baby hacks Archives - Adam's Blog

My No.1 Baby & Toddler Hack: screen-lock for iPhone & iPad

Adam — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 14:28:58 +0000

It’s been something that has become a standard part of our life over the last 2 years, but it is a serious hack for any babies and toddlers you hand an iPad or iPhone.

The screen lock functionality is built in to all IOS hardware, so it’s a genuine free hack to make sure the little ones stay in a specific app or game, and don’t accidentally press the (only) button close it!

Activate ‘guided access’ to enable an on-demand screen lock by going to Settings / Accessibility / Guided Access. There’s a whole bunch of options, but at its most basic you will just have to triple-click the home button to switch it on or off when you’re inside any app.

Below I do a quick screencast showing how to activate ‘guided access’, and another showing what it looks like when you turn it on and then off again (while Peppa pig is on). Simple, but effective.

Oh, and don’t forget a nice protective cover for any iPad you hand over. This is the version that has served us well!

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More baby hacks (from dad’s perspective)

Adam — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 17:11:59 +0000

While it’s still in my mind, some other winning things that helped in the first 2 years of baby:

A play-pen – definitely good to keep the little one enclosed as she started to roll, and crawl everywhere. However it only lasted a few months before she started clambering up the sides trying to escape and getting frustrated. We had to retire it at around 9 months. We used one a ‘portable’ version which worked well as we could fold it away.

Sleeping bags – it might sound obvious, but a definite winner for our wee one who basically never kept still. Following on from swaddling, these were a life-saver.

Dummies / Pacifiers – totally controversial, but they worked for ours, keeping her happy and relaxed for sleep. Note that we used a clip too (for year 1) so that they didn’t lose the dummies.

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My baby hacks so far

Adam — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 19:58:14 +0000

The products that worked for our baby from the start (now 2 years old), and which might work for you (no guarantees!) are listed below:

Sleepyhead sleeping pod for the newborn (to 6 months-ish) to peacefully sleep in while you get on with everything else! Portable and loved.
A top-rated sleigh cot for something that looks great, and that will last until they are about 2 (and possibly beyond if convertible).
A top-rated bouncer-seat – amazing comforting effect on the little one. We had one with an in-built vibrating element which seemed to make it even more effective.
Blackout film for baby’s bedroom windows. A life-saver to create blackout in their bedroom as they become more light-sensitive for sleeping.

More to come soon!

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