The two parenting tricks that I learned years too late.

[SharingMichelle]

1. Give them music and headphones for long car journeys. Shuts them right up. My eldest is 10 and I've only recently learned this.
   

1. Peel the negative space off the sticker sheet and your small child can peel off the stickers independently. Without ripping them. Yes, even cheap stickers. WHY didn't anyone tell me this one??!

[southlondonluxe]

What an amazing thread. Also sticker tip fan!

Mine is use old cardboard boxes as colouring games. DD (2) only allowed to use felt tips when colouring inside an old box

She loves jt and I don't need to worry about mess

[RaeSkywalker]

Great thread! My DC1 is due in November...

[Wotshudwehave4T]

L is for left (you can only do it with thumb and index finger of left hand)
Easy way to teach left from right

[RainbowPickle]

My eureka moment was the talc getting sand off. I loathe the stuff.

I find when dd had a bout of sickness but was too little to be sick in bowl or basket I'd cover in a towel and is she was sick in it I could just was the towel. Same for bedtime sickness when she got older.

Bulldog clip and muslin makes perfect bib. Bulldog clip also helpful with keeping blanket attached to buggy.

[JuxtapositionRecords]

Yes yes to the cardboard box thing! I remember with my first DC she climbed in a big box so I randomly chucked crayons and stickers in there. She was entertained for AGES and everyday for weeks she spent time on her box project

I give calpol to babies using a bottle teat - just squirt the calpol in it and let baby suck thinking it's milk. By the time they have realised its not they have already swallowed the dose better then adding it to the milk when they may not drink it all.

[NeedACleverNN]

Damn that sticker one is genius!!

No more screeching from Dd cos she can't get the bloody sticker off

[alltouchedout]

My third ds is 17 months old and I have never known about the vest thing until now. I felt like such a fool!

[RaspberryOverload]

Wish I'd known the sticker one! Now that mine are 15 and 11 I no longer need to know.

Did know about the envelope vest thing, but only by the time I'd had DC2.

One that I used to do was to put tights under trousers, used to be extra warmth on cold days for both DD and DS, and was also helpful as DS in particular was prone to whipping his socks off. Couldn't do that with tights. yes, I know some people might say boys don't wear tights, but who's going to know when they can't be seen under the trousers?

[ApocalypseSlough]

alltouchedout
My DC3 is 17 years old and I'm filing these away for grandchildren. Particularly the carton ears one. I remember seeing a rigid box to out cartons in for toddlers and thinking 'sheesh' new parents will but anything. 3 dcs later and countless plumes of sticky liquid I wished I'd bought dozens.

[minesapintofwine]

I felt stoopid when I finally realised that long sleeved baby grows can be folded over the hands to make scratch mitts. I'd bought mitts and everything.

I only recently found out trousers can be let in and out inside the waists using the elastic and buttons bit. I'd been buying belts for about 4 years....

[hookiewookie29]

Teaching young children to put their coats on...
Lie the coat on the floor with the inside of the coat facing up. Child stands at the hood end, crouches down and pushes their arms into the sleeves as far as they can, then stands up and whips the coat over their head. Job done!
I've worked with children for 30 years and have always taught them this way-they're always so proud of themselves when they can do it!
Use baby wipes on sore noses instead of tissues.

[RubyFlint]

My favourite was learned on MN. To get your DC from one room into another just switch the lights off and switch them on in the room you want them to go in. I think 'like herding moths' was the description.

[drspouse]

My mum taught me that. The Nursery School Flip. Nursery taught DS before I got round to it but I still meet nursery workers who don't know it!

[drspouse]

(Cross post, my mum taught me the coat trick)

[RubyFlint]

And yes to dishwashing toys to sterilise them, great for cleaning the manky stuff from bath toys.

[drspouse]

The dishwasher works for soft toys too.

Companies I should have shares in:
Tommee Tippee for the Perfect Prep
Stikins labels
Blockout blinds

[MiddleAgeMiddleEngland]

If your young child won't tidy up when asked by you, sit down comfortably and get a puppet to give the instructions instead. Works a treat.

[guinnessgirl]

When trying to chivvy a slow/grumpy/uncooperative child to hurry UP on the way back to the car, simply utter the six magic words - "Bet you can't beat me to..."

[Verticalvenetianblinds]

9 times table on your hands, eg 5 times 9, put down ur 5th finger, then the 4 on ur left hand is 40 and the five on ur right hand is 5 so 5x9 =45 (hope that makes sense)
The sheet, waterproof, sheet, waterproof when training to go dry through the night.

Oxo cube crushing in the foil (life changing!)

[leotwist]

Love this thread! So helpful with 1st baby due in December & very little experience of them. Would love a permanent reference bank of these ideas on this site. Keep 'em coming & thank you all for sharing!

[Blankiefan]

The sticker thing is genius. Thank you.

[Feelingblue222]

Following the vest theme-dsil taught me to rebutton vests over one shoulder when changing nappies-keeps them out the way of any wees and helps keep any dangly bits from outfits out the way. Tis great!

[RubyFlint]

Save your newborn clothes for their dolls. DD never tires of hearing about when she used to wear that particular babygrow.

And a lovely trip down memory lane for me ☺️

[Mamabear1980]

I need this thread!

All I got is when potty training ask them to slowly count to 10 when finished peeing. Helps to make sure it all gets in and not on the floor.

[xxjessxx]

Great thread. I love the juice carton tip.

When taking young children/ babies swimming wrap their towel around a hot water bottle to keep it nice and warm for when they get out.