Who would have thought a cellphone can be used for much more than just talking? Techno-savvy parents with cellphones know they are good for a few tricks. ParentHacks.com along with childcare.about.com readers have offered these handy parenting uses with your cellphone
More Child Care Quick Tips
- Use your cellphone as a baby monitor. Yes, really! If you have two phones with mobile-to-mobile service so costs won't incur, they can double as a baby monitor in a pinch. When you want to listen in on baby, use a primary cellphone to call the other one, and then leave it in the room with baby. Be sure to mute the other phone and put the call on speaker. Now you have a monitor so you can be nearby and worry-free!
- Utilize the alarm function for transition times. Remember the old egg-timer for announcing transition times ("When the timer goes off, you need to put your toys away and get ready for a bath?") Today's cellphone alarm functions can now serve the same purpose. But now, you can take it with you wherever you are (like the park, for example). You can use this on-the-go feature to set times and limits for your tots anywhere, anytime!
- Maintain up-to-date photo images of your child. For safety reasons, and especially when traveling, it is good to have a current photo of your child available, and most newer cellphones also feature the camera element. If you are on the road or traveling in an unfamiliar setting, consider taking a new photo of your child each day. You'll have some cute photos for keepsakes, and if anything ever happens (like your child gets separated from the family), you'll have an immediately accessible photo showing EXACTLY what your child is wearing and looks like that day. This is a great safety feature when taking kids to big amusement parks like Disney World, for example.
- Teach your child phone etiquette. Teach your child proper phone etiquette and how to dial a parent from the cell phone as well as home phone at an early of age as possible. There have been countless stories where a toddler is able to call a number and get help in an emergency situation. Cellphones function differently than traditional phones, so show your child how to operate yours and what to do and what to say. Practice by calling each other and alternating whether they pick up on a cellphone or land-line phone. You should also teach your child his home phone number (and cell number too) for easy recitation, if needed.
- Record your child's voice. If your cellphone has a voice memo feature, use it to record your child's voice. You can record a sweet kid message for a spouse who is going on a business trip, for example, or to take somewhere for a loved one to listen too when the child is not there in person. One mom uses her cellphone to record her child's "audio blog" about what happens at daycare each day. She says her child talks so much into the phone that she learns additional details that she might not have otherwise known about (like what they had for lunch or that her best friend Beth spilled paint all over her dress!)
