5 Parenting Hacks to Make Life Easier
By Tracy Cassels
April 11, 2016
Lifestyle
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Parenting can be hard. There’s lots to do and you need to find a way to keep kids happy while you either do what you must or what you want. Sometimes that's impossible though, but with these hacks, you just might find a way.
How many dads and moms love video games out there? A lot. Playing video games is something this current generation of parents grew up with and plans to continue until their dying day. But if you are a gamer parent, you are probably aware that most games and kids don’t go well together. The kids tend to die a lot in these games thanks to their lack of coordination and skill.
The hack? Use unplugged controllers. Have the kids sit down and think they’re playing too. Most young kids won’t know any better and they’ll be so happy to be involved and spending time with mom and dad doing something fun that for these young years, not knowing how to play or what they’re doing won’t be a bad thing.
When you have kids, you’re constantly worried about cleaning the floor. Why? Because your children will eat anything off the floor and often throw in licking the floor itself for good measure. This is why there is a huge market for natural cleaners – you don’t want the cleaner to be worse than whatever it is that’s on the floor to begin with.
The hack? Turn your kid into the cleaner. If your baby is old enough to be crawling or sliding all over the floor, they are old enough to clean the floor for you. It just requires a bit of sewing help. Simply sew on cleaning mop cloth to the clothes and let baby’s natural movements get the floor clear for you, or at least clear enough that she can lick and eat along the way.
When you have a baby or toddler, you are often making sure you have extra clothes everywhere you go. This is because you will often need said clothes. If it’s not your kids spilling everything and anything all over themselves, it’s massive amounts of dirt and blood from falls, or even toileting accidents. However, most parents find themselves forgetting some element as they go through different drawers to make sure they have all they need.
The hack? Store outfits as one. Watch this video below to see how you can simply get top, pants, underwear (or diaper), and socks together and store it in one neat little package. Simply grab one before you go and throw it in the bag. Not only is it great for going out, but saves lots of space in the closet as well and is absolutely perfect for travel.
(If you can't see the video here, you can click on this link to view it.)
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Kids love slides at all ages. Younger kids also love the challenge of climbing up things in order to slide down. When you have a toddler learning to walk, stairs can be terrifying and yet that seems the one place your child will want to go to in order to experience the thrill of up and down. Of course, if you want to keep your sanity and not nearly have a heart attack every day, you need a new solution.
The hack? Big cardboard box slides and ramps. They are awesome. You get them when you order big items and then you put them over the stairs or from the sofa to the ground (often with something like a small chair or box underneath to keep it steady) and then let your little ones run up and slide down as often as they like. If they do stumble, they’ll safely slide down.
We’ve all done it. We look at the backyard and think, “A little playset with a swing would be the perfect idea for the kids!” So you rush off to get one, set it up, and then discover that your young children now request your undivided attention to push them on the little swing. Over. And over. Again. You can’t destroy the whole thing because (a) they aren’t cheap and (b) your child will never forgive you. What do you do?
The hack? Invest in a nice long piece of rope and tie one end to the swing and bring the other one with you to a nice comfy spot in a chair with a glass of whatever suits your fancy. You could even bring a book or magazine out and enjoy reading, glancing up every once in a while to see your child happy on the swing that you are pulling instead of pushing.
Parenting is always going to hard, but sometimes you can find ways to make it just a little bit easier.
Playing Video Games with Kids
How many dads and moms love video games out there? A lot. Playing video games is something this current generation of parents grew up with and plans to continue until their dying day. But if you are a gamer parent, you are probably aware that most games and kids don’t go well together. The kids tend to die a lot in these games thanks to their lack of coordination and skill.
The hack? Use unplugged controllers. Have the kids sit down and think they’re playing too. Most young kids won’t know any better and they’ll be so happy to be involved and spending time with mom and dad doing something fun that for these young years, not knowing how to play or what they’re doing won’t be a bad thing.
Cleaning the Floor
When you have kids, you’re constantly worried about cleaning the floor. Why? Because your children will eat anything off the floor and often throw in licking the floor itself for good measure. This is why there is a huge market for natural cleaners – you don’t want the cleaner to be worse than whatever it is that’s on the floor to begin with.
The hack? Turn your kid into the cleaner. If your baby is old enough to be crawling or sliding all over the floor, they are old enough to clean the floor for you. It just requires a bit of sewing help. Simply sew on cleaning mop cloth to the clothes and let baby’s natural movements get the floor clear for you, or at least clear enough that she can lick and eat along the way.
Storing Clothes
When you have a baby or toddler, you are often making sure you have extra clothes everywhere you go. This is because you will often need said clothes. If it’s not your kids spilling everything and anything all over themselves, it’s massive amounts of dirt and blood from falls, or even toileting accidents. However, most parents find themselves forgetting some element as they go through different drawers to make sure they have all they need.
The hack? Store outfits as one. Watch this video below to see how you can simply get top, pants, underwear (or diaper), and socks together and store it in one neat little package. Simply grab one before you go and throw it in the bag. Not only is it great for going out, but saves lots of space in the closet as well and is absolutely perfect for travel.
(If you can't see the video here, you can click on this link to view it.)
//
Indoor Slides and Ramps
Kids love slides at all ages. Younger kids also love the challenge of climbing up things in order to slide down. When you have a toddler learning to walk, stairs can be terrifying and yet that seems the one place your child will want to go to in order to experience the thrill of up and down. Of course, if you want to keep your sanity and not nearly have a heart attack every day, you need a new solution.
The hack? Big cardboard box slides and ramps. They are awesome. You get them when you order big items and then you put them over the stairs or from the sofa to the ground (often with something like a small chair or box underneath to keep it steady) and then let your little ones run up and slide down as often as they like. If they do stumble, they’ll safely slide down.
The Outdoor Swing
We’ve all done it. We look at the backyard and think, “A little playset with a swing would be the perfect idea for the kids!” So you rush off to get one, set it up, and then discover that your young children now request your undivided attention to push them on the little swing. Over. And over. Again. You can’t destroy the whole thing because (a) they aren’t cheap and (b) your child will never forgive you. What do you do?
The hack? Invest in a nice long piece of rope and tie one end to the swing and bring the other one with you to a nice comfy spot in a chair with a glass of whatever suits your fancy. You could even bring a book or magazine out and enjoy reading, glancing up every once in a while to see your child happy on the swing that you are pulling instead of pushing.
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Parenting is always going to hard, but sometimes you can find ways to make it just a little bit easier.