Cynical Parent

Have the toys taken over your home? If your home is anything like mine, the toys are everywhere!

And, with each passing year, my kids just keep accumulating more. No matter how hard I try – between birthdays, holidays, and grandparents – the toys have a tendency to take over the house.

If I step on one more Lego or teeny tiny Barbie shoe, I might lose my mind.

And I know I am not alone with this issue. My friends are always talking about the best way to organize toys, and I am always on the hunt for a new way to keep things more orderly and less likely to make me lose my mind.

For any other parent who has taken offense to the mess in their house and considered throwing all the toys in the garbage, I am here to offer some help in the form of toy organization.

Keep your home mess-free with these tips for the best way to organize toys, and reclaim your space again!

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Undoubtedly the single greatest challenge of raising a newborn child is something you’ve likely taken for granted your entire life: how to manage sleep.

And no, not managing sleep for the baby: the baby will sleep whenever it feels like sleeping.

Before becoming a new parent, you commonly hear two seemingly contradictory things:

1. Newborn babies sleep all the time (somewhere in the range of 16-20 hours per day)
2. As a parent of a newborn, you will get very little sleep

“What the f**k?”  you think to yourself.  If the baby is sleeping 16-20 hours per day, surely I can find my usual 6-8 hours of sleep in there somewhere, right?

Here’s the part where experienced parents laugh at you.

I thought the same thing when my daughter was born.  I knew sleep was going to be rough in the beginning, but with the baby sleeping most of the day, I thought for sure there would be some way to still get something close to my normal amount of sleep.

Ha…I was so wrong.

I’m not going to get into the exact details of why I didn’t sleep much, because it’s irrelevant for the topic of this post.  Every kid is different, and I can guarantee your experience will be at least somewhat different from mine.

But…we can all agree that nighttime sleep will never be the same while a newborn is in the house.  So, with that in mind, I want to discuss some strategies around how to tackle these nighttime duties in your average two-parent home.

It won’t be easy, but here it goes…

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With the current global pandemic, more people than ever are working remotely from home.  And with many schools out for the summer (and many staying virtual in the fall), lots of parents are faced with the challenge of working from home with kids.

It’s not easy (and that’s an understatement — it’s hard as hell).

It doesn’t even matter how old your kids are.  Each age comes with a different challenge. 

Babies and toddlers, who might otherwise be at a daycare, need constant attention.  Older children need activities (and some supervision, depending on age).  

Even teenagers or young adults can still interfere with your ability to work at home effectively.

So what can you do about it? How can you still be productive?

We’ve got some pretty powerful tips…

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We’re in the middle of a global pandemic where the general recommendation is for people to wear face masks when they’re out in public, especially when it’s not possible to socially distance.  This includes anyone aged 2 or older.  It’s easy enough to follow for most adults and older kids, but getting your toddler to wear a mask is a different story.

If you have a toddler, you know that they sometimes will do anything but what you ask them to do.  They don’t like being forced into unfamiliar situations and will sometimes resist things irrationally.

My 3 year old has a fear of little pieces of fuzz that you’d randomly find on the ground in your home.  She screams and acts like you would if you saw a giant spider. Makes no sense. But hey, that’s toddlers for you.

So when it comes to figuring out how to get your toddler to wear a mask in public, some parents are faced with a new challenge.  

We’ve done a little bit of research and put together some suggestions for helping you with this issue.

Let’s check it out.

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You think you’ve done all the right things. You’ve taken the dog to obedience class.

You’ve read up on how to introduce a dog to a baby.

But then, just as you dreaded, it happens.

grrrrrrrrrr

Your dog growls at the baby.  The baby starts crying.  

Now what?  

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When it comes to food, there’s a good chance you struggle in some way with your toddler. Some don’t eat much at all and you’re always trying to get them to eat something…anything.

Some will eat, but struggle to eat healthy. And some are just downright picky in general.

We’ve tackled meals before, but now we’re going to focus on something near and dear to every toddler’s heart: snacks.

Snacks are usually less of a struggle, but how do you get them to actually eat something that’s healthy?

Let’s check it out…there’s a lot here!

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I don’t know if you noticed, but the Nugget (that little play couch for kids) has been super popular lately, especially during these times where we find ourselves at home more often.

It’s perpetually sold out.  And when they do come back in stock, they sell out within a couple minutes.  It’s crazy.

So, you might find yourself wondering, “what else is out there? There must be something else like it, right?” 

You’re in luck.

While there’s nothing exactly the same as the the Nugget, there are several good alternatives that are easier to get your hands on and will still provide tons of fun for your little ones.

Let’s dive in and check out the best Nugget alternative (we have a few options).

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One of the most exciting parts of setting up the baby nursery is pick out decoration and signage for the wall. 

There are a lot of directions you can go, whether it’s a sign with the baby’s name, a cute phrase, an animal or some other object that matches the theme of the nursery…there are so many options! 

We’ve done our research on some of the coolest ideas for baby nursery signs.  Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy to pick out our favorites. 

Without further ado…let’s check ’em out.

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As a parent, summer time can be a challenge. Whether you’re a stay-at-home or working parent, the reality is, summer time is “fun time.” (big time air quotes there)

And fun time means…you need to find stuff for your kids to do.

Even if your kid is young enough to still be in daycare or you’re sending him or her to a summer camp, you will still undoubtedly find yourself with hours in the afternoon or on weekends where you need to find stuff for them to do.

And as much as I’d love to be running around after a long day or week of work (correction: NOT), sometimes it’s much less stressful and much more enjoyable to find some fun activities that your kids can do at home.

And let’s not forget another important factor: it’s a hell of a lot cheaper too.

So, without further ado, we’ve put together an amazing list of 12 super fun summer activities for kids at home.  Keep your kids busy, keep your own sanity, and keep your wallet from going empty.

These are the goals.

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My playpen is one of my favorite things I own (as it relates to my kids’ stuff). It is so versatile and makes things like cleaning house, days at the beach, and traveling SO much easier when you have a young toddler or mobile baby always trying to get into trouble.

But how do you know if you’ve got the best playpen for toddler fun and safety?

A good playpen can be used for all sorts of things.

Not only can it be a safe place to put your little one while to take care of some chores or a portable napping spots, but the best playpens can be used for safe outdoor play, days at the beach, homemade ball pits, and so much more.

That’s why it is important to know that your playpen will grow with your little one. One of the most important things to look for when you are shopping playpens is its long-term usage. I use my playpen all the time, even now that my son is 2 years old!

Not all playpens are created equal. Only four made it on my list of the best playpen for toddler fun and safety.

Let’s check ’em out.

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