RO: Inainte de nastere, credeam sincer ca in prima luna de viata a bebelusului il vom urca in avion si vom pleca unde vom vedea cu ochii. Ne amintim si acum planurile pentru sudul Italiei in iunie-iulie (bebelusul s-a nascut la sfarsit de mai :D), Cipru in august, Croatia pe vas in septembrie, un Oktoberfest in Munchen, Vancouver in octombrie, un Dubai si un Abu Dhabi in noiembrie, iar de Craciun Paris si Disneyland. Totul pe foaie, ca la carte, organizate pana in cel mai mic detaliu. Numai scriind despre toate acestea ne bufneste un ras isteric. Si nu pentru ca ar fi imposibil de realizat toate aceste plecari cu un nou nascut (desi hai sa fim seriosi, nici departe de imposibil nu sunt :D), ci pentru ca in naivitatea noastra, nu ne-am gandit niciun moment ca am putea sa ii facem rau unui bebelus atat de mic, ducandu-l inca din primele saptamani de viata peste mari si tari. Nu-i bai, ne-am linistit subit, iar articolul cu primele doua saptamani de viata o demonstreaza 🙂 Insa pe masura ce ne-am acomodat cu viata in trei, au inceput sa reapara ganduri de plecat in lume, si pentru ca tare ne-ar placea sa mergem cu cel mic peste tot pe unde ne umbla si noua picioarele, am zis sa incepem usor, timidut dar sigur, cu o plecare de patru zile la mare, la noi. Si o sa detaliem toate aspectele care ni s-au parut noua importante, dar daca ar fi sa sumarizam in trei cuvinte cum ne-a fost experienta, ei bine, a fost NEASTEPTAT DE GENIALA!

EN: Before birth we honestly thought that we will take our one month old baby in the plane and go as far as our eyes could see. We remember the plans for southern Italy in June-July (the baby was born at the end of May :D), Cyprus in August, Croatia on a boat in September, maybe Oktoberfest in Munich, Vancouver in October, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in November and Christmas in Paris and Disneyland. Everything was put on the paper, organized until the tiniest detail. Just writing about all these makes us burst in a hysterical laughter. And not because it would be impossible to travel so much with a newborn (although let’s face it, it is not too far from impossible :D), but because in our own naivety, we have never thought that we could hurt such a tiny baby by taking him so far away from home in his first weeks of life. But no worries about this, we soon woke up from our phantasmagorical dreams and this article about the first two weeks of life prove it 🙂 But as we started to get used with life in three, the ideas of travelling have reoccurred and because we would like to take the little guy with us in our travels, we wanted to start slowly but surely with a four days trip to the seaside, in Romania. And we will detail some of the aspects that we considered important bt if we were to summarize in three words the entire experience, well it would be UNEXPECTEDLY GOOD!   

LOCATIA ALEASA / LOCATION CHOSEN

RO: Am vrut sa fie ceva cat mai aproape posibil de Constanta, insa pentru ca nu aveam dispozitia necesara sa suportam aglomeratia si haosul “mamaiian”, am ales Navodari. In plus, gasisem pe Instagram un hotel nou care ne-a atras atentia (Nayiano Hotel), asa c-am zis sa il incercam. Nu stim cat de baby friendly este, avand in vedere faptul ca pretentiile noastre la acest capitol sunt inca foarte mici (copil alaptat, fara probleme cu mancatul), insa era plin de familii cu copii. Restaurant, piscina, parcare subterana, camere frumoase si mari, credem ca s-ar putea incadra cu brio in topul hotelurilor potrivite pentru copii. Mai gasisem o locatie cel putin la fel de frumoasa, in Olimp – Casa de Mare, chiar pe plaja, insa era nevoie de rezervari de minim sapte nopti – ceea ce ni s-a parut foarte mult. Daca ajungeti voi acolo, let us know cum vi se pare si daca ar fi ok sa mergem cu Ciufulitu’ 🙂

EN: We wanted to choose something as close to Constanta as possible and because we didn’t want any kind of chaos or crams we have chosen Navodari. Besides, we have found a new hotel on Instagram which has caught our attention (Nayiano Hotel) so we wanted to try it. We can’t say how baby friendly it is, considering the fact that our demands regarding this aspect are quite small (breastfed child, no problems with food) but there were plenty of families with children. Restaurant, pool, underground parking, beautiful and large rooms, so it would probably fit in the child friendly hotels category. We have also found another location, equally beautiful, in Olimp – Casa de Mare, right on the beach, but we had to book minimum seven nights and that was too much for us. But if you get there, let us know how it is and if we could go there with the baby 🙂 

DRUMUL cu MASINA / ROAD TRIP 

RO: In mod normal, bebelusii sunt innebuniti dupa plimbarile cu masina, in scaun sau in scoica. La noi primele 10-20 de minute sunt agitate, bebe plange incontinuu si foarte greu poate fi linistit (in permanenta sta unul dintre noi cu el pe locul din spate pentru a-l linisti sau monitoriza). Avem intregul arsenal la indemana – telefonul cu aplicatie de White Noise, suzete, Espumisan (da, doua picaturi de Espumisan fac minuni :D), biberon cu lapte matern, orice! Din momentul in care apuca sa se calmeze, orice drum cu masina e minunat, doarme bustean pana la destinatie. Asa ca si drumul spre mare a fost la fel, cu singura mentiune ca am facut cateva opriri la benzinarii, pentru a-l scoate pe “frumosul din padurea adormita” din scaunul de masina pentru a-l hrani. Am incercat sa respectam recomandarile de a nu-l tine prea mult in scaun, ca sa nu ii facem rau coloanei vertebrale, asa ca l-am ridicat din scaun ori de cate ori ne-am oprit. Despre tipul de scaun de masina pe care il folosim vom vorbi intr-un articol separat, insa ca idee, modelul ales este acesta (vom detalia de ce acesta).

EN: Normally, babies are mad about road trips, in the car seat. In our case the first 10 to 20 minutes are fussy, the baby is crying and can barely be soothed (one of us is permanently staying with him on the back seat to calm and monitor him). We have everything at hand – the phone with a White Noise app, pacifiers, colic syrup (yup, two drops of syrup are marvelous :D), a bottle with breast milk, anything! If we manage to calm him down, any road trip is great as he sleeps until destination. So the road trip to the seaside was the same, with the only mention that we had to stop on the way to take the baby out of the car for feeding. We tried to follow the recommendations of not holding him too much time in the car seat, in order to keep his backbone safe, so we took him out of the car each time we stopped. About the type of car seat that we use we’ll talk in a separate article, for now we’ll onl say that we have chosen this model (and we’ll explain why). 

BAGAJE / LUGGAGE 

RO: La capitolul bagaje si impachetat ne credeam olimpici. Cine mai baga n rochii fabuloase si-nca cinci perechi de pantofi in bagajul de mana?! In speranta ca aceleasi abilitati se vor transmite si la bagajul de bebeluseala, am constatat ca indiferent ce ai face, tot sfarsesti prin a lua jumatate de casa dupa tine. Slava cerului ca avem un carucior care ne ocupa aproape tot spatiul (cel vesnic insuficient) al masinii noastre mici, astfel incat am fost constransi sa luam dupa noi doar cele absolut necesare. Si oricum, caruciorul (impreuna cu landoul aferent, carat frumusel pe locul din dreapta fata, ca un pasager de onoare) a fost luat absolut degeaba. Nu l-am folosit deloc, am tinut bebelusul in brate si/sau in sistem de purtare Marsupi Breeze (cel subtire, de vara, din in). Bun, revenind la bagajele de bebe, am luat cate doua bodyuri pentru fiecare zi, niste hainute mai groase pentru seara si dimineata, o punga cu medicamente (paracetamol pt febra, medicamente pentru colici si cateva creme pentru iritatii), perna de alaptat (viata de bebit nu poate exista fara ea), sterilizatorul, pompa de san, cateva biberoane si incalzitorul (pentru laptele matern scos cu pompa), un pachet de scutece, aleze, servetele umede (si cam tot ce avem in ghiozdanul de bebe zi de zi), prosopul de baie si o paturica. Am luat si o cutie de lapte praf, ca masura de precautie in caz ca s-ar fi intamplat ceva si nu ar fi putut fi hranit la san. In rest nu am luat mare lucru, insa ne-am documentat care este cel mai apropiat spital sau clinica de pediatrie de hotelul nostru. Cum ne aflam in Navodari, am inteles ca in Mamaia se afla policlinica Delfinariu deschisa non-stop, pe bulevardul principal (si are parteneriat cu Regina Maria). Chiar daca nu aveam de gand sa stam la plaja in soare, ar fi trebuit sa avem la noi si o crema de plaja pentru bebelusi, insa am uitat sa cumparam. Pentru data viitoare o vom lua pe aceasta (cam toata gama de produse de igiena de bebe am luat-o de la Bioderma).

EN: When it comes about luggage and packing we consider ourselves experts. Who else manages to squeeze five fabulous dresses and five pair of shoes in a carry on?! Hoping that the same set of skills will be transmitted to the baby luggage as well, we realized that no matter what you do, you end up taking half of the house with you. Luckily we have a stroller that occupies almost the entire trunk of our small car, so we had to stick to the most essential things. Anyway the stroller (along with its afferent landau that was carried on the right seat as an important passenger) was not used at all. We hold the baby in our arms or in the baby carrier (we used the linen, summer version of Marsupi Breeze. Ok, but going back to the baby’s luggage, we took two bodies for each day, some warmer clothes for mornings and evenings, a bag of meds (something for fever, something for colic and some irritation creams), the breastfeeding pillow (baby life cannot exist without it :D), the sterilizer, breast pump, few bottles and the heater (for the breast milk extracted with the pump), a bag of diapers, napkins (and everything we have in the daily baby bag), a bath towel and a blanket. We also took a box of formula, just in case something would have happened and the baby could no longer be breastfed. So that was pretty much all we have taken with us, and we also made some research about the closest hospital or clinic. As we were in Navodari we found out that in Mamaia there is a clinic (Delfinariu clinic) opened 24×7 on the main boulevard (in partnership with Regina Maria clinic). Even if we did not plan to sunbath in this trip, we should have taken a baby sun cream but we forgot to buy one. Next time we will take this one (we bought almost all the baby hygiene products from Bioderma). 

CUM A FOST BEBE? / HOW WAS THE BABY?

RO: Pfff… incredibil de cuminte! Nu stim daca o fi fost linistea de dinaintea furtunii puseului de sase saptamani ori aerul de mare, insa am avut un alt copil! Nu doar ca pe timpul zilei era extrem de cuminte, insa in momentele in care nu dormea era foarte linistit, foarte atent la ce se intampla in jur, foarte curios si fascinat. Ba mai mult, ne-a zambit voluntar pentru prima oara! Noaptea a dormit foarte bine, pentru prima oara intre noi doi, in pat (pana acum prefera sa doarma numai in bratele mele, in canapea sau in fotoliul de alaptat). Ca dificultati au fost baia de seara, neavand cadita lui am fost nevoiti sa il spalam in dusul din camera – ceea ce a fost destul de greu si oarecum riscant. Apoi soarele, eram constant stresati sa nu cumva sa il prinda soarele, stiind ca bebelusii au pielea extrem de sensibila si se poate arde foarte usor (ne temeam in mod special de insolatii). Si vantul, mai ales dimineata si seara, pe plaja, insa am avut mereu grija sa il protejam cu o paturica pe cap. In cea de-a doua zi a facut o mica iritatie pe fata, niste brobonele mici rosiatice, pe frunte si pe gat, insa s-au dovedit a fi din cauza transpiratiei – afara era foarte cald iar noi il tineam in sistemul de purtare Marsupi, foarte aproape de pielea noastra. Chiar daca materialul e foarte subtire si racoros, tot era prea cald pentru el. In orice caz, a fost peste asteptarile noastre 🙂 Mult mai usor decat ne asteptam, nu am avut deloc probleme iar bebe Alexei pare sa fi fost incantat de prima lui vacanta la mare. Drept urmare, mai incercam si o escapada la munte saptamana care urmeaza, nu de alta, dar sa il obisnuim de mic cu plecarile 😀

EN: Pfff… incredibly good! We don’t know if this was the hush before the 6th week growth spurt storm or the air from the seaside but we simply had another child! During the day he was very quiet and when we was not sleeping he was extremely careful at everything that was going on around him, extremely curious and fascinated. Even more, he voluntarily smiled us for the first time! He slept during the night, for the first time between us, in the bed (until now he only slept in my arms, in the couch or in the breastfeeding chair). As difficulties we had the evening bath – as we did not have his tiny bathtub with us we had to wash him in the shower which was somehow hard and risky. Then the sun, as we were constantly careful not to get sun burnt, knowing that babies have extremely sensitive skin (we were scared of sun strokes). And the wind, especially during evenings and mornings, but we always protected him with a blanket on the head. In the second day he made a small heat soreness on the face, some tiny irritation on the forehead and neck, but those proved to be due to the heat – it was very hot outside and we will holding him in the Marsupi, very close to our skin. Even if the fabric is very light and breezy, it was still too hot for him. Anyways, it was beyond our expectations 🙂 Much more easier, we had no problems at all and baby Alexei was thrilled by his first seaside vacation. So, we will also try a getaway to the mountains next week, to get him used with the trips at an early age 😀

RO: Legat de acest lucru, nu stim daca este inca momentul sa invatam bebelusul cu ceva anume. Insa ne-am gandit ca daca vom incepe foarte devreme cu aceste plecari (bineinteles, in conditii de siguranta atat pentru el cat si pentru noi), ne va fi tuturor mai usor in plecarile mai serioase de mai tarziu. Nu stim cat de fezabil este, insa am vrea sa nu il obisnuim cu o rutina foarte stricta, cu ore extrem de bine stabilite de masa, somn, baie si am vrea sa se adapteze cumva din mers, sa incercam sa il adaptam stilului nostru de viata. Bebelusilor insa le place rutina de nu se poate, si nu ne dam inca seama daca va fi posibil sa il formam mai “fara reguli”, asa cum ne-ar placea noua. Si cum am inteles deja ca nu mai este totul despre noi si despre ce ne-ar placea noua sa facem… o sa asteptam si o sa vedem cum decurg lucrurile 🙂 Cert e ca bebe Alexei ne-a ascultat rugamintea de a fi ingaduitor si pentru o prima vacanta la mare, la aproape sase saptamani de viata, s-a purtat mai mult decat exemplar! 🙂

EN: Speaking of which, we don’t know if it is now the moment to teach the baby something in particular. But we thought that if we will start from the beginning with this kind of trips (of course, as long as they are extremely safe for both us and the baby), it will eventually be easier for all of us. We don’t know if it is feasible or not, but we don’t want to get him used with a strict routine, with fixed hours for eating, sleeping or bath, and we would like him to adapt to our way of living. Babies love routine and we still cannot figure it out if it will be possible to have a “rule-less” life for Alexei, as we would like. We already understood that it is no longer about us and what we would like to do so… we will wait and see how things will evolve 🙂 One thing is for sure, baby Alexei listened to our requests and for a first trip, at almost six weeks of life, he was way better than we expected!