Every parent encounters challenges multitasking between parenting and everyday normal life. Consequently, life for many parents is a roller-coaster of busy and hectic schedules.
For numerous parents, the odds of maintaining order in a house where children are active throughout the day frequently seem insurmountable.
Learning a few parent hacks is always a good way to restore sanity in the home. This article discusses insightful parenting hacks.
Prepare the Children’s Breakfast the Previous Night
One of the most tedious moments of the day is usually in the mornings. You might find it easier to prepare breakfast the previous night. Overnight oats is an example of a healthy breakfast that you can prepare the night before. You can mix the ingredients and leave the mixture in the refrigerator to sit overnight.
By morning, the meal can be served as a refreshing breakfast. The advantage with overnight oats is that they are palatable even for kids who would ordinarily be picky about what they eat. Look for easy and healthy breakfast meals that you can prepare the night before to lessen workload in the morning.
Teach Children to Prepare for the Next Day After Coming From School
When kids come from school, it is the norm in some homes for children to throw everything on the ground. It is crucial to teach children the value of being organized. Children could be taught to unpack lunchboxes and put them in the sink, throw the waste of the day in the garbage, and put papers away.
Then, the children can do their homework and pack for the next day. Waiting until bedtime to get such chores done is futile. By bedtime, the children could be exhausted, which subsequently makes the next morning a tedious one. It is better to have playtime after chores.
However, teaching children about chores is tough, and it usually appears like you are nagging them. To make such chores interesting, you could create a chore list and incorporate a reward system. Essentially, to motivate children to finish chores, you could reward them for a job well done.
For example, after the child completes tasks, you could reward your child with lollipop sticks or a healthy snack that he or she loves.
Be Creative With the Items Around You
Everyday life items could be used to make work easier for both the parent and the child. For example, you could use a shampoo or lotion bottle to help children reach the sink.
Rather than toss the bottle, you could cut a hole at the bottom the bottle to create room for the sink spout, and subsequently, fit the bottle on the sink spout.
The water flows through the bottle to the child’s hands. Also, hot taps have been known to cause injuries to children. To prevent the hot taps from scalding of the child’s palm, you could place a slinky over hot taps to act as a protective measure.
Playtime always results in a mess in the house. To minimize the chances of creating a mess, you could map out a temporary zone where children are allowed to play with their toys. In addition, for most kids, straws are a big fascination and have been known to cause injury through poking.
To prevent children from removing straws from tumblers, you could place a crazy (twisted) straw bottom side up inside the cup; that way the straw stays inside the cup and hence, the child cannot pull it out.
Children love Popsicle despite the mess they create. To prevent the Popsicle from melting and creating a mess, you could put a cupcake liner under the Popsicle. You only need to put a hole in the cupcake liner right through the Popsicle stick.
For parents with newborns, it is usually difficult finding burp cloths, diapers, or pacifiers at the right moment when you need them; especially if you live in a big space. Further, during recovery after birth, moving around is inconvenient. To mitigate this issue, you could place baby baskets at different strategic positions in the house.
Then, you could stock up each basket with wipes, diapers, burp cloths, and pacifiers. This strategy can help you have easy access to the essentials. Additionally, storing small objects, craft projects, and paint palettes can be challenging. You could use egg cartons to store them and thus keep the house neat.
In their early age, kids have a hard time differentiating between the left and right shoes. To make it easier for your baby, draw a half of any shape on each inner sole. The kid can use the shape as a guide by holding the shoes together side by side. It acts like a puzzle; as the child clearly sees when the shape has been placed the right way.
Teaching Children Independence
Numerous parents grapple with decisions regarding how far one ought to help the child and simultaneously instill a sense of independence in the child.
Teaching children how to solve problems and allowing them to make mistakes is a great way to inculcate a sense of independence. The value of teaching independence lies in the fact that it encourages children to learn common sense.
Also, it encourages children to have a positive attitude and make them realize that they can achieve whatever they set out to achieve. However, in the process, it is always good to know when to intervene.
For example, if a child has homework, allow them to do their homework as you supervise from a distance.
Give Yourself Time off Parenting
It is common for parents have unrealistic expectations of parenthood. In the quest to be perfect parents, some mothers and fathers overwork themselves and never take a moment to consider their well-being.
When you are too exhausted to think straight, it is easy to make mistakes. Just as your children need a peaceful and empowering environment, it is equally important for you to mind your health and peace of mind.
In some instances, allow your children to be alone in a safe environment. The invaluable alone time evokes a sense of imagination and calm in the child. You can take such opportunities to take care of your health.
For example, you could join the CrossFit Open. Not only will such initiatives improve your fitness, but they will also rejuvenate your energy for parenting and make you a better parent.
While such hacks make life easier, it is essential to keep in mind that no matter what comes your way, you are at the right place; you are the ideal parent for your child.
