Simple Solutions: By Moms, For Moms
Pregnancy Simple Solutions
Try yoga. During my pregnancies I had a lot of back pain. I found a yoga routine
online designed for pregnant women at www.healthyandyoga.com and followed it religiously
every night while I watched TV. It helped to ease the pain a lot, and it gave me
an excuse to watch more TV!
--Jennifer Bright Reich, editor and mom of two in Allentown, PA
Set up a diaper changing station on each floor of your house. They could be as simple
as baskets stocked with diapers, ointment, wipes, and a changing pad or blanket.
This will save you hours of time running up and down the stairs to change your baby's
diaper.
Have a safe landing place for your baby in every room–or at least on every floor.
This is for those times when you need to put her down to have your hands free, to
answer a phone call or go to the bathroom. For example, have a bouncer seat in your
living room, a high chair in your dining room, and a second bouncer chair in your
bedroom.
Buy an extra changing table and stash it in your baby's closet. It will make a great
organizer for clothes in the upcoming sizes. Put three- to six-month clothes on the
top shelf, nine-month clothes on the second shelf, and 12 month clothes on the bottom
shelf, for example. This way you'll know exactly how much of each size you have,
saving you money and time by not buying clothes your baby doesn't need.
--Jennifer Bright Reich, an editor and mom of two in Allentown, PA
Labor and Delivery Simple Solutions
Try walking. When I was in labor, I couldn't stand to sit still. But I quickly discovered
that lying still was painful, but moving around helped. So I walked around the hospital
floor and during each contraction I held onto the handrail and did squats. I knew
that in only a few squats, the contraction would be over.
--Robyn Swatsburg, a mom of two in Biglerville, PA
Wear a watch. Especially if you're nursing it can be a challenge to keep track of
when you fed your baby. Set the stopwatch when you begin feeding. Then you can tell
at a glance when the time between feedings is up.
Wear a ring. If you're nursing, to help remember which breast to start feeding on,
switch a ring from hand to hand.
Buy a dorm-size refrigerator for your baby's nursery. You can store bottles of formula
or
expressed milk there and feed your baby without having to go to the kitchen and fix
up a bottle.
--Jennifer Bright Reich, an editor and mom of two in Allentown, PA
Toddler Years Simple Solutions
Try a temple touch thermometer. My sons don’t sit still, and they won’t stop talking
long enough to use a mouth thermometer. I don’t have any patience with the ear thermometers.
Instead, I found a great thermometer I touch to their temples and get a reading within
seconds. It’s called the ReliOn and you can buy it online and at stores such as Walmart
for around $10.
--Sue Yanello, a mom of two in Raleigh, NC
Teen Years Simple Solutions
Empty Nest Simple Solutions
Prepare for more company! One of the biggest adjustments for me after my kids were off at school and my husband was retired from work was having his company on all of the errands I used to do alone. Suddenly he accompanied me to stores and had an opinion on what we bought!
It took a little while for me to adjust to this change and to give up some of my independence. But now, truth be told. I’m glad to have the company!
–Mary Bright, a mom of two, grandma of four, and professional crafter in Allentown, PA
Lil'Dressers Drawer Labels for Kids are reusable labels that identify clothing stored in dresser drawers. Now your little dresser can find the right clothes and even help put them away!
Each package contains 18 drawer labels that identify the clothing in your child's dresser. They help your child find and put away his or her own clothes and teach independence and prereading skills. Your child can color the lables with crayons or markers. You can easily remove, reposition, and reuse the labels.
Each label is 3 5/8" square and made in the USA.
Your child can color the labels prior to placement, and once on the drawers, the labels help pre-readers with letter and word recognition, as well as with pre-math skills.
Baby’s First Year Simple Solutions
School Years Simple Solutions
Grandkids Simple Solutions
Take some notes. I go to my daughter’s house once a week to watch her sons while she works. She has a VCR, DVD player, and Tivo, and what feels like 15 remotes to control them all. I wanted to be helpful, and not have her have to run into the living room to help me put on a show for the boys to watch. So I asked her to write simple instruction for me on how to run each of these gadgets. Now I can use them all myself!
Save smarter for college. As my father-in-law did when my girls were young, I wanted to give my grandsons each money gifts at their birthdays and Christmas for college. Instead of giving them bonds, I give my daughter a check to deposit into the boys’ 529 accounts. That way all of the money can work together, earning more interest.
–Mary Bright, a mom of two, grandma of four, and professional crafter in Allentown, PA
Pack a delicious, and nutritious, lunch. Sandwiches are staples in most lunchboxes. I make my kids’ with organic, whole-grain bread to increase the fiber. I also use using high-quality, organic cold-cuts (never processed “lunchmeats!”) and a slice of organic cheese.
Because many peanut butters are full of hydrogenated oils and sugars, I often swap traditional PB&J for organic almond butter and no-sugar-added jam. Almond butter generally has no added ingredients or preservatives. It is a great source of protein and is packed with mono-unsaturated fats.
–Shannan Swanson, a mom and cofounder of Tastybaby, delicious and nutritious baby and toddler foods
Unplug them! At a parent-teacher conference, I was surprised when my 15-year-old son’s teacher suggested that I encourage him get more sleep at night. “He falls asleep in class almost every day,” she said. After a little digging, I discovered the reason for his daytime drowsiness. When I reviewed our family’s cell phone charges, I found that he was sending and receiving dozens of text messages on his cell phone, long after he had turned in for the night, sometimes until 2:00 am in the morning. No wonder he couldn’t stay awake in class!
The temptation for teens to text their friends is practically irresistible, even when it means sacrificing much-needed sleep. Now, I ask my three teenagers to leave their cell phones sitting on the kitchen (plugged in and charging) when they go to bed at night. It’s one of our requirements of cell phone ownership, and they grudgingly agree that it’s a small price to pay for the privilege of having a cell phone. As a bonus, I’m better able to stay in contact with my teens. They can’t use the excuse “I didn’t get your call because my cell phone was dead!” since I know their phones are fully charged every morning when they leave for school.
–Lynne Stevens, a mom of three teenagers in St. Paul, MN
