Do you ever browse Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia? If not, may I suggest you start in May? I will have three articles come out in T+L Southeast Asia’s May family print issue. What an honor to write for such an elite publication! I will also be writing an article online every two weeks for Expecting Expats, a wonderfully informative site for parents living in and around Thailand on everything from conceiving to life with a baby. Wanted to share this awesome news with you!
We had an unwanted visitor in our house two weeks ago: roseola. Three days/nights of high fever ranging from 103-105 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by a full body rash. Not fun for little ones, mommies, or daddies. I wanted to share these pictures of Kate because I know that roseola is a scary thing for first time parents. High fevers always make me nervous and the rash looks pretty awful. The thing to remember about roseola is that it is extremely common viral infection in young children (both Logan and Katelyn had it around nine or ten months of age) and will usually only last a few days. It typically starts with a sudden high fever, followed by a rash that usually appears on the trunk, torso, neck, and arms (both my children also had it on their face and legs). While there is not much you can do to treat it, bring the high fever down with frequent sponge baths and infant acetaminophen and/or ibuprofen. The rash is not itchy and although it looks bad enough to leave scars, I promise that it doesn’t. It fades away fairly quickly after the fever has subsided. Other than that, give them lots of love and care. With such a high fever, they won’t be sleeping much and they won’t have much of an appetite either.
So, when this happens to your sweet baby, know that it is common and will only last for a short period of time. Here are some resources that will tell you more.
It was hot. It was smelly. I ended up with splashes of I don’t know what on my legs. But it was worth it. If you haven’t spent a morning at Klong Toey market, you should. The people are wonderful; the meat and produce unending. The market would even be a good experience for tots.
In case you hadn’t noticed everyone, summer’s here. Just one foot out the door and you’re sweating. Five minutes out and you’re drenched. Here are some ideas that might help you beat the heat with the kids as we move into this very, very hot time of year.
Ayyee Mom, it is hot out here!
1. Pool – This one is not rocket science, folks. When it’s hot, go to the pool. Bring lots of snacks, toys, bikes, trikes, scooters, and lunch and play in the water for hours. Yes, you do have to be mindful of the strong sun so make sure the kids are fully sun-blocked and have on their SPF-50 shirts and a hat. Starting early (say, 8am) or late (say, 4pm) can help you avoid the strong rays. I was nine months pregnant with Katelyn this time last year and I took Logan to the pool everyday. Everyday. I bobbed while he swam. It was heaven for both of us.
2. Find a Good Indoor Play Area – Try the fairly new Kidzoona at Gateway Ekkami or the brand new Kidzania (opening March 29, 2013) at Siam Paragon. A good play area should hold the kids’ attention for hours.
On a hot day, Kidzoona delivers
3. Reading nooks – Have an avid reader? Mosey on down to the beautiful Neilson Hays Library in Silom and spend a morning browsing through their selection and reading some new literature. On Saturday mornings at 1030am, the library hosts a story-telling hour followed by a craft activity. There is a nice gallery cafe adjacent to the library where you can lunch post-reading. For a more local experience, hit up TK Park on the top floor of Central World. It houses a kids reading room with a good selection of English and Thai books, as well as a treehouse of nooks for the adventurous reader-climber.
4. Siam Ocean World – If you regularly read Toddle Joy, you know this is a favorite place of ours. Fantastic indoor aquarium with exhibits that change frequently in the basement of one of the best malls in Bangkok. What’s not to love? Logan and I just traversed the shark tank on the glass bottom boat for the first time last week; worth it. Very cool.
Anxiously waiting to board the glass bottom boat
5. Cool way down and give Sub Zero Ice Skate Club in Ekami a whirl. 140 baht/adult and 100 baht/child per hour (weekday prices; a little bit more expensive on the weekends). The rink is located at Major Ekami Mall on Sukhumvit soi 61; accessible via Ekami BTS.
6. Visit the Bangkok Art and Culture Center (BACC) – The BACC is a cool place for parents and children to visit together. Kids can release some energy by running up the spiral walk adorned with art (it would be hard to break anything) while parents get their art-fix on. The current exhibit is on Thai cartoons. There are restaurants in the building so you can grab a quick bite before leaving. BACC is connected to the skywalk at the National Stadium BTS exit (directly across from MBK).
7. Find a yummy child-friendly restaurant and spoil them. That’s right. Go all out and order them ice cream or cake. Great new places for this? Mr. Jones’ Orphanage (both in Thong Lor and at Siam Center) caters to children with its eye-catching dessert table, swinging teddy bears, and home made vanilla, spearmint, chocolate, or bubblegum milk ; the brand new Magnum Cafe in Siam Center allows you to make your own Magnum Bar and choose from over 20 toppings. Y–U–M.
Entranced by the dessert table at Mr. Jones’ Orphanage Thong Lor
Kit-Kat M&M cake: a child’s delight
8. Get creative indoors – Build pillow forts and race tracks, finger paint, sculpt with Wikki Stix. If you have a big enough balcony, cultivate your child’s green thumb. You know, just get creative. Pinterest is the ultimate tool for finding new ideas when it comes to kids’ crafts. Embrace it.
Things you probably don’t want to do this time of year? Ancient Siam, Dusit Zoo, any park, the Crocodile Farm, the Floating Market, Jatujak Market, visiting wats along the Chao Praya. Don’t do it folks. You and your children will melt. And you will all be cranky. Cranky x 100.
Anybody else have good ideas on how to beat the heat? Please sound off in the comments if so.
Aside from being a wonderful outlet for me to write about my children and experiences I share with them, I write to be a resource for others.
In the past couple of weeks, I received the following comments and it makes my writing that much more rewarding.
So happy to know that Toddle Joy is a helpful resource for others. Thank you for your comments!
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