When we knew we were expecting we began searching around for the perfect baby monitor. When I was a first-time Mother, I had one of those monitors with an under-mattress breathing sensor. At the time, it gave me peace of mind knowing baby was breathing. For my second child, I no longer needed that extra piece of mind to allay my crazy first time Mom fears, but it was the one I owned so we stuck with it, but didn’t connect the under mattress sensor. With the new baby, it was time for a new monitor. It had been 7 years since I shopped for a monitor and I knew that I wanted a video monitor.  As I began researching video monitors, I found 2 on the market that displayed the video feed via an app on my iPhone. The features and reviews I read convinced me that the BabyPing would be the better choice for us.

The BabyPing has 2 iPhone (or iPad) apps, once displays the video feed from the monitor on my closed home network (works while I’m at home) and the other allows us to view the video feed when away from home – this is great for letting the Grandparents in USA and Belgium tune in to a live feed of baby Tinkerbell day or night.

Here are two iPhone screenshots showing the video feed with the lights on and off.

BabyPing video feed with lights on

BabyPing video feed with lights off

The monitor and accessories comes in a small box. While there seemed at first to be a lot of stuff in the box – the most important item is the video camera itself and the plug to power it.  You won’t see any receivers etc. because you use your iPhone and the BabyPing app to view the baby. (So you do need to have an iPhone or iPad already.)

BabyPing unboxed

To set up the monitor, we plugged it in to our wireless router, then followed the instructions on the BabyPing iphone app. Setup was pretty easy.After it connected with the app, we were able to unplug the monitor and take it to the nursery, where we had to position it within reach of the electric plug so it could be powered to operate.

Our wireless router is on the 1st floor and our nursery the 3rd, so although we were able to get an intermittent signal, our signal wasn’t strong enough to rely on all the time. This was easily solved by purchasing a wireless repeater  (we bought this one on Amazon) which we plugged in on the 3rd floor, strengthening the wifi to the BabyPing monitor.

As we discover more about the monitor, how our family abroad is enjoying it I’ll continue to post about our new baby monitor adventures! Next I’ll be walking my non-techy parents through setting up the BabyPing + so they can view the baby.

BabyPing retails on their website, babyping.com for £149.99 at the time of writing this post it’s for sale for £139.99 on Amazon.

*Disclosure – upon my request, BabyPing provided me with a monitor to review

With Chinese New Year falling Feb 10th 2013, we managed to just squeak in to the Year of the Dragon. Specifically the Water Dragon. For those of you who follow the Chinese lunar calendar, the Year of the Dragon is considered the luckiest of the Chinese lunar years.

But our little girl wasn’t just satisfied to be born a bit early, into the year of the Dragon (who wants to be a 2013 Rabbit anyways?) she arrived with as much drama as possible. Clearly we have a Diva-in-training.

So here follows her birth story:

Early on the morning of the AM of the 5th of February I began feeling strong contractions as I lay in bed. From 3am -4am they were a bit erratic, but strong and 8-10 mins apart. When my husband went to the restroom a little after 4 I told him I’d been up for the last hr tracking contractions. Within moments I coughed, (having caught a bit of cough from the boys) and felt a pain in my lower left abdomen and wetness suddenly down below. I got up to check it out and sat on the toilet where I bled quite profusely. Infused with panic and calm at the same time – I rang the hospital to tell them of the development and determine whether it was faster to come in by taxi or ambulance.

Luckily my Mom had arrived from the US earlier than she had originally planned as she and I both had a suspicion I wouldn’t last to my scheduled delivery date. We woke her up and left her in charge with the boys as we went to the hospital by taxi. As the taxi drove us the mile to the hospital, through empty streets, I almost screamed at the driver as he stopped at red lights – but figured me screeching and explaining would probably have the opposite effect than desired.

We pulled up to Chelsea & Westminster hospital’s front doors, of course which were locked as it was about 4:30 am so hubs and I waddled over the A&E where we explained the situation and were walked by a porter through the dark and silent hospital to the Kensington Wing – where I was scheduled to be seen. As we got to the doors a Midwife was just coming out with a wheelchair for me. Guess I beat here there! They hustled me to an exam room where they quickly realised I was in pain, still bleeding and both baby and I were in distress. I had a placental abruption. Basically this is where the placenta tears away from the uterus, causing bleeding and endangering Mom and baby. I was told I’d have to have an immediate c-section and by general anaesthetic (totally knocked-out).

I had been concerned about this 3rd delivery – even spoken to the anaesthesioligists in advance, you see each delivery has gone spectacularly wrong in a different way. Each uniquely traumatizing. Each time I’ve been told that it almost never happens, that it’s 1% of 1%, that it wouldn’t happen again. They are right – it didn’t happen again but something different an awful does each time.

Baby 1, “Captain Hook” –  2 weeks early my water broke. I went to the hospital, contractions stopped so they put me on pitocin etc and had strong contractions for almost 2 days before I pushed for 4 hrs, then had emergency c-section and the anesthesia only worked on half my body and they hadn’t tested the non-working side so I screamed through the surgery as they cut through me with no anesthesia on 1 side…

Baby 2. “Peter Pan” – while aiming for a VBAC I was told 3 wks before delivery that wouldn’t be possible as he was suddenly over 10lbs and I’d have to have c-section. This was scheduled for a Mon, the Thurs before I went into labor. By the time I got in to the hospital (they kept telling me to stay home when I called) I was dialated to 6, at 3am. I was told I’d have to wait until 6am for the Dr as he was busy with other c-sections, and no although I was in labor I couldn’t have any pain meds as they didn’t want to mess with the meds I’d have for surgery. So I sat through 3 hrs of labor and contractions in the hospital without meds which is so unfair! (especially as having been through it for hrs already at home) and was finally walked to the operating theatre where

Back to baby 3, “Tinkerbell.” I did end up having the c-section by general, and it was done quickly. I was woken up and told that baby was fine, my hubs had already seen her and her oxygen levels at birth to the brain were good so they weren’t concerned about that. I was brought to the recovery room where I got to meet her, count her fingers and toes – and of course realize how much pain I was in. Thank heavens for morphine drips.

As crazy as each of my deliveries have been – I feel I’ve been very lucky. I’ve had complicated situations that in another time, or even now in another place in the world my babies and I wouldn’t necessarily faired as well as we had.

On a normal week I do about 65 hours of work in my office and some in the evenings from home – and then shuttle the kids around, do the cooking etc and try and squeeze in some time for blogging and perhaps a moment for myself.

Once I reached the 3rd trimester – it was all I could do to just stay awake and make it through my workday before returning home. Crazily enough – my work got even busier then and I was doing 70+hr weeks. Something had to give and in this case it was my weekly Monday Twitter Party “MumsNight” and my blog posting. It didn’t happen, the guilt mounted – but all I could do was work, eat and sleep as baby girl got bigger in my belly, preparing for her arrival.

So I’m back – and on Maternity Leave. I thought having the baby would slow me down a bit. Get into her rythm, get some sleep, but nope, somehow even without a full day in the office I seem to be just as busy, but I feel that I’ll be able to squeeze in my blogging. So bear with me as I get back in the swing of things.

When I lived in London 10 years ago – there was absolutely no Mexican food available. I couldn’t find restaurants and stores were empty of salsa, taco mix or even tortillas. This time around – 10 years later, I’ve been delighted to find a little Mexican section in the International aisle of most large retailers. Because it’s so new here, it seems to be put together in packages so it serves as a complete set to introduce the market to.

A couple weeks back I was delighted to be invited to a dinner hosted by Discovery Foods, the chefs of Benito’s Hat and The London Foodie. The dinner was to introduce Discovery Foods line of Mexican Foods, prepared by the chefs of Benito’s Hat, a lovely Mexican restaurant in London in the supper club of Louis, The London Foodie. The event was delightful – and included both food bloggers and parenting bloggers as guests – along with hosts.

I think that by featuring the Discovery Foods ingredients in this setting was a brilliant idea . The food prepared by Benito’s Hat was amazing – and  it was a great idea to take you from the standard that you might have done at home – of tacos or fajitas and used the ingredients to take your meal to the next level. For the starter we had Taquitos Dorados de Papa con dos Quesos (a cheese and potato filled corn taco with avocado salsa) and 

the main was Tacos deCamaron (Garlic & Paprika Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Mayonnaise)

So one of the things I’ve found having travelled a bit is that each in each country the “foreign” food gets adjusted to the local tastes. For example, in Belgium when they order Chinese food, their eggrolls are served with curry sauce! (I don’t think they even have curry in China!) The same goes for Mexican food. As a very broad generalization, I’ve found that the Mexican food I’ve had in England, have less heat or spice than their American counterparts.

When chatting with the hosts from Discovery Foods I learned that Discovery Foods sells their products throughout Europe, that while they offer the same products, Fajita kits, taco seasoning etc. the same products are spicier in the Nordics than here in England – and this is because they have a more evolved taste and palate for Mexican cuisine, having enjoyed it far longer than it’s been available or popular here in England. I found that fascinating! Who’d have thought? Well I guess the Vikings have been exploring exotic and different tastes for centuries so maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised.

At home I cook Mexican Food or incorporate the flavors into my meals at least once a week. So I was delighted to be given a selection of Discovery Foods items to try out at home. To my delight – I’ve found that their “Medium” heat Fajita stir in sauce had a deeper flavor profile and a little more heat than others I’ve tried so far here in England.

Fajita’s are one of my favorite mid-week meals to make for the family. They are quick and delicious – even quicker using the stir-in sauce from Discovery Foods. To prep you slice the chicken, onions and peppers. You can then toss them into the same fry pan and cook it until the chicken is cooked through, adding in the Discovery Foods Fajita Sauce. You can then serve it with cheese, sour cream and salsa as condiments within it’s tortilla shell. Total time from prep to table is less than 15 minutes.

I’m delighted to have been invited to this event – it’s inspired me to go visit Benito’s Hat restaurant, visit the London Foodie for one of his Supper Clubs (Japanese tasting menu here I come!) and try out more of Discovery Foods line of Mexican food products – especially since I’ve found their “Medium” to have more heat than the similarly labelled “Medium” of competitors.

Do check out the blogs posts about this event from some of the other lovely guests:

Cherapeno has captured some amazing photos of each of the courses, and even better has shared the recipe for the delicious cinnamon flavored desert, Buñuelos (Cinnamon Fritters)!

I’ve found one of the easiest ways to be prepared for whipping together a quick dinner is to have ready to use herbs in a tube. They are handy – and you don’t have to worry about a big clump of herbs going bad quickly in the fridge.

Here is tonight’s dinner that I put together using all ingredients I had handy which took under 20 mins from prep to table:

Ingredients:

• Quick cook chicken breasts
• 250g Spiral pasta
• Sun dried tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup aged parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons Gourmet Garden minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons Gourmet Garden minced basil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Pasta:

Cook your pasta per the directions and your own tastes. I generally add a dash of salt to the water when cooking, my spiral pasta takes approx 13 mins to cook. Cook and drain.

For the Red Pesto Sauce and Chicken:

At the same time, start 1 pan for the red pesto sauce and another to cook the chicken. Divide the olive oil and Gourmet Garden minced garlic between the pan for the pesto sauce and the chicken – turn both to medium heat.

Once the two pans with olive oil and Gourmet Garden garlic are heated do the following:

Red Pesto Pan (in which there is heated olive oil and garlic)

add the sun dried tomatoes, stir, and then add the can of chopped tomatoes and stir. Add in the Gourmet Garden minced basil and 2/3 of the grated cheese, stir and turn heat to low.

Chicken Pan (in which there is heated olive oil and garlic)

add the chicken, cover, after about 4 mins turn the chicken over and cook another 4 mins until fully cooked and golden brown and the internal temp of the chicken is 165 F or 71.1 C

To serve:

On your plate put one chicken breast, pasta with red pesto sauce and garnish with the remaining parmesan cheese and you can add a breadstick.

Total prep time, about 2 mins. Total cooking time, about 13 mins. 

Disclosure: While the recipe, opinions and cooking are all my own – the Gourmet Garden herbs were provided to me free as part of a cooking competition.

Although they are 2 years apart in age – they are in almost complete alignment for want they want for Christmas. One item in particular has caught their fancy this year, it’s a Spy Camera Watch. The thing is – they are 100% convinced that Santa is going to bring it for Christmas for each of them this year. They talk about it daily, they draw pictures of themselves wearing it in the future and have created plans for it’s deployment on missions. Their convictions aside, I’m not sure Santa feels the same about it.

From what I understand from Santa – all of their presents have all been made or purchased already – this would be on top of everything else. As a favor to Santa I also researched this Spy Cam Watch and not only is it really expensive for what it is, (about £50) it’s got a lot of poor reviews from parents etc. which were it something that didn’t have so much expectation and anticipation around it I’d never even consider, based solely on the overwhelming negative feedback.

So I wonder – which disappointment would be worse, wanting something so desperately for Christmas and Santa doesn’t bring it? (even though it was on your list and you told Father Christmas in person as you sat on his knee) or it does come, and it’s a complete piece of junk and isn’t as magical as you expected? 

The fervor with which they want these reminds me of Alfie from a Christmas Story who desperately wanted the Red Rider BB Gun, is told by everyone that he’ll shoot his eye out if he gets it, and then pretty much almost does…

So what do you think Santa should do?

I told him, yes, I believe Karma is real – but not everyone does so. For example, your Father doesn’t believe in Karma, but I do believe it’s real. I believe that if you do good things, and your put good thoughts, deeds and actions out there – then it’s not instantaneous or measured 1 for 1, but good things do come back to you.

I asked him – what made him ask and he said “I got up from the couch and didn’t want my brother to have my pillow while I was gone so I tried to take it away with me, and ended up tripping and bumping my head.”

Ok – yes that could be seen as karmic retribution, but a little more cause-effect than what I was trying to thinking and trying explain.

Of course his Father popped his head in the door at that point to say Karma wasn’t true since not all bad people get what they deserve – but I had to point out he didn’t know that for sure, and we have to do the best we can each day in doing the right thing and helping others, regardless of the poor actions of others.

So now my 6 year old believes in Karma, at least on small level. We haven’t gotten to the tough questions yet like, why do bad things happen to good people, or why do little kids get really sick, or why are there floods/wars/insert other here… He does believe that having poor intentions and carrying through with them will come back to bite you.

How have you explained Karma to your kids?

I did take a look for children’s books on Karma but didn’t really see any. Let me know if you have any to recommend.

“Captain Hook” thought about it for a moment, and said “Well, we’ll have to wait until it’s born, take a look at it and then we’ll know.” A well reasoned response for a 6 year old I thought. Meanwhile, our 4 year old “Peter Pan” didn’t have to think about it at all – “It’s a girl!” he said immediately. I asked, “Really? Are you sure? How do you know?” his response – “It just is.”

(image credit: a drawing of Mum and the baby, by “Peter Pan” age 4)

Over the next few weeks and months before we knew for sure – we’d check back in with the kids, and “Peter Pan” stuck to his guns about it being a girl. I did ask – “What happens if it’s a boy?” he then replied – “Then you’re not having a baby, because it’s a girl.” Hmmmm…

One evening, still before we knew the baby’s gender –  as “Captain Hook” sat at the table coloring he turned to me and said – “Are you having a girl because you want a smart kid?” I think my heart just about broke. I told him we didn’t know if we were having a boy or girl, and that we thought he and his brother both were intelligent, kind boys who worked very hard and we were very proud of them. I asked him why he’d think something like that – and he said “Because girls are smarter than boys.” I had to wonder if this is something he’d heard in school, or felt – as young girls language skills developed at a faster rate at his age.

This incident did however remind me of something that had happened years earlier. The boys are 23 months apart. So when “Peter Pan” was born, “Captain Hook” was 2. A little less than a year after his birth – we began asking “Captain Hook” how he’d feel about another brother or sister. He always got really upset and would should “No!” at us. We were rather bemused since he got along so well with “Peter Pan” and really doted on him. Such an extreme reaction was a surprise to us. This went on for several months until one time when we asked – he expanded on the “No!” He said “No! I like ‘Peter Pan’ don’t take him back! I don’t want a different brother or sister!” Oh man – poor kid. For months we’d been asking if he’d wanted an additional brother or sister and the whole time we’d in effect been torturing him, as he’d perceived we were asking if we wanted him to replace/refund his baby brother!

At any rate as our 18-20 wk scan rolled around we grew increasingly nervous. While we’d have been happy with a boy or girl – “Peter Pan” was so convinced it was a girl we didn’t know how to break the news to him if it wasn’t. When we learned we are in fact having a girl we were so relieved. When we told the boys – there was no crowing from “Peter Pan,” just more of an eye roll as in – but of course, that’s what I’ve been saying all along.

Once they learned it was a girl – they wanted to help with the name selection. First up was “Rango” (having been watching Rango quite a bit during that time), then “Rexo” (which I’m pretty sure they got from “Flexo” Bender’s evil twin on Futurama) then Kadija (the name of girl in “Peter Pan’s” class) then “Rosie” (from that CBB’s show). Clearly if I want to influence their name choices I should start selectively slipping in tv shows and movies with names I like!  After their initial naming spurt – a few days later, “Captain Hook” came to me to tell me he had the perfect name, “Lisa Simpson, so she’ll be really smart!” Again, my heart broke. I explained that while a lot of names have history or meaning to the people who pick the names, that they don’t imbue the person with skills or know-how, that’s learned. It’s something we develop, and work hard at – and can achieve when we try really hard.

We’ve officially selected a name, the boys know it and call baby girl by her name already. It hasn’t stopped them from contributing new names – they recently asked if the baby could be named after them with the exact same name. (not going to happen!) I asked them  - wouldn’t that be confusing? And they didn’t seem to think so.

What I find so amazing – is that without having met the baby yet, or having a baby in the house that they can remember – our new little girl has become a part of their view of our family. All family pictures they draw feature the baby too. She’s either in my tummy – or in some images standing beside the boys, as part of our family. While the boys play quietly with toys – I often hear them discussing the new baby and their plans on big brotherhood. “Peter Pan”, 4 the other morning was patiently explaining to “Captain Hook”, 6 that they couldn’t let the baby play with their gooey alien in slime as the baby was too little and could choke on it.

In the same way that it’s hard to imagine life before the boys – here I am on the cusp of having a third child, a girl. Our life these last few years has been focused on the boys, the 4 of us as a family. In a few short weeks, it will be hard to remember what that life was like, as we won’t be able to imagine life without our little girl too, a family of 5.

This being my third baby I pretty much thought I had the drill down by now. But having this 3rd baby in a different country than the previous 2 has really thrown me some curveballs. I’ve previously mentioned my surprise about the differences in maternity wards in the US and UK. I thought I’d figured out all of differences and either planned around them and or made peace with them. That is until yesterday…. 

Ok UK Mums, please humor my naivety for a moment – it’s not based on a feeling of entitlement, rather, in my experience of having babies to date – this is how it’s been done (in the US).

When you pack your hospital bag in the US – it’s pretty much just for you. It’s stuff for the labor and after delivery, change of clothes etc. For the baby, pretty much the only stuff you need to bring is outfit for leaving/and or photo and a car seat or carrier (even then if you can’t afford one generally one will be provided). Everything else – and I mean everything is provided for baby. In fact – so much has been provided, you’re even supposed to pack up all of the extra diapers they give you to take home.

So they provide the little onesie, hat and blankie they put the baby in just after delivery. The nurses make sure you pack up the diapers, the wipes, the pacifiers, and nasal aspirator and comb etc. You seriously need to bring an empty bag to hospital with you for the baby stuff.

When perusing UK baby site yesterday I came across a few discussions about packing the hospital bag and couldn’t believe what I was reading. “You need to bring what? No they must be joking!” So I asked around in my office, and then to some Mum friends on Facebook and they confirmed it for me. You need to bring EVERYTHING for the baby – from the cap and outfit for just after birth, diapers/nappies, and shockingly, maternity pads! (My first thought – isn’t that a medical supply, can people even buy those??)

Seriously, not having discovered this now – I would have rolled up to the hospital with my stuff – nothing for baby and had a naked dirty baby! (Probably closely followed by a visit from family services for my clear ineptitude as a parent).

I suppose it makes sense from the perspective of NHS provided services, this would be a cost saving measure. In the US you (or your insurance) are automatically charged for these items – so if you don’t take them with you you’re leaving something you’ve already paid for. But I just find it so different, and I had no idea about this difference. My friends in Germany and Belgium, also expecting say there it’s just like the US and they too find this surprising about the UK.

Here’s a list a good friend of mine shared with me after I got over my initial surprise yesterday. I’m not sure where she got it from, so if it’s been copied from somewhere and you recognise it, please let me know so I can credit it.

What to pack for labour

• Your birth plan and maternity notes.
• Dressing gown. Hospitals can be very warm, so a lightweight one may be better
• Slippers / flip flops
• Socks. Believe it or not, your feet can get cold during labour
• An old nightdress or a T shirt to wear in labour. It will probably get a bit messy, so don’t buy anything specially to wear in hospital
• Massage oil or lotion if you would like to be massaged during your labour
• Lip balm
• Snacks and drinks for you while you are in labour
• Things to help you relax or pass the time, such as books, magazines, games etc
• A hairband. If you have long hair, you might want it tied up
• Pillows. The hospital might not have enough to make you really comfortable
• TENS pain relief machine if you are planning to use one
• Toiletries
• Music to listen to. Take a battery-operated machine, as most hospitals won’t let you plug things in. Some hospitals provide their own CD players or radios – again, check first

For the birth partner

• Water spray, or a hand-held fan to keep cool down the mum-to-be while she’s in labour
• Comfortable shoes. You may be pacing the corridors!
• A change of clothes
• Watch with a second hand, to time contractions
• Swimwear, if you want to join the mum-to-be in a birth pool
• Camera or camcorder. If you want to bring a camcorder, check with the hospital beforehand, because not all of them allow them in delivery rooms
• Address book or a list of phone numbers. You and your partner will be able to use a mobile phone in parts of the hospital, but bring lots of change just in case
• Snacks and drinks. If you take some with you, they can stay with you rather than leaving the room to search for food!

For after the birth

• A going-home outfit. You’ll need loose comfortable clothes to wear while you’re in hospital and for the journey home. You’ll still be wearing maternity
• Nursing bras. Take two or three
• Breast pads
• Maternity pads. Bring a couple of packs
• Nightshirt or T-shirt. Front-opening shirts are useful in the early days of breastfeeding
• Toiletries
• Towels, hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste
• Old or cheap knickers, or disposable knickers.
• Ear plugs, in case you end up on a noisy ward!

For your baby

• An infant car seat. Some hospitals won’t let you leave by car without one
• One outfit for the trip home (all-in-one stretchy outfits are easiest)
• Two or three sleepsuits and vests for baby to wear while you are in hospital
• Baby blanket. Take a warm one if the weather is cold
• Nappies and cotton wool
• One pair of socks or booties
• Hat
• Jacket or snowsuit for winter babies
• Muslin squares

I think the flight to the US is harder than the return, as the return is a night flight and heading out there it’s just a really really long day. I don’t know what kind of baby she’ll be yet, she could be mellow or this could be a real ordeal. I’m probably less anxious about flying with a baby this time around – but of course the fear still lingers. Not just – will she be ok, but, will she be ok enough not to really annoy all of the nearby passengers?

I’m not alone in my anxiety about this – I often think the anxiety parents feel as they fly with a baby, trying to keep it quiet etc, is worse than any annoyance felt by nearby passengers when it’s clear parents are doing their all to keep the baby quiet and resolve the situation if baby is fussy.

A few weeks back I was reading an article about some other parents who were flying for the first time with their new babies – and they created little goody bags to share with nearby passengers.  It actually seemed to positively influence those nearby passengers. Not just the sweets to brighten their day – but clearly showing that these parents were anxious to try and do the right thing, to not inconvenience other passengers, and be sincere in their apologies if they did inconvenience them.

These new parents of twin gave people on the plane candy (and offered earplugs too!). It’s a bit unclear from the articles I read whether they gave these to the whole plane or just the people seated near them.

“Hello!

We’re twin baby boys on our first flight, and we’re only 14 weeks old! We’ll try to be on our best behavior, but we’d like to apologize in advance just in case we lose our cool, get scared, or our ears hurt. Our Mom and Dad (AKA our portable milk machine and our diaper changer) have ear plugs available if you need them. We are all sitting in 20E and 20F if you want to come by to get a pair.

We hope you have a great flight!”

The pre-apology goody bags came to public notice when a Reddit user on the flight who received one posted it on Reddit. ‘Brilliant and thoughtful parents handed these out to everyone on my flight,’ the appreciative traveler wrote on Reddit

The parents, Christina Diaz, 38, and Michael Rubinstein, 32, were flying with their 14-week-old twins Arrow and Jasper. The boys – didn’t even let out a murmur throughout the five-hour flight from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. making the pre-apology unnecessary. One fellow passenger reported, ”the parents were fantastic, and the kids were better than would be expected.”

What do you think of the pre-apology goody bags for fellow passengers? Good idea or bad? What would you do differently?