Homes

As a cheaper alternative to helium balloons for children’s party decorations, blow up ordinary balloons and stick them to walls and ceilings with double-sided sticky tape.

A game of Snakes and Ladders played with young children can be a long drawn-out affair, as anyone who has played with them will testify. Use two dice – it moves the game along more quickly and teaches them about adding up.

Some of the Barbie dolls’ clothes are very tight-fitting and difficult for little children to get on and off. Sprinkle the doll with talcum powder and the clothes will slip on easily.

Overalls that have become too short for your child can be lengthened with knitted cuffs in one plain, one purl rib sewn to the bottom of the legs. They look cute and also give extra warmth.

Store wooden jigsaw puzzles in the cut-off legs of laddered pantyhose. The stocking holds the puzzle pieces in place and you can easily see which puzzle is which.

Scratch the name or initials of your child on passionfruit when they are green on the vine – a nail will do the trick. When the fruit turns purple, the name stands out and the kids have fun finding “their” fruit.

Try a chocolate-hazelnut spread for fairy bread instead of butter or margarine. The hundreds and thousands stick better and children love it.

Old soft toys can be given a new lease of life by turning them into bookends for children’s rooms. Open a seam, fill with pebbles or sand to add the weight, then re-stitch.

When toilet training a little boy, float a ping-pong ball with a bullseye painted on it in the bowl to help him aim straight! The ball won’t flush away and he’ll get used to aiming for the target.

To remove chewing gum from clothing, pick off as much as possible, smother gum with olive or canola oil and rub briskly with fingers. Spray with pre-wash stain remover and wash in the usual way.