Life

Here's A Brilliant Way To Take Off Your Kid's Boots, & 10 Other Must-Know Winter Parenting Hacks

by Glynis Ratcliffe

There are two types of parents in this world: the kind that embrace winter and encourage their kids to enjoy it to its fullest, and the rest of us. The rest of us are just trying to get through this horrible season alive and in one piece, and looking for all the help we can find. That’s why videos like this life hack to help take kids’ boots off are so handy. Hell, this might even make me let my kids out in the backyard since I no longer have to dread wrestling them out of their snow gear when they're done. What a time to be alive.

This brilliant trick got me thinking: We cold weather parents really have to stick together and share our secrets. Are there shortcuts to make winter with kids more manageable? If you happen to know of some, for the love of God, don’t keep them to yourselves. It’s selfish, plain and simple, guys. I need to know what you know. The people have a right to know!

OK, I'm calm. Sorry. Dried salt and puddles of melted snow in my doorway make me a little insane. I'm good now.

Here’s me leading by example and getting the ball rolling. Now, granted, I don't have all the answers. I’m still muddling through the dark ages of wondering why the hell I have to walk my daughter a whole two blocks to and from school, twice a day (more, if she’s coming home for lunch). I can barely tolerate it once the weather gets cold. So it remains true that our winter parent struggle is real, albeit slightly more tolerable with these genius little tips.

Those Pesky Kids' Boots Can Be Easily Removed

And all without getting down on your knees to pull those suckers off! Plus, your kid gets a fun ride. Wait, they'll probably want you to do it again...and again... This might not actually be the best idea, now that I think about it.

Storing Winter Accessories In A Shoe Organizer

This is completely brilliant, if there's more than two of you in your family. I'm actually going to be doing this on the weekend. I'm so inspired, look at me go.

Keeping Your Kids Healthy

This is a great video in which various moms talk about the ways they keep their kids healthy throughout the winter, whether it's eating healthy snacks or getting moving. It might seem like a super common sense premise ("NO WAY, no one has ever told me I should give my kids healthy food and encourage them to get regular exercise! WHAT BRAND NEW INFORMATION!"), but in the winter, it feels more and more like these are easy things to get lazy about, and they're actually more crucial than any other time of year for keeping everyone happy and sane.

Winter Fun For Kids

  • Don't actually try to win a snowball fight with your small children, like this Father of the Year candidate did, but having a gentle snowball fight is always a blast that effectively wears out little kids.
  • Fill balloons with water, add a few drops of food coloring, and leave them outside overnight. Once they're frozen solid, you can remove the rubber balloon (just grab scissors) and you're left with ice marbles for the kids to play with.
  • Buy a few dollar store spray bottles, fill with water and a few drops of food coloring, and let the kids loose in the backyard with their very own "spray paint."

Create A Self-Draining Shoe Mat

Some decorative rocks on a cookie sheet will prevent puddles of melted ice for you to accidentally soak your socks in.

Keeping Kids Warm

  • There's nothing worse than a gap between your kid's coat sleeve and mitten. Cut the foot off of a longer pair of adult socks, and put them on over top of their coat sleeves, or use them underneath as arm warmers.
  • If you're worried about keeping your kid warm in their carseat, when you take off their coat (you do know that your child shouldn't be wearing anything heavier than a sweater in the car, right?), put their coat on backwards, once they're buckled in.
  • If your kid likes to jump in puddles of dirty melted snow like mine does, have them wear a plastic bag on each foot before putting on their boots. Instant waterproofing.

Prevent Your Car Door From Being Clipped While You Load Your Kid In

To someone like me, who has done a lot of street parking in her time as a parent, this kind of hack is very appealing. Those reflector strips are such an easy hack! We can do it, guys. Only a thousand more months until spring.

Images: Caleb George/Unsplash; Giphy (4)