Wednesday 8 July 2015

6 hacks to make your parenting life easier

Being a parent is lovely and rewarding on so many levels. But also unbelievably tiring (especially if you have ones that want to party all night long like my two!) and on occasion stressful and/or chaotic... So here are 6 tips that will either make things quicker (always a bonus when you've hit that tiredness wall), easier (who doesn't love an easier option?!) or may just come in handy at some random moment...


Inco pad over and under sheet

We all know the awful torture of sleep deprivation. Well this trick can save valuable minutes in the middle of the night. Priceless. When making the cot bed do the following: inco pad on mattress, sheet on top, then another inco pad and lastly a final sheet. Now the next time your baby has a big urine/vomit/any other bodily fluid spill you just whip off the top sheet and inco pad and hey presto, the bed is already clean and dry so you can just pop your baby straight back in bed :)

Can you spot the inco pad?

Clothes pegs

An essential thing to keep in your nappy bag. Always carry at least 4 and then teamed with a muslin/blanket/jacket/jumper (delete as appropriate depending how desperate/organised you are!) you have an instant buggy blackout blind.

D's first bus trip aged 1 week. Nicely sleeping thanks to the pegs :)

Socks as gloves 

Have you ever tried to keep gloves on your baby's hands? If you're not a parent then you won't even be able to guess at the complexity of this process! I actually learnt this trick by modifying how we secure cannulas in babies at work. Next time you want to keep your baby's hands warm just pop a pair of their socks over them. Guaranteed to stay on. Perfect.

Reindeer socks at Christmas...
Snug as a bug in a rug

Iron for laminating pouches

Ever really wanted to laminate something but not had access to a laminating machine? Story of my life. Laminating stuff is great - you can make playdoh mats, whiteboard pictures, sensory bags, sun catchers... The possibilities are endless. And totally within your reach, even without a laminator. Just use an iron (or hair straighteners) and run it gently over the surface (cover with thin cloth first so no direct contact between iron and plastic) until plastic sides are bonded. Amazing. And Poundland sell packs of A4 laminating pouches so no excuses :)

Dry erase "trace-the-line"

Muslins

Always have at least one on you at all times. They can pretty much be used for anything. The very obvious like wiping noses and catching vomit. The pretty obvious like creating a sunscreen for the buggy or acting as a breastfeeding cover. The slightly obscure like fashioning a new outfit (or even nappy when desperate) when out and about with no spare clothes... And the more obscure like straining your cheese with when making sugar-free baby-safe frosting (just wash it first!!). Has anything else in the history of the world had so many uses? I don't think so!

Why have one when you can have a WHOLE PILE?!

Hmmm the one occasion where a muslin let me down... she's supposed to be swaddled!

Vapour rub on your boob

Sounds weird? But a real life-changer if your breastfed baby has a cold. Get a baby-safe vapour rub like "Snufflebabes" and rub some on the upper outer quadrant of the breast you're about to feed from (ie near where your baby's nose is about to sit). Then relax as your baby's nose gently clears whilst he feeds himself into a nice deep dreamy sleep...


******

Have you got any parenting hacks? Anything that made your life (or your kid's) much easier? Please share!


No comments:

Post a Comment