Summertime is fast approaching! Warmer weather, beach days, camping trips, and gorgeous tans. Does it get any better than that?
It DOES! No more school, and the kids are on summer vacation! Great for family adventures, not so great for keeping your chaotic life organized since the kiddos are home 24/7. Lucky for you, we’ve got a couple of parenting tips and tricks to help make sure that these coming months are filled with nothing but cool summer nights under the stars and sweet trips to the ice cream shop.
Bring a kiddie pool to the beach
As much fun as beach days are, they’re also a lot of work! Between making sure the kids wear sunscreen and getting lunch ready in the sand, things can get crazy! A kiddie pool works amazing in multiple ways – the first way is by using it as a “sand-free zone”. This way when the kids get tired of sandy feet and stepping on rocks, they have a clean space to relax. Alternatively, you can bring the ocean to you! Use buckets to fill up the kiddie pool with water and you’ve got your own private beach.
Label your kids clothes with colors
With a full house, things can get pretty unorganized when everyone is home. Laundry piles up and clothes get lost, it’s almost inevitable. Labelling the kid’s clothes is an easy way to sort them after the laundry is done. Instead of just writing their name though, assign each child a color! Use colored fabric markers to label the tag with a dot, and they can help with the sorting by trying to find their own colors.
Use the outdoors for your art activities
Painting is always a well-loved activity that can keep the kids entertained for hours. Why not take advantage of the warmer weather and bring the painting outside? Get the kids to find some cool-looking rocks that they can paint, and let the creativity flow outside (with sunscreen of course)! Even better, bring the Brat Mats outside for an easy-to-clean pad the kids can sprawl out on while they paint.
Turn chores into a fun game
There’s still work to do around the house, even with the kids at home, so get them involved! Turn daily tasks into exciting games, like taping a small square on the floor and getting the kids to sweep everything into the square. You can also start up a game of basketball by shooting toys into a large basket, or crank up the tunes and have a Dusting Dance Party!
Use paper plates to stop popsicle drips
To save yourself from cleaning up a sticky, melted popsicle mess, try using a paper plate! Stick the paper plate through the bottom of the popsicle stick to create a small tray, so when that sweet treat starts to melt, cleanup is easy. And don’t forget, you can also use our Stylish Bibs to keep clothes nice and mess-free!
Foam mats for fuss-free camping
Bring those large, puzzle-piece foam tiles to lay down in the bottom of your tent on your next camping trip. This will help keep you warmer by separating you from the ground a little more, and your little ones will thank you when they don’t have sore knees from crawling around!
Spray away those monsters
With everybody at home, routines are important. Part of that routine is making sure the kids are getting to sleep at a reasonable time, but those pesky monsters from under the bed can stop that from happening! Take a clean, empty spray bottle and give it a little sprucing up with some decorations and label it “Monster Spray”. Fill it up with water, and spray away those monsters so that everyone can sleep soundly!
