Baby Wearing

Staying at home with kids when they're little is a crash course on multi-tasking. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but baby wearing is totally where it's at when they're so little.

1. Sling - This one is my personal favorite because it was so simple to use even I figured it out. Some of my favorite baby memories and pictures involved wearing the sling while our little one was passed out in the nook of it. I also liked that this sling din't take up much space and fit in almost any diaper bag we brought.

2. Baby Bjorn - I liked this for longer walks once the kids gained more neck and trunk strength. Facing them outward was fun for outings and festivals, facing them inwards was great when I really needed them to chill and/or fall asleep. Using this took a bit more style and finesse than the sling.

3. Moby Wrap - My Better Half bought one of these, and I never figured out how to use it. It required more hand-eye coordination than I will ever acquire, but she always made it look easy.

Have on Hand: Extra Socks

Summer fun with kids often includes festivals with bounce houses, playgrounds, bounce pillows, and other play places.  On the one hand, summer often means flip-flops, sandals, and crocs – in other words, footwear without socks.  On the other, “No Shoes” is a pretty common rule when enjoying these different jumping experiences. But socks are usually required.

So my life hack here is a footwear accessory that we forget but often need during the summer.

Socks

On one recent trip, my Better Half sat barefoot while our daughter donned ridiculously large adult athletic socks up to her knees so she could jump to her heart’s delight. We’ve also been squeezed into purchasing overpriced socks just so our kids could participate in an activity. Not to mention that time we got stuck in a downpour and the kids complained about wet socks and shoes the whole ride home.

We’ve since wised up and now keep an extra pair of socks for everyone in the car. My Better Half took it a step further and put an extra pair for both kids in her purse when she knew there was a birthday party soon at one of those bounce places. Luckily, our kids were in sneakers that day and arrived at the party in sock-covered feet. There was a friend who didn’t remember that detail, and we were able to "come to the rescue" with clean socks for them to borrow. So grab a clean pair of socks for everyone and throw them in the car. Maybe even store them in your plastic bag...

Have on Hand: Plastic Bags

Summer is in full swing.  And in the the whole of Rochester there was a joyous exultation, except for those who now complain that it is too hot!

Now that the warm weather is here to seemingly stay, my family is getting out of the house more for a broader range of activities. Over the last few weeks, we eagerly approached several activities only to realize that we were missing an essential item required for participation or a helpful item for cleaning up after said activity. From these mishaps, I will be posting "life hacks" throughout the summer about basic items we've needed on hand at all times to pull off a successful summer excursion. Without further instruction, I present to you...

Plastic Bags

If you're like me, you probably have bags of crumpled bags lying around your house. After unpacking from a big shopping trip, we amass a pile of them with no immediate use.

I can tell you that one of those piles now live in the trunk of our car. The most immediate summer use was to contain soaked bathing suits after a trip to the pool.  Everything was packed, neatly and dry, for our day at the pool.  However, the end of a trip to the pool cannot be characterized as either neat or dry, and usually involves hungry, exhausted children. It would have been really handy to throw those wet suits and towels in a plastic bag to carry and transport home. It’s hard to believe that something as ubiquitous as a plastic bag is so truly impossible to find when you really need one. And I shudder to share here all of the sanitation-related situations we've encountered where something horrific has been contained within a plastic bag lulling around somewhere in the car. Praise be for those plastic bags!