








Parenting can be hard! Here are some of the Sassy Mama team’s best parenting hacks…
We know mums are generally fantastic at multi-tasking, but we always love to hear what other parents are doing to make their lives easier. What may seem obvious to one mum can be a complete revelation to another. From screen time and parental controls, to picky eaters, car seats, tantrums and ice cream, here are some of our team’s best parenting hacks!
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Netflix
This is an obvious one but you can set up a personalised account on Netflix for each child, adjusting the maturity level for each account. We have a 7-year-old and a 2.5-year-old so what’s appropriate for the older one often isn’t for the younger one.
YouTube
YouTube’s autoplay function means that it doesn’t take much to get from a fairly innocuous video to something pretty inappropriate. But if you download the YouTube Kids App for younger kids, it allows you to set a Homescreen age level – either Preschool or School-Aged – when setting up the parent controls. Just note, YouTube will still make recommendations outside of that age range, so supervision is still recommended.
Spotify
We had to turn the Explicit Content Settings to ‘off’ after my 7-year-old discovered Tenacious D’s ‘The Greatest Song in the World’. It’s a really funny song, but with Google making the decisions about what song you might like to hear next, we ended up with a heavy metal track with Jack Black cheerfully yelling just about all the expletives you could think of.
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We recently discovered that our son had been getting up early in the morning and sneaking a bit of YouTube Kids before we got up. We are now adjusting access through Apple’s parental control settings. But Sassy Mama Emilie has come across a great app called OurPact which allows parents with Android devices to schedule screen time, and block or grant access to the Internet and apps on your child’s device from anywhere with your own device.
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These devices are a fun way for kids to play around with technology while avoiding screen overload. Plus they can be a lifesaver when your kid asks ‘Mum, when was Abraham Lincoln born?’ Answer: ‘Good question, let’s ask Alexa.’ Sassy Mama Kate loves Google Home: ‘We barely utilise its capabilities (you can combine it with your aircon, your lights, your TV, your morning alarm etc.) but my kids just like using it to play music, and to ask random questions — it can also read stories and tell jokes.’
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Did you know the Mifold fits inside the Trunki? Or that you can strap a Cosco Scenera Next onto a Maclaren Quest stroller with just a paper clip and a piece of string? (Kidding, you’ll actually need a luggage strap.) Travelling safely in taxis with kids in Singapore can seem tricky but there are ways to simplify it and make your outings easier. TaxiBaby has some great videos on how to safely hack car seats onto prams.
Image courtesy of TaxiBaby via Facebook
It can be hard to know how and when to start doling out pocket money to kids. Do they need to earn it by doing chores around the house, or should they learn that they need to contribute to the family, without needing an incentive? We’ve written about the pros and cons of pocket money before, but if you’re already at that stage, you WILL want to know about this handy pocket-money tracking app – RoosterMoney.
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When my kids were toddlers they would keep busy for hours with a few paintbrushes and a bucket of water – “painting” the side of the pool or a wooden fence. The water creates a darker shade so it looks like painting but with zero mess (and the sun dries up the water so they can start all over again in a few minutes). If you have busy toddlers and want to keep them occupied but just can’t deal with any more mess, this arty hack is for you!
Image courtesy of Danielle MacInnes via Unsplash