Although every person’s parenting experience is unique - there are a few things that are bound to be similar: you start off not getting much sleep, your kids will drive you up the wall and sometimes you feel like you’re the one needing the time out. However, thankfully there are great baby products online and in stores that can help you with handling your newfound parenthood. Here are 3 examples of things that might make your parenting experience just a tiny bit easier:
1)Travel Items
When you first have kids, you’ll be surprised how much you might end up being pulled around the globe. Whether it’s back home to spend some time with your parents, overseas to show your little one off to distant relatives or just going on your first trip as a little family for the Christmas holidays. Ask any parent, travelling with a baby can be an absolute nightmare - the angry stares from other passengers when your kid is the one that won’t stop wailing, or that moment you realized you weren’t prepared enough and should have brought more diapers.
Eva Wintersberger shares her experience, and how she got through travelling with her little one:
“Travelling is amazing and having a baby didn’t stop me having itchy feet… the only thing I dread is having to organise so many things prior to leaving. I quite dislike having to organise baby gear in my destination - especially not if I have to fly internationally. I usually have to do an international call and somehow get them to pay lots to get it delivered. The pick-up and drop-off inevitably is tricky and means that I end paying more than I want as most hire businesses don’t work outside office hours and on weekends.
I ended up hiring a travel cot from another mum in Melbourne via Treehutvillage which is essentially like AirBnB for baby gear. The item I borrowed was a BabyBjorn Travel Cot light which, at $300, is quite pricey to purchase for a one-off trip. I paid 40 dollars for a week and another mum dropped the travel cot off at my place the night before the booking started. The cot fit nicely into my large suitcase so it was perfect! Once we arrived in New Zealand it was so easy to set-up and take down - no more arguments with hubby while on holiday. My little man loved it too and slept amazingly well despite all the travel disruption.
When we returned, I just messaged the lady to pick up the cot again. We had a little chat about our trip and I gave back her cot. It was a really lovely experience and I love that the money went to her and her family. I will be using this service for all of our trips going forward.”
For more such stories, check out the Tree Hut Village blog as well as Facebook and Instagram pages.
2) Play Equipment (and lots of it!)
This may sound like a no-brainer, but especially when you have toddlers or young children, you’ll quickly find that they get bored insanely quickly, and you’ll want to be prepared. The only way you get any peace of mind is once you’ve found a way to keep them occupied, so you better have a few tricks up your sleeve.
Trampolines are a safe and fun option - you’d be surprised how long they can keep kids amused for. You can even get a baby trampoline, if you’re worried about your little one falling off and getting injured. Other things you can consider are play kitchens, kids climbing equipment and ride on toy cars. Generally outside play equipment it’s a hit with the little ones. This gives you the opportunity to catch up on phone calls, or have a coffee on the verandah while keeping one eye on your little munchkin.
Buy your child a climbing frame, and you’ll not only buy yourself a couple of hours, but your little one will be developing physical skills - which is way better than sitting indoors on an ipad like many kids do these days!
3) Sleeping Devices
Whether it’s a clock, a baby monitor, or a sound machine, any parent is going to need something to help them with the difficult sleep cycles that come with a child. Your objective should be to get your kids in the most regular sleep cycle possible, at the earliest possible moment. Emily Duffell from Sleepy Starz shares the one product she can’t live without:
“The number one product I cannot live without is our Sleepy Starz Sleep Training Clock. It took two nights for my three year old daughter to sleep from 7pm through 7am using the clock (and a 7am wake time is so much better than 5am)! The clock is a lifesaver.”
You can find out more information on the clock at www.sleepystarz.com.au and on the company’s Facebook page!
3 things that every parent, specifically new parents, should head out and get! Take our advice, at some point you’re going to need them!
