The first day of school is a special day for children. It is the beginning of a new year of learning, friends and varied experiences.

Have you ever considered marking it with an annual tradition? It is never too late to start.

Below are some suggestions for making your child’s first day of school memorable. Please feel free to share your own ideas:

a) Take a photograph of your child beside the same piece of furniture on their first day of school each year, to mark how they looked, and how much they have grown.

b) Organize a tea (juice) party for when your child gets home, to discuss the day in a fun way.

c) If the weather permits, go on a back-to-school celebratory picnic.

d) Bake a first day of school cake, and let your child decorate it.

e) Ask your child to draw a picture of their hopes for their school year after returning for their first day, and then put it away until the end of the year to examine again to see if their expectations were met.  

Best of luck with your back to school preparations!

Check out our Back to School Savings Guide at:
http://www.kidsaroundcanada.com/blog/2010/08/back-to-school-savings-guide-for-kids-in-canada/

It’s been almost three years since I started Have Baby Will Travel, and in all this time I’ve been a total cheerleader for family travel.  My goal with the site has always been to inspire and motivate new parents to travel with their babies and toddlers, and I think a big part of the motivation comes from hearing stories from other traveling parents.

The last trip was my 4-year-old daughter’s 8th and my 9-month-old son’s 3rd.  Other than the usual hassles of a giant pile of luggage and figuring how to make sure both kids are fed and occupied on the travel days, it went off without a hitch.  Come to think of it, the very first trip we took with our daughter also went off without a hitch, but I was still a very stressed out new mom who wanted to make sure we got to our destination in one piece physically AND mentally, and enjoyed ourselves once we were there.

But when I think of that first trip, that’s not what I remember. I remember how she kept dozing off in odd places during the first couple of days. I remember her squeals of absolute joy as she hit the beach and crawled in the sand for the first time. I remember her pointing at a cat and saying “cat�, and pointing at a dog and saying “cat�.

Much like childbirth, you just kind of forget the bad stuff. Like how I cried out of sheer exhaustion and frustration when she wouldn’t nap and woke at all hours during our first few days. Like how out of sorts I felt until we established our “vacation routine�. Like how I panicked when I realized the pasta with tomato sauce she was greedily eating had shellfish in it, and I hadn’t yet introduced her to that yet.

As my site nears its 3rd birthday, it’s a wakeup call of sorts for me to not forget where I came from. That first trip was tough, and as much as it’s easy to forget the bad, it’s important not to. I don’t ever want to seem smug or glib about the troubles and hassles involved in getting from point A to point B with a baby in tow. They’re real and they exist and I think being prepared is half the battle. 

And also just like childbirth, it’s totally, totally worth it.

Corinne McDermott is the founder of Have Baby Will Travel, your online guide for family travel with babies, toddlers, and young children.  Connect with her online at www.havebabywilltravel.com or www.twitter.com/hvbabywilltrvl

©Corinne McDermott 2010

We all look at the adorable outfits that our children wore as babies and try to imagine the little fingers, toes, arms and legs which once fitted into them. Many clothes of course also hold special memories.

Our friend Shelley took a special dress of her toddler and placed it in a frame, to hang up in her daughter’s room. The dress is now an eye-catching one-of-a-kind piece of art, that will always be treasured and enjoyed by the whole family.

Thanks Shelley for letting us share your lovely artwork!

Tip of the day for new (and experienced) parents

Whether your child is an infant, a toddler or older, it is never too late to start a book recording funny and special moments shared together.

Kids really do say ‘the darndest things’, and as determined as we are to remember them, life can get in the way, and all that is left is … You said something really silly when you were three-years-old.

Here is one such moment worth recording:

A child says to her mom, my schnitzels are KM. My brother’s schnitzels are LM.

This is of course how she heard initials, adding up to a moment to remember (for her wedding speech).