Tips & Hacks Archives – The Salty Mamas

Before having kids, I was hella spontaneous. Whether it was last minute dinner plans, answering a friends invite of “let’s go out!” or literally leaving brunch to hit the road and go to Vegas, I was up for it all and with very few questions. So you can only imagine the ton of bricks that hit me when I had this tiny little baby that needed bottles and diapers and wipes and extra outfits and binkys and a suitcase full of miscellaneous items for a quick trip to Target. I mean, how much stuff do I need to run errands with kids?

And it’s not just the stuff – the stuff is manageable, and you can tackle leaving the house with a bunch of kids. But you have to know where you’re going! And I’m not just talking how to get there fastest. There are a lot of things you never realized you need to consider before picking a location to take your kids. So now, I basically never leave the house without answering these six questions first.

Continue reading “6 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Going Anywhere with Kids” →

Tips & Hacks

The Ultimate List of Must Haves for a Day at the Pool with Kids

June 13, 2018June 19, 2018 Salty Christine

It’s that time. The weather is warming up, the beach is calling and the community pools are opening. My kids spent the last seven months staring wistfully at our pool knowing it was way too cold to enjoy. Now they run to the gate excited every afternoon to get jump in. When we bought a house with a pool, I pictured casual afternoons spent by the pool watching my happy children swim. I didn’t think about all the things they would need to make that happen. Over the years I’ve gotten it down to a pretty good system, but if this is your first (or second, or seventh) summer spent at the beach of the pool and you feel like you still don’t have it all down yet, don’t worry. The Salty Mamas have got you – and your kids – covered with these must haves for a day at the pool!

Continue reading “The Ultimate List of Must Haves for a Day at the Pool with Kids” →

School, Tips & Hacks

A Parent’s Guide to Being Ready for Kindergarten

June 4, 2018 thesaltymamas

My son “graduates” preschool this week. Which means at the end of this summer he enters Kindergarten. The Big Leagues. As parents, we spend a lot of time making sure our little ones are ready for Kindergarten. We try to prepare them academically, we buy them first backpacks and school supplies, and we worry about their capacity to sit still. Many of us send our kids to preschool hoping they’ll acquire the skills they’ll need to take those first steps into Kindergarten. But what do we do to prepare ourselves for this transition?

Was preschool preparing us – or was it setting us up for failure and disappointment?

Continue reading “A Parent’s Guide to Being Ready for Kindergarten” →

Terrible Twos, Tips & Hacks

Tips to Get All Smiles at Your Toddler’s First Dental Appointment

May 25, 2018 thesaltymamas

When my first was little, I remember hearing that you were supposed to take baby to the dentist when they got their first tooth or when they reached one year old, whichever happened first. Being the dutiful first time Mom, I checked with our dentist to see if they had a pediatric dentist on staff and made that first dental appointment. On the big day, I brought my son in and then the disaster started. He wouldn’t open his mouth – at least without screaming – and when he finally did, they counted his teeth, reminded us to brush and sent him to get a toy. It was half an hour of thrashing, screaming and fighting for 3 minutes of “dentistry” that I could have done on my own at home. I was ready to swear off of the dentist until my kids were old enough to actually have something done. Or at least until I had a diaper bag full of toddler tips to surviving the dentist. Whichever came first.

Well, I never got the tips, but my kids needed to finally go to the dentist. So now I’ve got three kids, and a bunch of dentist appointments under my belt – including appointments for my 18 month old! So I’m here to tell you that you can have a successful trip to the dentist with a toddler. You just need these tips.

Continue reading “Tips to Get All Smiles at Your Toddler’s First Dental Appointment” →

Tips & Hacks

Nighttime Hacks, for Smoother Mornings

May 21, 2018May 21, 2018 thesaltymamas

Having a Miracle Morning as a Mom sounds like a great idea. However, the miracle at my house would be being physically capable of waking up before my kids. I was blessed with three children that are so excited to start their day that they are running down the hall and into my room by 5:30. So the idea of getting up in the middle of the night to get my miracle morning on is less than appealing. Since the morning would not be the time for me to prep for my day, I had to turn to the night before. Thankfully, there are some super helpful nighttime hacks that have helped me get myself, my kids, and even my husband started on the right foot in the morning.

Continue reading “Nighttime Hacks, for Smoother Mornings” →

Effing Four Year Olds, Tips & Hacks

How to Brush Your Child’s Hair (Without a Battle)

March 14, 2018April 21, 2018 Salty Jaymi

I used to LOVE styling Lila’s hair. It took just a minute to brush, and then we’d spend some quality time putting it in the cutest little updos. I’d section it off, put it in cascading ponytails, or braid it. At the very least, she had sweet little pigtails (with matching bows, obvi). I was pretty sure I would be that mom- you know, the one whose daughter always has perfect hairstyles, the mom who doles out hair brushing tips for kids to all the other moms. I was going to NAIL this kids’ hairstyles thing.

Then her hair got longer. And wavier. And drier. And more tangled. All those sweet memories of styling? They were replaced with a fight equivalent to trying to wrestle an angry baby possum. And at the end of it, her hair still looked like this.

I found myself with no choice but to up my game. You can spend a year or two figuring it out, or you can do yourself a favor- follow my tried and tested hair brushing tips for kids to get your little lady’s hair in check without the fuss.

Tired of fighting with your son or daughter every time you need to brush your hair? We've got six hair brushing tips for kids that will end the battles once and for all! Check out the best products and strategies to make hair brushing easier, from thesaltymamas.com.

Continue reading “How to Brush Your Child’s Hair (Without a Battle)” →

Cheapskating, Mama Mojo, MicroLuxuries, momlife, Momsquad, Salty Mama Lists, Saturday Six, Tips & Hacks, vacation

6 Things You NEED To Bring on a Cruise

March 3, 2018March 5, 2018 thesaltymamas

Trying to figure out what to bring on a cruise? We’re heading away for our annual MomSquad weekend away, and we’ve got 6 things that will help you pack for your cruise like a pro. And also, maybe make it just a little more fun. (Which, it’s a CRUISE. So that’s saying something).

Wondering what to bring on a cruise? These 6 Essentials will have you sailing like a pro! #cruisetips #cruisepackinglist

Continue reading “6 Things You NEED To Bring on a Cruise” →

Salty Mama Lists, Saturday Six, Tips & Hacks

Saturday Six

February 24, 2018February 24, 2018 thesaltymamas

This post contains affiliate links. You can read more at our Legal page. Thank you!

It was one of those looooong weeks where it felt like we might just not make it to Saturday. Here’s what helped keep us sane this week.

1. We are FIVE days away from our #momsquadcruise2018 and each minute feels like an hour. I’m basically packed and ready to go. Which leaves me with nothing left to shop for the trip. So I thought about family vacations and summer and swim and I fell down the rabbit hole of little girl bathing suits. So they are SET with ruffles and polka dots and this adorable owl suit – OH MY! If you see any bathing suits my kids need, drop a link 😉

2. Sometimes when things seem at their worst, Christine goes against her natural inclination (read: tv forever). This week she took all the kids to the California Science Center. What’s your favorite museum to take the kids to?

3. After a few days of taking care of three kids AND a sick Daddy, Christine snuck out for $1 Bahama Mamas at Applebee’s, our new hot spot for cheap drinks and awkward conversations with bartenders. Which begs the question: where’s our sponsorship yo? I mean, “The Salty Mamas – brought to you by Applebee’s” has a nice ring to it. Call us Applebee’s!

4. While we may have differing opinions on the Olympics (one of us watches 18 hours a day and the other is like “what are you doing with your life????”) we can both agree on Celebrity Big Brother. Both The Salty Mama’s are BIG fans of Big Brother, so add in a Real Housewife and we are happy forever. Anyone else watching?? Who are you rooting for to win???

5. This may not be popular, but we are both REALLY happy we’re not pumping anymore. That may have pushed us over the edge this week. But Jaymi spent a bunch of time as a busy, pumping, working Mama. One of her tips made it into this awesome post from This Mom Life. Check it out!

6. Let’s face it. This:

Having something to look forward to is NO JOKE. Do it.

Crafty Mamas, MicroLuxuries, Momsquad, Tips & Hacks

DIY Custom Cruise Tumblers

February 23, 2018March 6, 2018 Salty Jaymi

We are gearing up BIG TIME for an upcoming cruise with our MomSquad, and we are so excited we are pretty much beside ourselves. And thus, we are buying alllll the things. We like to go all out with our Girls’ Trip Swag- we’ve got matching pajamas, we’ve got matching shirts– and we’ve got matching cruise tumblers, handmade by yours truly. If you’ve ever been on a cruise, you might know that bringing your own tumbler is kind of crucial, both for bringing your complimentary water and lemonade with you wherever you go, as well as making your adult beverages easier to drink in the hot tub. And honestly? It’s just more fun when you match your girlfriends.

So if you’ve got a Bachelorette Party, or a Girls’ Trip, or a Moms’ Weekend Away coming up, snag your cups here and then ask your ladies which color they want to claim. Then pick your path- the Time Saver or the Creative Cricut Type– and you’ll be sipping pretty in no time.

DIY Cruise Tumblers- A Step By Step Tutorial to Get You Ready for Your Girls' Trip in No Time, from thesaltymamas.com. #girlstrip #CruiseTumblers #CruiseCups #GirlsTripCups Continue reading “DIY Custom Cruise Tumblers” →

momlife, Tips & Hacks

Get Better Sleep in 5 Easy Steps

February 21, 2018March 19, 2018 Salty Christine

This post was sponsored by VitalSleep. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience. Also, this post contains affiliate links. You can read more at our Legal page. Thank you!

As a Mom, getting quality sleep is like the Holy Grail. Elusive, hard to find, and just when you think you’re about to get it – someone pees their bed. Okay, maybe the analogy went a little off the rails there, but you know what I mean. Between our kids’ nightmares, midnight feedings, bed wettings, growing pains and the classic “need to snuggle,” we are fighting an uphill battle. We just end up more tired and more desperate to get better sleep.

Then I realized that I was not helping the cause with my own bad habits. I thought to all the times I begged for advice on how to get my babies to sleep and came to the conclusion that I didn’t follow any of that advice for me. I had no routine. My sleep space wasn’t ideal. I just wasn’t setting myself up for success. All the things I did to help my baby, I should have been doing for myself as well.

So here are our top tips to help you sleep like a baby. Or at least how we dream our babies will sleep. Continue reading “Get Better Sleep in 5 Easy Steps” →