Family Friendly Travel Blog

Beautiful Babymule Changing Bag Giveaway!

This week, we've got a corker of a giveaway for you, from our friends at Babymule. 

I’m a sucker for anything that makes getting out and about en famille easier and one product that I have stumbled across recently that fits the bill is the Babymule Backpack, a finalist in our Just Go Awards earlier this year.  

As a mum with 3 children ranging from 9 to 2, I’m looking for a practical bag that serves me during the baby years but also caters for the stages beyond and the Babymule does just that.  

We’ve used it for picnics, as hand luggage on flights, on family cycle rides and even on a school trip my 9 year old.  The secret is that it is cleverly designed, carefully thought out, comfortable to wear and robust in its construction.  It feels like it is designed to do the job!

Practical... 

It’s a proper practical backpack, designed as much for a family that truly goes out walking, cycling or picnicking as it is for a quick trip to the shops or swimming at the leisure centre.  It is well designed and spacious, with lots of room for the day to day bits as well as the extra paraphernalia required for a longer day out or a trip to see friends.  

Easy to use... 

Clearly a lot of thought has gone into how the adult might use this bag.  There are easy access pockets at the front and the side for your keys, mobile, passports and paperwork as well as larger pockets for nappy bags, food and so on.  I’m keen on bags within bags so that everything has its place and this need is satisfied too.  So there is a baby changing bag and a large zippy bag and a bottle holder.

Comfortable... 

There is a choice of how to use this bag, so on a bike ride you might wear it as a back pack whilst a quick change of the straps means that it hangs off the back of the pram or you can wear it as a messenger bag.  Either way it’s comfortable, even withstanding the rigours of a long walk or a cycle ride.

Beautiful...

I like the simple yet pretty design, also acceptable to my husband and eldest son who did not feel that their masculinity was compromised! ...and critically it’s a bag that will outlive the baby years proving good value for money.  

If I was to make one criticism it would be that there are perhaps too many pockets - the more efficient amongst you will not find this an issue whilst those of you (like me) at the slightly scattier end of the spectrum, might find remembering where everything is a challenge!

Overall this is a fantastic baby changing and family bag, designed to last beyond the baby years.   

WIN A GORGEOUS BABYMULE BACKPACK OF YOUR VERY OWN! 

To get your hands on one of these beauties, drop us a line on competitions@totstotravel.co.uk by Monday 3 October 2011 and the first name out of the hat will be the winner! 

Just tell us...

1. Your name

2. Your email address

3. Whether you would like to sign up to the Babymule newsletter

Good luck! :-)

Expert photography tips for family holidays

With those of you lucky enough to travel outside the school holidays now jetting off on your well earned breaks, we asked award-winning travel photographer, Steve Davey, to give us his top tips for shooting great photos of your children so you can return home with the best possible mementoes of your fabulous family holiday.

Kids are a compelling subject for photographs, but too often the pictures are disappointing, conveying none of the emotion or fun of the moment when you took them. Follow these simple rules though and you can be rewarded with great shots that you will treasure for ever!

1. Make it fun...

Make sure that your taking pictures doesn't turn into a mission for you, and a long boring drudge for them. If it does you'll end up with disappointing pictures, and very petulant kids!  

2. Short and sweet...

Kids have a very short attention span. If they get bored whilst you're 'being creative', they are less likely to cooperate with pictures in the future.

3. Give them something interesting to do...

If they are doing something, like colouring or painting, then they are not going to be leaping around quite so much and you should be able to take more, considered pictures.

4. Try to use natural light for better pictures...

Flash can freeze movement pretty well, but it gives very ugly, harsh light. Try to photograph in natural light for more atmospheric images. Outdoor light is perfect for photographing kids, but avoid direct sunlight in the middle of the day. 

5. Don't strike a pose!

The pictures will often end up looking false and staged. Allow them to do what they want and photograph the result. The pictures will show their characters better.  

6. Always keep a camera on you...

How many times have you said 'if only we had the camera...'? Often things will happen when you aren't expecting them, and you don't want to miss the moment! 

7. Get them used to being photographed...

If you get into the habit of taking a lot of pictures then your children will become more comfortable with the camera, and will learn to ignore it, leading to more relaxed images.  

8. Don't monopolise the camera...

Let your children take pictures too. It will make them more comfortable and happy with the presence of a camera.  

9. Shoot a lot of pictures...

You will probably get a high failure rate, especially if your kids are jumping around all over the place. Sometimes they will have their eyes closed or the focus or composition might be wrong.  

10. Shutter speed...

Use a relatively fast shutter speed to avoid your kids’ movement showing as blur in the picture. Anything from 1/125 to 1/1000 second, depending on the speed of movement. You might need to increase the ISO sensitivity to make this possible in low light levels. 

11. Use a continuous auto focus mode...

This will cause the camera to continuously refocus, meaning that no matter how much your kids are moving, the camera should manage to keep them in focus.

12. Choose your aperture carefully...

A wide aperture will give you a pleasingly blurred background, but if the aperture is too wide, then the depth of field might be too shallow to keep the whole of a moving face in focus. An aperture of f5.6 or f8 is a good balance. 

13. Photograph sad moments as well as happy ones...

Don't just be a 'fair-weather' photographer. Your children won't always be happy, and you should take pictures to show this. Pictures of a tantrum could give you all a good laugh in the future! 

14. Show them the pictures...

Most kids love looking at pictures of themselves, so remember to show them what you have taken. Make them feel that they have an ownership of the pictures, and they are something that you are doing together.  

15. Remember to put the camera down and join in!

Whatever they are doing will probably be more fun than taking pictures. Spending time with your kids is probably more important and rewarding than being their personal archivist!

Now why not put what you’ve learned to good use? 

P&O Ferries is running a competition to win a family break to Disneyland Paris. All you have to do is upload a video or photo of your family having fun to their Facebook page and get your friends to vote for it!

Happy snapping!