LilSugar

Time-Saving Tips For Tied-Up Mamas

LilSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:59 -0800

Busy bees have got nothing on mothers. There are not enough hours in the day or hands in the house for most mamas to accomplish all of her tasks. While she can't magically add another 60 minutes to her day, she can make it feel like she did with a few of these easy time-saving tips.

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Feeding Journals to Track Baby's Every Move

LilSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:00:28 -0700

Truth be told, my husband and I tracked our kids' feeding and diaper changes on a scrap of paper for about a day before the sleep deprivation kicked in and all we wanted to do was stare at our new bundles of joy. I'm not the perfect mother, so I understand why other women and men take the task more seriously. Perhaps five years of parenthood has us more organized to take on this task for baby number three. We'll see, but in the meantime here are some pretty cool products up for the using.

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Parenting Q&A: Toys Have Cluttered Our House!

LilSugar — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Q. Our house looks like Santa's workshop with stuffed animals, race cars and art supplies scattered throughout. We try to get our children to keep their items in their own rooms, but it seems like a losing battle. Should we get rid of stuff or is there a best way to organize goods to encourage tidiness?

A. Santa’s workshop has elves to maintain order, mommies typically don’t. We all have found ourselves stepping on a Barbie shoe or broken Pez head. Toys can cost so little and manage to buy us time at the check out counter or relieve guilt after a frantic day. These things become meaningless and clutter our children’s lives and our common living spaces. Here are some tips to purge and reset order in your home.
1. Spend a few days observing your child’s play patterns. Toys that are not touched and have gathered dust around them need to go on a toss or store mental list. Whatever you do, do not ask your children. They will attach to every item like a tick. When children are gone, go through and toss or store unused toys.
2. Create simple portable bins for remaining toys. Take pictures of items or label them if your child can read so they know what to put in the bins. Legos go in a designated bin as do cars, etc. Bins are stored in the children’s room and can be brought out at in an agreed upon amount. Some children want to build a dinosaur kingdom so certainly the dino and block bins can come out at the same time. Heck, some creative carefree households could allow all bins. To see the other step Lonna recommends, read more.
3. The trick is in the clean up routine: a timer. Warn children when the clean up timer will be set, then set a timer for a reasonable amount of time - say five minutes - to clean up. Children love a timer, the bigger and more visual the better. Clean up becomes a game and since things can be placed in their bins in a simple and quick way, success is certain. If, by the way, a timer with a buzzer is offensive to your senses, use a music box. It's just as effective.

- Lonna Corder

Parenting expert and Montessori school director Lonna Corder has been doling out advice for 25 years as a teacher, parent/child consultant, and on television. For more information, visit lonnacorder.com.

If you're at your wit's end about an issue and want another take on the situation, private message your question to lilsugar. We'll be running this feature all week!

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lil Find: Embroidered Baby Linen Organizer

LilSugar — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:00:12 -0800

Whether you pack light with a slender bare essentials diaper kit or stick the kitchen sink in a fancy designer bag, it's crucial to have a plan for keeping baby's soiled and clean garments separate.

The Embroidered Baby Linen Organizer ($15 for a set of two) offers a smart addition to the diaper bag or a safe place to store clean and dirty frocks near the changing table. It has a mesh back for ventilation so baby's duds don't get too stinky.

Tell Mommy: Your New Year's Resolution

LilSugar — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:00:40 -0800

I've spent the last few days of 2008, flipping my flat upside down and getting organized. I finally had some time to take the saying, "Out with the old, in with the new..." seriously. When the ball drops on Times Square tonight, the bags of giveaway goodies will be gone and I'll have a sense of space and sanity.

My hope is that the new structure and order will allow me more downtime with my kids since I won't be shuffling though closets to find my daughter's favorite hair tie or the pieces to my son's train set. What is your New Year's resolution?

Lil's Favorite Five: Creative Storage Solutions

LilSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0700

When a tot's room becomes too cluttered, it's time for mommy to set up some structure. Seventy-eight percent of lilsugar users said they lose track of the number of times they clean up after their children on a daily basis. There are a ton of items on the market that can help families tuck away their over abundance of toys and trinkets. Check out our favorite organization tips and options.

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Jawbone: The Britney Mic For Mamas

LilSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:00:52 -0700

Trying to carry on a conversation with two tots in tow can be cumbersome. Add the background noise of their blaring toys, the television or radio, and I can barely hear myself think let alone talk to someone on the other end of a phone line. So when the folks at Aliph sent me their Jawbone ($130) Bluetooth headset, I figured I'd give it a whirl.

The muted gold colored earpiece fit easily on my ear and had just enough fashionable bling to make my 22-month-old want to bat at it. The sound blocking technology did a great job of stifling background noise so I could engage in an uninterrupted discussion. And, since it's illegal to drive in California while chit chatting into a cell phone, this could also come in handy in the car.

Pimp Your Crib: Drying and Organizational Racks for Bottles

LilSugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:01:00 -0700

I've spent enough time washing and sterilizing baby bottles to recognize how important it is to keep all your bottle paraphernalia in one place. Sometimes it feels like as soon as I finish washing and filling a bottle it's time to, well, wash and fill it again.

If you are trying to keep your feeding gear in one place, consider a pretty and functional organizational unit like the Splash Drying Rack ($28), which adds modern design to the age old activity of washing bottles. It has a little shelf for nipples, straws and valves, but comes in a space saving design that will house all your bottles in one spot.

A friend of mine has even made a simple spin tray (you know the kind people keep spices on) into the official bottle central in her kitchen. While it doesn't help for drying the containers, it allows her to store everything in one place.

Dr. Brown's Natural Flow® Drying Rack - $16.99	Skip Hop Splash White Bottle Drying Rack with Tangerine Brush - $27.99
Infant and Toddler Dishwasher Basket Combo Pack by Prince Lionheart® - $19.99	Spin Tray - $14.99

What to Stow and What to Throw

LilSugar — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:00:00 -0700

It's so hard to part with your baby's first blanket, the bonnet they wore home from the hospital or their first pair of shoes, but it's even tougher to live with bags of their keepsakes stored in every nook and cranny of your place. As the mother of two, I don't have trouble tossing things into a giveaway bag. It keeps me sane and allows the goods to keep on giving. For those of you who feel the urge to keep every washcloth, burper and pair of ballet slippers, here are a few purging tips that help me choose what to lose.

Stow heirloom gifts and handmade items. Things that people took the time to make should be cherished.
Stow short term items that you will need for another baby - receiving blankets, onesies, snapsuits.
Stow big ticket item toys like your swing, papasan chair, baby carrier and jumper.
Stow timeless, classic outfits that can be worn by siblings and/or future generations.
Stow a handful of sentimental items - the stuffed animal your child slept with, the first barrette that held her hair, the lil suit from his first photoshoot.
Stow books - kids love to read the same stories over and over.

To see what to throw, read more.

Throw trendy clothing
Throw child specific clothing. If your daughter loved all things ladybugs, it doesn't mean your next lil girl will.
Throw multiples - if you have three identical toy boats, share the wealth with those in need.
Throw battery operated and talking toys that sporadically turn on while in storage.
Throw bedding if you plan on buying a different motif for each baby.

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Lil Find: Crib Rock Wall Hooks

babysugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:00:00 -0700

Between the backpacks, hats, belts and totes, it is easy to understand why your child's room looks like a tornado hit it. Organize it all with these new metal wall hooks from hip baby t-shirt company Crib Rock Couture ($50).

The cool rock 'n roll designs will jazz up your tot's room, while helping to keep their accessories off the floor. Available in the monkey drummer design, as well as an alien spaceship, a skull and crossbones, an octopus and a flying heart, each item is precision cut from solid steel and decorated with lead-free paint.

While your lil drummer boy may not be banging out Guns and Roses yet, these wall hooks may inspire him to do so.