Tag: condo living

Posted in Parenting Hacks

Playpen Sheets…not just for babies

Posted on by ottawaem

In addition to the two Tiny Humans, we also share our house with Bajan Mutt, our slightly spoiled immigrant pup from Barbados. Being the pampered pooch she is, Bajan Mutt has several dog beds throughout our house. M is slightly allergic to dogs so I try to wash the covers on Bajan Mutt’s dog beds as often as possible. A couple of years ago we bought her new beds from Ikea which are comfy and easy to wash but the beds do still get damp when she comes into the house wet. (Or the Tiny Humans spill on the dog’s bed.) That’s when I realized that waterproof playpen sheets are the perfect size to protect the mattress and extend the life of the dog bed. For smaller beds you could probably wrap both sides or for bigger dogs use a crib mattress cover.

Posted in condo living, Parenting Hacks

Camping in the Bedroom

Posted on by ottawaem

We know it won’t last forever but for the time being the Tiny Humans are very happily sharing a bedroom. Well for the most part happily sharing a room, Tiny Human #2 is a night owl and Tiny Human #1 is exhausted by school and fancies herself a “morning person.” All this to say that light in the room sometimes causes friction. We invested in remote controlled blinds for the bedroom but that does not help with light in the room or Tiny Human #1 waking up Tiny Human #2 when she got up in the morning. On a trip to Ikea to stock up on batteries, waffles and meatballs we noticed these little tents for the head of their beds. The bottom of the tents slips under the mattress providing each Tiny Human with their own personal cocoon for blocking out their sibling. The tents unfortunately don’t stop Tiny Human #1 from waking up her sister to ask if she’s still sleeping, or Tiny Human #2 shining a flashlight in her sister’s eyes to see if they are open.

Posted in Parenting, Parenting Hacks

Emerging from the sick nest

Posted on by ottawaem

It’s been a long couple of weeks here, starting with Tiny Human #1 coming home from daycare three weeks ago complaining of a sore ear.  It all went downhill from there as the killer cold/tummy bug spread through the house leaving a trail of kleenex and laundry in its wake.

My favourite tip for dealing with a Tiny Human who is under the weather is to use a vinyl backed tablecloth to protect your couch.  Tiny Human #1 refers to it as her sick nest, feathering her nest with blankies and towels. A benefit of condo living is that she can stay in her nest all night within shouting distance of mummy and daddy, but the tablecloth trick can also work as a bed liner.

Other tips:

  1. Freeze applesauce in popsicle moulds or ice cube trays to help soothe tiny throats.  We put the frozen applesauce into a mesh feeder for Tiny Human #2
  2. Use an elastic bands to attach an empty tissue box to a full one to hold used tissues
  3. Designate a large bowl as a sick bowl
  4. Take Tiny Humans into the bathroom with you when you shower to take advantage of the warm moist air

 

 

 

 

Posted in condo living, Parenting

Double Occupancy

Posted on by ottawaem

After months of discussion we are finally doing it, this week Tiny Human #2 is moving in with Tiny Human #1. Tiny Human #1 has been sleeping in the big bed in her room for awhile but it never seemed a good time to make the move.  Our main reason to wait was fear that Tiny Human #2 would wake up her sister, but that seems to be happening anyway making everyone a little cranky and sleep deprived around here.

So, this weekend we took Tiny Human #1 to Ikea to let her pick out a new dresser with room to hang out her pretty dresses and a new lamp with a pink lamp shade. Despite my fears, she is actually excited.  She loves the idea of having her sister in her room so she won’t be alone when she wakes up with a nightmare.  We will see if she still feels that way when Tiny Human #2 wakes up with teething pain or a stinky diaper but for now she is keen and I think Tiny Human #2 may actually sleep better without us disturbing her on our way to bed.

The Baby Sleep Site has some great tips for room sharing and I will keep you posted as we start this room sharing adventure.

 

Posted in Parenting Hacks

Puzzle Pouch

Posted on by ottawaem

With space at a premium in our condo, I am always looking for ways to keep the Tiny Humans’ toys within easy reach but contained.  Given Tiny Human #2’s new found mobility this is especially the case for toys with small pieces such as puzzles/magnetic play sets.

I have passed these zippered pouches at the dollar store numerous times thinking they could one day be useful. I picked a couple up today thinking I would hot glue them to the back of the puzzle to hold the pieces but when I got them home I realized that the puzzles fit right inside them.  Problem solved!! Best of all they are see through so Tiny Human #1 can see which puzzle she is grabbing and for bigger puzzles/ play sets, the dollar store has inexpensive laptop sleeves that should do the trick.