**Helping Parents Manage Screen Time and Create Educational Opportunities**

As a parent, managing screen time can be a challenging task. Children often have a hard time turning off the TV once it's on, and parents may feel guilty about limiting their children's screen time. However, excessive screen time can be detrimental to a child's health and development. To combat this issue, many parents are turning to creative solutions that promote healthy screen habits and educational opportunities.

One popular solution is the use of TV timers. These devices allow parents to set a timer for a specific amount of screen time, ensuring that their children stay within designated limits. This can help prevent tantrums and meltdowns when the TV is turned off, as it becomes clear that the parent's decision was not a personal attack on their child. By using a TV timer, parents can create a sense of predictability and control around screen time, making it easier to manage this aspect of their child's daily routine.

In addition to managing screen time, many parents are turning to educational resources to support their children's learning and development. One popular option is the LeapFrog learning DVD series. These DVDs offer a range of interactive games and activities that can help children learn essential skills such as letter recognition and phonics. According to one parent, her child was able to learn his letter sounds from a particular LeapFrog DVD, highlighting the potential for these resources to have a significant impact on a child's educational journey.

For parents who prefer digital learning tools, Khan Academy Kids is an excellent option. This free app offers a range of interactive games and activities that cater to children of different ages and abilities. What sets Khan Academy Kids apart from other educational apps is its non-profit status and lack of ads, making it an affordable and distraction-free option for families.

**Summer Fun: Staying Cool and Safe**

As the summer months approach, parents are looking for ways to keep their children cool and safe while also providing them with fun and engaging activities. One popular solution is the use of sunscreen that is specifically designed for kids. The product mentioned in this video is a clear SPF 50 stick sunscreen that is easy to apply and smells like coconut, making it a hit with both parents and children.

To take their summer fun to the next level, some parents are turning to reusable water balloons. These innovative toys allow children to play with water without the hassle of traditional water balloons, which can be wasteful and quickly depleted. The reusable water balloons mentioned in this video are made from a durable material that breaks easily, allowing children to refill them themselves. After hours of playtime, these balloons proved to be a hit with both parents and children, making them an excellent addition to any summer toy collection.

**Creative Play: Minimizing Mess and Encouraging Imagination**

For parents who love to encourage their children's creativity and imagination, there are many products on the market that can help minimize mess and provide hours of fun. One such product is a paint kit with built-in compartments for paints, brushes, and water. This clever design allows children to express themselves without making a mess, making it an excellent option for parents who value cleanliness and organization.

However, not every child can get along with sharing art supplies. In this case, parents may need to invest in multiple paint kits or find alternative ways to encourage their child's creativity. Despite the occasional squabble over paints, many children love to express themselves through art, making these products an excellent addition to any toy collection.

**Bedtime Strategies: Creating a Soothing Bedtime Routine**

For parents who struggle with bedtime routines, there is often one simple trick that can make all the difference: reading. Reading aloud to your child before bed can have a profound impact on their ability to fall asleep, as it helps to calm their nervous system and settle their mind.

The secret to making this trick work lies in how you approach it. One parent swears by the "period trick," where she reads with a slow, soothing voice that pauses after every word. This creates a sense of predictability and control for her child, helping them to relax and drift off to sleep. By incorporating this technique into their bedtime routine, parents can create a calming atmosphere that makes it easier for their child to fall asleep.

By implementing these creative solutions, parents can promote healthy screen habits, encourage educational opportunities, and create a fun and engaging summer experience for their children. Whether you're looking for ways to manage screen time or simply want to encourage your child's creativity and imagination, there are many innovative products and strategies available that can help make parenting easier and more enjoyable.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello and welcome back to my channel so there is nothing in this world that is more challenging than being a mom okay you are on 24 7. you never have a day off so these are the things little tips tricks hacks that I actually use that make my life a whole lot easier these are tried tested and they are so good so you're going to want to save this video send it to your husband your partner and with Summer coming up I thought this was a good time to share my heavy hitter tips we're going to start with my first tip this tip right here single-handedly changed my life okay so you know with your kids you're always like asking them like put your shoes on put your clothes in the hamper clean up your toys you're always asking them things and it's almost like they don't even hear you a lot of times they don't do it right okay so here is what you do instead so instead of just telling them what to do you grab the object that they need to do this task you hand it to them give them a verbal cue and then start to physically guide them in the direction they need to go so instead of saying Carter put your pants in the hamper I would pick up his pants hand them to him say hamper and guide him in the direction of the hamper when I tell you this works you guys like just try it I will show you right now actually in real time trash trap that was very trash shoes on shoe cabinet gray reef shark that lives here in large groups hamper hamper hamper I would say 90 of the time this works with my six-year-old I would say age three and up my two-year-old is a little more 50 50. hamper no so at least in my household the hardest time of day by far no contest is the hours between four to seven o'clock I just don't have the energy and effort and stamina anymore the kids have had a long day so that used to be the most dreaded time of day until recently literally two weeks ago I came up with this concept I call it the five o'clock mom where I set up a very easy low prep low mess activity that they can do when they get home during that challenging five o'clock hour that gives me some peace and gives them something entertaining and engaging to do and look these are not Pinterest worthy activities that are going to take you a long time to set up you have to go to the store and buy things these are very very easy okay every day at five o'clock on my Instagram stories I share the easy activity of the day so go find me there at Vassar Beauty make sure to check my stories in the evenings and I have everything saved as a highlight so check their daily for tons and tons of ideas but if there is one that is the biggest hit for year is for all ages it is the good old-fashioned sensory bin my six-year-old and my two-year-old love this the same they will never get sick of it and it is so incredibly easy basically just putting a bunch of various textured colorful items in one bit and I just pull out random things from my pantry like dried rice dried beans dried pasta chia seeds pumpkin seeds oatmeal and if you do have a younger child I would say to use all food grade edible ingredients just in case they want to taste their sensory thin and in terms of the one that I use this one is from Target it is the best I actually have two of them one for each kid it's only 18 and it is perfect because it has five of these removable compartments and because they're removable it's a lot easier to clean wash I would say do this outside because sometimes it can get a little bit messy but it is nothing crazy and there is such minimal prep involved just use things you already have in your pantry and for tons more ideas check my Instagram stories daily so I came across the Q Shooters functional Keepsake I just installed it in the house and I had to share because I think this is such a clever amazing idea so it is this mirrored growth chart it kind of looks like puzzle pieces on the wall it's a mirror so it's actually functional and then it has the measurements on it's like a little ruler and it comes with these stickers so as your child grows you put the sticker on and then you can keep that in their room they can see how much they're growing and I just think it is so fun so adorable I love how it looks but also the sentiment behind it so I thought this was such a clever little Keepsake okay let's talk snack hacks because if you're anything like me my household revolves around food snacks first thing in terms of snack packs I love these containers because there's the four little compartments they're nice and deep so you can give them a little variety of things this is portable washable and they are crazy affordable I want to say a four pack is eleven dollars we use them every single day and you can also use this to pack their lunches and make little DIY healthier Lunchables put some crackers meat cheese fruit Etc picky eater tip just add sprinkles whatever you're eating suddenly goes from gross to a delicious dessert so Greek yogurt with granola and berries that was a no he wasn't liking the texture then add some sprinkles on top all of a sudden it's like an ice cream sundae and these particular sprinkles are awesome because they are healthier sprinkles they're sweetened with a plant-based sweetener and they're made by a subscriber of mine a small business so definitely support her they're also formulated so that they don't melt when they're baked they stay nice and Crispy Crunchy as a little crunch a couple other healthier dessert Alternatives because when my kids have sugar all bets are off like they become like different children so I try to avoid sugar as much as I can one thing I've been using loving for years they're called Dolly pop so they are lollipops that are sweetened with Xylitol so plant-based sweetener there's zero sugar in it it tastes like candy but it doesn't give them that Sugar High so if they've earned a little treat I'm gonna give them these over real candy or sugar the other thing last summer I bought might have been the best like thirty dollars I've ever spent it is this Hawaiian shaved ice machine both of my kids for whatever reason go nuts for ice for shaved ice crushed eyes they were eating crushed ice it wasn't good for their teeth so this shaved ice maker shaves it down nice and fine and I don't even add that sugary syrup I just give them the ice I have a taste good what does it taste like lemon really yeah yeah also in the summertime if your kids like to have popsicles make sure you get a popsicle holder so it doesn't drip everywhere like those are the messiest of all snacks treats I pop lemon juice something that I have been doing for years now and I swear by so I got this really affordable hanging shoe rack it is hanging in the closet of both my kids rooms and I pre-make pre-put together their little outfit so it's just one less thing I have to do every day like find a top bottom socks as I'm putting away their laundry I just put them in little outfits roll them up and stick them in this shoe rack so Carter is now old enough where he can just grab his outfit dress himself and for Capri it's just so much easier also for summer I saw Crocs came out with these toddler shoes kid and toddler shoes they're good for sweaty summer feet because they're nice and breathable but what I really love about these shoes is that they are customizable and they have all of these adorable little charm you can match them to the outfit you can make them look cute and personalize them to your kids they're also very affordable so I just got a pair for both kids and I think they will be wearing them all summer this is the little bath toy holder that I love so much because it's a scooper so you can use it scoop up all the toys then it suctions onto the wall of your your shower or bath and then it drains out all the water so this is just the easiest way to manage all of the bath toys here are a few easy screen time TV time tip first we have a role that we instituted that the kids are not allowed to watch any television unless all of their toys are picked up it's just a hard and fast rule clean up your toys and then you can watch television one of my girlfriends told me that she does this and I was like wait a second that's so simple and Brilliant so that is one thing the next thing is if you don't already it is a good idea to put captions on any show that your child is watching I saw a Child Development expert saying by having the text on the screen it helps them make those connections with listening reading words and it is just better for their brain development to have the captions on now as much as possible I try to put on documentaries for the kids instead of just completely mindless entertainment which yes sometimes they just watch mindless stuff cartoons but I always try a documentary first like animal documentary or something about planet Earth so I'll ask them like what topic are you interested in what do you want to learn more about I want to learn more about sharks sharks that's cool and they're really into sharks right now so we've been watching a bunch of shark documentaries Orca documentaries and they are really learning from it and I just feel a little bit better about that if you are trying to limit television time or you have a hard time turning the TV off once it's on because the kids get all upset like whenever we would turn off the TV both kids would just have a fit so instead what I do now is I use the TV timer and I will set it let's say 45 minutes however long you want them to be watching and then it will automatically turn off so it's not you they can't get mad at you the TV just turned off the TV went to sleep and it's nobody's fault and now there's no more fits also for educational purposes I love the LeapFrog learning DVDs Carter actually learned all of his letter sounds from one particular LeapFrog learning DVD I was amazed I didn't think you would actually learn from it and that's how he learned the letter sound which is the building blocks for reading so really really love the LeapFrog learning DVD and the best educational app in my opinion it is totally free and no ads like take that in it is Khan Academy kids I think that it's a non-profit organization and that's why it's totally free but they are fun educational games for kids all different age levels you go in you pick you're their age they get a little character and they go through these games and both of my kids love this so when they want iPad or screen time just like with the documentaries I try that first so is summer coming up we're outside and sunscreen with kids can be very tricky this right here is the best sunscreen for kids I have like 10 of these I have them everywhere it is a clear SPF 50 for kids on a stick it smells like coconuts it smells so good and while my kids are still in their car seat I just wipe it all over their face it takes seconds they don't mind it and it's clear so you don't even have to rub it in these are like under 10 bucks I stock up for summer and this is what we use also a new Little Summer Fun Gadget toy that I saw that I bought so I will show you in real time what I think of it they are reusable water balloons because water balloons are one of the most fun activities of Summer like I used to love that as a kid so much but you just go through those water balloons so quickly and it just seems so wasteful it's like a one-time use kind of toy so these are reusable okay so after using these reusable water balloons they are amazing they are better than I thought they would be they break really easily and the kids are able to refill them themselves they played with these for hours so love these highly recommend I also want to show you another cool little Gadget if your kids like to paint that minimizes the mess because that is the worst part about painting it's so messy so there's a little compartments for all of the colors there's a place for the brushes the water and a nice big mat to keep everything contained so I also really love this the only problem is that the kids were fighting over it so I need to get another one so they each have their own you are is it so fun yeah do you like to paint yeah I like the paint last but certainly not least because this is my number one works amazing for getting your child to fall asleep I saw this on Tick Tock it was like a nanny of 20 years shared her secret and it works and all you have to do so you've got your child in bed eyes closed you dim the lights as low as you can get them that you can still see the page and you start reading to them as slow as humanly possible so what I like to do is I pretend like there's a period at the end of every word you talk in a really low soothing voice I will show you a clip of me doing this cars where were filled with toy animals giraffes well lungs necks teddy bears with almost no next all right it may take anywhere from three minutes to 10 minutes but again just try this one try it and report back to me if it works for your child because this works oh my goodness it's like magic with Carter in particular who's my one who fights bedtime Capri like goes to bed easily Carter is the one who likes to fight it and I just read to him so slowly I think it just settles his nervous system and it lulls him to sleep everything I talked about in this video is going to be down in the description box you can save this video to reference again in the future or maybe send it to some of your mom friends parent friends it also really helps out my channel if you share and save this video so I appreciate that and with all that said thank you as always so much for watching and I will see you soon with a new video byehello and welcome back to my channel so there is nothing in this world that is more challenging than being a mom okay you are on 24 7. you never have a day off so these are the things little tips tricks hacks that I actually use that make my life a whole lot easier these are tried tested and they are so good so you're going to want to save this video send it to your husband your partner and with Summer coming up I thought this was a good time to share my heavy hitter tips we're going to start with my first tip this tip right here single-handedly changed my life okay so you know with your kids you're always like asking them like put your shoes on put your clothes in the hamper clean up your toys you're always asking them things and it's almost like they don't even hear you a lot of times they don't do it right okay so here is what you do instead so instead of just telling them what to do you grab the object that they need to do this task you hand it to them give them a verbal cue and then start to physically guide them in the direction they need to go so instead of saying Carter put your pants in the hamper I would pick up his pants hand them to him say hamper and guide him in the direction of the hamper when I tell you this works you guys like just try it I will show you right now actually in real time trash trap that was very trash shoes on shoe cabinet gray reef shark that lives here in large groups hamper hamper hamper I would say 90 of the time this works with my six-year-old I would say age three and up my two-year-old is a little more 50 50. hamper no so at least in my household the hardest time of day by far no contest is the hours between four to seven o'clock I just don't have the energy and effort and stamina anymore the kids have had a long day so that used to be the most dreaded time of day until recently literally two weeks ago I came up with this concept I call it the five o'clock mom where I set up a very easy low prep low mess activity that they can do when they get home during that challenging five o'clock hour that gives me some peace and gives them something entertaining and engaging to do and look these are not Pinterest worthy activities that are going to take you a long time to set up you have to go to the store and buy things these are very very easy okay every day at five o'clock on my Instagram stories I share the easy activity of the day so go find me there at Vassar Beauty make sure to check my stories in the evenings and I have everything saved as a highlight so check their daily for tons and tons of ideas but if there is one that is the biggest hit for year is for all ages it is the good old-fashioned sensory bin my six-year-old and my two-year-old love this the same they will never get sick of it and it is so incredibly easy basically just putting a bunch of various textured colorful items in one bit and I just pull out random things from my pantry like dried rice dried beans dried pasta chia seeds pumpkin seeds oatmeal and if you do have a younger child I would say to use all food grade edible ingredients just in case they want to taste their sensory thin and in terms of the one that I use this one is from Target it is the best I actually have two of them one for each kid it's only 18 and it is perfect because it has five of these removable compartments and because they're removable it's a lot easier to clean wash I would say do this outside because sometimes it can get a little bit messy but it is nothing crazy and there is such minimal prep involved just use things you already have in your pantry and for tons more ideas check my Instagram stories daily so I came across the Q Shooters functional Keepsake I just installed it in the house and I had to share because I think this is such a clever amazing idea so it is this mirrored growth chart it kind of looks like puzzle pieces on the wall it's a mirror so it's actually functional and then it has the measurements on it's like a little ruler and it comes with these stickers so as your child grows you put the sticker on and then you can keep that in their room they can see how much they're growing and I just think it is so fun so adorable I love how it looks but also the sentiment behind it so I thought this was such a clever little Keepsake okay let's talk snack hacks because if you're anything like me my household revolves around food snacks first thing in terms of snack packs I love these containers because there's the four little compartments they're nice and deep so you can give them a little variety of things this is portable washable and they are crazy affordable I want to say a four pack is eleven dollars we use them every single day and you can also use this to pack their lunches and make little DIY healthier Lunchables put some crackers meat cheese fruit Etc picky eater tip just add sprinkles whatever you're eating suddenly goes from gross to a delicious dessert so Greek yogurt with granola and berries that was a no he wasn't liking the texture then add some sprinkles on top all of a sudden it's like an ice cream sundae and these particular sprinkles are awesome because they are healthier sprinkles they're sweetened with a plant-based sweetener and they're made by a subscriber of mine a small business so definitely support her they're also formulated so that they don't melt when they're baked they stay nice and Crispy Crunchy as a little crunch a couple other healthier dessert Alternatives because when my kids have sugar all bets are off like they become like different children so I try to avoid sugar as much as I can one thing I've been using loving for years they're called Dolly pop so they are lollipops that are sweetened with Xylitol so plant-based sweetener there's zero sugar in it it tastes like candy but it doesn't give them that Sugar High so if they've earned a little treat I'm gonna give them these over real candy or sugar the other thing last summer I bought might have been the best like thirty dollars I've ever spent it is this Hawaiian shaved ice machine both of my kids for whatever reason go nuts for ice for shaved ice crushed eyes they were eating crushed ice it wasn't good for their teeth so this shaved ice maker shaves it down nice and fine and I don't even add that sugary syrup I just give them the ice I have a taste good what does it taste like lemon really yeah yeah also in the summertime if your kids like to have popsicles make sure you get a popsicle holder so it doesn't drip everywhere like those are the messiest of all snacks treats I pop lemon juice something that I have been doing for years now and I swear by so I got this really affordable hanging shoe rack it is hanging in the closet of both my kids rooms and I pre-make pre-put together their little outfit so it's just one less thing I have to do every day like find a top bottom socks as I'm putting away their laundry I just put them in little outfits roll them up and stick them in this shoe rack so Carter is now old enough where he can just grab his outfit dress himself and for Capri it's just so much easier also for summer I saw Crocs came out with these toddler shoes kid and toddler shoes they're good for sweaty summer feet because they're nice and breathable but what I really love about these shoes is that they are customizable and they have all of these adorable little charm you can match them to the outfit you can make them look cute and personalize them to your kids they're also very affordable so I just got a pair for both kids and I think they will be wearing them all summer this is the little bath toy holder that I love so much because it's a scooper so you can use it scoop up all the toys then it suctions onto the wall of your your shower or bath and then it drains out all the water so this is just the easiest way to manage all of the bath toys here are a few easy screen time TV time tip first we have a role that we instituted that the kids are not allowed to watch any television unless all of their toys are picked up it's just a hard and fast rule clean up your toys and then you can watch television one of my girlfriends told me that she does this and I was like wait a second that's so simple and Brilliant so that is one thing the next thing is if you don't already it is a good idea to put captions on any show that your child is watching I saw a Child Development expert saying by having the text on the screen it helps them make those connections with listening reading words and it is just better for their brain development to have the captions on now as much as possible I try to put on documentaries for the kids instead of just completely mindless entertainment which yes sometimes they just watch mindless stuff cartoons but I always try a documentary first like animal documentary or something about planet Earth so I'll ask them like what topic are you interested in what do you want to learn more about I want to learn more about sharks sharks that's cool and they're really into sharks right now so we've been watching a bunch of shark documentaries Orca documentaries and they are really learning from it and I just feel a little bit better about that if you are trying to limit television time or you have a hard time turning the TV off once it's on because the kids get all upset like whenever we would turn off the TV both kids would just have a fit so instead what I do now is I use the TV timer and I will set it let's say 45 minutes however long you want them to be watching and then it will automatically turn off so it's not you they can't get mad at you the TV just turned off the TV went to sleep and it's nobody's fault and now there's no more fits also for educational purposes I love the LeapFrog learning DVDs Carter actually learned all of his letter sounds from one particular LeapFrog learning DVD I was amazed I didn't think you would actually learn from it and that's how he learned the letter sound which is the building blocks for reading so really really love the LeapFrog learning DVD and the best educational app in my opinion it is totally free and no ads like take that in it is Khan Academy kids I think that it's a non-profit organization and that's why it's totally free but they are fun educational games for kids all different age levels you go in you pick you're their age they get a little character and they go through these games and both of my kids love this so when they want iPad or screen time just like with the documentaries I try that first so is summer coming up we're outside and sunscreen with kids can be very tricky this right here is the best sunscreen for kids I have like 10 of these I have them everywhere it is a clear SPF 50 for kids on a stick it smells like coconuts it smells so good and while my kids are still in their car seat I just wipe it all over their face it takes seconds they don't mind it and it's clear so you don't even have to rub it in these are like under 10 bucks I stock up for summer and this is what we use also a new Little Summer Fun Gadget toy that I saw that I bought so I will show you in real time what I think of it they are reusable water balloons because water balloons are one of the most fun activities of Summer like I used to love that as a kid so much but you just go through those water balloons so quickly and it just seems so wasteful it's like a one-time use kind of toy so these are reusable okay so after using these reusable water balloons they are amazing they are better than I thought they would be they break really easily and the kids are able to refill them themselves they played with these for hours so love these highly recommend I also want to show you another cool little Gadget if your kids like to paint that minimizes the mess because that is the worst part about painting it's so messy so there's a little compartments for all of the colors there's a place for the brushes the water and a nice big mat to keep everything contained so I also really love this the only problem is that the kids were fighting over it so I need to get another one so they each have their own you are is it so fun yeah do you like to paint yeah I like the paint last but certainly not least because this is my number one works amazing for getting your child to fall asleep I saw this on Tick Tock it was like a nanny of 20 years shared her secret and it works and all you have to do so you've got your child in bed eyes closed you dim the lights as low as you can get them that you can still see the page and you start reading to them as slow as humanly possible so what I like to do is I pretend like there's a period at the end of every word you talk in a really low soothing voice I will show you a clip of me doing this cars where were filled with toy animals giraffes well lungs necks teddy bears with almost no next all right it may take anywhere from three minutes to 10 minutes but again just try this one try it and report back to me if it works for your child because this works oh my goodness it's like magic with Carter in particular who's my one who fights bedtime Capri like goes to bed easily Carter is the one who likes to fight it and I just read to him so slowly I think it just settles his nervous system and it lulls him to sleep everything I talked about in this video is going to be down in the description box you can save this video to reference again in the future or maybe send it to some of your mom friends parent friends it also really helps out my channel if you share and save this video so I appreciate that and with all that said thank you as always so much for watching and I will see you soon with a new video bye\n"