Having kids is a joy and a blessing. They keep our lives extremely busy and challenging at any age. We always can use a tip or two when it comes to kids/babies. Here are some for you:

Place a damp wash cloth in a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer. When baby starts teething remove the cloth from the bag and let your baby chew on it. It will be soothing to his/her gums.

Babies’ teething toys can be cleaned and sanitized by securing them to the top basket of the dish washer when doing a load of dishes. When washing and drying kids’ sleepwear or any other clothing that is flame retardent, do not use softener or dryer sheets; it will remove the retardent.

Found a bottle or sippy cup with soured milk that was left in the car? Wash it out thoroughly with hot soapy water and then twist a piece of newspaper up and put it inside and screw the top on. The newspaper will absorb the odor in about a week or so.

Keep a bottle of witch hazel on hand along with a package of cosmetic pads. When your little one falls and bumps his or her head, soak a cosmetic pad with witch hazel and place it on the bump. It will take the swelling down and help prevent bruising. Witch hazel is located in the first aid aisle, usually near the rubbing alcohol.

Remove a splinter with ease by applying a paste of baking soda and water. Then wait several minutes for the splinter to pop out of the skin.

Keep frozen pops on hand if your toddler falls and splits his/her lip. By giving them the frozen pop, it will stop the swelling and numb the pain.

If your baby has redness under his/her chin, try putting Crisco there a few times a day. The redness will disappear.

When traveling with kids, take along a box of wipes. They come in handy for washing hands and faces and cleaning up messes. This tip works well for older kids and adults as well. When I travel, I take them with me for makeup removal and just general cleanup as needed.When traveling with older children, large plastic cutting boards or plastic trays make a good lap desk for them to do their activities on.

Need to do a quick craft with your kids? Licorice Laces in kids’ favorite flavors can be made into a necklace by stringing on Fruit Loops or their favorite flavor Cheerios; yum, yum. You can always prepare packets and use this in the car if you want them to keep busy. Another great car game that I bought my grandchildren is Car Bingo. You can make your own boards with things one may see along the way and give them a marker to cross off when/if they see what’s on the board. Kids love this and so do parents!!!!

When little ones are learning to put their shoes on, learning which shoe goes on the right foot can be a challenge. Place a piece of adhesive tape on the inside of the right shoe with the word right and a star, this will help them to recognize the right from the left.

Use a plastic shower curtain liner to cover the mattress on kids’ beds to prevent soiling in case of an accident.

When younger kids begin to get bored with their toys, put some of the toys away for a few weeks, then bring them back out. Alternate the toys every few weeks and the kids think they have something new to play with.

If you are going out for the day to a busy place, make a kid-friendly bracelet for your child with beads that create your phone number. Just in case your child gets lost, they will have their phone number on their wrist.

Does your child have a lot of Barbie dolls to keep organized? Just use a shoebag and she can pop them in the slots. Use a shower caddy with a long pole to keep arts and crafts organized. The baskets are perfect for all kinds of things. Save the baby wipe containers that most people discard. They are so perfect to keep crayons, paints, pens, colored pencils, stickers, etc.

When going out to eat, always come prepared. Bring things for the kids to do while waiting for the food to arrive: a deck of cards, a coloring book with crayons, tic-tac-toe sheets, word-finder sheets; Brainquest pads. Anything to stimulate them and keep them busy and well mannered in the restaurant. Hope you enjoyed these!!!

Gail Hochman has been a Fair Lawn resident for over 30 years and has been blessed with many grandchildren.

By Gail Hochman