Welcome to Parent Tips

Cleaning Bath Toys

To clean you child´s bath toys and prevent mildew build up, put them in a net laundry bag. Fill the tub halfway with water and add some bleach. Place the toys in the bag, and let them sit for about an hour. Rinse the toy bag off with water. When you are finished, you will have both clean toys and a clean bathtub.

Start Out Slow

If your dream job would be to work from home, make money and stay home with your kids, the best way to start out is to take it slow. The best solution may not be to create an independent business right now but to work for someone else at home. Don´t quit a day job or throw money into an at-home venture impulsively. You may end up losing money and falling further behind.

Car Protectors

To help keep the seats in your car looking like new, try this tip. Vinyl tablecloths with flannel backing make great waterproof seat protectors. Simply place the tablecloth flannel side up, and you have a cozy cover that is comfy to sit on.

Beach Tote

When packing kids along to the beach, take along a wagon. You can carry your cooler, chairs, toys, umbrella, towels, etc. in it, and still have one hand free to hold on to your child.

No More Drippy Popsicles

To prevent sticky and cold hands when your child eats her next popsicle, use a small yogurt container or margarine lid and cut a slit in the middle of it. Slide the lid upside down onto the popsicle stick and it will collect any juice and drippings within the rims of the lid.

Keep On Top of It

To organize and remember your family´s events, keep all family activities, appointments, birthdays, and school events on one calendar. Color code notations for each child with a different colored pen or marker (blue for Jimmy, red for Suzie, etc.). Transfer from last year´s calendar important dates such as birthdays and anniversaries.

Fast Food, Less Fuss

Your kids enjoy eating at fast food restaurants, yet you find it difficult to juggle the kids, money, tray and drinks in order to get settled at a table. The solution: get your meals at the drive-thru, then go inside to eat. Your food will be conveniently bagged, and the kids can still run around on the play structure.

Goodbye Stains - Hello Artwork

When my kids T-shirts become stained with impossible to remove stains, rather than throw the clothes away I let the kids paint them with fabric paint. They love wearing their creations and have a great time making them.

Lost and Found

To help ensure the safe return of a favorite stuffed animal, a pet tag can be made with your name and phone number on it, and attached with a small dog or cat collar.

Keep Those Puzzles Together

To avoid losing puzzle pieces that fall out of puzzle boxes, put each puzzle in its own resealable plastic bag. Cut the picture off the box top and include it in the bag, so you will know which puzzle is which. The bags are easier for kids to handle, and won´t break like the boxes do.

Stress-Free Waiting

To keep kids entertained in a doctor´s waiting room, I make a list of ten simple items (like a ball, or a red car) and we play scavenger hunt. The kids search in books or magazines for pictures of each item. As they show them to me, I check them off the list. The first to find all items wins.

What Should I Do?

When planning an at home business, break down past jobs into their parts to evaluate your skills. Do you have computer or organizational experience? You may have to volunteer or take a class to hone your skills. The information-technology field is particularly fertile for at-home work. For something low-tech, such as baking wedding cakes, try your culinary hand as a hobbyist first -- and consider formal classes at a community college or other professional cooks´ training program.

Household Chores

To organize day-to-day tasks and keep them from becoming too overwhelming, set aside specific activities for each day of the week. Eg) one day for laundry, one for housecleaning, one for shopping, etc. You´ll feel more in control and less guilty for not completely certain tasks.

Permanent Marker Storage

To store your kids´ markers so that the caps are never lost, fill a shallow plastic container with plaster of Paris. Then place the marker caps upside down in the wet plaster. When the plaster is dry, place the markers in their new permanent homes. Now the caps won´t disappear, and the markers are always ready to use.

Bedroom Hanger

Recycle your old towel rack by attaching it to the footboard of your child´s bed. It´s a handy place for your kids to hang their clothes, especially if they are too small to reach their closet rod.

Getting to School on Time

To help your child stay focused in the morning and finish getting ready for school, try using a timer. Separate your child´s duties into categories - eg) dressing, eating, brushing teeth, etc. - and determine a reasonable amount of time to do each task. Set the timer once she begins each task, and make a game of beating the timer. If she beats the timer all week, offer a reward on Friday.

Keep Clutter Under Control

To organize a messy medicine cabinet, diaper-wipe containers can be a life-saver. Categorize your items, (such as first-aid, make-up, pain relievers, etc.) and put them in their own containers. You will save time by not having to search for what you need, and nothing will get lost behind a bottle or jar.

New Purchase Paperwork

To keep instruction booklets and receipts from new purchases organized, try placing them in clear plastic sheets for three-ring binders. You may have one binder for baby items, one for electronics, etc., or use a large binder and tab the sections. You can easily flip through to find what you need, and it is much easier than digging through piles of paper.