The two parenting tricks that I learned years too late.

My tips would include: Use low tack masking tape to tape kids paper down to the table before drawing and painting. Use cupcake tins as a paint palette. Tape lining paper to the floor for BIG pictures. If you have lots of small kids, cut up their food cleanly and easily with scissors.

For resistant toddlers who don't want to get in the buggy: Put them in then immediately grab the crotch strap and pull up before they can arch their back. whatever you do, don't let go of that strap!

And always, always carry bubbles.

Say what you want them to do, if you say the opposite they often do that instead because that's the but they heard.

So 'hold tight' instead of 'be careful not to drop it'.

Sticker tip is amazing thank you.

This may well be unique to my (very mobile) 1yo but just figured out that he hates the grass. Thus I put him and toys on a picnic mat surrounded by grass, and he stays on the mat!

Powershower you could open it as one page (see all messages) select all and copy the whole mofo into a word document.

For children who just can't stay still long enough to poo on the potty - bubble wrap (supervised of course). We used to call it Potty Pop Pop.

For older kids who permanently forget what it was they were doing - getting dressed etc. A portable mp3 player onto which THEY have recorded their morning routine and why they need to do each step. They love hearing their own voices and that way they are reminding themselves rather than you having to do it - far fewer morning battles.

Also, thanks MN for the pasta in a jar method for kids busy pushing boundaries. Works like a charm!

My mum told me about the counting to 10 thing when you want them to do something and it's brilliant. They've never asked what will happen if I get to 10!
Also sunshine is the only thing for carrot stains.
Bath toys go in the dishwasher.
Lunch bags go in the washing machine.

How can I save this thread for future reference?

Free button that's such a cute idea! Genius. My dd too old for that but will pass to her when she's a mum.

Set an alarm on your phone when it's time to get shoes and coats on for school/nursery. Mine plays 'heigh ho' from Snow White. Then it's a non negotiable time to leave. It reduces the nagging significantly and as soon as it plays they go running to put their shoes on.

Alipally1, I use a completely opposite trick LOL! I found that when I made some general assertion about how things are ("time to go home from the park now", "we can't afford that") then they argue against that ("no it isn't", "you do have money, I saw you with some earlier").

Instead, whenever possible I frame it in terms of my own feelings and needs: "I'm cold. I want to go home", "I want to save my money for something else". It took me a while to get used to, because as a parent I was pretending I had no needs of my own and everything was about the children.

But this works better for me. How can a kid argue when mum says she's cold? It turns their attention away from themselves and towards other people. Occasionally they come up with alternative solutions which make everyone happy: "Could you get yourself a cup of tea from the kiosk - would you want to stay longer then?" It feels more honest too.

I think it may help them communicate better as they get older, because they can explain what the real issue is. So yesterday dd's friend wanted to borrow her spade and instead of saying, "No, it's mine" she said "I'm worried that you'll leave it in the sandpit and some toddler will go off with it like they always do." Friend promised to keep the spade with her continuously and return it to dd when she was finished, and I promised to keep an eye on it too.

Thank you neighbour's dc for this one! Instead of saying 'no' to young children, say 'it's not allowed' then it's not mummy who's a spoilsport but the rules of the universe! It really works for long enough to make you feel better about life!

Wandering
I'm in my forties and still cant remember my 9 times tables, your trick has blown my mind!!

These are great and so helpful.

I had a reluctant toilet user (who was train mad), especially when coming to number 2s, so I drew (on paper) a long train track and stuck with blutac behind the loo. I then drew little carriages/flat bed/coal trucks etc, then some little steam engines. Each time ds did a wee he'd choose a truck, and poo gained him an engine. He adored using the loo and was so proud of his train. He still remembers it now, fondly at 11.

Another toilet related is to put a ping pong ball in the toilet and get little ds's to aim at the ball. Plus you can flush without it disappearing/blocking the u bend. If you can get a coloured ball even better and with permanent marker you can draw a cheeky face on it.

Teeth cleaning, I told my 3 that the tooth fairy uses little teeth for bricks for her dazzling White Castle. She won't leave a coin for yellow ones. I did little footprints over the window ledge (in silver eyeshadow) although this might freak some children out.

In holidays with bored dc, and another box one, I'd save up junk modelling bits (foil lids/large bottle tops etc) for dials for a time machine/space ship. Hours of fun building and preparing for missions.

For wee accidents on carpets and mattresses, clean up with water then sprinkle bicarbonate of soda on. It helps soak up and dry out the water plus eliminates odour too. Just vacuum it up when dry.

Pound shops do boxes of bicarb- great for general cleaning!

Maybe not the best thread for this, but I was just told by a friend how to do the 9x table by holding out ten fingers in front of you. Fold down the finger (counting from the left) for the multiple required, and the answer is the number of fingers on the left of that finger for the tens, and the ones on the right for the units. E.g. drop finger number four to get the answer to four times 9 - leaves three fingers left of the gap (3x10=30), and 6 fingers right of the gap for the units - answer is 36! Works for all up to 90! It sounds a bit complicated here and I thought that too when tried to explain to DD (8) but she got it straight away!

When you have a toddler or big baby who is not yet able or willing to keep blankets on, put a big fleece UNDER them, tucked round the mattress. Being warm underneath makes a big difference to how warm they are. If you want to allow the child to stay off it when they are too hot and move onto it later in the night when they get cold - which most toddlers ARE sensible enough to do - cover just half the bed in the fleece. In their sleep they will gravitate toward the warmer or colder end of the bed as needed.

KatharinaRosalie yep suppositories were tried before 6+ calpol
it was when she was nearly 2 and in hospital having fitted again that I asked for some suppositories to take away (had run out of supply from local gp and we were on holiday miles away) - the consultant was quite horrified that she'd been subjected to them by us instead if his exceptionally easy fix.

dd was an early talker and had been known to shout
"no mummy's minger (finger) my bum"

When not well. Not particularly something i was happy about in a Dr's waiting room.

ffs envelope neck

Roll the vest down rather than pull vest over head. The novelise nevk gives enough room to roll down and off. Useful in cases of poo explosions.

I don't get the baby vest one..... please can someone spell it out for me?

Teaching kids to put shoes on the right feet.....
Cut a sticker in half. Stick the left half in the left shoe, and the right half in the right shoe so that when the shoes are put together, the two halves fit.

Foil over a window makes a good blackout blind for holiday

Still- I do this! It means I can get some actual vitamins in them, too!

Serve a raw vegetable starter every night, they will eat it because they are hungry before diner and stops the when Canaan I eaaaat ? While you are trying to cook.