companions. ATleast with my Li'l A i notice that he gets so distracted by all things new that he forgets to make a fuss over routine stuff like eating, sleeping and their joy at discovering new things is always a joy to experience :)
Have fun traveling with ANushka:)

Itchingtowrite said...

good that she enjoys travelling like u both
here's to many more

the mad momma said...

arrey.. too cool... i just did a post on something similar... will link up to you.

The Kid said...

when did you take the pic on the right? She is very adorable in that pic :)

Artnavy said...

all of you who found this relevant pl follow the sequel on the travel blog

yes mad momma

kid- thanks from anush- as the caption mentioned july last year