Parenting
Time and Sanity Savers
by Kate Duggan
Tips and tricks to make your life easier, from washable nail polish to a booster seat that can fit in a school bag.
Monday morning panics
8-8.30am is often a rather stressful period in my house. Arguments over brushing teeth (my son) compete with tears over forgotten homework (my daughter). One thing I do have sorted is making it easy for them to find their uniform so they can get dressed. I use a rubber band to attach two clothes hangers together, one of which is the type with clips. Pants get hung from one clip, tights or socks from the other, and the rest of the uniform goes on the other hanger. Simple. My next mission is to teach them to put their PJs under their pillow, rather than dumping them on the floor. We’ve been working on that one for a while with no luck.
Hair brushing is a source of tantrums the world over. The Wet Brush may save a fair few tears (theirs and yours). It’s the best detangling brush I’ve found yet and can be used on wet or dry hair. £11.99 from www.
lookfantastic.com.
Kids love nail polish. Schools don’t love it quite so much. If (like me) you’re hopeless at remembering to remove your child’s nail varnish on a Sunday night you might want to try Nailmatic Kids Nail Polish. Not only is it toxin-free and available in several child- friendly shades, it washes off with warm soapy water. Powder-pink glitter is a favourite in my house, although my son prefers Rio Green. £6.95,
www.cuckooland.com.
Days out From emergency wees in the park to dropped dummies, children just attract germs. Hand sanitising gels are handy but not always that
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child-friendly. Aquaint, on the other hand, is 100% natural and formulated without strong chemicals, preservatives or alcohol. It kills 99.9% of bacteria, but is completely safe, so can be used on everything from hands to drinks bottles. £2.49 - £4.99 from Boots, Mothercare and other retailers.
Children seem to have an innate ability to lose things. If you can’t be bothered to spend hours sewing on name tags, try Tinyme labels. They’re printed with your child’s name and a design of your choice. The Essentials Pack (from £24) comes with more than 200 labels, including iron- on labels for clothes, and different sized stickers for shoes, pencil cases and so on. They’re designed to stay on through washing, tumble drying and general day-to- day use. Tinyme also make personalised bags, books, drinks bottles and a ton of other items, handy if your child is particularly prone to misplacing their possessions.
Play dates
After-school playdates are great at keeping the kids out of your hair, but it’s too easy to forget to swap car seats with other parents. The new Mifold (main picture) can help to make sure you’re never again caught out with three kids and only two booster seats. Unlike traditional booster seats, Mifold adjusts the seatbelt to fit the child, rather than raising the child up to fit the belt. That means it’s far smaller than a car seat; small enough to keep in a glove box or even your child’s school bag. It can be adjusted to fit children aged from around four to 12, and it meets the highest legal standards for child restraint systems. £49.95 from John Lewis.
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