Kids, Babies & Toys

Once you have children, your life changes forever. And despite all the early morning wake-ups, hectic schedules, and temper tantrums, you wouldn’t have it any other way. Children bring a whole new kind of love into your life, and it’s hard to imagine life without them. There’s nothing half as rewarding as raising those little bundles of joy!

Parenting is no easy feat - as any parent will tell you, taking care of your bundles of joy is one of the most exhausting things a person can do. Thankfully we’ve rounded up some of the most awesome child care hacks just to make your day that little bit easier!

• “Frozen” pacifiers soothe baby teeth - teething a child is extremely stressful. If nothing seems to help, pour some water into your baby’s pacifier and freeze it for a couple of hours. The cold from the pacifier will have a soothing effect on the baby’s teeth and gums. Make sure the pacifier doesn’t have a hole in the end so that your baby doesn’t drink the cold water.
• Try vinegar for minor burns - just soak a small face cloth or paper towel and apply vinegar to the burn till the skin feels cool. Apply it immediately after the burn and it will ease the pain and prevent a blister.
• No-mess painting fun - add dollops of different coloured paint into different ziplock bags and voila! Your kids/babies can create all kinds of designs without any mess.
• Keep apple slices from going brown - kids can be finicky about eating discoloured fruit. The next time you cut up some apple, put the apple slices in a lunch bag, sprinkle salt over the pieces and give them a quick slosh with water. The salty taste is washed away but the brief exposure to salt keeps them looking fresh all day!
• Make splinter removals less painful - put a paste of baking soda and water on a splinter and leave for a few minutes, the baking soda will push the splinter out saving your child an unnecessarily painful splinter removal.

Should you choose to shop from the comfort of your home online, here are some tips and tricks to make sure you shop safely, securely and smartly:

• Shop with trusted online retailers or do thorough research before making purchases from unknown retailer sites.
• Never provide your credit card information if you do not see the ‘padlock’ on the upper left-hand side of your address bar, or if the address begins with “http://” instead of “https://”.

• Keep your information private. If the retailer asks for too much information such as your birth-date and social security numbers, do not complete the transaction.
• After shopping online, it’s a good idea to keep a close eye on all your banking statements, checking them weekly rather than by the month, just in case something slipped to a hacker. Notify your cardholder service if there are any discrepancies immediately.
• Maintain good virus protection on your computer to prevent spyware and other hacks from accessing your information. Many trusted anti-virus services are available online for free so you can take advantage of convenient online shopping.
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi to do your shopping, rather use secure connections.
• Be cautious of unsolicited emails and pop-up internet adverts with too-good-to-be-true offers. Use caution when a deal is drastically better than others and always double-check before clicking on ads.