Mum of boys hacks

[Goodiegumdrops]

Hi!

Today we had the first (of many) head bumps/injuries. Our two year old fell off his trike taking a small gash out of his cheek. There was a bloody curdling scream and lots of blood but no stitches needed and nothing that a lot of chocolate couldn't fix! He has a huge egg under his eye, a cut and some bruising, but the doctor didn't seem too bothered by it.

What this does mean, is we have been initiated into the hard knocks boy's club!

As a new (ish) mum of two boys under two are there any boy hacks that can be shared.

For example, I was rushing round trying to find something cold to put on his face but all I could find was a pack frozen chicken thighs so I've heard puting a wet sponge in ziplock bag in the freezer acts like a good icepack. The boy had to make do with sopping wet kitchen roll.

So please list your mum hacks below. I've said mum of boys but it is totally gender neutral. I was a tomboy growing up! Xx

Always make sure your first aid kit contains steri strips, and those big non stick dressing pads, dont forget the tape! 😂

You can never carry too much food in your bag for them.

Have a small first aid kit in your pocket/handbag/changing bag/all of the above.
Have a larger one in the house and the car.
Faces bleed. A lot. Lips even more so.
As a general rule, a bump on the head (as in an actual Mr bump style lump) is a good thing, it normally means there's much less chance of concussion.
Kids generally don't learn from their injuries - I broke my wrist falling off one of those huge slides we had as kids one day. Two days later I broke my cast and the other wrist doing the exact same thing.
Wet kitchen towel makes a really good cool pack.

Following as both of mine are accident prone. Also, how the hell do you keep boys full? My 1yo can eat more than me, I'm dreading his teenage years.

They eat more on growth spurts. My boy has seasons of eating loads then of not eating much.

The only boy hack you need is to point his penis down in the nappy. Everything else applies to girls too. Sorry to point it out but girls also like to climb, run and put themselves in danger leading to eggs on heads. Little girls also eat exactly the same amount as little boys (or nothing at all in both cases at times). I've two boys and two girls and have had more accidents from my two girls than careful eldest boy.

Sorry just to add, I tried to think of hacks but can't come up with anything great. Maybe setting up an obstacle course with them that is a bit safer than the ones they would organically set up. Like get all the cushions and stools set in a way they are less likely to give themselves a concussion rather than have them climbing on window wild and backs of sofas.

Oh @whitelisbon that sounds horrendous! I know what you mean about learning from their mistakes! Fell off his trike again this morning- absolutely zero fear, which to a certain degree is great. To be fair it doesn't phase him. I think it is more our reaction to the bump/fall/scrape if it is a bad one. I think I'm better than my husband - I just say, up you get and never mind whereas my husband labours the injury and it suddenly hurts for days.

Good ideas @myotherprofile, @phillipa12 @justanotherzombie

I did say in my comments @justanotherzombie this was gender neutral. I used to get into all types of scrapes when I was a child. I think it's good for all children to get a few bumps and scrapes otherwise they will never know how to be resilient and dust themselves off. Xx

Never suggest that his feelings don’t matter because he:s a boy.

Encourage him to find ways to express himself with words.

Help him to learn to channel anger constructively.

Never say “boys will be boys” “boys don’t cry” or let him believe that boys should sort out their differences with a “quick scrap”

Make sure that you and his father if he’s around model a good relationship-his first experience of interacting with women will be with you and watching you and his dad.

Encourage him to read and read to him.

Make sure he knows it:s all right to be gentle, kind and sad.

Tell him often that boys can be anything they like-including the things society tells them from before they are born that are for girls only.

I love this bertrandrussell and so true. We got our first a doll to give him some understanding of when his brother joined the show. He loved it. My dad got really angry with me for buying one. I tried to explain to him that it is showing another way of being kind etc.

And again - modelling positive relationships. My husband is amazing but not when it comes to tidying so I have told him that I don't want the boys to think I am a servant! Despite his age, we encourage and show (as best you can with a 2 year old!) Him how to clean away his toys at the end of day etc age appropriate chores. -- before negative Nancies join in - he is also allowed to be a child!

I have 2 boys and take a massive bag of snacks wherever we go. It is always empty when we get home!

Putting a sponge in the freezer now!

Bag of frozen peas makes the best ice pack as it molds well to any shape. I have transferred some into a plain freezer bag so it can be reused over again and I don't run the risk of using them for dinner 😁