Let's hear your "why didn't I think of this before" parenting moments

[geekymommy]

DD (will be 3 in August) was home sick yesterday. She kept asking us to give her medicine, as she does not yet understand why taking too much paracetamol is bad. We had been trying to explain to her that too much medicine is bad. Then yesterday evening, DH used the mouth syringe we were using to give her medicine to give her a little paracetamol mixed with water. (She can drink medicine from a cup, but didn't want to this time) After she finished that, she asked for more. He gave her plain water in the syringe, which she happily took. I thought "why didn't we think of this before?" It would have worked a lot better than trying to explain to a sick toddler at 2am why taking too much medicine is bad.

Let's hear some of your parenting moments like this.

OMG! Weighing formula! Why didn't I think of that? (waaaay too late now) but I remember many times when dh or dc would interupt my counting and I'd end up throwing a whole bottle away.

RabbitsaysWoof you are a genius. Fact.

DD wouldn't ever each cauliflower, but she LOVES white broccoli.

*eat

I'm On babies 4 & 5 and only found out the Vest trick!
Night time bedding changes for bed setters. We have a mattress protector on, bed sheet, mattress protector then bed sheet. All you have to do is strip the top layers off and your good to go without having to put new bedding on in middle of the night.
Have a couple of sleeping bags for sick kids, put them in a bag rather than having to redo bedding

Green beans are green chips in our house! Dd1 loves them!

Thought that more kids would mean more work. Now I have 4 and they all look after each other. I have way less to do. Result.

When DS sleeps at grandparents, I roll up his entire bedding, all together with pillow, put it in a large bag, then unroll at their house. Easy and ready made bed. :)

About baths, I grew up with showering every week and cat washing in between. As soon as I got my period and started smelling, then it became a shower every day (bar the odd weekend day :)).
DS's eczema also meant that I stopped bathing him as much as most children are, and mainly when he was dirty.

Cat washing?

Please tell me what this is because I am thinking several things and none of them normal.

If your toddler takes their nappy off at night and smears poo all over the place put a onesie on backwards. Thankfully it only happened once!

Dc1 was slow to toilet train and we had A LOT of pooey pants. It would go everywhere when changing him, he would run off, ugh, it was awful. One day I popped him in the empty bath while I got the stuff ready and realised it was a brilliant place to change him. He couldn't run off and it didn't matter if it went everywhere, it could easily be cleaned up! Made the whole thing less fraught. That's my top tip!

Pit them in the next size up nappy overnight.

Foam pipe lagging - put on the edges of the changing table for baby who likes to kick while being changed. Also on doors to stop them slamming closed when older (far cheaper than commercial alternatives)

puppy training pads - lightweight and disposable alternative to changing mats for days out. Also useful as tablecloth/picnic mat which catches spills.

Sling/ Mei Tai - not for everyone but a lifesaver for getting housework done and getting around crowded towns etc without having to manoeuvre a pram!

Asking to share 'yukky' foods/medicines etc - its amazing how attractive things suddenly become when someone else wants them!

Asking to share 'yukky' foods/medicines etc - its amazing how attractive things suddenly become when someone else wants them!

Worse than that. Try to forbid them from eating/taking them.

My son loves to drink his juice with straws - so I keep a toothbrush holder in the car which I've filled with straws. Always clean when I want them and always there when we're out and about.

Love the medicine in yoghurt idea - we'll do that next time. Thanks!

Wait lyinginwait888 - you don't have to sterilise???

How come?

Have a look here. It's not for everyone, but it worked for me and my children. Very liberating!

The truth is that at home whatever you do to sterilise, it doesn't kill all bacteria and even if you did manage to sterilise at home, as soon as you take it out of the steriliser it gets immediately contaminated from the air anyway.
Washing in hot soapy water and air drying is not that different in fact.
(work in a lab and have to deal with properly sterilised stuff)

Yes FlyingGoose. DD is a "fingerpainter". I cut the feet off her almost-too-small pajamas and zip them on backwards so she can't get at her poo.

Used to let my DC make me up with old make-up as a treat (for me, actually, as I got to lie down for 30 minutes and just ooh and ahh occasionally.

Jars of baby food in the cleavage or pocket just takes the edge off for feeding.

Eating outside whenever possible saves mess on my floors. Ditto just being outside means the house does not fall into disarray during the day (its the museum / park / whatever that has to clean up ..)

Always have bumper packs of socks in one colour for each child so there is always a match and each can find their own.

Dump the dry washing basket(s) ont the living room floor and everyone has to pull out their stuff until there is nothing left and take it to their room. Good as I have no idea who owns what knickers with my 3 DDs. And I don't have to do it....

The more time you spend on them as kids, the less they will need (as opposed to want) to spend with you as an adult. Thinking addictions and unhappiness here - not yet sure if it is true but it has been good for my now 16n 14 year old DD.

Realising that you can't always make them happy - sometimes they have to do it for themselves and there is nothing you can do to solve it.

The DC (and I ) don't really need all that STUFF. It just makes a mess and we all get grumpy.

Keep being physical with the older kids - they still need hugs and cuddles.

My Aunty Elspeth told me "You never buy clothes that fit them now, always get at least a size up".

I am having a parenting epiphany this weekend, and to be honest I thought I was well past the discovery stage!

Ds2 is 11 and due to start sitting the SATS tomorrow, along with every other year 6 child in England.

So, this weekend, I have asked him to get his homework out of the way on Saturday, eat the healthy food I have made for him, go to bed without a fight and appreciate whatever treats I offer him. (i.e. all the same stuff I always do, but, not usually with such ease. Often there would be sulky behaviour and lots of pushing back).

I couldn't work it out until last night when I heard DS2 tell Ds1 that he's the most important at the moment. It turns out that DS2 thinks he is special this weekend, and that things are being arranged for his benefit. So, suddenly he's happily accepting our parenting because he sees that we've got his best interests in mind.

The trick will be to extend the harmony beyond Thursday afternoon?!

My lightbulb moment was the other day when I discovered that Thomas, Percy and the gang live inside my little boy's mouth and that he's very very happy about them getting a good scrub clean. 18 BLOODY MONTHS OF SCREAMING TWICE A DAY whenever a toothbrush goes anywhere near him and now he is flipping delighted by it. 18 MONTHS. TWICE A DAY. EVERYDAY.

Santa's camera is everywhere. In every ceiling light, webcams, public transport cctv, drones, planes and in the taps. When behaviour gets a bit rambunctious I just pull out my phone, sigh, point at 'the camera' and say 'santa has noted that'. Instant good behaviour. Until the truth is out at least!