These days, you can see almost everything shrinking – phones, computers, cars, even homes. While the reduction in size may be okay for some things, when it comes to homes and homes with kids, space is something we all look for. Sadly however, we cannot always get what we want, so the best solution would be to rethink your small living space and find a way to make it work for you and your family.
How do you create more space when there is not to be had? The trick is not in enlarging your living space but rather in reducing clutter, using smart furniture that are dual purpose, and being creative about storage units. Here are some ideas that may prove useful in this situation:
Subtract not add – one of the reasons why spaces get cramped, especially homes that are rather small, is due to the accumulation of items over the years. For you to be able to create more space for your family, you need to remove the items that are no longer essential or useful, and sell or throw these out. Resist the urge to buy more bulky items for your home, and instead opt for space saving ones that you can find in many stores around you, and even online.
Replace single use items with multi-use ones – there are many things in our homes that only serve one purpose, and are eating space as such. In order for you to create the kind of space you need for your small home, and for you to give your kids some room to move around, try looking for furnishings that serve a dual purpose instead of only one. For instance, instead of using a bulky couch, why not look for a couch that has drawers underneath it for storage? How about a coffee table with built-in book shelves? How about a bed frame that also has drawers underneath it and even a bookcase for a headboard?
Use your walls – many homes have walls that are bare and do not serve much of a purpose other than to separate one room from another. You can utilize these walls to create more space for you and your kids to move about by creating spaces in and on them that can hold your knick-knacks, picture frames, decorations, and many more. Install hanging shelves that can hold your family photo frames and collectibles instead of having a floor to ceiling bookcase for this, or even a sideboard, or a curio. You can even find uniquely designed hanging shelves that can be installed in corners.
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Everybody loves a bargain. Whether you’re a single mom, a working mom who is conscious about the cost of living these days, or even a dad who wants the best for their kids, finding low cost items is always seen as a good thing. Getting quality stuff at a fraction of the cost, no matter what these may be, is what a lot of us aim for, and is a great way to save money.
If you are planning on building a study room for your child, you will find that costs can go up for such a project if you do not stick to a set plan for it. You will need to be able to put together not only a great looking study area, but also one that is well organized and effective for what it was made for. In order for you to do this without creating holes in your pocket, here are some tips and tricks that may help out:
Stick to a budget – always remember that you need to set a certain amount for what you are planning. Going slightly over the budget is fine, but going way over the budget is not acceptable. Only spend what you can readily afford to avoid any problems with not having enough for everything you need.
Make a list of what you need - you will also need to make a list of everything you will need to complete such a project. Do you need to repaint the room, or to repaint a part of the room? How about wallpaper? Rugs? Curtains? You need to make an itemized list of what you will need, and this will include labor costs as well, if you are not planning on going DIY.
Check and compare – in order for you to find the best prices for everything, it is a good idea for you to go from store to store to check and compare the prices of the items that you need. This may seem difficult if you go from one physical store to another to do so, which is why you should consider checking the prices online, if you can. There are many online stores that sell children’s furniture, and study room furniture is included in their catalogs.
Learn to compromise – if what you want is too expensive, or will break your budget, you should learn to compromise and find something that is similar to what you want but not as expensive. With all the outlets selling children’s furniture online, it won’t be too difficult to find a suitable replacement that is budget-friendly.
Image credit: @flckr
You may have seen numerous pictures and videos of kids and dogs, as well as other pets, co-existing happily and safely. Some people even post pictures of their kids sleeping happily with their pets, and these very same pets keeping an eye on these kids as if they were their own. As cute and as endearing these photos and videos may be, these are actually rather rare occurrences, and copying these increases the possibility of your pet and your child ending up hurting each other.
Keeping kids safe from your pets requires that you set certain boundaries for each. While you can teach your kids, and your pets as well, to respect each other’s boundaries, sometimes making sure that they do not overstep their bounds is needed. For instance, for you to ensure that your child does not bother your pet while they are eating, you might want to create a space where your pets can eat undisturbed. This can be done with the help of a child-safety gate that your dogs can enter but your child cannot.
Another thing you need to ensure is that your dogs do not bother your child while they are eating. You will need to also establish such boundaries by having your pets stay outside of the dining area or kitchen, wherever your child is eating, with the help of these very same safety gates. If your dogs are around your child when your kid is eating, and they are not as disciplined as you would like, they might end up eating your child’s food or even take food from their hands, which can be rather dangerous.
Proper storage of your dog’s treats and food stuff is also essential. Do not simply store these in areas that your child can reach or easily open, like lower cabinets or drawers. A child can actually choke on a doggie treat or even on their dog food, so keeping your child safely away from these is important. You can store these away in hard-to-reach cabinets or shelves, and make sure that your child does not have access to your dog’s leftover food either.
Also worth noting is that leaving a child with your pet without supervision is a very big no-no. Always keep a close eye on both, even when you have gone through the required training of both child and pet on how to deal with each other. Supervising their interactions, and keeping a close eye on them while they play and bond will help ensure the safety of both your pet and your child.
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When it comes to gift giving, people often gravitate towards toys when kids are the recipient. And why not? Kids love toys, and we love seeing the joy in their faces when they open up their presents to see these toys. But are toys really the only option we have for gift giving? Isn’t there a more useful and practical gift that kids will also love receiving?
Sadly, when it does come to gifts, your best option is indeed a toy since kids do love these, however, you don’t need to stop there. You can actually give a kid more than just a toy, and can in fact, give them something they can use along with the toy as well as with the rest of their toys? Want to know what this is?
Believe it or not, giving a kid a toy that comes with a storage unit is actually a great idea. Not only will they have the toy, but they will also have something to store it in, along with some other toys that can fit in the same storage unit. For instance, if you are thinking of giving a child a building block set, why not get them one that comes with its own storage cart? They can also store their other building blocks in the same cart.
Another great idea would be to get them books, and to place these books in a portable book chest. You can also put these books in a mini-shelf that they can put in their room. This shelf can then be shared by the other books the child may have, or may get in the future.
Also worth considering is a cubby tower, or a shelf cubby. These shelving and storage units come with clear boxes that can carry different kinds of toys in them. The clear boxes make it easier for the child to see what is inside without having to take out everything in each box. You can give this as a gift to a child along with a few toys that are already placed in a few of the empty cubbies. The rest of the storage space can then be used for their other toys.
If you are parent thinking of doing this, you will know exactly how much space your child’s room has and can easily estimate whether or not these storage units will fit nicely in the kid’s room. If you are not the child’s parent, it might be a good idea to run this idea by the kid’s mom or dad so that you don’t end up giving a gift that eats up space.
Image credit: flckr
One of the things most parents complain about, whether they live in a huge house, or a small apartment, is the mess their kids make. Kids create messes like there is no tomorrow, and keeping your home clean becomes something of a “mission impossible” day after day. How do you keep your apartment (or house) clean even when there are kids around?
There are many ways to do this, however it will take some doing and a lot of patience before you can have a relatively mess-free home with kids in it. Here are some ideas that may just work:
Provide your kids with their own storage units – some kids use the excuse that they do not have any place to put specific things they own because a brother or a sister is using the space they feel should be theirs. You can get rid of this excuse by giving each child their own storage unit (or part of a storage facility) that is specifically for their use. You should label their personal spaces with their name so that there is no confusion as to who uses what space.
Use the reward/punishment system – children who do not pick up after themselves do not get treats while those who do so get treats. The reward and punishment system often works real well when it comes to teaching kids what is right and wrong, and teaching them to clean up after themselves can be done with the use of this strategy. You can even say that the kid who does not store away things properly will get their share of the treats given to the one who does clean up after themselves.
Make cleaning up and storing things into a game – aside from the reward and punishment system, you can also train your kids to get used to storing their things away after they use these by making it into a game. You have to start this while they are still toddlers, and to do so, you need to do this regularly, every day after play time.
Provide them with storage units that are easy for them to use, like plastic toy bins or storage cubbies. Give them a toy at a time to put in each shelf, or have them find a specific toy on the floor, and tell them to put this away. Try to make the activity fun so that they don’t think of it as tiring. When they get used to putting things away at an early age, you won’t need to constantly remind them to do so when they get older.
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If you are a parent with a toddler, then you know how difficult it can be to try and keep your child safe even at home. These are the years when your kids will be truly curious about the things around them, and what their boundaries are. The potential for disaster and for accidents to happen is rather high, which is why you need to help ensure that your child is safe by enacting measures that will keep them safe.
Different rooms in your home present different challenges when it comes to safety and in order to keep your little ones safe, you need to ensure that each room in your house is toddler proof. To help you with such a task, here are a few things that may help keep your home safe for toddlers to be in:
Bathroom safety – there are a few things to remember about bathrooms and toddlers, and one of the most important is probably to not leave your child in the tub alone. Another thing you should avoid doing is to store water in buckets or other similar containers since these can be a drowning threat for your child. Also, to ensure general safety and to prevent your kid from entering the bathroom on their own, install locks outside that only adults can reach, or put a safety gate on your bathroom door.
Kitchen safety – toddlers usually gravitate towards rooms in your home that have many interesting gadgets and things they can look at, listen to, and touch, and the kitchen is one of these places. The kitchen is also one of the places that present the most danger to them, with things like electric outlets, hot surfaces, wires, sharp objects, and many more being present here. Toddler proof your kitchen by ensuring that everything that can cause any harm, such as knives, wires, and even cleaning fluids, are kept out of the child’s reach. Cleaning fluids need to be kept under lock and key, wires should be kept hidden or shortened with the help of twist ties, and sharp objects carefully placed out of their reach.
Bedroom safety – while most children’s furniture are constructed to be safe for a child to use, there are some that do have design flaws, such as too wide gaps between the bars on them, which can cause a child’s head to get stuck. Make sure that you buy age appropriate furniture for your toddler, and to check if the manufacturer is following guidelines for the creation of child safe furniture.
jenny downing @flckr
Some people believe that teaching a toddler to read before they are 5 or 6 years old is a futile endeavour. While it is not advisable that you pressure your 3 year old to be able to read and understand all of the books that you bought them, it is also not unthinkable that you encourage your toddler to start learning to read and to love books at a young age. There are many ways to start doing this, and here are some of the methods you can try:
Start reading to them daily at an early age
Yes, reading to a child daily starting at 6 months will encourage them to want to read as well. Sit your baby in front of you and read the book to them. Having them hear your voice reading the words in front of them will help them understand that reading is fun. You can start with alphabet books, if you like, with text that is big and colourful. You can then progress to word and rhyme books as your child grows.
Follow the words you are reading with their finger
Guide your toddler through what you are reading by holding their hand and having them follow what you are reading with their pointer finger. This will give them an idea as to where you are in the story and where they will need to turn the page of the book. It will also help keep them involved in the act of reading the book, even though it is only you actually reading it.
Be a good example of someone who loves to read
You cannot encourage your child to read, or to learn how to read, if they do not see you doing the same thing yourself. If you are reading the newspaper or a magazine, and they as you about it, sit them on your lap and read to them. This will tell them that you too enjoy reading, and so should they.
Make finding books they want to read easy by categorizing these
You can categorize the books you get for your child by having either shelves for different kinds of books, or book boxes that they can easily go through when they want to read, in their room. Mark areas on a bookshelf, or label book boxes with the types of books they have, and put their books in the right categories. If they feel like reading about the alphabet, they will know where to look. If they want to read animal books, they can easily find these in the appropriate storage unit or area.
Okay, you have to admit that after seeing commercials and ads showing babies “enjoying” fancy pacifiers, and looking ready for the red carpet in their designer togs, you find yourself itching to go out and buy these for your own child. While these may seem like good purchases to you, you should realize that your baby actually does not know a designer brand from an unknown one. They also don’t care whether their top matches their cap and their little baby booties, or how much these actually cost, which essentially means that you are basically buying these things for yourself more than for your baby.
Even though you might have the surplus cash for these, in this day and age, being practical is probably better than being extravagant since you will never know what may happen in the future. Your baby won’t appreciate the monetary value of these expensive items anyway, so you will definitely be better off saving the money for their future needs. To do this, you need to forgo buying stuff like these:
Designer Baby Clothes. As mentioned earlier, your baby will not notice nor appreciate the brands they are wearing. Comfort is what you should be focusing on when buying baby clothing, and these can come in way cheaper forms than a $500 set of designer garb made for baby.
Bedding Sets for the Crib. Sure, you want your baby’s crib bumpers, sheets, blankets, and pillows to look like they belong together, however what you may not know is that these sets may look good, but are actually a threat to your child’s safety. Too many items in the crib can actually cause what is called SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The less items your baby has in the crib, the safer (and cheaper) it is.
Fancy Toys. No, your baby cannot appreciate the battery operated, flashing, sound-making, expensive toy that you just strapped to the crib, and yes, they can better appreciate a soft, water-filled, jelly-like teething ring that costs 1/10th the price of a battery operated crib gadget. Buy your baby simple toys that help stimulate their senses, and instead of buying a fancy mobile that plays music while it spins and glows, it might be better to play your child nursery tunes from disc player or from your computer.
Branded Diapers. While some people may swear to the absorbency of branded diapers, generic ones are actually better than these more expensive types. Having your child wear a diaper that is cheaper, but needs to be changed a couple of times more, actually helps prevent diaper rashes and infections since, well, you change these more often.
You may not know this, but some people actually buy furnishings that are made for grown-ups instead of kids’ furniture for their kids’ use in order to save money. The logic some parents have is that their kids will grow up anyway, so better use furnishings that they can use for longer. What they may not realize is that children and adults have different needs, and that furniture designed, as well as built, for the use of kids are made to fit the very specific requirements of kids.
One of the reasons why kids’ furnishings are needed, and should be considered for your children, is for them to not feel like they are in a world that is too big for them. Being surrounded by adult furniture, even in the room that is supposed to be their haven, might make them feel smaller. Giving them furniture in their size will help them feel that their room is a place especially made for them.
There are also quite a few more good reasons for buying furniture made specifically for kids, and here are some of them:
1. Allows for creativity and feeds the imagination
If you will look closely, majority of furniture made for children are rather creatively designed, and come in bright colors. These help feed a child’s imagination, and encourages them to dream as well as to be creative. You should also try to have your child choose the furniture for their room, for them to express their sense of style, and to show you what they like.
2. Teaches them to be responsible without difficulty
Imagine a kid needing to stretch in order to place a toy or a book back in its place. This is what will happen if you use adult furniture, particularly storage units, in their room. When they find such a task difficult to achieve, they will eventually give up and not put things back where they should be. Having kid sized storage units for toys, books, and clothing will encourage them to do what is right, and that is to clean up after themselves after playing, reading, or whatnot.
3. Safety is foremost in the creation of these furnishings
Kids can be rather destructive, rowdy, and somewhat clumsy, which is why it is important that you purchase furniture that is safe for them to use. Kids’ furniture is often made with their safety in mind. Companies that create kids’ beds, chairs, and desks try to ensure that these items are durable enough to withstand the constant abuse that these may get from kids, as well as low enough for them to get in and out of safely.
Probably one of the most tiring tasks parents face when they have kids of any age is in getting their kids rooms cleaned. What is even more challenging is in training kids to keep their rooms clean, and to clean up after themselves. How can you get a 3 year old to put away their toys after they are done playing? Can you teach toddlers to get used to putting things away after playtime is over?
Putting away toys is considered “work” by kids, and even parents can concede that putting toys back where they belong is indeed a lot of work. You can however get your child to thinking that putting away their stuff after using them is fun, with the help of some tips that parents may find rather useful. Here are some of them:
Turn it into a game. You can have your kids enjoy putting away their stuff if you turn it into a fun game that you can do with them. You can have them put away things according to type, like toys in the toy box, books on the shelf, crayons in the art box, and so on. Hold up an item and ask them where they should place it, and have them show you. This will not only teach them to put things back where they belong, but it also teaches them to learn how to categorize and organize stuff they own.
Don’t rush them. Rushing your kids and telling them to speed up the clean-up process is counterproductive, and will only stress you and your kid out. Patience is needed in teaching kids how to clean up after themselves, and in order to do that, you have to let them do it at a reasonable pace. You also have to let them know that playtime will also involve clean up time, and part of the time allocated to playing should also include time for putting things back in place.
Provide interesting and ample storage units for them to use. One of the keys to teaching a kid to clean up their rooms after playing is the number of storage units they have. If they have more toys, books, and knick-knacks than there are shelves, toy boxes, and chests to hold these, they might end up thinking that things don’t really need to be in a specific place. Have enough shelves for their books, boxes for their different kinds of toys, and other storage units for anything else that they may play with or use on hand so that they can store all of these away as they should.
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