Baby

Understanding a German-speaking toddler

debbiekaye19801 Comment

Being home with Sammy for the first two years of his life, I just assumed that he would be more proficient in English than German, at least until he started daycare.

Turns out I was kind of wrong.

I guess it’s because it’s the local language, so although he tends to hear me speaking English most of the day, German is the thing that’s on in the background all the time. He also spends plenty of time with his grandparents, who obviously speak German to him, and I’m also in the habit of speaking German when they’re around so they understand me.

Continue reading →

A mummy friend

debbiekaye19802 Comments
mummy friend

If there is one piece of advice I could give other expecting mothers, it would be this: FIND YOURSELF A MUMMY FRIEND!

It’s lovely to have a supportive husband, supportive family, and supportive friends, especially those who already have children and can relate to your challenges.

But there is absolutely nothing like someone who is going through the exact same thing as you at the exact same time.

Continue reading →

Australia with an 18-month old – part 3 – Australia

debbiekaye19803 Comments
beach australia

In the thick of it, it honestly felt like everything that could have gone wrong did. If I’d known how hard it was going to be going into it I probably wouldn’t have done it.

But it had been almost two years since I’d visited Oz. I’d had a kid in the meantime. And last winter almost killed me (or at least threw me into a deep hole of depression that a holiday to Australia probably could have fixed).

So, we went for it. We endured the flight, the jet lag, the covid, the weather, the constant moving around with a toddler, the terrible sleeping from said toddler. And then we faced getting back on the aeroplane and doing it all again.

Continue reading →

Australia with an 18-month old – part 2 – the flight

debbiekaye19802 Comments
airport with toddler

I’d read a lot of stories online of people who travelled with kids. And there was one general consensus. The difficult age is between 1 and 3. Before one, kids are more flexible, sleep a lot, and their bodies don’t react as much to things like jet lag and so on. After 3 they are old enough to understand what’s going on and old enough to be reasoned with (to some extent).

The bottom line was… when I looked into the question of ‘should we do a long plane trip with an 18 month old’ the answer was… DON’T.

It can’t be that bad, I thought. And in any case, we don’t have a choice – I want my friends and family to meet the little dude before he’s not so little any more.

It WAS that bad.

So, if you’re thinking about it. My advice is… DON’T. lol. But read on. Enjoy my pain.

Continue reading →

Australia with an 18-month old – part 1 – getting to the airport

debbiekaye19803 Comments
bad weather austria

I had to split this blog post up… because when just getting to the airport became a mission in itself, well… I guess you’ll find out if you read along.

I was nervous about the prospect of flying with an 18-month old. But how bad can it be, really? In the end it’s just a day of our lives. It will be difficult. But it won’t be terrible. Well… actually it kind of was.

Continue reading →

Getting paid to study German? How can that be a thing?

debbiekaye19804 Comments

In between raising a child I’ve taken on another challenge: learning German… again.

You see, there is a thing in Austria called Ausbildungskarenz. Which translates to something like training on leave. With the blessing of your company, you can take time off work to do some kind of further education. There are plenty of courses available, the caveat being that it has to be relevant to your line of work. For this you get the time off (can range from months up to a year) to study, as well as a bit of cash for doing it.

Continue reading →

My favourite baby products 6-12 months

debbiekaye1980Leave a comment
baby pen

Following on from my previous posts of favourite baby products from 0-3 months and 3-6 months, read on for my picks for 6-12 months.

The pen

Yay, Sam’s started crawling! Uh oh… Sam’s started crawling. Time to invest in a safe place for him to hang out when I need to prepare his food or go to the toilet. We were lucky enough to get a hand-me-down, and even though it’s more like a big cot than a grand play pen, it’s enough to keep him occupied and safe for those inevitable moments.

Continue reading →

Back at work… for 5 weeks

debbiekaye1980Leave a comment
Back to work

As mentioned in my previous blog, the Austrian maternity leave system is generous. So I opted to go back to work for two months while hubby stayed home with Sam. During this time I also took all the holidays owed to me, so the end result was a brief five week stint of work for me.

I’m not sure how ideal it is for businesses – to gain an employee back for such a limited amount of time, or to lose one, but it did me a whole lot of good, and in the end, that’s the most important thing.

Continue reading →

The Austrian maternity leave system – giving me a break

debbiekaye19802 Comments
baby shoes

I was told when I moved to Austria that if I planned to have children I should definitely do it here because the system is so generous. And yeah… it was hard going through pregnancy and postpartum in a foreign country… but the advice was right… the maternity leave is generous. The system is good to parents.

Starting with eight weeks of paid leave before you even go on official maternity leave, it’s pretty standard to take two years off as a stay at home parent. During this time your workplace cannot fire you. And they must take you back in a part time role.

Continue reading →