Things that have made your day run smoother?

[torontokids]

I have a few things that I do that makes my day run smoother but I want more ideas!

I colour code cloths for kids e.g. bobby has blue wash cloths
I keep a bin outside with spare diapers, wipes, kleenex, sunscreen so we don't have to go in
Keep a spare potty on my back porch for outside use
The kids arrive sun-screened up and ready to go

I am sure I could share a ton more but this is what comes to mind as the life savers so far.

[momofnerds]

all diapers have the childs inital on it
my littles have certain plates and my older children have a different kind of plates
I have sunscreen by the door and a box of kleenex too

[2cuteboys]

Great idea with the extra potty and necessities outside! I'm definitely going to work one of those up this weekend!

I'm going on a "staycation" for the next two weeks so I'm planning on doing some re-vamping and changing up things that don't work so well over here... I'm going to keep an eye on this thread!

I have a little bin that I fill with everything to go outside (bug/sun lotion, cell and house phone, waters for everyone) and Kleenex and our garbage bin just inside the door as well.

[Sandbox Sally]

A bin for outdoors is a great idea. I end up grabbing everything piece by piece. I can't believe I didn't think about keeping it all in a bin. ;)

I have cloth bags on every hook in my entryway. We keep hats and changes of clothing for each child in these. The parents check to see if their kid's bag has extra, and whether they need to bring some for the next day.

I purchase all the wipes. I figured after a while that it was easier for me to suck up the $8 bucks a month than to have four or five separate wipes boxes on the go. I also have a wicker basket in my living room where I line up diapers for each child side by side at the beginning of the week. The bin also has a thing of wipes and the change pads tucked in it.

[KellyP]

Every kid is assigned a buddy. One bigger/one littler. Every time we transition from one activity to another, each buddy is responsible for helping their buddy out with whatever is necessary. Helps promote positive social relationships as well as being considerate of others and being part of a team.

I also could not live with out my kitchen timer. It gets set for EVERY activity. ALL the kids know there is NO changing activities or moving on until the timer goes off. Helps them stay on task, make wise choices and keeps the continuous cycle of those kids with attention spans of gnats easily managed. :)

[mimi]

I use a 2 tier metal shoe rack from Costco for my diapers and creams. I keep this right beside the change mat which is on the floor and on top of a small thick rug for extra comfort and padding for my knees. The top rack fits 5 diapers wide, which I keep in alphabetical order and the bottom is for diaper cream and wipes. Even though the parents supply the wipes, I use one container at a time. When someone's pack of diapers is running low, they must provide the wipes with the replacement diapers. Having 5 open containers would drive me nuts LOL.

[jammiesandtea]

These are some really good ideas! Great thread, torontokids!

[playfelt]

Doing as much as you can the day before such as washing and chopping veggies that you will cook the next day while the kids are eating lunch. That way there is less evening or naptime prep time needed.

[torontokids]

I also have been getting my families to do EMTs and biweekly payments as well which has made things easier
Circle time mats
I have special books (sticker, dry erase) that only come out during meal prep. Keeps them busy and at the table those last few mins before a meal
I started serving a lot of the same stuff. I think I felt there needed to be more variety at first but the kids are happy and the parents don't care.
As kids get ready to go outside or I have done their shoes they all know (even the babies) how to get their hats and go and sit on the mat showing they are ready to go outside.
I have a "park bag" that I throw their sippy cups in and it always has a small first aid kit, emergency numbers and of course my sunglasses.

[torontokids]

I tell my parents regularly how much I appreciate them! As a result, I have great parents, open communication and they are very respectful of me and my business. They also share how happy they are with me which males my job that little bit easier.

[torontokids]

Every kid is assigned a buddy. One bigger/one littler. Every time we transition from one activity to another, each buddy is responsible for helping their buddy out with whatever is necessary. Helps promote positive social relationships as well as being considerate of others and being part of a team.

I also could not live with out my kitchen timer. It gets set for EVERY activity. ALL the kids know there is NO changing activities or moving on until the timer goes off. Helps them stay on task, make wise choices and keeps the continuous cycle of those kids with attention spans of gnats easily managed. :)


Love this! I have used "buddies" at certain times but as a regular thing I think this would be great to do. My 3 yo may have a hard time with this (a little self absorbed at times) but I'll give it a try.

[monkeymama]

I do a lot of the same things. Labelled diapers, color coded plates and cups, all my littles has a big buddy, I do a lot of prep before. every sunday after shopping I cut all my fruit and veggies and organize them by day. saves so much work. I had all parents buy a bottle of sunscreen and use the same one on everyone. saves going back and forward all the time. I have a park and outside bag all ready to go the night before. all my kids have their own little bags they decorated ( just from the dollar store) they all have little trinkets and dry erase books to keep at the table when I am prepping lunch. keeps them occupied and less mess to clean up. one recent change I made was picture labels on all my toy bins. helps the little ones associate and clean up so much better. all I can think of for now!

[mimi]

For the kids who are all over the place when I try to put sunscreen on them, I just put them in their high chair. They will sit and comply as they want to get out and go play.

[sunnydays]

Each kid has the same colour cup every day and everyone knows whose is whose, so cuts down on germ sharing and fighting over colours. I also have little plastic bins on my counter with each child's name and I put their cups and face cloths in those for the day so I only use one per child per day and don't get them mixed up. I have my sand toys for the park permanently hanging form the handle of my stroller. I have matching sunhats for the kids and these stay on top of the stroller as well and we put them on once the kids are all in (I have a six seater). Each hat has a symbol inside so they always wear the same hat. I love all the ideas!

[Artsand crafts]

I love the bibs that I found in Walmart and they are still selling there. I used to put aprons on infants when they started feeding themselves to reduce the mess, but it takes more time to put aprons on. Now that I found these bibs I saving time. They have animal prints and look good quality. The back is like a kind of fabric and the front is a thick plastic. It has buttons in the sides so they can be unbuttoned for cleaning, making the cleaning easier too... I also seat everybody in a row to change diapers. Change one at a time and they go back to seat until all are changed. I do that also for washing hands, getting in to the stroller, going to sleep, etc. So I do not have to be chasing one after the other in between activities and wasting time.

[Momof4]

The same cup and plate for each child every day works wonders for me too so they always know which is theirs without any arguments. I change the babies and then announce that it's potty time for big kids to make that run smoothly. I keep a big box of wipes beside the dining room table to wash the hands of the little ones before we eat but the big kids wash up in the bathroom.

When we come in from outside I have the children put the footwear on the shoe mat but pile up any outisde clothing all in a pile and head into the playroom. I clean up the pile of clothing at naptime, or right away in the case of wet winter clothing. I keep a park bag packed at all times with extra diapers, a package of wipes and our emergency medical forms, bubbles, balls, etc. so I only have to grab my wallet and cell phone to throw in there and we're ready to go. I have drawstring bags on pegs at my entranceway with the children's hats, etc. in them to grab quickly and I insist on splashpants left here year round in case we need them.

[playfelt]

ArtsandCrafts - walmart bibs: have you been lucky enough to find a fifth pattern. Right now I only have 4 but that was ok because my two oldest were using something else. Now that the one has left care I would like to have the fifth child join what the others are wearing. I like how they open for wiping and many meals like snacks she would be fine without the pocket snapped up making the bib be longer on her which many of the regular bibs aren't. So far I have lion, monkey, hippo, dog but so want a fifth pattern.

[Artsand crafts]

ArtsandCrafts - walmart bibs: have you been lucky enough to find a fifth pattern. Right now I only have 4 but that was ok because my two oldest were using something else. Now that the one has left care I would like to have the fifth child join what the others are wearing. I like how they open for wiping and many meals like snacks she would be fine without the pocket snapped up making the bib be longer on her which many of the regular bibs aren't. So far I have lion, monkey, hippo, dog but so want a fifth pattern.

I have the same patterns you do. I've been waiting for quite some time for more options to be for sale, but it looks like that is all that they have. I visited 2 walmart stores north of Toronto for some time, but nothing.