How to achieve bickering-free and safe travel with your kids

Traveling with kids is seldom easy. Whether you’re going to a family-friendly destination or a far-flung holiday spree, you need to plan in advance how you’re going to keep the kids entertained and safe while traveling.

From quick fun-inducing tips to the crucial cheap travel insurance has to offer, this article has you covered.

First aid supplies. Nothing can spoil a family travel faster than someone getting hurt or sick. Therefore, before leaving home, ensure that you are up-to-date with your first aid kit in your travel pack. This should include pain reliever, band-aids, an assortment of bandages, first aid cream, an instant cold compress, and bring sunscreen and insect repellent as well.

Prepare them for the different climate. Whether you are going somewhere hot and sunny, or cold and snowy, you need to make sure they keep their sunscreen on or their cold climate gear clad. Instruct them the basics, such as drinking adequate water in hot countries and applying their sunscreen to avoid any sunburn.

Get a travel insurance ahead of time. If you’re looking for cover appropriate for children under 16, you have plenty of options available online for quotation. Travel insurance Singapore for instance, will give you choices depending on how your child or children will be traveling.

If your children are traveling with you, the appropriate type of cover can usually be found via a family policy, but, if your children will be traveling with their friends, you might need to purchase a separate cover for them.

Always bring a handy snack. This tip will save you a lot of money. As you travel abroad in the car, parks, tourist attractions, and other locations, pack snacks in plastic Ziploc bags then keep them in a small bag or cooler within you or your oldest child’s reach. This way, you won’t need to turn around to pass the goodies while you’re driving or doing something.

In-car entertainment. Your kids – especially younger ones will need something to occupy their time while traveling. If you have a video player in the car, it can be tempting to play the kids’ favorite program, but take note that watching TV for the duration of the travel can overload them in time to arrive at your destination. If you want to play shows in the car, ensure that you break up their use with other activities, like books or puzzles.

Toys and gadgets. A few days before your trip, walk around the house and get a bunch of small toys that your kids will play while in the vehicle or your destination. You don’t need to go out and purchase something new. Better yet if you have kid’s meal prizes laying around. Store the items out of sight until the trip. The kids will think they’re “new” when they see them again.

It’s also a good idea to bring the kid’s play gadgets like PlayStation Vita, Switch, or whatever they’re using. And invest in a good power bank to keep it going. Of course, moderate their use.

That’s it. These tips should significantly lessen the bickering, keep your kids safer abroad, and ultimately lead to a more exciting travel. Have fun!

5 Tips to getting the best hearing aid in 2017

Millions all over the world are affected by some type of hearing loss in their lifetime. Most of them are adults who are growing older. Because of several factors, such as aging and being exposed to loud noise causes damage to the ears. But sadly, there are reports indicating that people tend to delay buying by several years because of the cost. There are many factors to consider before buying you or your loved one a hearing aid.

 

  1. Consult friends and family – before you buy a hearing aid, it would be helpful if you get the opinion of someone who has had the experience of buying it. Don’t just ask about what hearing aid to buy but even the process that it takes to buy one. But remember that there are several types of hearing loss and your need may be different from theirs. While you may get recommendations from friends and family about what brand to buy, it is always advisable to seek the opinion of a professional regarding your condition first.

 

  1. Book your appointment with a reputable HHP – While consulting your friends and family about hearing aids, you can also ask them for suggestions on the hearing healthcare professional (HHP) that they can recommend. Call the office first and ask relevant questions, and the office should be able to supply you with important information about hearing loss and the treatments available for it.

 

  1. Ask for a demonstration – when you go to your appointment, you will have to your medical history and undergo assessment of your communication ability. Aside from the testing, make sure that your HHP will be able to give you a demonstration of their available hearing aids so that you will know how it would feel to hear with hearing aids. Some offices can even simulate how you hear so that you or your companion will be able to know what it feels like.

 

  1. Choose a style that you think would best fit you – you don’t need to feel pressured to buy a hearing aid on your very first appointment. Try out several styles to figure out which one works best for you. The common types are Mini-Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aid (mBTE), Completely in the canal (CIC), in the canal (ITC), Receiver in the canal (RIC), and open fit.

 

  1. Choose a hearing aid that provides the best features – some important features that should be found in your hearing aid are: telecoil, feedback suppression, digital noise reduction, and directional microphones. Also, consider if you want your hearing aid to have rechargeable batteries, and even direct audio input which allows you to plug into an audio device.

 

If you have gone to your appointment and are now in the process of making your choice on what to buy, here’s a review of smart hearing devices to make it easier for you to choose. From the thousands available in the market, the list has been narrowed down to the best of the best. The site has listed down the features of each and even listed down problems you may encounter for each so that you can make the smart choice.

 

The Multi-Functional Carry-On Backpack: Perfect for Traveling with Kids

Traveling with kids can be difficult to say the least, especially when you’re flying. Not only do you have to negotiate your surroundings, but you’ve got to make sure that you’ve got everything your little ones need at close hand. That’s why I was pleased to find a Carry on Backpack that’s been designed to cope with everything that traveling with kids can throw at you. So, let’s have a look at how a travel backpack could help you have a stress-free journey or day-out.

  1. It’s Big Enough to Carry Pretty Much Everything

With a massive 35 liters of space divided up into compartments, you’ll be able to fit everything you need for a flight or day trip inside. However, if you do need some extra room, or you can’t resist buying souvenirs, an expandable zip gives you another 10 liters of space. You’ll also find a removable sleeve for electronics, together with a handy set of front pockets, so it’s easy to slip out the kids tablets on the move or when passing through security, and keep all your travel documents in one place.

  1. A Backpack That’s Versatile

Unlike traditional backpacks, this travel backpack is versatile. You can use the top and side handles to carry it as you would a normal suitcase, add a shoulder strap, or release the hidden straps to convert it into a backpack.

  1. It’s Easy to Move Around with the Option of a Hands-Free Travel Backpack

Getting from A to B is easy with a travel backpack. You can simply pick it up and put it securely on your shoulder or back to negotiate stairs, cobbles or other uneven surfaces, and still leave your hands free to hold onto your kids or a pushchair.

  1. It’s Easy to Keep Everything Organized

Traveling with kids is never easy, especially if they’re young. There’s all the usual baby and toddler paraphernalia, plus drinks, snacks, changes of clothes and the ‘can’t-leave-behind’ comfort blankets and toys. The compartments inside the travel backpack make it easy to give some semblance of order to your things, making it easier to access the things you need quickly and most often.

  1. It’s perfect for adult getaways or business too

You wouldn’t dream of taking a whimsical baby bag on your adult only holiday or lugging it into the office. However, this travel backpack is a bit like a chameleon; it’s useful in so many scenarios. It’s perfect for that romantic weekend away, or for taking your notes and laptop to a business presentation, or even for making sure you have enough kit with you for an after-work session at the gym.

The Takeaway

Who said that traveling with children means lugging along a bag covered with cute puppies, spaceships or princesses? A sleek minimalist, multifunctional carry-on backpack will give you so many more options whether you want to simplify traveling with your kids, you’re traveling professionally or you simply want a space-saving bag that will allow you to travel minimally.

3 DJ headphone features that are worth the money

It is no secret that a good DJ needs a lot of equipment to perform to the best of their ability. One of the most coveted items that a DJ must have is a good set of headphones. Believe it or not, there is a lot that goes in to purchasing a great set of headphones with the right amount of features. This article will serve as a way to decipher which features are worth the extra money.

If you want to learn more about specific DJ headphones and their features, check out this list which is reviewing the 15 best dj headphones of 2017.

  1. Coiled cable. If you are going to use your headphones for running, listening to music on your phone or tablet, or watching netflix, you will most likely want a wireless model or one with a cord that is not noticeable. If you are a DJ however, you will likely want to purchase a set of headphones that come with a coiled cable. The coiled cable is important because you will most likely want to spend a great deal of time playing music and therefore you will want to have a cord that can stay coiled after a long period of time. If it does not coil, it could get stuck under your feet or get caught up in your hands as you are playing. In addition, the length that the coil can provide will help you a great deal. Just imagine that you are DJing a wedding and need to lean over to take a request or take a drink of water. If you do not have a cord that is long enough, this could serve as a problem.
  2. The ability to use on one ear. Like a coiled cable, if you are just purchasing a pair of headphones to use on a casual basis, the one ear’d feature will probably not be worth it to you. If you are a DJ however, this feature is a must-have as it can make your job so much easier. With the ability to hear with one ear will allow you to listen to the monitor speaker with one ear and also the incoming track on the other ear with the use of your headphones. When selecting your headphones be sure that you look for a model that offers earcups that swivel and move.
  3. Comfortable. While it is true that most people want their headphones to be comfortable around their ears, DJ’s will typically want their headphones to feel good around their neck. The reason for this is that DJ’s are more likely to wear their headphones around their neck for extended periods of time. DJ’s will use their headphones to cue a track but will most often have them resting around their neck for the duration of the gig.

These three features are important and well worth the money you will need to spend to purchase a pair that will deliver all of these. Other things that you need to consider before you make a purchase include taking a close look at the durability and transportability of the model you end up investing in.

Clean with Mean Green in 2017

There are quite a few items in the Mean Green family of cleaning products, all of which help make your home cleaner- more quickly and easily. 2017 is going to add a few more items to its already robust line of products. These are Heavy Duty Super Strength Wipes, Auto and Garage Cleaner and Degreaser, and the Car Wash. All work great in the garage, outdoors, and so many other messes (even your car). The wipes are a favorite, being so “ready to go” and remove grease, grime, oil, adhesives, and other gross stuff with little effort. They an be used all over the home, from the garage to the kitchen to the bathroom and beyond. I would of course use a different wipe for each room…

Use by spraying down the walls and crevices after you shower, and keep mildew from growing in your bathroom. Bonus? No scrubbing required.

The Car Wash is made to work into a rich foam that removes dirt and grime, cleaning the exterior of your car easily. We tried out out the auto and garage cleaner and degreaser. This cleaning product is made specifically to cut through tough messes that gets on your car, like petroleum based grease, grime, and oil. It works on concrete, metal, tools, outdoor furniture, grills, and pretty much all outdoor surfaces you can think of as well. The Auto and Garage Cleaner definitely cuts through the grease quickly and easily, making quick work of spilled oil or fluids from a leaky car, or from a home auto repair job. This also works well at cleaning up that “fix it” corner of your garage where paint is sometimes used (and spilled), and to clean up adhesives, or fuels. This would normally take a lone time to clean, or with some special hack or trick, but now all you need is one cleaner to tame your yard and garage. Boom, hack that.

Easy to use, and effective, Mean Green works well on sinks, floors, bathtubs- and beyond. Better yet? The first time.

The entire Mean Green line are great cleaners and work great for their specific specialties. I would highly suggest grabbing a few at your local retailer.

Valley of the Dolls

From the soft and cuddly, to things a little more exotic, there are dolls for everyone to love this summer. Check out what’s new and exciting in all things doll related.

bath toys

For a doll that does double duty (you can snuggle it as well as take it into the bathtub or pool) you can check out Mon Premier Bébé Bath(or Bath Baby) from Corolle.  These dolls are specially designed for playing in the tub, and are so light they float. They are filled with polystyrene beads that dry quickly, just hang to air dry or lay on a towel. These soft, posable 12 inch baby dolls have adorable faces, vanilla scented skin (Corolle’s signature), and eyes that open and close. Every doll comes with an outfit and bath toy of it’s own.  Both boy and girl dolls available, as well as several skin tone options, for about $28 each. Get yours at http://us.corolle.com

barbie RC car

Maybe your dolls love it when you’re cruisin’ together. If you do as well, the Barbie Crusin Convertible Corvette Radio Control is right up your alley.Long name, fun toy. This is a fully functioning radio control car- and it’s aimed at the girls for once. Not that you shouldn’t give your brother a turn, hey now, but it’s nice to see the ladies get a radio control vehicle now and then. Huzzah. This Barbie Hot Pink car holds any Barbie doll- or any doll around the same size. The car requires quite a few batteries- two AAA for the remote and five AA for the car itself, so make sure you have some on hand. Prices vary, but most seem to be listing for about $50.  Check around before you buy.

egypt toys

Looking for something a little different? Maybe you are dreaming of a vacation far, far away? Playmobile has these cool History themed sets, such as 5386. No real name, but it’s basically Pharaoh’s Pyramid. Apologies, it’s not a great system, but at least it’s easy to look up. Don’t let that dissuade you from picking it up- this is one of the cooler toys I’ve seen this year. Way back in February at New York Toy Fair, I was digging on this one, and looking forward to it’s coming out. This pyramid has five chambers that hide jewels and treasures, as well as (0f course) a mummy in it’s tomb. It’s well guarded, and protected by all sorts of traps that let you get your inner archeologist on. You can remove the several of the pyramid’s walls to get even more entombed, I mean, entwined in your playing. This set has it all– revolving doors, skeletons, spiders, three figures, tomb, mummy, treasures, fire pots, hieroglyphics, and many other ancient Egyptian themed accessories.  $70 at http://www.playmobil.us

stikbot pets

Do your kids like to make their own home movies? If they have already played with Stikbots and loved them (as my son has), they will love Stickbot pets. If they haven’t, maybe now is the time to try it out. These toys are so inexpensive, hard to break, and give hours and hours of creative and imaginative play- they really are some of our favorite toys of all time. Easily a top 10 in my household. Stickbot is a YouTube sensation- there are roughly 200 million views and more coming every day. These toys let kids become stop-motion-animators themselves, and now Stikbots have pets to join in the fun! These easy to pose, stick in any position toys come with a free app (iOS and andriod) and an easy to follow along with hashtag #Stickbot that keeps fans connected to each other’s movies. Joining the Stikbot family is a bulldog, dog, cat, cow, horse, gorilla, panda, monkey, and bear. Each is available in several colors, for $5 each.

Osmo Genius Kit

There is a new way to learn with an iPad and it is called Osmo, Osmo is a learning system which uses tan grams, words and number tiles. All in the perfect size to get your little one, aged 5 and up, learning in no time.

Set up was easy where you install a few apps depending on what you would like to learn then set up the stand and reflector to more easily read the game pieces. Osmo perfectly melds the tablet’s digital view and camera with real world learning items, which give kids a new way to learn both visually on a screen and by manipulating items with their hands. Kids have so much fun playing they often dont know they are learning as well. OSMO supports, STEM, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and STEM products encourage kids to develop core skills in these areas. Best Buy carries products from basic learning games to advanced toys designed to stimulate a child’s mind in the STEM areas, helping to develop logic and problem solving skills.
Little Guy likes new apps of any kind, especially ones with toys as he puts it. And that is the interesting thing about this app it is less of a learning device in the child’s eye and more of a new toy, which works perfect for sneak learning.
Osmo is only available for iPads, but is is compatible with all iPads, so that is a nice treat for those of us with an old iPad collecting dust in the corner. We like how easy it is to store all the various pieces with the kit so little if anything is lost after learning or playing time is over. There are entirely too many toys that are just impossible to store or clean up in a quick manner.

How to choose the best Orthopedic Shoe

If your day ends when you are tired, and your feet are aching, there are chances all these problems are coming from your shoes. When you have shoes that are not fitting well on your feet, you will end up with heel pain, hammertoes, bunions, back problems, and calluses. You will prevent foot pain if you use the right shoes. It is only a reputable dealer that understands the constituents of a good shoe that will possess it in the store. It is vital for both feet to have the right measurements from the toes, ball of the foot, and the shape of the foot.

As you continue aging, you need better heel fit and more toe room to ensure comfort and stability. A shoe is not supposed to hurt you, if it does, then it is not the right one for you. The fact remains that feet change with time. Arches continue to get weak, causing the toes to elongate. The room in the shoe needs to be evenly distributed to avoid stress. You can get brands that fit in many sizes and widths per style. However, you will find stores many having selected sizes and styles they can sell most.

Genuine orthotic shoes come with a firmness design in the arch, cushion and heel support to contour the feet, and promote comfort and proper balance. Authentic shoes will give you more stability and a more sure foot. Putting on the right pair of shoes will help the whole of your body, and not just the feet. The hips, knees, ankles, and back depends on the proper foundation that comes from stable shoes.

As a matter of fact, people will benefit from the additional stability that comes from their shoes regardless of whether they are pre-molded or custom orthotics. They also provide excellent support by adding orthotics that may or may not be of use. Each foot can be unique from the other. Many individuals who have comfort, stability and flat fee issues will benefit from orthotics as they offer a better-contoured footbed. An orthotic shop serves well it customers by having different proper fitting shoes.

What do you look for in the shoe while buying?

The recurring theme in the field of orthopedic shoes is purchasing the right shoe as it is a sound investment. The search needs to start with your own feet and what is in your closet. You need to stand barefoot on cardboard or paper to ascertain the actual shape of the foot. You can take all the shoes from your closet one by one and fit them on the drawing. It is most probable that the shoe will comfortably fit on the drawing. Shoes that cause pain are most likely heels for women and narrow and short for men.

Basically, you will not put on shoes that are too tight, too small, or too high. If you possess these kinds of shoes, you will have to put them on as infrequently as possible to reduce the risk of foot problems and pain. The less often you put on non-fitting shoes, the better for your health. It is crucial to possess several pairs of shoes so that so that you use low-heeled and comfortable pumps at casual gatherings and the office, and save the fancy, high-heeled ones for dressy events.

Types of orthotics

While various orthotic devices range from silicon tabs to inlays to heel caps, the most common orthotic types for athletes are insoles. While they are similar to insoles which come to the regular shoes, orthotic insoles feature a custom design that will give your feet support when needed.

  1. Custom Made Easy

You can find this automated system at many drug and grocery stores all over. It allows you to step on its mapping unit to get a recommendation for the right orthotic type that will give your foot the best results. The kiosks use the help of sensors to pick your foot shape including foot length, pressure point, and arch type. It will take a few minutes, and you will have orthotics inserts that will fit your feet perfectly.

  1. Hard to Soft

Several over-the-counter orthotics have soft materials that go flat immediately you step on them. You need to avoid these shoes. You need to go for the material that combines hard plastic or vinyl polymer which offers rigid support under the foot. You can also opt for the moldable insole option which blends with both custom-fit and OTC orthotics. These shoes allow you to mold the shape of your foot by use of heat treatment. The problem with the moldable orthotics is that you do not get proper implants that will make your insoles to be virtually useless.

Top health benefits of orthopedic shoes

Nowadays, finding orthopedic shoes is quite easy for enhancing the health of your shoes. There many valuable health benefits that you will get when you buy these shoes. They include:-

  1. They provide great support

These shoes have a design that will cater for your arches, help realign your foot, and cushion your heels. You can get frustrating problems like plantar fasciitis and flat foot without proper realignment and support of these shoes.

  1. Wearing these shoes encourages blood flow

Orthopedic shoes are vital for people who suffer from diabetic nerve pain. Those people suffering from diabetic neuropathy can also support their arch with great comfort. Diabetic neuropathy can cause you not to feel pain in your feet. Putting on orthopedics shoes will take your foot to a functional and healthy environment. These shoes can save diabetic people from losing their feet.

  1. Orthopedics cost less than foot surgery

Ignoring taking care of your feet will become costly in the long run. Putting on these shoes when you have foot problems can prevent you from going for a surgery that is eminent. These shoes will act as a preventive feature for the health of your feet.

  1. You can correct foot problems by use of these shoes

Since these shoes can help preserve arches and realign feet, the problems that you have been experiencing will be history. Most foot problems come as a result of wearing wrong shoes.