Parents' Source: Berks/Lancaster

My almost 3 year old son loves pancakes and waffles. To quickly and easily cut these favorite foods into manageable pieces, I use my pizza cutter.

Birthday cards are usually not worth saving, but I found they can be more memorable if I write information on them about what happened over the last year. I include what toys my child liked to play with the most, any special accomplishments, what her favorite foods/songs/colors were, a movie she really enjoyed, her best friends, etc. My kids love to look back at these old birthday cards and see how they've changed and stayed the same through the years.

Do you have a helpful parenting tip that you can share with Parents' Source readers? Have you found a way to solve a problem that might help other parents in a similar situation?
If so, we want to hear from you.

When the weather is below freezing, our children love to fill small containers with water and a small plastic toy or animal. We then place the containers outside and let them freeze. On very cold days this may only take hours. Once the containers are frozen, we run warm water over the container and remove the ice form. At bath time, they each love to play with the ice shapes and watch them melt quickly in the bath water. It is a great visual lesson on turning water to ice and then back to water again along with the concept of freezing.

We've discovered some very simple, practical ways to eat healthier as a family. We mix a very healthy low-sugar cereal like Kix, plain Cheerios, or Corn Flakes with on of the kid's favorite, yet not so healthy cereals, like Fruit Loops, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Frosted Flakes. They get to enjoy some of their special "treats" with half the sugar. We've also started automatically mixing 100% juice with equal parts of water - and guess what, they don't even notice. Roasting veggies has also been a hit! From cauliflower to asparagus and brussel sprouts, not to mention potatoes, roasting brings out the natural flavor while adding a little bit of crunch. The kids come back for seconds every time.

Each Christmas, I buy an ornament for each of my children that can be written on with permanent marker. (Flat, wooden ornaments that are at least 3"x 3" are best.) On the back of each ornament, I write the child's name, the year, and what the child's favorites are (i.e. favorite food, game, toy, movie, friend, activity, etc.). It is fun to look back year-after-year and see how they have changed!

Lowe's and Home Depot stores sponsor free kids' workshops monthly where your child will be supplied with all the materials as well as expert guidance to make cool projects. So far my kids have made birdhouses, bird feeders, step stools, Mother's Day planters, and a Father's Day toolbox. Each of them got a work apron and goggles to keep as well as a pin or patch each time they completed a project.

To encourage my 2 daughters to keep their rooms clean and dust-free, I hide coins around the room (on tables, window sills, bookshelves, and other surfaces that need to be dusted. They have fun searching for the coins with a dust cloth in hand, and I know they've cleaned every surface if they have found every coin!

I love to let my kids houseclean. It is good for them to feel useful and have responsibility. I didn’t like to let them clean the bathroom, however, due to the harsh chemicals I used. But now I've figured out it is better to clean my house with natural products. They are better for the environment and better for my family. For instance, the kids can sprinkle baking soda into the toilet and then pour vinegar into the bowl. They giggle when they see an explosion of bubbles and foam rise up and then they enjoy really scrubbing it all away. I feel safe letting even my 4 year old do this and it is actually rather fun for him to see!

When my daughters were both old enough to sit in the front seat, it was always an issue as to who would sit in front with me whenever we went out. I told my younger daughter she could sit up front on even numbered days and my older daughter got the odd numbered days. My older daughter would get an extra day on months ending on the 31st, but there was nothing that could be done about it! When the same situation arose while trying to decide who would walk the dogs with my husband, I enforced the same rule. It evens itself out that while my older daughter gets an extra day to sit up front some months, she also gets an extra day of dog walking!

Every Christmas I have my 3 children pick out a Christmas ornament. They usually choose one that has to do with whatever character they are into - like Cinderella or Batman, etc. I also pick out one for each child, one that makes me think of special qualities within that child or one that has to do with that child's special interest during the past year. I keep a storage container in my attic for each of the children with their own Christmas ornaments. While they are only 4, 6 and 9 now, when my children move out as young adults down the road, they will have a container of their very own Christmas ornaments to decorate their own tree at Christmas time.

For my daughter's 5th birthday party, she wanted a pinata. I didn't like the idea of little girls beating the daylights out of a Barbie pinata, but I found that there are some with strings to pull to release the candy and toys. To avoid tears and hurt feelings I gave each girl a handful of strings and had them dance around the pinata (maypole style) and sing Happy Birthday. When we got to the final Happy Birthday to YOU they all pulled their strings at the same time. That way everyone got to be "the one who pulled the right string" and no one missed a turn because the right string was picked before she got her chance.

My son has too many toys and can not possibly play with all of them. So every month or so I rotate his toys. I pack up a box or two of toys and put them away. Then, a couple weeks later I bring the toys back out and pack away another box or two of toys. That way, each time the toys come back out, its like having all brand new toys again. My son loves seeing the old "new" toys again and appreciates them more. My sister and I also "trade toys" every once in awhile. That way my son gets to play with her kids' toys and her kids get to play with my son's toys. Again, its like having all brand new toys to play with!

My kids love to send mail so I made them a “post office” by cutting a slit in a tall cereal box for them to use for family communication. I give them all my unopened junk mail to play with. They open the envelopes, write on the contents or draw pictures, seal it in the return envelope, "address" it, and put it in the "mail box" for us to find. They love it when I give them the stickers, address labels and cards with envelopes from charities and we look forward to seeing what they have "sent" us. They even make postcards out of the fronts of used greeting cards.

Of course, my kids like to get mail, too, so we have a decorated shoebox for each child with a slit on the top. These are left outside of their bedroom doors. My husband and I use them for "mailing" invitations to go somewhere special, thank you’s for doing a good job, or just silly notes.

When we get take-out pizza, we save the tops of the boxes when they are clean (which they usually are). We place them on our children’s work area when they are using markers, paint, playdoh, etc. It protects the table, and when the box lids get messy, we just throw them away – no cleanup and it’s a great way to recycle them.

I went to a local paint your-own-pottery studio and picked out a large size dinner plate. I painted a stencil of something small representing each member of the 5 members of our family around the edge of the plate. I then painted the rest of the plate blue and wrote a name under each picture. We now use this plate as our "blue plate special" to recognize a family member for a special accomplishment from that day. It has been used to celebrate anything from my 8 year old doing well on a school test to my 3 year old cleaning up without being asked - it has also helped us spark some dinner conversations.

I have found a pretty good way to deal with the constant clutter of belongings that my kids leave around the house. I bought a set of stacking plastic drawers – one for each child – and placed it in the laundry room. Whenever I find something that they have left lying around downstairs, I put it in the appropriate child’s drawer. When they inevitably look for it, I remind them to check the drawer. I have also told them that if the drawer fills up, they will forfeit the right to keep anything that is in there. So far, I haven’t had to worry about that because they usually retrieve their belongings before the drawer overflows.

I have found it easy and helpful to keep a supply of clean socks in our mudroom where our shoes and boots are. They really come in handy for those times when we are rushing to go out and someone either forgot to put on socks, has a hole in one, or needs some for gym day. I have been surprised how often I have used them!

My first grader has a bottle of hand sanitizer in her classroom right next to the tissue box. The teacher recommends that they have a squirt every time they use a tissue. It's a great way to stop the spread of germs this time of year. My daughter likes this so much she insists we do it at home!

My kids usually pack their lunch, but usually once a week I allow them to buy a school lunch. On Sunday, we look at the school menu for the coming week, and they can choose which day they want to buy. We then put the money in an envelope with their name on it and the day they are buying, so it is easy to grab on that day. By knowing which day they will be buying, it keeps them from asking for a school lunch every day.

In order to keep the winter hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves organized and easy to find, we have a cardboard box for each person in the family (parents and kids) on the closet shelf with our names on the ends. Attached to the end of each box through a hole is a knotted string that hangs down to make the boxes easier to pull out (of course a parent or older child pulls them down for the littler ones). If the things get wet from snow, they go back in the boxes as soon as they are dried out. It makes the morning rush a little easier when everyone's warm things are right where they can be found quickly.

I keep a shoe bag on the door between my kitchen and garage for all the last minute items we might need as we are rushing out the door. I put sunscreen, extra packs of wipes, etc. in the pouches so they are ready to grab as we head for the car. I also stock them with seasonal items that rotate when the weather changes. For example, swimmies and bug spray go in for the summer, then gloves and hats take their places once fall comes. This has been a great time saver!

With 2 children in preschool, my daughter needed a quick and tidy way to keep track of the many schedules that came home for each child (menus, show-and-tell, snacks, etc.). To organize them, she bought square tiles of corkboard, cut them to fit the inside of her kitchen cabinet doors, and attached them with rubber cement. Now when she needs to check someone's schedule, she opens the cabinet door and finds the the information neatly pushpinned inside.

With kids in 2 different schools and a variety of activities, I used to find it very overwhelming to keep up with the paperwork and newsletters that came home. In order to keep track of everything and have the information at the tip of my fingers when needed (or when I find the time to go through it), I have assembled an inexpensive pocket notebook to keep the papers in. Each pocket is labelled with my child's name and the activity the papers are related to: school papers, child care papers, extracurricular papers. Now I am always able to find just what I need when the time comes.

When our son was 3, we decided it was about time for him to give up using his pacifier. He had already graduated to only using it at night, but he didn't think he could fall asleep without it. That's when my sister told me what they had done to help their daughter kick the habit for good. We tried it, and it worked - here's what we did: A family member was expecting a baby, and we suggested to our son that he could give the new baby a very special gift - his pacifier. Now, of course, the new baby was not going to use the old thing, but the act of wrapping it up and making a pretty present of it was enough for our son to feel like a big boy and great cousin!

With summer in full swing, we often find ourselves at local pool. The kids usually want to stay in the water until the last minute, which means that they come out of the pool and are still dripping when it’s time to get in the car. To prevent my cloth car seats from getting wet (or greasy from suntan lotion!), I stash plastic trash bags in the seat pocket of the car for the kids to put down on the seat under their wet towels before sitting. This keeps my car clean and dry!

When my children want to buy a toy while we're in a store for another reason, one strategy I have found is to stop and take a moment to look at the toy and say something like this, "Let me see that red car. Wow, look at the shiny wheels, and the door opens... I'm hearing how much you really want this. Is that right? I'll tell you what - because I don't want to spend money on it today, let me take my little notebook out right now and write down that James wants this red car with the shiny wheels. See, I am writing it here. When we get home, you can tell Pa-Pa about this car and I will remember how much you want it. Is there anything else you want to show me about it?" It helps them to get that great feeling of being heard and averts the meltdown that an immediate "No" would bring on.

One day while visiting with my parents, my daughter crawled up on her Grammy's lap to hear a story about what life was like when she was a child. Living only 20 minutes away, my parents had been able to tell her many stories over the years, but I realized this was something that my husband's parents and grandparents could not do because they live so far away that we rarely see them. The next day I purchased small scrapbooks for each and mailed them with a letter asking for childhood tales and pictures. What my daughter received back were beautiful stories and pictures of what life was like in Texas at the turn of the century, and a better understanding of her Texan grandparents' and great-grandparents' backgrounds. Something she will be able to treasure for a lifetime.

When my first daughter was about 12 months old (now 5 yrs old), I set her little potty chair next to our toilet without drawing attention to it. Being naturally curious and wanting to do everything we did, she’d sit on her little potty just like us. Before long, she wanted her diaper off while she sat and read a picture book from a basket next to her potty chair. She was “just pretending” and enjoying herself, but she had mastered the real thing by 18 months. Now my second daughter is 2, and we’re doing the same thing, only this time, it is her older sister that is being copied... And my 5 year old loves showing her little sister how to do “big girl” stuff.

My family gets together frequently at my house through the year, and more often than not they all end up sleeping over. To relieve some of the stress for my sister, I gave each of my nieces and nephews a “Sleepover Survival Kit” as a present. The “kit” contains a sleeping bag, blanket, pajamas and a toothbrush. I keep the stuff at my house, so when they come over, they are prepared for a “spur-of-the-moment sleepover.”

I find it very helpful to use an empty tissue box to control trash in the car. The plastic-covered opening helps to keep the wrappers & little food bits, tissues, etc. from floating out of your car when you open the doors! When it is full, just toss it in the trash and start with the next empty box!

If you plan to travel by air any time soon, you will probably find yourself sitting in airports a bit longer than you (or your kids) would like. Here's a tip for keeping kids busy while you wait: stash small toys or surprises such as you would get from cereal boxes, fast food meals, or the dentist in your carry-on bag - stuff that will be new to your kids - and bring them out one by one in the boarding lounge when they have tired of seeing the planes take off and watching all the different people hurrying by. You'd be surprised how much more quickly time will pass when a child has a novelty to occupy him.

For several years our daughter had terrible dental visits - she would cry or squirm, and clamp her mouth shut and refuse to cooperate with the dentist. Her father or I would sit near her and try to distract her and remind her of whatever reward (or, when that didn't work, punishment) had been promised. She would be determined to behave beforehand, but each time she would fall into the old resistance, and the dentist would give up before anything was accomplished. By the time we reached our wit's end and the third dental office, one of her teeth was in such bad shape she needed major work on it. The dentist suggested that our daughter might do better if we remained in the waiting room. He also made it clear in a friendly, but definite way that she was not going home without having had the work that needed to be done. Very much to our surprise, this approach worked, and she was returned in less than half an hour with a shiny silver tooth and a new-found confidence in her ability to do whatever she puts her mind to! This was 4 or 5 dental visits ago, and she is now amazed that she ever made such a fuss.

"Why?" This is a question that any pre-school parent knows and often learns to dread. I felt awful that I would hold back from certain conversations with my child just to avoid the tennis-like game of back and forth with this question. Fortunately I talked with a wonderful friend about my new parent frustrations. She offered a tip that changed my relationship with my daughter forever. Instead of "playing the game" she suggested that I turn the question back to my child by asking "Why do you think that is?” Such a simple concept had escaped me for months. Wow, did that do wonders... not only did I regain the full relationship with my daughter, but the conversations flourished and encouraged her to think for herself. Thank heaven for the knowledge of others!

When your child is afraid to sleep by him or herself, lightly spray the pillow with “fairy spray” (body spray or other lightly scented mist) to keep “monsters” away. As your child moves around the bed, the scent will remind your child that he or she is safe.

When you go on a road trip with your preschool or elementary aged kids, you may not be ready to delegate the job of packing clothes and toiletries (lest your child end up at the shore with no bathing suit or toothbrush), but you can give each child the responsibility for packing his or her own "traveling" bag. My kids have a small book bag that will sit beside them on the seat or at their feet in the car. They must pack these themselves with things they might want within reach in the car (like books, toys, small electronics, snacks, etc.). It gives them some practice at thinking ahead, and it puts the responsibility for providing entertainment on a long car ride where it belongs - on them!

In spite of my best intentions to be a patient and consistent parent, sometimes there are times when I just feel like venting. I use a technique I call the "Speed Whine" when I get overwhelmed. I set a timer for one minute and then get as many complaints, grievances and protests out as I can. This works really well with my kids. It is very cathartic and tends to end with laughter.

I have found that the best way to keep track of the manuals, warranties and instructions that come with my children's toys, electronics, etc. (including car seats and infant furniture) is with an alphabetical accordion file. These are available anywhere that sells office supplies, and they have an expandable section for each letter of the alphabet. I just put the manual and any additional information (such as the detailed instructions often necessary just to change the batteries) under the first letter of the item's name. Whenever I need to reference it, or when I pass the item along to someone else, I can easily find the information that came with it!

Do you have a helpful parenting tip to share with Parents' Source readers? If so, we want to hear from you.

I know my daughter is not the only one who fusses that her socks hurt! The problem is usually the seam or the string on the inside of the toe area. We have discovered that if she wears them inside out, she is much happier. Most of her socks are solid colored, so no one can tell that that they are reversed, anyway!

I save all of my empty Pampers boxes, and I use them to store outgrown clothes, toys, etc. They are easy to label with a permanent marker with exactly what is inside each box, and they are are very easy to stack and store. Plus it will be easy to find the appropriate sizes for baby #2.

For my stepdaughter's 13th birthday, we had a sleepover party. I bought a package of permanent markers in bright colors and plain white pillowcases. At the party each girl decorated her own pillowcase...which also doubled as a very useful and fun take-home party favor. The girls loved making them.

When looking for something to distract and entertain the children on a long car trip, try telling them stories about your own youth when you were their age. With things changing so fast these days, your experiences are very different from theirs. They will enjoy hearing about your family vacations, playing with your friends after school, Grandma's at Christmas, what school was like, etc... Your kids will enjoy it and you will have fun reminiscing.

I always end up with a mess when I cut my children's hair! Plus, they never seem to hold still long enough for me to cut in a straight line. I found that it is much easier (and less messy) if I cut their hair when they are getting a bath. I give them a toy to keep them occupied while I wash their hair and then quickly, but carefully, cut their hair. My kids love to get baths so they don't seem to mind holding still for their haircuts anymore! Any hair that falls is easily picked up after the bathtub is drained - no more mess!!

I find if very helpful to keep a stain stick or spray bottle of concentrated stain remover in the bathroom where I bathe the kids. As I undress them for the bath, I can treat their dirty clothes right there, before the stains set in. I even take in on vacation!

At my four-year-old's preschool parent/teacher conference, I was informed that my daughter was having difficulty using scissors and that I should spend time practicing this skill with her. Not wanting her cutting everything in sight, I decided to hand over the stack of coupons that I had been meaning to cut but never got around to doing. Not only did she get a great deal of practice and become proficient with scissors, but she also felt as though she was contributing to the family by doing this important job. A bonus for me was that I finally got my coupons cut - minus an expiration date or barcode or two!

When it’s time to go out in the snow, I dress my children in their fleece one piece zip-up jammies under their snowsuits...that way, I know they are warm, and if snow gets in over their boots or under the legs of their snowsuits, it keeps the snow from ever reaching their skin, keeping them warmer longer!

Baking cookies for the holidays with the kids has always been an annual event but each year it was getting harder and harder to fit in such an all-day project. In the last few years I discovered a great way to solve this problem. We set aside an hour or so each weekend to make the batter (usually starting during the Thanksgiving break). We wrap the batter in Saran wrap, bag it, and stick it in the freezer... Shortly before the holiday, I take it out and let it all thaw. By that time we have gathered the decorative plates and boxes together, and we are ready to bake! Spacing out the tasks this way means that we actually get to spend more time together enjoying the process!

My young son often falls asleep in the car as we run errands or take trips. Sitting in a car seat, his hands are always out and accessible to me. When we arrive at our destination, it is an ideal time to trim his fingernails (while he continues to sleep). I keep a pair of baby nail clippers in the car at all times, and I find that this task is done much more quickly and is more pleasant (for both of us) than it is if I try to trim his nails when he is awake.

Have you found a way to solve a problem that might help other parents in a similar situation? If so, we want to hear from you.

On rainy days when the kids are bored, I give them window markers and we brighten the day by drawing colorful designs and cheery notes on the storm door. We leave the artwork up as long as possible for all their friends and neighbors to see!

I got tired of saying "no" all the time to the unending requests for items advertised on TV or seen in stores. Now I keep a Wish List on the 'fridge for each child. Whenever they ask for something, I tell them to put it on their wish list. If this happens while we are out, I do not remind them when we get home - it's their responsibility to add to the list, not mine. When their birthdays and Christmas approach, I tell them to decide what on the list they really want to receive (at which point they usually choose to eliminate a lot of things). When relatives ask what the children want, I now have a list to share with them. I also use the list to reward the children occasionally, and I remind them the item came from the list. I plan to save the lists and show them to my children when they are older - we'll all get a kick out of their cute writing and wishes.

Instead of having my littles ones climb into our bed on bad dream nights (ensuring that neither parent got any sleep!) I crawled into bed in their room. We'd cuddle and once they fell asleep I could leave them undisturbed and tip toe back to my own bed, or... sleep comfortably there so I didn't wake my husband by coming back to bed.

Our four-year-old sometimes still has difficulty staying dry all night in spite of limiting evening liquids and using the toilet just before bedtime. We have found a couple of things helpful so that all of us can get a full night's sleep:

1. Buy a set of waterproof crib pads and put one on top of the fitted sheet of your child's bed. This way, if they do wet the bed, you only have to change the crib pad in the middle of the night and not take apart the whole bed!

2. When you are going to bed for the night, get your child up and take him/her to the potty. For us, this is usually after our daughter has been asleep for 2-3 hours. We carry our daughter to the bathroom and set her on the potty. She never wakes up but goes to the bathroom and then we carry her back to bed! She is usually able to stay dry for the rest of the night.

When I take my children to the doctor's office, I give them crayons and let them draw on the paper sheet covering the exam table. It keeps them busy while we wait and the doctor loves to see their artwork!

Following are some tips for parents of left-handed children. This may seem odd, but when both parents are "righties" they don't always realize how a left-handed child experiences the "right-handed" world.
1) When assisting your child with a hands-on activity (writing or otherwise), sit/work to their right so you can see what they are doing.
2) Invest in a pair of universal or left-handed scissors. Try using a pair of left-handed scissors and you will see why.
3) When eating out, remember that their left arm will need room.
4) Just because a child writes and eats with his/her left hand does not mean that he or she will be a left-handed pitcher/batter. Let the child decide which hand he or she wants to use.

Here is a thought for keeping the 12-year-old set busy during summer vacation. Have them make up fliers to pass out at church or to friends and neighbors you know, offering services as a mother's helper, cheap. I hired one of these kids once a week one summer so I could exercise, clean, or whatever. Or they can go to the pool with parents who want to sit and read and don't want to listen to "MOM! When are you gonna come in the water?" plea. Or they can go along to the beach for a family vacation with the same idea. This gives the child some experience in taking care of others, but he isn't completely on his own since the parent is always nearby.

When my daughter got too big to get clean in the baby bath tub, she still seemed too small for the real bath tub. I solved the problem by setting a plastic laundry basket right in the regular bathtub and running a few inches of water. My daughter sat in the wash basket where I was able to hold her in a fairly confined space as I washed. The mesh sides of the basket allowed the water to flow through, and as an added bonus, they kept her toys within reach!

Here is my secret weapon to combat boredom: Collect junk! We keep all sorts of things and turn them into play-time treasures. For example, oatmeal boxes, margarine tubs, and cylindrical containers for drink mixes can be turned into musical instruments. Just help your child fill them with a small amount of rice or pasta, and have them decorate the outside with stickers and stamps that arrive free in the mail. Then see what kind of rhythms they can make. Kids can use clean Styrofoam meat trays for printmaking by pressing designs into them with a pencil, painting the surface, and pressing the tray onto paper. Once you get started making treasure from trash, you will be amazed at the possibilities!

My daughter's feet never seemed to stay in the non-skid part of her feety pajamas, and I worried that she would slip and fall. I found that putting elasticized, terry cloth wrist bands around the ankles of her PJ's kept her feet right where they belonged. Such wristbands are inexpensive and can be found in the sporting goods section of various stores.

There was a time when my son and I couldn't seem to find anything good to say to each other. He was always complaining, and I was always nagging. Then my sister gave me some great advice. She and her daughter took time each night to think of the things that made them happy that day, and they wrote them down together in a notebook. She said it had really helped them interact more positively. I was skeptical, but decided to give it a try. It was hard to think of things at first, but as time went on, it got easier. I looked for ways to catch him doing something good so that I could tell him that night. He shared more about what he liked about his day. We found that once we started concentrating on the positive, negative attitudes decreased on both sides.