Helpful Tips To Make Life With Kids Easier
- Use the tablespoon from your measuring spoons for toddlers who are learning to feed themselves. It has a short handle and a deep scoop.
- For grandmothers who need a spoon to feed baby, try using one of the long handled spoons that you use for iced tea. The bowl of the spoon is a bit smaller than a normal spoon.
- If your child has trouble swallowing pills, try giving the child a pill in a teaspoon of applesauce instead of water. It is easier to swallow that way.
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When going with the kids on an outing where there is going to be a large crowd, dress your children in brightly colored shirts like red, yellow or orange. They are easier to find and they stand out in a crowd. Also, try dressing the whole family in matching, bright shirts or hats. That way, if someone finds your child, they might remember seeing you in your matching shirts and will know who to return them to.
Everyone in my son’s family (even the girls) always wears matching Superman shirts. Believe me, they do stand out in a crowd. : )
- I know using wipes is the “in” thing (even homemade wipes) but I prefer to just throw a wet washrag in a baggie to take in the car when I head out someplace. If I am going to have a bottle of water with me, I just bring a dry washrag. The washrag can be used over and over so you won’t waste store bought wipes, napkins or paper towels (which are often used to make homemade wipes).
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When you’re on a road trip, give each child a map of where you are going and a marker. Then they can mark the way on the map as you go. This gives them an idea of “how much further” it is to your destination.
If your kids can’t read, lay a piece of candy like a Life Saver on the dashboard or in a visible location to represent each hour it is going to take to get where you are going. Then each hour they get to eat a candy and you can explain that they won’t arrive until all the candy is gone.
-Jill
photo by: paulhami
when giving a syrup type medicine to a small child let them suck on an ice cube or pop cycle first. This freezes the taste buds on the tongue.
When my son needed the immunizations for kindergarten he asked if it would hurt. I told him it might a little bit. But I told him if he paid attention then he could come home and tell his friends all about it so they would know what happens. It worked so well that he told the assistant to stop bugging him with dumb questions so he could watch what the nurse was doing so he could tell his friends.
She had been trying to distract him by asking what colour her eyes were what colour was her shirt. He has never been afraid of needles at all.
In the grocery store I never had the problem of can I get that from my boys. When we got there I would go to the cereal aisle or the cracker aisle and give each one a box that they liked. Then I explained that they had the important job of making sure it made it to the check out line. They were so busy making sure that item made it they missed the impulse stuff and I was the envy of all the other mothers.
Baseball caps or sun hats are also easy to spot in a crowd of children.
At the beach mine always wore bright orange life jackets.
We did this with the kids when ever we had to fly, dressed them all in loud matching shirts. We wouldn’t loose them in crowds!
lol! Love the Superman shirt idea!
ya know, jill, the duggar’s (they are the family with the 18 childrena and have a tv show on either tlc or discovery, sorry not sure which one bc we do not have cable) and when they go out they wear the same colored blouses/shirts…
i think this is a great idea myself… esp if you are going to a place with alot of crowds…
thanks for a great post :D …
I used to dress my children in red T-shirts for the park. Then one time, I changed it to lime green for the county fair. I guess line green was popular that day!
I also will dress in matching clothes. If someone finds my daughter, they can be sure she belongs to me! Although it is my son who is more likely to separate from us. But he wears an ID bracelet with my cell number on it.
On trips, I make a lunch bag for each child. They can choose when they are going to snack their food. We eat in the car and play when we stop. To get them to keep moving, I bring a bottle of bubbles. They chase and stomp on the bubbles at rest stops. When they are done playing, we leave. I don’t see why we should get out of the car to just sit down again at a table! Or even stop at a restaurant, where it takes even more time and money! Nope! Not me!
I have more inexpensive tips for travel! How about planning your gas stops by the price of gas? GasBuddy.com