TheSanityPlan

Solutions for finding balance in this crazy world

8 Products for Encouraging Your Child’s Independence

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It must be so hard being little! I have watched my children go through so many phases, but one thing in particular stands out to me. They have ALWAYS wanted to do so much more for themselves. Long before they are even capable of accomplishing a task, they want to give it a shot.

It is this determination that has often made me think about how I can help them to be able to do more for themselves. We’ve tried tons of products for kids in the past four years, but the following items really made a difference in terms of our children learning to be more self-sufficient.

Grippy Bowls


These brightly colored bowls have a rubber gasket on the bottom that keep the bowl stable while little ones are learning to feed themselves. The shape of the bowl/lip also help to push food onto the spoon for less spill offs.

Sippy Cups

I’ve gotten many, many different types of sippy cups and my favorites are these. They are the only ones that are as close to no spill as possible. I mean, it will spill if thrown violently to the floor (which happens on occasion) but otherwise spill proof and not subject to leaking with pressure changes like other models.

EZ Socks

I can’t take credit for this one. My sister actually found these socks and gave them to my daughter as a gift. And I’ve since bought several sets for my son as well. The little loops on the sides are much easier for a toddler to grab than trying to use the sides of a typical sock. If the look of the loops bother you, they are actually easy to tuck in.

Seatbelt Buckle Holders

It’s hard enough for me as an adult to reach over the booster seat for my daughter to get her seatbelt buckled. I was skeptical about this product at first, but it holds the buckle pretty firmly, making it easier for my daughter to be able to get the latch in by herself.

Removable Potty Seats

As you probably know, there are tons of potty seats available. We chose this particular version because we wanted one that was fully removable, had handles on both sides, and had a splatter guard in the front. It is also antimicrobial, which is a plus.

Stools


We have four different types stools in our house. Yes, FOUR. Stools are one of the easiest ways for little people to be able to participate more in their environment. In the kitchen, I wanted stools that were on the larger side (large surface area), very stable (rubber feet), lightweight (so the kids can move them), tall enough (two steps), and flush with the counter (to avoid leaning). After experimenting with several versions, here is my favorite that met these requirements.

For around the house, in bathrooms, etc., I like to use these folding stools. I wanted something that was tall enough that they could use it to get on the toilet or reach the sink and wanted it to be able to be stowed away easily. In addition to Amazon, I seen this model at both grocery stores and Walmart. My only word of caution on these is that there is a risk of pinching when a child (or adult) is trying to unfold the stool – this part should be supervised.

Coat Rack

Any coat rack or multipurpose hooks would work, but the trick is to install it low so that the little ones can reach it to hang up their own coats. This idea is also great for additional belongings like lunch bags and are great for use in their own rooms as well.


Hands Free Faucet

Warning! This one’s a bit extravagant. That said, I will personally never go back to using a non-hands free faucet. I love the fact that I can turn it on with a clean part of my arm when my hands are full of chicken goop. When it comes to the kids, even with a stool it is still hard for them to reach most faucet handles and control the temperature. They have mastered the touch function and have also learned the color red/purple/blue codes for temperature, which warns them if the water is too hot. Really great product.

 

Have you found any other great products that help your children to be more self-sufficient? I am always interested in hearing your ideas.

TheSanityPlan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. All products recommended are used personally by us and opinions about them are our own

How to Keep Long Distance Family Involved in Your Kids’ Lives

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As we become more and more of a global society, families will continue to be scattered across the world. My children’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins live in 6 different states. And beyond that, many of our relatives live in different countries.
This changes the dynamic quite a bit when you are raising a family and still want to keep everyone involved in your children’s lives.

Here is how we’ve been doing it:

  1. Staying ConnectedUse a video conferencing application

Currently, we use Facetime because it’s so easy to do straight on your phone and most of our family members have iPhones. For those that don’t, we use Skype, which is also great for connecting via video.

It is so helpful for our kids to be able to see who they are talking with on video, instead of just a phone call with audio. This way they can easily connect the voice with the face. And it’s always fun for them to get to see what is going on at the other person’s house, interact with pets, etc.

  1.  Send out regular updates

Since the kids were born, I have sent out an email update about their progress. Typical things I include are height, weight, firsts (first time doing something), favorites (food, toys, books, shows), new words & sayings, motor skills, communication skills, comprehension skills, play skills, and cute stories.

I do this with email, but there are so many ways to do it now. On Facebook, you could create a family and friends distribution list or even create a completely separate family and friends group.

  1. Make sharable gift lists

When people aren’t able to interact with your kids every day, it is often hard for them to know what to buy for your kids. We always get asked what do the kids need and want, and it’s hard to parse out ideas and remember who is taking care of what.

We solve this by using Amazon’s wish list feature. This is a great free service where you can specifically list all of the items you want for your kids. There is even a desktop widget you can download that allows non-Amazon items to be added. Two huge pluses for this service are that when items are purchased they are hidden from the list (avoiding duplication of gifts) and the purchaser has the option to send the items directly to the preloaded address (very similar to their baby registry, which I also loved).

Shop Amazon’s Holiday Toy List – Top 100

  1. Use video sharing platforms

I use video sharing if I want to convey something more than a picture. Due to the size of videos it can be harder to share via email or text, so I typically upload videos to my private Youtube channel. If you do this with videos of your children, you definitely want to explore the different privacy settings. I have mine set to unlisted so that random people won’t find my videos in search, you can only access with a direct link.

I typically include a video with my updates (see above), but I also like to share videos of my children opening their gifts, or any special events that family member couldn’t attend.

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There are lots of different ways to engage with family even if they live far away. It definitely takes extra work to manage these additional communications, but I love seeing my children being able to connect with people that are important to us.

How do you connect with your long-distance family? Do you use any other applications to stay connected?

 

TheSanityPlan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. All products recommended are used personally by us and opinions about them are our own.

10 Ideas for Giving the Best Gifts

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Giving GiftsIt’s that time of year again. Not even Thanksgiving and we are already being bombarded with Christmas decorations and festive music. While it is a magical time of year, it can also be quite stressful with the mounting pressure to buy presents. Presents for EVERYONE! For your spouse, your kids, your parents, your sibling(s), your friends, your bosses, your coworkers, your mailman… the list goes on.

How do you find the perfect give for that perfect someone? How do you get a gift that is just right without spending too much money? How do you know what another person really wants or needs?

Gift guides are circling the cyberworld faster than holiday gift catalogs, but do they really help us know what to buy?

I’m certainly not going to tell you what to get, but here are some ideas on how to pick out the best presents for everyone on your list:

  1. START EARLY – By starting shopping early, you can take the pressure off yourself to come up with the perfect gift at the last minute. My mother in law has a great tradition of buying gifts for people throughout the year (starting just after Christmas). This is a great way to take your time and be thoughtful about the presents you purchase along the normal course of time. Don’t worry if you haven’t started yet, read on for more great ideas.
  2. LISTEN – I mean, really listen to the person you want to buy for. If you pay attention from a giver’s perspective, you can cue on very particular things that the person wants or needs. I am very obvious when it comes to dropping hints about the types of things that I would like to receive (no shame, I know). Some people are not as obvious, but if you try to read between the lines, I am sure you could conjure up an idea or two.
  3. TAKE NOTES – I keep a running gift note list on my phone all year round. When I come up with an idea, I pop it in there for future birthdays or Christmas.
  4. PUT YOURSELF ASIDE – This is my most important message to you. When considering a gift for someone else, you must take your likes and dislikes completely out of the equation. No one will have the exact same response to an item that you do. You can certainly get lucky, or even close with your purchase, but I find that I am much better off using the giftee’s tastes and preferences as the basis for my purchasing decision.

 

Now, for some idea starters…

  1. 450x450-presentCONSIDER COMPLETING A THEME THE PERSON ALREADY STARTED – What is the recipient into right now? What are their hobbies and/or interests? Do they like gardening, photography, traveling, making their own wine/beer? Can you use their hobby as an idea source for gifts to give them?
  2. THINK ABOUT GADGETS THEY ARE MISSING – Gadgets are awesome. I have received lots of great ones as gifts that I never considered buying for myself. Do you go over to their house a lot? Can you think of any useful gadgets that they are missing for the kitchen, bar, car, etc.?
  3. GIVE A NON-MONETARY GIFT – Give the gift of your time or support. Offer to watch the kids (best present ever!) or bake them some cookies. Come over and make dinner for them one night, bringing all of the ingredients yourself.
  4. PLAN EXPERIENCES YOU CAN DO TOGETHER – People in my family are super hard to buy for and I have very limited time these days, raising 3 kids. Offering to do something together with people is a great way to show how much you really care about the relationship, especially when giving your time is a big sacrifice. Some great ideas I’ve enjoyed are tickets to a local play or comedy show, and you can also leave it up to the recipient to bring whoever they choose.
  5. PURCHASE SOMETHING THAT YOU SHARE AS A COMMON INTEREST – Think books or music or hobbies that you have in common. Is there something that they’ve commented on that you own (see “listen” above)? That is always good for a nice surprise.
  6. CONSULT GIFT GUIDES AS A LAST RESORT – Gift guides can be very helpful. But the problem with going to them first is that you are skipping doing the real heavy lifting when it comes to buying a gift. First, it is important to really consider the person, then once you’ve narrowed it down, consult a gift guide for unique ideas in that category.

When all else fails, you are still stumped, and your brain is about to explode under the pressure – you can always ask for hints. I do consider it cheating, but hey, some people are really hard to buy for! Especially people like my husband and father, who just buy everything they want as they think of it.

What is your favorite approach to gift giving? What are the best gifts you’ve ever given or received?

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