Best Parenting Hacks-Tried and Tested!

1. A paintbrush and a bucket filled with water and painting a fence/pavement will keep your child entertained for ages.

2. An empty box and pens make a great activity. Michael recently played for over an hour with a big box and some pens. He had so much imagination and played happily. It was lovely to see!

3. Put stickers in your child's shoes to teach them left and right.

4. Glue the bottom of bath toys with a hot glue gun to stop them going mouldy and horrible inside.

5. Limit soap by tying a elastic band around the pump-Michael is a nightmare for using too much soap and mucking about in the bathroom so this is one of my favourite hacks!

6. If your child vomits on the carpet, cover it with baking soda and this will dry it up. After a couple of minutes it will be much easier to clean up.

7. Use puffy paint to create grips on babies/toddlers socks.

8. Try cartoon underwear when potty training. If your child picks their underwear of their favourite character, they are more likely to feel happy about wearing it.

9. Want your child to tidy their toys? Do a Mary Poppins and make it a game. We like to put a timer on and see if we can finish by the time the time is up.

10. When out for the day, write your number on your child's arm so if they are lost then you can be contacted quickly. On this note, we have made sure Michael can say his full name, where he is from and both mine and my partner's name. 

11. Stick a hook on the back of a highchair to hang bibs so they are always on hand.

12. Pop a cupcake case on a ice lolly stick to stop it dripping everywhere.

13. Wash socks together in a laundry bag to minimising the socks that always seem to disappear!

14. Keep track on your child's antibiotics doses by drawing a tick list on the side of the bottle.

15. To cut your child's nails without stress, wait until they have been asleep for half an hour and do it then.

16. Peel the negative space of a sticker sheet and it is much easier to take the stickers off the page.

17. Lift the sides of a juice carton to make it easier for your child to hold.

18. At the beach take a bottle of talc along with you, it will make the sand brush straight off.

19. If your child needs to take a tablet, crush it up and add a little sugar. Makes it easy to get your child to take it.

20. To minimise tantrums in a shop for a toy, suggest they take a picture to send to Santa. Your child is happy, the toy has stayed on the shelf and you have pictures of gift ideas. 

Best Free Apps for Preschoolers

Not everyone is a fan of screens for children and I totally get that. However I personally think they can be useful, fun and educational for preschoolers if moderated. Michael has a children's tablet Robin from EE and he usually plays with it for half an hour most days. Usually when we want to cook dinner without him disturbing us every two minutes whining for food! These are our favourite free apps:

1. YouTube Kids
Like many other children, Michael loves to watch YouTube videos. However many are not suitable for children which makes YouTube Kids such a great app. The app filters out the unsuitable videos and tries its best to show only appropriate videos for your child's age. You can keep search on or if you really want to limit videos, you can turn the search off. The videos are also categorised (music, learning, explore and music) to make it easier for your child to watch the videos they want. My favourite feature however is the parental timer. I love knowing I can set a timer of how long Michael can explore the app before it turns off. He will hand the tablet over straight away because he thinks the tablet is now turning off.


2. BBC CBeebies Playtime Island
We have a Sky box and the original bundle which means we do not get a lot of children's channels. As a result Michael only really watches the shows on Netflix, Tiny Pop and CBeebies. Naturally he loves this app because it features all of his favourite characters such as Peter Rabbit, Andy and Topsy and Tim. The app has many different games, all of which are fun and educational.








3. Despicable Me: Minion Rush
Michael loves the minions from the Despicable Me films and really enjoys this app. It is a arcade game where your minion collects bananas, dodges obstacles, flies and defeats villains etc. It has different levels including a recent update of a 80s mission. While it is not really educational, it is great fun and one of Michael's favourite apps. The only thing however is there are in-app purchases so be careful your child can not make app via parental controls.


4. Dino Tim: Basic Skills and Addition
This is a great educational free game. In this app children have to solve educational puzzles in order to save Dino Tim's family from the witches which have captured them. It teaches children about colours, words and shapes and can also teach children other languages. The app easily translates into French, Spanish and Italian which is fantastic if you want to develop language skills. Again this app does have in-app purchases.


5. Disney Junior Play
Michael loves anything Disney related and so naturally really enjoys any apps that feature Disney characters. This app features favourites from Disney Junior such as Mickey Mouse, The Lion Guard and Doc McStuffins. It features educational games, puzzles and sticker scenes you collect the stickers for. You can also dress up various characters, watch videos and sing alongs. A great feature is the app being playable offline so you can play anywhere. While it does have in-app purchases they feature only in a pin protected store so only a adult can access them. The in-app purchases expand the app with more of the Disney Junior characters.


Does your child have any favourite apps? How do you feel about screens for preschoolers? Let me know if the comments below.

H.