Tips Parents Swear By To Make Life With Kids Easier
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Being a new parent can be challenging. Be it your first time or your third – every child is different and must be cared for. Learning to handle them and guide them through the hurdles they face is a full-time job. Your baby loves to observe you and the world around them, so they will pick up on new things every day. It’s the parents’ job to keep up with their inquisitiveness. You must do your best to gain as much knowledge and understanding so that your child is always safe and happy. Although gathering information, and tips on how to deal with your child may seem overwhelming at first, it will get more manageable as time goes by. Here are some valuable and creative tricks to make life with kids easier.
1. Make Everything A Game
Kids love their games, so what better way to keep them engaged and get them to do what you want than to make everything a game? Kids often resist doing simple tasks. Maybe it’s getting in the car first thing in the morning when you’re late for work or maybe it’s being a particularly picky eater. It’s natural to get annoyed and frustrated and start to threaten your child.
You might have used phrases like “You’re not allowed to play your favorite game today if you don’t cooperate” or “I’m going to take away your chocolates if you don’t eat your meal”. But using fear to get what you want never works for long. Instead, turn it into a game! Tell your child that there’s a special prize for whoever gets into the car first or say, “Let’s see who can finish everything on their plate today.” Kids love competition so indulge them in a game to get what you want.
2. Trade Toys For Crayons While You’re Outside To Keep The Toddler Busy
Keeping a toddler entertained is no joke! They seem to have the attention span of a goldfish and make no move to heed any of your instructions. If you’re out, chances are your toddler is going to do whatever they want unless they are properly distracted. Which is why most parents usually lug around a bag of toys to keep their little one entertained. But this can be strenuous and impractical. After all, who wants to go home and resanitize all the toys your child threw around at the mall? Trade them in for a pack of crayons and paper instead. Not only are they compact but they do a great job of keeping the little one busy. Are they getting restless at a restaurant? Let them color on a napkin. Are they going to cry at a doctor’s appointment? They’re too busy coloring the minions purple. Whatever the situation may be, crayons come in handy.
3. Create A Danger Zone When You Want The Kids To Stay Away
Have you ever been in a situation where you don’t want your kids to be anywhere near you? Maybe you’re doing something dangerous, like building a treehouse or fixing something, and you need your curious ones to stay far away. Or maybe you’re cooking a big dinner and need the kids to leave you alone. Kids often follow their parents around like a second shadow, but there is a way to get them to stay away when necessary. Use painter’s tape or any other coloured tape to mark the part of the room as “off-limits” and tell your kid it’s a space only for adults, and tell them that kids are not allowed to step foot inside this zone. This way your kids can still look on, but from a safe distance. And they are close enough for you to keep an eye on them. A win-win situation!
4. Ask Your Kids To Make A List Of The Things They Want
Every parent has taken their child into a store and walked out with a crying, screaming baby. It could be a supermarket, a clothing store, or the pharmacy. Your little one is always going to find something they insist that they need right this second. How do you stop this from happening? Easy – help them make a list of all the things they want from the store you’re going to. As they grow older, you can give them an allowance or some compensation for chores done around the house. This way they can learn to make smart financial decisions. We’re sure they’ll soon realize that they don’t need half the stuff on their list!
Raising kids can be a challenge and balancing life, work, and parenthood is hard. And sometimes, you need a little help to juggle everything. We hope these tips help you do just that! Do you have a favorite parenting tip that we haven’t mentioned? Let us know in the comments section.
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