Foam noodles are lovely in the pool for kids who are close enough to swimming to use them safely. Older kids can whack them around like light sabers. But did you know that the smart people of the Internet have identified a quadrillion more things to do with pool noodles?

Here’s a sampling.

1- Prevent a child from falling off her bed. I read this on ParentHacks years ago and have seen it a few other places since then. Tuck a pool noodle under the fitted sheet on the outer edge of the bed to create a border your child is less likely to roll over.

2- Slice them up to create oversized confetti.

I used regular scissors to cut these. It’s hard work for your hands, so recruit your partner to help you work on this after bedtime.

A bathtub or kiddie pool full of pool noodle chunks is almost as fun as a ball pit at Chuck E Cheese. And certainly less infectious.

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These same slices can be used as mega-beads for educational purposes or party decorations. There is a tutorial for this pretty pool noodle garland at sugar and cloth.

3- Create an outdoor game. I saw this javelin set up on Parents.com and suspect that it’s not a realistic project for any family. I can just imagine myself sweating and swearing as I attempt to balance these things just right, when a light wind comes along and changes the whole game.

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I did test out this Parents.com tip: Stick chopsticks into the grass and slide your foam noodle on top.

It worked wonderfully. (Note to self: Steal extra chopsticks from sushi counter at grocery store.) The ones I used in this picture are fancy and not appropriate for stabbing into the dirt.

4- Babyproof anything. From the sharp edges of a coffee table to the edge of a crib that baby keeps chewing on. An impressive tutorial for no-sew fabric-plus-pool-noodle crib rail cover is here. Note that you don’t want to expose the foam where it might be chewed on and become a choking hazard, hence the slipcover.

The foam noodle I put on my sharp TV console is very snug, but the truth is a determined 2-year old could take it off. I think it’s a great, quick fix for a visit to Grandma’s house or for a new walker who literally spends the whole day falling into furniture. I don’t think a 15-month old could mess with this, beyond taking a bite out of it.

5- Make a marble track. Split one water noodle in half and let the kids have a race. This photo comes from a blogger who got the idea from Family Fun magazine. I love it!

Note: Marbles are not for toddlers. You already know that, right?

6- Design a seasonal wreath. If you asked me 10 years ago if I would like to make a seasonal wreath for my door, I would have told you that I certainly would not. But I’ve gone over to the dark side — or shall I say the Better Homes and Garden’s side? My kids love decorating for holidays and I will try not to have a complete identity crisis if I find myself making a red, white, and blue “pool noodle wreath” in July.

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7- Make lightsabers, for real. Well, for pretend for real. Start with a pool noodle, then add silver duct tape and create a control panel-inspired design on the handle with black tape. This looks really cute for a big kid’s birthday party, but I’m not sure I want to stick around for the ensuing activity it may inspire among the party guests. Someone is definitely going to cry, and it will probably be my kid. Maybe hand it out when they head out the door?

source (this post has good instructions)

Want to see more? Follow us on Pinterest. I’ll keep pinning pool noodle hacks as I find them!

Mike Adamick is a San Francisco Dad that we’ve known since his first grader was a baby. We featured her doing normal baby stuff for a day, and I still love that post. In addition to thoughtful essays, his blog is stuffed full of creative adventures, crafty projects, and homemade clothing that he makes for and with his daughter. So it is no surprise that he wrote a wicked cool book with more of the same (minus the fondness for Broadway shows).

I was lucky to receive an early copy of Dad’s Book of Awesome Projects: From Stilts and Super-Hero Capes to Tinker Boxes and Seesaws, 25+ Fun Do-It-Yourself Projects for Families, and it is all that and a bag of chips.

My husband and older sons took it away from me and flipped through the book before I could get started. Milo was the first to ask if we could make everything in it THIS WEEKEND. And so we started a few projects.

He had his eye on this balance board project (the second in the book) and took it upon himself to make it without help!

The results of his efforts were adorable but flawed since he used only cardboard.

Within 24 hours, RookieDad Alec had obtained the proper materials and made a real rolling wooden balance board and started the second project on our family wishlist, the Hidden Book Stash.

I can’t say enough good things about this book but I will try. Dad’s Book of Awesome Projects is a terrific collection of projects both realistic and ridiculous (with a strong leaning toward the realistic) that kids and parents will enjoy together. It would make a fun Father’s Day gift or just a “let’s see how much stuff we can do with this Summer Vacation” present. Buy it for someone you love along with the materials for circus stilts or a bow and arrow.

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I received a free copy of this book that my boys are working their way through. This review/love letter was not sponsored. (This post contains affiliate links.) Mike Adamick kicks ass in the best possible way.

[Photos: Mike Adamick, Heather Flett all rights reserved]

On vacation! Please enjoy this post from 2010.

Julian noticed that I have been sewing a few things for Scarlett and asked me to make something for him.  I had hidden two plain Old Navy ringer tshirts in my closet, intending to embellish them in some way for him, but had not yet decided how.  I knew he really wanted to be surprised with something new.

I linked to this tutorial last week and thought I’d have a go at it last night.  I cut the tie shape from a work shirt that Ryan had tossed in the Goodwill pile. I used fabric glue to set it in place and then zig-zag stitched around the edges.  Not sure how it will hold up in the wash, but I thought it was darn cute when he wore it today.

For Julian, the best part was that when he woke up this morning, he found a post-it note on his bed frame that said

Find a new shirt on the coffee table.

Love, Mommy

When I heard him thump rapidly down the stairs at 6.30 am this morning,  I knew he had read the note.  Seconds later, he burst into my room cradling his new shirt, telling me he loves it. A lovely SuperMom moment for me.

If you have a pile of plastic eggs in your house (I do) and a bit of wire or plastic cord or even dental floss, you can make a “snake” like this. Our eggs all had holes in them already, and I hope yours do too.

Big kids can do the stringing. Babies can do the snake-shaking and throwing on the floor. Fun for the whole family!

I’ve seen a lot of baby gifts in the past ten years and many have made me oooh and ahh — and even wish for another baby to wrap in that cute sling — but none have seemed as thoughtful and sensible as a tupperware container filled with medical supplies that I saw given by a nurse friend at a shower last year.

Of course there is nothing cute about a digital thermometer, boxes of infant Motrin, and diaper cream, but it sure is useful. And of course you can make it cute by putting it all in a nice container.

The other thing I like about this gift is that it’s a nice way for one mom to pass her new-found wisdom on to her friend.

(Not the make-it-cute kind of gal? Someone has taken care of the whole thing for you and is selling her packages under the name Mommy’s Medicine Cabinet.)

Have you ever given medical supplies as a gift to someone? How would you dress it up?

photo: The Macs

Before we get all in a tizzy about first birthday parties and the cuteness you are about to behold, allow me to confess that I think the first birthday party is optional. Parents doing something momentous to celebrate their own first year of parenthood also seems like a fine idea (first overnight away?) and well, if baby is sleeping at home or at Grandma’s house, terrific.

Ok, now that’s out of the way. Ideas from around the web:

Invitation

This one is from tinyprints.

This one is from minted.com

and this one is from Etsy

Electronic invitations are obviously cheaper, greener, but frankly not as gush-worthy cute as the ones you’ll find to buy online. I couldn’t get over my own obsession with having a mailed invitation as a keepsake, so I put one together on Shutterfly when Julian turned one. Kid #2? She probably got an email. I don’t even remember.

Food

Go crazy with homemade, thematic snacks a la Martha Stewart or order pizza, make a fruit rainbow platter and call it a day. Since your baby and his “friends” may have a limited menu, it’s hard to please everyone. My personal go-to for parties at my house is my local taqueria. I order a pint of black beans, grilled chicken, spanish rice, and carnitas. We put out tortillas, cheese, salsa, and guacamole. Everyone can make their own burrito and the babes can eat black beans, rice and shredded cheese with their fingers. In the backyard, please! Add some bowls of diced fruit for color.

Decoration
If you read a lot of Internetz, you know that a decorated birthday buffet table with printed signs is all the rage.  Don’t let this make you feel inadequate, but I am posting a few pictures that none of us can ever live up to — because we are hosting a party and have a 12-month old to take care of!

John and Sherry at YoungHouseLove provided complete explanations on their printed food cards at baby Clara’s first birthday.

Theme
The site One Charming Party is a great resource if you want an amazingly beautiful, coordinated party. It’s an online store that sells party plans which detail the decorations, food, activities, and more for a number of different themes from superhero to mermaid to country fair-themed.

This is a preview of the 50-page manual you receive as a pdf with all your instructions, including cupcake toppers and invitation templates.

For one-year olds, I am most in favor of a simple theme, such as their first initial or polka dots because really, are they passionate about Dora or football yet? Unlikely. I met a professional party planner who told me that children’s books are her favorite source of inspiration for a theme. I like the intent, and the Hungry Caterpillar party pictured above is beautiful, but it seems overwhelmingly complicated.

Source: fowlsinglefile.blogspot.com via Kaci on Pinterest

Three do-able decorations

Now that I’ve intimidated inspired you with pictures that are literally out of Martha Stewart’s media empire, I leave you with three ideas that won’t break the bank or your back when it comes to adding pizzaz to your party.

1. Rainbow streamers above the door. Wendy made this special doorway for Augie’s birthday and it’s delightfully simple.

Source: wendolonia.com via Whitney on Pinterest

 

2. A string of balloons. I always hit the party store and get a bunch of balloons on the morning of my kid’s parties. They fill up any dull space in your house or yard and toddlers go nuts for them. (They are also terrible choking hazards, so keep them up high and monitor any interaction with balloons and one-year olds closely.)  This one is from the Young House Love first birthday party.

3. Pinwheels. Buy them at a party store, dollar store, or toy store — or make them if you are super crafty — and use them as decorations. My cousin stuck 20 store-bought pinwheels in the grass to create a festive border for her son’s party at a park. Then, send them home with the kids as favors. Double duty!

Source: deckthehalls-christmas.blogspot.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Source of letter “E” party: marthastewart.com via Ellen on Pinterest

Do you have any easy first birthday party ideas to share?

I have no idea what I was thinking when I purchased four colors of finger paint.

You can see by virtue of where I was storing it, on the top shelf in my unfinished laundry room, that I was pretty keen on my kids using it. Not.

Then I had the idea of using it not as paint, but more as a drawing tool, and suddenly it became not messy at all. No paintbrushes to wash. No sponging of, well, everything.  I’d even do it again.

While my kids were out with my husband, I put out two plastic placemats, each with a baggy of two glops of primary colors. I provided Q-tips to use as a stylus, and taped the bags in place. It’s sort of like one of those Zen boards you see in Brookstone.

Because my placemats are colorful, I had to put a piece of white paper behind the bags so that the paint would be visible.

Drawing on it is pretty satisfying, and the kids liked watching their lines appear and then disappear as the paint dispersed.

Some of the items we acquire as new parents are truly useful, while some are disappointments. Some have a long shelf-life. (Ask me how long my kids slept with the white noise machine running at night. Eight years.) While some are for only a three-month phase before they’re outgrown.

Here are a few inspiring images of projects by parents that have taken innovation into their own hands.

This was a Pack n Play until the owner cut the mesh sides out, stretched a fitted crib sheet over the mobile on top, and called it a toddler bed. (Source unknown – it appears that the original site is no longer up.)

This Cozy Coupe has been converted into a Batmobile. Unbelievably awesome, don’t you think? (Details and “before” picture are at SweetCSDesigns.)

This crib served it’s purpose and was reborn as a desk, as documented by the parent who blogs at A Little Learning For Two.

These IKEA hackers took a very plain changing table and modified it to hide the baby gear that would be stored underneath and made a black pad for the top of the table. So clever. See their post for details on the whole suite of IKEA stuff they refashioned.

When you no longer need a stroller, you can use it to wheel around unwieldy Halloween costume props. (via DamnCoolPictures)

A local friend of mine, Jackie, has two little kids and has a sharp eye for the visually beautiful. Just look at her house.

She recently blogged that a turkey baster is the key to making pancake batter into fun shapes. I was thrilled to learn this hack because I had been ordered to make Mickey Mouse pancakes last night, and I felt a little bummed out that I couldn’t raise the bar beyond Mickey Mouse. So Mickey they ate – but watch out, kids. Next weekend: alphabet letters!

When I spotted this beanbag on Amazon, and shared it on our Facebook page, readers really liked it.

As I have mentioned before, my kids have a ginormous collection of Webkinz, which are small stuffed animals, plus assorted other plush friends that take up space in our playroom. I purchased a shelving unit specifically for them that I intended to be a sort of apartment house. It works sometimes.

Tossing them all in a beanbag that can be sat upon sounds brilliant to me. This photo is one that a happy customer posted on Amazon.

(Be careful, because I saw it listed on Amazon at $39.99 on most pages, but this link is for $30.27.)

The user on Amazon said that 44 stuffed animals fit inside. I love it! Also note that they sell double and triple versions of this, but the price starts to exceed $100, so I’m not even going to bother showing you a picture.

The reason I wanted to move this conversation further than Facebook is because there was so much good info being shared, I wanted to make sure you would see it.

Krista posted a link about washing stuffed animals, which is good information. Plus, this picture of her kids’ “friends” in the washing machine is priceless.

Kristal K. said that she bought a regular beanbag cover for this same purpose. Though it doesn’t have a cool mesh window, it still collects the little buggers in one place. Hers is rainbow tie-dye and comes from Wal-Mart, though not for sale online.

She also spotted this huge one at IKEA for $14.99.

Here are a couple of sources for empty beanbag covers. I found others, but some were so outrageously priced, I died.

• Land of Nod: Find the beanbag you like and then go to the specific product page to see the price for “cover only”. Not cheap, but if you have a picky aesthetic, you may be interested in browsing the selection. Similar to Pottery Barn Kids in style.
• Pottery Barn Teen: Any of their bean bag slipcovers can be ordered separately. They are the makers of the “Brooke” beanbag above.
• Grandma: (sorry, no link available) If you have a doting family member with sewing skills, you could describe this project to her. If I get motivated, I might go for it myself.
• Bed, Bath, and Beyond: Reasonable prices, finally! A few ugly designs and a few acceptable designs. $16.99 for a bean bag cover that looks like a soccer ball.
• Land’s End: Again with the $79 beanbag cover, but maybe worth browsing for inspiration.

Having checked these sources, I come back to the Boon Animal bag. It’s cuter, comes in gray as well as the bright colors, has a mesh window for seeing the animal’s faces, and seems fairly priced.

Do you already know about busy bags? They are super-awesome-contained kits of amusement for little people. [Related: 5 preschooler busy bags] Our guest contributor, Jennifer Marshall Pesetsky, has two new ones to share today.

Plane rides are perhaps the most stressful thing for me to prepare for. Since we don’t fly frequently, and because my toddler develops and changes all the time, I never know what mood she will be in for the flight. Will she be content sitting and reading? Or, will she need many activities throughout the trip? Will she make friends with another passenger who will keep her busy and amused? To deal with many potential situations, and because I’m a crafty mommy, before we flew to Atlanta in December, I created four toddler busy bags.

These are not my original ideas; influenced by pinterest, I made them myself. Here are two of them:

Felt Popsicles

To make these, you need:

• Craft sticks. I found a bunch at our local craft re-use store – East Bay Depot For Creative Reuse
• Felt. I bought eco felt in different colors from Michaels
• Sharpies in different colors. I like the fine point
• A button (optional if you want to make the bag)
• A sewing machine or hand sewing supplies.

To make the red popsicle, I cut out a piece of red felt in the shape of a rectangle. You may have to do some experimentation to figure out what size rectangle will work best on your popsicle sticks. Then, fold the rectangle up – sew the 2 sides together. Then, flip them inside out so the seams wouldn’t show. On 2 sides of the popsicle sticks, I drew a dot of the color; on one side I wrote out the color (red), and on the last side I wrote out the flavor that I thought that color popsicle would be (cherry). Repeat for the other colors.

To play, the kid matches the felt part of the popsicle to the appropriate popsicle stick and puts them together. Kids of different ages and abilities can play because kids who can read can match by word or flavor, and younger kids can use the color of the dots. My daughter also got to use the bag to practice her buttoning skills.

Shapes

To make these; you need:

• Craft sticks again
• Little velcro circles
• A sharpie
• A zippered bag (or supplies to make one)

To make, Create your shapes out of the popsicle sticks; I created a straight line, a triangle, and a square and affixed the velcro sticky things to each end to keep them attached. Then with the sharpie, I drew a picture of the shape and wrote the name of the shape. Finally, I took them all apart, put them in the bag.

To play, my daughter got to practice making shapes. She also got to use the zipper on the bag which was hugely popular.

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Thanks so much to Jennifer for sharing her tips and crafts today. Jennifer Marshall Pesetsky lives in Berkeley, CA with her husband, her almost 3 year old daughter, and blogs at www.berkeleymommy.blogspot.com. She has many great ideas!

We are not much for Barbie in my house, but if we were, I’d like to put some socks on her.

Actually, we do have a Barbie-sized Merida doll. I just might try this.

Idea and photo from Beal Family