Are you ready for some creative ways to make your life easier, then please read on. The newest additions will be towards the bottom of the page & if you have something to contribute please FB me or email me at mudpiesandminivans@gmail.com...
1) Busy Bag: M&M Momma
This is a must, busy bags. Trust me, it will help you out sooo much in the long run. Just get one of those cute eco friendly bags that you can get from any store, preferably child themed, and turn it into a busy bag. I keep 2, one stays in my car & the other I hang on the doorknob in a closet downstairs. The 1 that stays in the car has markers (crayons would melt), coloring books, reading books, & a few small toys (play cellphone, lil' dolls, check out dollar spot @ Target). This bag comes in such handy when we find ourselves stuck somewhere a lil' longer than we expected. The one hanging in the closet has crayons(dont do markers in this one), coloring books, and a small snack (like two bags of gummies or something else not messy). This bag is practically "Heaven sent". When we are about to head out somewhere & the girls are all ready but I still have some things to do, I tell them to get the "Busy Bag" & they just go at it. Its so nice to have them occupied with something that is not too messy so I can finish up what I need to. It also comes in handy after you get home with all the groceries and need to put them away fast, "go get the busy bag!". Change the items in both bags up to keep it interesting and do not overuse the bags because they will "lose their special".
2)Cereal Necklace-Unknown
I overheard this cute one. For a fun car snack, get plain Cheerios (Mom Best makes organic alternative, don't do any messy cereal) and string them onto a yarn necklace (have your kid help you). When you take your next lil' road trip, put it around your child's neck for a fun, less messy, snack. Always remember strings and unsupervised kids DO NOT mix because of the potential choking hazard.
3) Ice Cube Tray for Baby Food-Pam
Ice cube trays to freeze homemade baby food for later use. Simply fill tray and wrap with plastic wrap til completely frozen. Remove "food cubes" and put in dated, labeled freezer bags. To thaw food cubes, pop 'em in the microwave for about 30 seconds-1 minute depending on how warm you want it.
4) Potty Emergencies!-M&M Momma
When taking on the adventure of potty training a toddler, in addition to getting a one piece potty (like IKEA has), I suggest putty together a potty emergency kit to keep in the car at all times. Simpily fill a Tupperware like container with estra pull-ups, underpants, a change of clothes, wipes, plastic bags (for poopie and wet clothes). The plastic bags I use are by Munchkin and scented so incase we have to keep a poop filled pull-up with us a little longer than we would like, it does not make everyone miserable LOL.
5) Be Responsible
If you have a kid then you know how messy meal time can get. Here are a few solutions to reduce the mess & also help your child be more independent & responsible. A kid size table (IKEA plug now) is great because it puts everything on their level & makes it easier to reach things & so forth. (I think dinner time should be done as a family at the dining table, but breakfast and lunch are okay). Under the table Table Topper makes a mat thing you can put to making taking care of messes a lil' easier. Bumpkin bibs (especially the longer ones with sleeves) can assist in keeping your lil' one a lil' cleaner as well as using cups with lids rather than "big kid cups". Decorative kid placemts can be fun but also reduce the time it takes to clean. As far as giving your kid that sense of independence & responsibility, my husband & I have a lil' tub we put somewhere down on their level so that when they are done they know to put their dishes in there. Then we also have a spray bottle filled with soap and water that we have them use to wipe up their own spot with paper towels when they are finished eating. Once they have cleaned up their mess, have them go to the bathroom (We tell them "keep your hands together") where we have a step stool so that they can wash their hands themselves & brush their teeth after they eat (Under a watchful eye, of course intervene when needed). These solutions will make your life much easier but help create more responsible kiddos!
6) Baby Book: M&M Momma
I don't know about you, but finding time to update 3 baby books is next to impossible. My solution. Every month since birth I put each kid's footprint on a blank sheet of paper (use an ink pad) and the month (EX: 12 months old) & then set the paper somewhere so periodically throughout the month I can write lil' notes around it about their different milestones EX: "Asher had first ice cream cone". After they reach a year you can make it into a book. You'll have 12 sheets of paper with their footprints & each accomplishment they made each month for that whole year-so cute. I still do it for all of them!
7) Soap Crazy Toddler
Oh, a cute tip I read in a magazine is that if you have a lil' toddler that gets soap happy, put a rubber band around the neck of pump-style soap dispensers to limit the amount of soap dispensed per pump. :)
8) Avoiding Sticky Hands
This is a super cute idea to help you avoid toddlers getting sticky hands from Popsicles. Before giving them the Popsicle simply slip the stick through a foil liner to catch drips and keep hands from getting messy.
