There are the things that people warn you about before you become a parent: the sleepless nights, the zillions of dirty nappies, the emotional tantrums (and we’re not just talking about baby here).
Then you get out of that first baby phase, remember what it’s like to sleep again for more than three-hour stretches (oh sweet, sweet sleep!) and the fun stuff starts: car trips to the zoo and Peppa Pig World, fun crafts sessions and a whole world of imaginary play that will awe and exhaust you in equal measure.
Once you get to that next stage of living with a walking, talking toddler, there’s plenty you wish people had told you about, like how finger painting Christmas cards with your little one is the best hour you’ve spent all week... Until it’s time to clean up and you realise that a team of professionals would struggle to get your place looking habitable.
Thank goodness for other parents and experts who’ve been there, done that, lived to tell the tale and come up with some easy and useful hacks to help with all of the stuff that no one tells you about but is sure to happen.
Like figuring out how to protect your little one from monsters lurking under the bed. Or coping with a child who throws up all over the car seat every time you set off anywhere (do you know how tricky it is to take those fabric covers off to stick them in the wash... and then put them back on again?).
We’ve created a video series on the useful hacks and tricks every parent needs to know to make life easier.
One of our favourite hacks? If your toddler is worrying about bedtime because there are monsters lurking everywhere, you can save the day.
Take an empty plastic spray bottle, decorate it with stickers, glitter, paint, printable labels, googly eyes and whatever else you fancy (just make sure to write “Monster Spray” on the bottle, using alphabet stickers or a permanent marker).
Then spray under the bed, in the wardrobes and anywhere else spooky creatures might be lurking. You don’t even need to put anything in the bottle - this magic spray bottle works wonders even when it’s empty.
Nightmares be gone.