As a newborn and child photographer I get to chat with lots of mums and dads and also learn new things. Things I wish I knew when my kids were babies :) The bodysuit design for example. I had no idea that the folds on each shoulder mean you can fold them backwards and take the bodysuit off downwards rather than over the head. This knowledge could have saved me from having to cut my daughter out of one when she did a massive poop that went all up her back and I did not want to take the bodysuit off over her head, it was rather comical asking for scissors to cut her out of it and we still laugh about it today.
I have also been using a trick for a tickly cough which wakes your kids up at night. This was once recommended to me by a pharmacist and I swear by it. Rub a bit of Vicks Vaporub on their feet at bedtime, put socks on and the coughing gets a lot better! (Do not leave the Vicks accessible though, I learned the hard way when I found my toddler sitting on the bed spreading the Vaporub all over my bed. He was very happy, I wasn't sure what to do first :) Believe me washing it off his hands was almost impossible!)
So I thought I would ask fellow mums for more little tips and hacks to make parenting easier. Here are a few below:
Place a plastic laundry basket in the bath for your kid's bath. The toys won't float away and it makes the bath safer for your little one too.
Use a coffee lid as a little tray to put an ice lolly stick through and stop hands and everything getting incredibly messy.
Cut a sticker in half and place it in your child's shoes so that the sticker makes a picture when the shoes are put together the right way (seriously, the amount of times mine get their shoes on the wrong way...)
Bed wetting - this is something my mum told me to do with my little one. Just before going to bed yourself wake the little one and make them walk to the loo (don't carry them asleep as that defies the object) they need to be semi-awake for this. Eventually they will learn to go to the toilet themselves or stop wetting the bed.
Kid friendly ice pack: pop some marshmallows in a plastic bag, seal and freeze. This makes a great ice pack for little ones as it is soft and not too cold.
Carry a small note pad and pen in your bag for times your kids need entertaining whilst waiting for something.
Write your phone number on your child's arm with a biro when you are in a place with lots of people (festivals, exhibitions etc) if they get lost teach tell them to ask someone to call your number.
Baby Wipes - now that is a great one! I have used them for just about anything. Cleaning the house, make-up remover, stains on clothes...you name it. If you want to share what you used baby wipes for please comment below, I am interested to see what people used them for :D
I am sure there are lots more patenting hacks out there so feel free to share below!