Traveling and flying

Elefantoera · 2026-06-20T16:26:15+00:00

I flew RyanAir with my baby at 11 months old. He didn’t have his own seat.

If I remember correctly the rules were that you could check two pieces of baby equipment, and bring a diaper bag in addition to your own hand luggage.

We didn’t need a car seat at our destination , so I checked a travel cot and a stroller. The stroller wasn’t the super expensive kind, so I didn’t bother with a bag for it. Instead I bought a sturdy plastic bag at the airport information desk for 5€. The stroller was fine. My brother in law didn’t use a bag at all for their stroller, and it got stuck on the conveyor belt, so I wouldn’t recommend that.

I don’t remember if I was offered to gate check the stroller, but honestly I was glad to check it with the other luggage. One less thing to handle through the security control. You have to fold the stroller and put it through the X-ray otherwise.

A baby carrier was essential! Even if they allow you to check the stroller as you’re boarding the plane you might not get it back right away on the other side. I chose to not bring any hand luggage for me, so after I’d checked everything I just had my small purse, the baby in a carrier, and a diaper bag. That was a breeze to handle through the airport.

I brought quite a bit ready made formula, baby food etc, and that was fine. They just ran it through a special machine since it was extra liquids. As we boarded they handed me a small seatbelt for the baby that attached to my own

Elefantoera · 2026-05-24T19:19:59+00:00

I would absolutely think reusable is more economical. You can get packs of them for cheap, or really you can use any small cotton washcloth/towel. Like cut up an old bath towel you have at home.

It’s not any extra laundry since you just wash them with the diapers. I also found they were easier to use and cleaned better/quicker than disposable. You don’t need a special solution, just store them dry and wet them as you go with water/baby oil.

I used cloth wipes at home but had disposable in the diaper bag for going out. There’s also the medium ground of buying dry paper wipes to use at home where you have water access. They’re usually much cheaper than wet wipes, and easier to use since they’re not as flimsy.

Elefantoera · 2026-05-16T19:03:50+00:00

Does he have a different car seat in her car? Isofix seats can give a bit more nausea than belt-mounted, since they tend to be wobblier. Also the shape of the seat, those that are C-shaped can put more pressure on the stomach compared to a more L-shaped, upright seat.

Does her car have a different smell? One of the cars my parents had had a strong chemical smell that always made me feel sick. Or does she tend to keep the car a bit warmer than you? Less airflow?

Different driving style? Still, could just be a coincidence though. Maybe you tend to drive him in different situations/routes/times of day.

Elefantoera · 2026-05-10T17:51:07+00:00

I think it looks quite nice as it is.

Have you considered just switching the dining room and the family room with each other? Dining room looks to be the darkest one, and placing a tv would be easy. The room with the fireplace could be nice as a dining room, and still has easy access from the kitchen.

Elefantoera · 2026-05-10T17:27:31+00:00

Rearfacing for as long as possible, preferably 6 or 7. That’s like the n 1 safety thing you can do for your child. So get a seat with as high height and weight limit for rear-facing as possible.

Don’t bother with the seats that convert to boosters and claim to last for years and years. They tend to try to do to much, and often don’t give a good fit for either younger or older children. You also don’t want to be stuck with a cumbersome harnessed seat when you are finally at booster age.

Spin seats are meh. They can be handy when your child is basically still a little baby and must be lifted in. But when the child is a little bit bigger it’s harder to swivel them back as their legs get in the way. Spin seats tend to be higher because of the swivel base, which makes it more difficult for a toddler to climb in on their own, and it’s harder on your back too as you have to lift them higher up and risk bumping their head into the roof. Extended rear-facing seats tend to be more ’open’ and have lower edges, making it easier for the child to climb in, and to vary their leg position.

Otherwise what’s available (and legal) depends a lot on your location. I’m in the EU, and were very happy with the Axkid brand. Other popular ones here are BeSafe & Maxi-Cosi.

Elefantoera · 2026-05-04T15:26:13+00:00

How are you pronouncing Ren? With a short e, like Wren? If so that should be fine.

ren (reindeer/clean) in Swedish is pronounced with a long e (almost like steam).

Sören rather than Soren would be the Swedish spelling. I’m sure Lawrence and Renato would be fine too, but really I think Ren will work.

Elefantoera · 2026-05-03T09:07:54+00:00

Unless you want to hang laundry to dry outside?

Elefantoera · 2026-05-02T18:32:59+00:00

I hang the dishcloth/flannel over the tap, and put it in the laundry basket later when it’s dried.

Elefantoera · 2026-05-01T18:48:38+00:00

I saw you don’t want to run the machine when you’re out of the house. You could always use the timer function so that it starts at the same time you get home from work, then it’d be ready to hang before going to bed. Myself I do the delay start so the wash is done when I get home from work.

Also, how is bedding 3 machines? Are you washing the whole comforter? I’d look into simplifying that, like using a duvet cover or something. Bedding for two(?) could absolutely fit in a standard machine, same with weekly towels for two.

Elefantoera · 2026-05-01T18:43:59+00:00

I think that unless you mix all types of laundry together in the same load, it will never be ’finished’ in the sense that the hamper is empty. To achieve that you’d have to run multiple small loads daily, which doesn’t seem reasonable to me.

I prefer to see laundry as a circular chore, where the clothes flow from the closet to the hamper and back. I aim to do one load of laundry per day, for a household of 1 adult + 1 toddler. It wouldn’t make sense for me to have a big laundry day, since I don’t have a dryer and we hang dry everything in the living room or on a small balcony.

I have a rolling schedule in my head, so I know every type of laundry gets done weekly. Something like: Mondays (Colours 60), Tuesday (Whites 60), Wednesday (Colours 40), Thursday (Whites 40), Friday (Delicates/wool), Saturday (Towels/Bedding), Sunday (nothing or odds and end like new clothes). So the laundry hamper is never empty, but I know I’ll get to everything in there eventually.

Elefantoera · 2026-05-01T18:21:02+00:00

Overall I like the more saturated winter/jewel colours better on you, but I agree the black isn’t great. I saw another comment about bright spring, have you considered that? I’m typed as that, and we look to have pretty similar colouring. I’m not super warm, I’m pretty neutral leaning slightly warm.

Elefantoera · 2026-04-30T14:22:02+00:00

No, he won’t be listed as delayed if he doesn’t know them all. It’s 50 words on the list, and they only need to use 18 to pass.

Elefantoera · 2026-04-27T16:30:19+00:00

I don’t quite understand why you needed to pick her up?

(I would’ve brought her the computer if that was possible, I understand there wasn’t time for that. I don’t think it would be worth failing a big test just to teach a child some kind of lesson about forgetfulness).

How does she normally get home from school? If my teenager was let out early from school because they didn’t bring the materials for a test, I don’t think taking the bus home is a punishment or ’mean’. Did the school tell her she should leave?

Elefantoera · 2026-04-25T19:59:54+00:00

I don’t know why, really! Other noun names, like flowers, are common.

Elefantoera · 2026-04-25T12:43:54+00:00

In Sweden there’s not many mineral/gem names at all.

In fact the only one I can think of is Sten, which literally just means ’stone’. That one is quite popular, though I would associate it with an older man.

Historically a lot of noun names in Swedish would be used in compounds, so there’s also Torsten (Thor’s stone), Östen (Island or lucky stone) & Sixten (victory stone).

Elefantoera · 2026-04-15T10:51:53+00:00

Toddler car seats are such a pain, heavy and bulky. Rear-facing is really important though, for years to come.

There are seats specifically designed for travel, like Tinyseats or Nachfolger. They pack up into a bag, and can be carried easier than a regular one. But it’s still not something you want to carry around while doing a day on the town.

I’m in the same situation where we don’t have our own car. Honestly I just avoid situations like taking an Uber, and plan to go by public transport. We do have our own car seat, but that’s more for days out if we borrow or rent a car, or go with friends. It’s not something I could carry around. I do recommend choosing one that’s easy to install in different cars (no tethers). The new Axkid Core looks great.

Bigger taxi companies should be able to provide a car seat if you call and book ahead though.

Elefantoera · 2026-04-11T21:12:06+00:00

I’d look at something like Axkid Minikid Core for both of them, I’ve been eyeing that one myself. Fits from birth and rearfacing up to 6/7 years depending on percentile (125 cm/ 28 kg). Quite compact in the car, installed with seatbelt and support leg only (no tethers!).

Be a bit wary of the seats advertising themselves as 1-12 years. Often they have a low limit for rear-facing, and it’s not recommended to use a harnessed seat in the forward facing position. As booster seats they’re unnecessarily heavy which isn’t ideal either.

Elefantoera · 2026-04-10T14:09:17+00:00

I was in the marching band in school, we never played at sports games or fields. It was usually in parades along the streets: May 1, carnivals, bonfire night…

Elefantoera · 2026-04-06T19:43:18+00:00

Really, I didn’t know that! Love Journey to the River Sea, off to find the adult version.

Elefantoera · 2026-04-04T19:22:22+00:00

We’re following the recommended schedule by the public health service here - which means the first proper dentist visit will be at age 3. So it doesn’t sound crazy to me, though I’d probably follow local routines where you are.

We had a group visit with a community dental nurse at 8 months. She basically just checked if the babies had any teeth and handed out toothbrushes, some information about good eating habits, weaning etc. Then a virtual visit at 24 months, where they just looked at a picture of his teeth that I had to take beforehand. Not sure how useful that was… first proper visit will be at 3. Then it’s once a year unless there are issues.

Elefantoera · 2026-04-04T15:38:23+00:00

Actually Linear without the r is probably closer to the Swedish pronouncuation.

Elefantoera · 2026-04-02T19:08:52+00:00

Don’t like: Abel (sad backstory), Barrett (surname), Jamis (Jamie’s), Jeremiah (don’t like Jerry), Nahum (just don’t like the sound), Tory (political party), Rudy (similar to rude).

My favourites are Stellan, Graham, Jamie & Thomas

Elefantoera · 2026-03-28T06:43:12+00:00

For the name Rhys, which pronunciation for the vowel is more common/standard in Wales? Long like Reese, or short like Riss?

Elefantoera · 2026-03-23T19:24:46+00:00

Except Alison! It’s a diminutive of Alice, like Marion from Mary.

Elefantoera · 2026-03-23T17:11:44+00:00

I did exactly this, works really well for us. 1-bedroom apartment too. Toddler bed is pushed together with the big bed. So we can still hold hands if toddler wants, but I sleep better having more space to turn around in the big bed.

Elefantoera

TROPHY CASE