@katrina2017 My son doesn’t give a crap, he would wear the same shirt & “comfy pants” for three days straight! My girls however loooove getting on their “day clothes” lol
Parenting hacks?
- Thread starter dp797
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richard334
New member
@katrina2017 Honestly you shouldn’t bath your kid everyday anyways it’s bad for their skin
@dp797 I have 4 kids, ages 5 and under. My biggest hacks are clothes related. 1: I stopped folding kids clothes. Cotton shorts/pants go into one drawer, t shirts go in another drawer, dress shirts (1/2 per kid) hang. Such a game changer! 2: Each kid only gets one brand/style of sock. This way it is very clear whose is whose. They are all white and since I have 15 pairs of the same sock it doesn’t matter when one gets a hole in it or gets lost. I am ruthless with this one, even if we are gifted socks I immediately pass them to someone else, white Old Navy socks only here! 3: My older kids (4 and 5) don’t wear pjs which means less laundry for me. They either wear just boxers to bed or their clothes for the next day (always cotton pants/t shirts which are basically pjs anyways)
joseph13byrd
New member
@marisasa Yep! Folding kids’ clothes just got silly. The second they went looking for something, they had the whole drawer looking bonkers anyway. Now, I sort their clothes into baskets in the laundry room with their names on them, and the older ones (ages 6&8) are responsible for “folding” and putting away their clothes each day. That usually means that they just dump the whole basket into a drawer and don’t fold or sort — but then when they can’t find a specific thing they want and start asking me where it is...well, I can’t help there since I’m not the one who put it away. Soon, they’ll learn that they’ll find things easier if they take a little care when putting away. Or they won’t. Whatever. As long as it’s off my plate.
preston354
New member
katrina2017
New member
@marisasa So do you just dump the clothes in there? Basically like they would be when in a laundry basket before folding?
I'm not judging, at all. Just wondering how it would work. I think we have too many clothes for that to fit in the wardrobe like that... (Yeah, I should declutter even more.)
I'm not judging, at all. Just wondering how it would work. I think we have too many clothes for that to fit in the wardrobe like that... (Yeah, I should declutter even more.)
@katrina2017 Yep, everything is sorted into tops and bottoms, but other than that it’s just in the drawer. It helps that each kid only has about 10-12 shirts and pant and they don’t like anything fancy so it’s all just t-shirts and cotton pants for the most part. I started doing in once they dressed themselves in the morning. They would pick out their clothes and mess up all my folding and I’d get frustrated so this seemed like the best alternative.
jeffreotey
New member
@jeffreotey As long as it the clothes make it to the closets I’m pretty happy too!
@dp797 We prioritize nighttime sleep over all else, including mandatory early bedtime. That means dinner at 4 pm, baths at 5 pm, quiet play and reading once my husband wakes up (night shift), then 4 month old is in bed by 5:30, 2 year old by 6:15, and 4 year old by 6:45. I bathe the baby in the afternoon while dinner cooks and the older 2 have their allotted 30 mins of screen time, then we have dinner while I nurse, I do a quick 5 minute bedtime routine with the baby in the living room, put him in his crib in our room, prep baths and either bathe the kids together or bathe them in shifts if husband is awake. I like early dinner because it allows for a very leisurely and lengthy pre bed routine for us, my kids love their baths and it gives them plenty of time to play until they're ready to get out. We brush teeth, put on pjs, go out to check the mail, look at the mail catalogues, read our books and do puzzles and migrate to bed.
danielwright2311
New member
@koolsheep We do dinner at 5-ish, too. It gives mine time to eat and like you, time for bedtime routine/baths. We do bathing 3 times a week.
stephend78
New member
@koolsheep When do they wake up with such an early bedtime?
@stephend78 Typically 7:30.
stephend78
New member
@koolsheep What kind of black magic is that? 
Mine fall asleep at 7:30 and wake up at 6. No matter of they sit all day or run outside.
Mine fall asleep at 7:30 and wake up at 6. No matter of they sit all day or run outside.danielwright2311
New member
@stephend78 They're still young. The oldest is 4, which is right about the time children start needing less sleep.
@stephend78 I think luck!
@koolsheep Wow, I could see how that would work out better for you family if your husband works nights!
seraphina777
New member
@dp797 It's not unusual for my boys to take a bath in the afternoon, especially if the weather is crummy. It helps with some of their post-nap hangover. I read a book while they're in the tub, and they pay more attention than they would on the couch or in their rooms. Bathing right before bed isn't the only way. Also, PJ's - what makes them different than regular clothes? My kids sleep in their play clothes most days if they aren't totally gross. Taking off some of those expectations of what bedtime has to look might help.
@dp797 Kids shower with me!! Absolute game changer. Older kids get some tablet time and my three kids under 5 come to the bathroom with me. I got an extender shower head thing and I have it shower straight down on me. That way 2yo and 4yo sit on the floor without water in their face.
Hubby hands me the baby and I rinse her off real quick then he takes her away to get dressed and starts her night routine. I wash the other two while they sit on the ground. All three of us dry off together then I put those two to bed at the same time (they share a queen bed currently). By the time they’re settled in bed baby is ready for her night feed so hubby and I switch- he reads books to the littles and I put the baby all the way to sleep (I often go to the TV room while breastfeeding to check on the older two). 4yo is about to be too old for this arrangement so he’s about to join his brothers for extra tablet time in the evening.
After the younger three are down either hubby or I take a break, the other one guides the older two through their bedtime routine.
Important to note- no one has to go to sleep when I put them in bed. This saves a lot of battles. Each kid is allowed books and silent toys in bed with them. This really helps keep them in bed once they’re put there.
Hubby hands me the baby and I rinse her off real quick then he takes her away to get dressed and starts her night routine. I wash the other two while they sit on the ground. All three of us dry off together then I put those two to bed at the same time (they share a queen bed currently). By the time they’re settled in bed baby is ready for her night feed so hubby and I switch- he reads books to the littles and I put the baby all the way to sleep (I often go to the TV room while breastfeeding to check on the older two). 4yo is about to be too old for this arrangement so he’s about to join his brothers for extra tablet time in the evening.
After the younger three are down either hubby or I take a break, the other one guides the older two through their bedtime routine.
Important to note- no one has to go to sleep when I put them in bed. This saves a lot of battles. Each kid is allowed books and silent toys in bed with them. This really helps keep them in bed once they’re put there.
@jewels777 Yes! My oldest is 4.5 & once he’s in his room at night I really just don’t care! He can come out to use the bathroom but that’s it!