4 Parenting Hacks That Can Change Your Life
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
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Homemade Cards for All Occasions
This is an amazing trick I picked up when Zoey was a baby. I realized that although I used to be amazing at sending cards to family members and friends for holidays, birthdays etc- after I had a baby I had no concept of time. Days bled together. I had pretty much no idea what month it was most of the time. Instead of stumbling through apologies over the phone every time Facebook reminded me of a birthday/event- I decided to get creative. All you need really is markers, a big ol’ piece of paper and a really cute kid. Make your child look presentable (unlike that jammie wearing, covered in crumbs and baby juice mustaches baby you usually have) pose them on the couch and take a couple pictures. People LOVE this. They turn to mush. You are golden! Do it. It works. -
Other People’s Toys
Stop buying toys. Let me tell you why. They take up space. They get broken. Your child forgets about them after about…ummm….10 seconds after you bring them home/unwrap them/ leave the store etc. So this is what you do. You don’t let them leave the store. You enjoy the heck out of them at the store, then when the novelty has worn off- you leave them there….it’s beautiful. Many days have been spent at Chapters while I thumb through magazines and sip a Starbucks while Zoey plays happily with the train table. Do I need to have a massive playroom for a train table- NO! Yay! Does Zoey get to play with gender neutral toys with possible bonus unknown playmates- yes! Throughout the week we play at the Lego store, the Toy Store, Chapters, the Library. We ride bikes up and down the aisles of Walmart. Do we need a sunny day get outside and be active. Nope- we’re flying up and down the towel department on ride-on toys. We read story books off the shelves, and we do it all for FREE….allllright. -
The Gro-Clock
This is a new tool I just discovered and it has changed my sleep life in all the best ways possible. I heard about it’s magical qualities from other happy moms. I needed it. It is as good as they told me.
See, we live in a part of Canada where the sun sets very early in the evening and comes up very late in the morning during the winter months. This makes life confusing for a child who has no concept of time. She could never tell when it really was bedtime, or when it was morning. This led to about a month of Zoey waking up the the crack of dawn….and I wanted to cry…all….the…time…When you have a baby that is up in the night, starting your day at 5:45 is pure torture. Especially when everyone starts melting down at 9 am because they didn’t get enough sleep. Enter the Gro Clock. You set the time to show a star for bedtime, and then you set the time for wake up. When it is wake up time a sun rises. Toddlers get it. You control it. It is a beautiful thing. I explained it to Zoey. Now she wakes up, checks her clock and either goes back to sleep or comes to get us. There have been mornings where she’ll sit on the bed waiting for the clock to change. Which is fine for me because I am stillllllll slllllleeeeeppping and it’s wonderful. God Bless You Gro-ClockClick Here to Learn More About The Gro Clock -
Beach Life Jackets
This only dawned on me at the end of this summer and I wish so much I had thought of it earlier. We live by a beach and as I was hugely pregnant last summer I spent as much time at the beach as humanly possible. At the beginning of the summer I was down in the water with Zoey, splashing around, running, swimming- and by the end of the summer I was waddling. Like, really waddling. I was so nervous about Zoey being down by the water with my reaction time being so terrible. So much so that I became hesitant to head to the beach. Then I got an idea. I picked up a sweet life jacket at the grocery store. We picked the brightest colour possible. And then I could sit on the beach blanket, keep my eyes on my kiddo, and breathe knowing that she had some freedom to move around the shore line, to splash in the shallow water and not have her mother continuously tell her to stop moving, stay close, sit down. In no way did I assume that it was all I needed to ensure her safety by the water- but it sure helped ease my mind to allow her some freedom. She was happy. I was happy. If you hang at the beach- get a life jacket, strap it on, sit back and enjoy.
And here’s one more sweet tip…hang out at the beach at the end of the day or first thing in the morning. You will find at least 10 left behind beach toys everyday. Your child has a whole bunch of new toys to play with and you didn’t have to lung them all there or back. They also won’t freak out if other children come along and use them too (which happens constantly) because it’s not their toy anyway. Woot Woot!
Thank you Katie and Wiliam for sharing this creative experience. It is cool..
Our kids just absolutely LOVE making cards for everyone on the holidays. I really think people enjoy them so much more than the store bought cards anyway, I know I do! Great blogs guys, I’ll be coming back for more soon!
I LOVE these tips, Bill & Katie. Even my grandchildren are no longer that young. However, I think I feel a Grandma photo taking card making time coming on. 🙂
Katie…you you’re a Mom! 🙂 Greatest job in the world! Hey…want some snow?? I don’t have any takers! LOL
Guys this is such a cool post.Great tips.
Thanks for sharing
Hi Nadia- it’s Katie. Glad you liked it. Being a parent is sure an adventure
Hi Stephen- it’s Katie. Glad you liked it. Yes, check back for more updates. Awesome
Hi Cathy- it’s Katie. Gotta love the home made cards. We do them multiple times through the years. Now Zoey is old enough to colour all over them- which is always a bonus.
Hi Chris-it’s Katie. No thanks- we’ve got enough snow here Chris 🙂 We are in Canada after all.
HI Michael- it’s Katie- thank you for your comment. Glad you liked it:)
great parenting hacks bill, im sure every parent will be reading this