Parent Hacks

Rubber bracelets as sippy cup ID label

Meghan's found yet another use for those stretchy rubber/silicone bracelets: I stumbled upon this hack last year while visiting Disney World. The hotel we stayed at had a deal where you could buy a cup for a set price, and refill it at their cafeteria for free for the duration...

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links for 2007-09-30

The Juggle - WSJ.com : The Morning "Time-Slip" Commiseration about the morning get-to-school rush.

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links for 2007-09-29

Five Food Hacks: Getting kids to eat vegetables and love it Bathroom Cleaning Hack « Idea Pizzeria Another variation on "clean it while they're in the bath." DaddyFactory » Father First — Idea #8: Let her do your hair The photo is priceless!

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iPod photos distract wiggly toddlers

Margot's hack proves, once again, that you have more than enough justification to buy an iPod. I noticed the spate of iPod hacks. I have another semi-hack. I keep some family pictures on my iPod nano, which can't show movies. This is very useful for occupying my 2 year old...

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FM Fall Shopping Guide: Little Hands Help Around the House

My next post is up at the FM Fall Shopping Guide: Little Hands Help Around the House. Inspired by a recent thumb-through a Montessori catalog, the post follows a theme we've discussed at length: giving kids the tools and opportunity to do meaningful work.

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Automotive microfiber cleaning towels as cheap spitup rags

Joshua discovered ideal burp cloths in the automotive section: Our son, now two months old, goes through an inordinate number of small towels. Between burping and spitting up, breast milk misfires, and daddy knocking things over at 2AM, it seems we are always wiping things off our baby, or wiping...

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links for 2007-09-28

Invent a geeky new way to get kids moving, win $75k Work-Family Balance is a Joke: Embrace the Chaos Paul tells it like it is.

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Kettler Supertrike on super sale

Awesome Kettler Kiddi-o tricycle on sale at Amazon...for who knows how long? Via WantNot.

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Malt vinegar as vegetable "dip"

Kids surprise you in their food preferences. My kids (aka Finicky 1 and Finicky 2) reject entire categories of food, and yet will eat almost anything from a Chinese, Japanese or Thai restaurant (something about soy sauce). For that reason, it's worth opening your mind to various condiments and dips...

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Use a nasal aspirator in the bath as a baby shower

Ah, the snot sucker. Rebecca's found another use for hers: The latest hack around our house is using the snotball (rubber nasal aspirator) as a tiny shower. The benefit is that you clean it out (sort of an extra cleaning...I'm assuming it's not disgusting) and solve the water freakout at...

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Use baby wipes to clean DVDs

Violet's tip may salvage your too-well-loved copy of Finding Nemo: If you have a DVD that is smudgy or lightly scratched, use a baby wipe to clean it. It'll play again. Related: Uses for baby wipes

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Bungee cord "leash" helps pull novice bike riders over bumps

I'm lucky to live in a neighborhood where there's a mix of single folks, families with kids ages 0-17, empty nesters, and retirees. As such, I get a parenting education each time I walk out the door. Someone's always around to either offer some neighborly advice or ask for mine....

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How to make a public toilet less intimidating for a kid? Sit on it yourself.

Here's how Charisse makes scary public restroom toilets less so for her potty-training daughter. Someone give this woman a medal.

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links for 2007-09-26

Official Gmail Blog: Tips from a Digital Mom - How managing emails can be like picking up toys Via Techmamas.

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Free(ish) family business cards simplify playdates and more

Business cards are handy for the non-businessperson, too. From Shawna: Our family uses VistaPrint to order free business cards with all of our contact info. The cards are free when you pay for shipping, so they work out as a pretty good deal. We use them to facilitate playdate set-up,...

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