| How to Keep a Toddler Busy on an Airplane Posted: 17 Jun 2019 05:00 PM PDT Many parents dread spending hours on an airplane with a toddler, but there are ways to make the experience as comfortable and relaxed as possible. If you have some time to prepare for your trip, pack your bag with items to keep your toddler busy during the flight. You can even make some special items to entertain your toddler if you like to get crafty! If you are already on a plane without any special gear, then there are several things you can try. EditPacking Things to Entertain Your Toddler - Pack a few of your toddler's favorite books. Reading your toddler their favorite books can be a great way to entertain them. This may also help to distract your toddler if they are feeling uncomfortable or impatient with being on the plane.[1]
- You may also want to pack a few new books so your toddler will have something new and exciting to look at.
- Give your toddler nesting cups to stack and play with. Nesting cups are compact, inexpensive, and they can provide lots of entertainment for a toddler. Your toddler will have fun stacking and nesting them and banging them together. Lower the tray table in front of your toddler so that they have a place to play with the cups.[2]
- If you don't have nesting cups, you could also give your toddler a few plastic cups to play with. Ask the flight attendant if they would mind giving you a few empty cups.
- Give your toddler some gel clings to decorate the window. You can provide your toddler with gel cling stickers and let them press them onto the window for a fun activity. These are available in craft supply stores and they come in all kinds of designs. The don't permanently stick on the window and they are easy for little hands to stick them on and take them off.[3]
- Make sure to remove the gel clings from the window before you leave the plane!
- Pack travel games to play together. There are lots of different travel games that you can purchase and play with your toddler. Look for games that are appropriate for your child's age. Some toddlers may also be able to play basic card games.[4]
- Try getting a travel BINGO card that you can help your toddler fill out.
- Get a simple game, such as Connect 4, and show your toddler how to play.
- Puzzles and peg boards are also good options for playing with your toddler on the plane.
- Bring a standard deck of cards and play Go Fish, or get a special card game meant for young children, such as Old Maid.
- Bring a container of play-dough. Play-dough is a great sensory play item for your toddler. Give them a ball of play-dough and place a plastic mat over the tray table. Then, let your toddler create with the play-dough! You can even join in with them and mold items that they ask you to.[5]
- For example, if your toddler wants to make a play-dough snowman, you could make the buttons, nose, eyes, and a scarf to place on it.
- Download an app or some videos onto your tablet or phone. Although you might not usually let your toddler watch TV or play tablet games, allowing them to indulge in some screen time during the flight may be a good way to keep them entertained. Download a toddler-friendly show or movie that your child can watch during the flight.[6]
- Keep in mind that it is unlikely that your toddler will want to watch a show or movie for the entire flight, so make sure that you have plenty of other options for them.
EditMaking Special Items for the Trip - Create a goody bag for your toddler to open on the plane. Fill a bag with a variety of toys, games, crayons, stickers, snacks, and other items that your toddler will enjoy. Then, give your toddler the bag on the plane and let them unpack it! They will have fun taking all of the new items out of the bag and they can choose what they like to keep them occupied. Some items you could place in the bag include:[7]
- A coloring book and crayons
- A board book
- Stickers
- A few of their favorite snacks
- A small plush toy
- Toy cars
- A plastic container with a hole cut in the lid and pom poms to stuff into the hole[8]
- Wrap small presents and give them to your toddler during the flight. Pick up several little items that you think your toddler might like and wrap them individually. These can be new items or items from home that your toddler enjoys playing with. Wrap each of the items and then plan to give your toddler 1 present every half hour or so during the flight.[9]
- Try telling your toddler that the present is a reward for good behavior and that they will get another if they continue to be good.
- Draw scenes and have your toddler decorate them with stickers. Bring a tablet of construction paper and some markers. Then, ask your toddler what they want you to draw. You can offer them several options, such as a house, a race track, a tree, or a boat. Then, give your toddler the finished drawing and let them decorate it with stickers.[10]
- Try getting some stickers that will match up with different scenes, such as animal, flower, and weather stickers.
EditPlanning Logistics for the Trip - Request a window seat and let your toddler sit next to it. Before, during, and after takeoff, your toddler may love looking at the views outside of the plane! If possible, request a window seat and let your toddler sit in it. Direct their attention to the window when they are readying the plane for takeoff, show them the ground whizzing by as the plane speeds up, and then let them enjoy the view as the plane glides over the clouds.[11]
- If you are bringing your toddler's car seat on board, this will give them an even better view out the window.
- Bring plenty of snacks that your toddler likes. Keeping your toddler full on the plane will help to ensure that they do not get upset due to hunger. Bring lots of snacks that your toddler enjoys and give them something to munch on every 1 to 2 hours during the flight.[12]
- If you forgot to pack snacks, ask the flight attendant if they have any toddler-friendly snacks you could give your child.
- Visit the bathroom and do a diaper change before boarding. Visiting the bathroom and doing a diaper change right before you board the plane will help to ensure that you do not have to change a diaper soon after takeoff. Find the nearest bathroom to the gate where you will board the plane and visit it right before you board the plane with your little one.[13]
- Make sure to bring a changing mat on the plane as will since there might not be a changing table available.
- Show your child how to yawn to help relieve the pressure in their ears. If your child starts to cry or complain about their ears hurting, show them how to yawn. Yawning can help to relieve some of the pressure in your little one's ears.[14]
- Chewing and drinking can also help, so you could give your little one a snack and something to sip on. Nursing, or having your little one drink from a bottle or sippy cup can also be really helpful for your toddler during takeoff and landing.
- There are also special earplugs available that can help to neutralize the pressure and prevent ear pain during and after the flight.
EditEntertaining Your Toddler without Kid Supplies - Get up and walk the aisles with your toddler when it is allowed. Once the captain has turned off the fasten seatbelt sign, you could walk up and down the aisle with your toddler. This will allow your toddler a chance to move around and stretch their legs, which may be much needed after being stuck in a seat for an hour or more.[15]
- Ensure that the flight attendants are not using the aisles for food and beverage service before you start walking up and down them with your toddler.
- Draw a face on the bottom of a paper bag to make a puppet. Airplanes usually have a small bag in the pocket in front of each seat. This bag is meant as a container to get sick into if needed, but you can also use it as a way to entertain your toddler. Get out a pen, pencil, marker, or crayon and draw a silly face on the bottom of the bag. Then, stick your hand into the bag and use the bag as a puppet to entertain your toddler.[16]
- Have the puppet sing, talk, and do other things to entertain your toddler.
- Give the bag to your toddler and let them operate the puppet as well.
- Get out the magazines in the seat pocket and look through them. There should be an assortment of magazines in the seat pocket in front of you. Pull out any kid-friendly magazines and look at them together. Read to your toddler from the magazine, point out what is in the pictures, and ask them questions about what they see.
- There may even be some games in the magazine that you can play with your toddler.
- If there are no kid-friendly magazines in the seat pocket, as the flight attendant if they have any.
- Play "I Spy" with your child. Simple games are great for passing the time and keeping your toddler happy on an airplane. Try playing "I Spy" by choosing an easy to spot object, such as the fasten seatbelt sign. Then, choose a word to describe its shape, color, or other features.
- For example, you could start a game of "I Spy" by saying to your toddler, "I spy with my little eye something square."
- Add more descriptive terms until your toddler guesses the item. Then, have them choose something and you guess what it is.
- Allow your toddler to watch in-flight programming. If there is a TV screen in front of your toddler's seat, then turn it on and find something that your toddler would like to watch. This is unlikely to keep them entertained for long, but it might help to ensure that your toddler is happy for a little while.
- Although screen time is not recommended for children under the age of 18 months, children over 18 months may actually benefit from 30 minutes of educational screen time, and up to 1 hour between the ages of 2 and 3.[17]
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| How to Steam Clean an Oven Posted: 17 Jun 2019 09:00 AM PDT Steam is a wonderful, natural cleaning tool that works wonders on all sorts of surfaces, including oven interiors. There are two major methods you can use to steam clean your oven. You can either put a pot full of water inside your oven and then heat it up for 20-30 minutes, or use a household steam cleaner. Either method will help make your oven look like new again. EditHeating Water to Produce Steam - Wipe grease and debris from your oven when it's cool. Use a damp rag to wipe down the inside of your oven. Concentrate on removing only debris and grease that comes off easily. The steam cleaning process will loosen up the more stubborn, caked-on grime.[1]
- Be sure to wait until your oven is completely cool before starting to clean it.
- You can also use a vacuum with a hose attachment to suck up loose debris.[2]
- Put of distilled or filtered water into your oven. If you have an oven with a steam cleaning setting, you can pour the water directly into the bottom of your oven. If you have an oven without a steam cleaning setting, on the other hand, fill an oven-safe pot or bowl, like a casserole dish, with water and put it on a rack in your oven.[3]
- Refer to the owner's manual for specific instructions regarding how much water you should use when cleaning your oven with steam.
- Using distilled or filtered water instead of water from your tap will keep your oven free of water spots and mineral deposits.You can purchase distilled water at most grocery stores.[4]
- If you're filling an oven-safe dish with water, you can also pour in of vinegar for extra cleaning power.[5] Or, if your oven is extremely dirty, you can use of vinegar only.
- Push the "Steam Clean" button on your oven if your oven has one. Some oven models, especially newer ones, will have a separate setting for steam cleaning your oven, often found near the self-clean button. If yours has such a button, refer to the owner's manual for model-specific instructions about how to use it. If your oven doesn't have a steam cleaning setting, heat it to for 20 minutes.[6]
- With some oven models with a separate steam clean setting, you may have to press the steam clean button first and then add water when the oven display prompts you to do so.[7]
- For most ovens with a steam cleaning setting, the process will last anywhere from 20-30 minutes. [8]
- Wipe down the inside of your oven once it cools. Your oven will beep when the steam clean process has completed. Once you hear this, or after about 20-30 minutes, turn off your oven. Let your oven cool down, and then use a sponge or dish rag to clean up any excess water or food particles.[9]
- Use a rag or sponge that you don't mind getting stained.
- This step may get pretty messy, so be sure to put on some old clothes and keep a garbage can nearby.
- Make sure to clean any racks or pans that are in the oven as well.
- Clean off stubborn stains with a nonabrasive cleaner. Following the directions of the cleaner you use, rub the cleaner onto the stains you want to remove with a sponge or cleaning cloth. Bar Keepers Friend or a similar cleaner would work well for this step.[10]
EditUsing a Steam Cleaner - Fill your steam cleaner with distilled water. Take off the cap to the water tank in your cleaner. Then, pour distilled water into the tank.[11]
- Use a funnel to prevent water from spilling as you pour.
- You can buy distilled water at any grocery store.
- Put a stainless-steel brush attachment onto your steam cleaner. A rough, stainless-steel attachment will help scrape off grease and baked-on stains. If the stainless-steel attachment doesn't seem to be strong enough to clear up the gunk in your oven, try using a scraper attachment.[12]
- A steam cleaner designed for household cleaning should work well for oven cleaning.
- Always use caution when using a steam cleaner as the hot steam can scald you or people around you.
- Select a high temperature and pressure setting and let the water heat up. The high temperature and pressure will help loosen up years of grime caked on your oven. You can always start on lower settings to see how they work and then gradually increase the temperature and pressure as needed.[13]
- On cheaper household models, you'll probably need to use the maximum setting.
- If you're using a more expensive model that is designed to be used commercially, on the other hand, you might want to start on a lower setting to begin with.
- Start the machine and scrub your oven with the attachment. Move the stainless-steel attachment back and forth against the interior surface of your oven. You won't need to press down too hard because the steam will do most of the work of loosening the grime. Start by cleaning the inside of the door and then move farther inside the oven.[14]
- Wipe off grime with a cleaning cloth or sponge as you loosen it up.
- The steam will be safe on all surfaces in your oven, including enamel, glass, and stainless steel.
- Be sure to read the instruction manual for your specific steam cleaner before using it.
- Scrub your oven down with vinegar and baking soda. If you'd like to use a natural method to clean off stubborn stains, spray the interior of your oven with vinegar. Then, sprinkle baking soda on top of the vinegar-coated surface. After letting the vinegar and baking soda mix sit for 30 minutes, use a sponge or cleaning pad to thoroughly scrub the surface until it's clean.[15]
- You can also use a product like Bar Keepers Friend if you'd prefer.
- If you don't like the smell of vinegar, use lemon juice instead.
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| How to Make an Old Fashioned Posted: 17 Jun 2019 01:00 AM PDT The Old-Fashioned is one of the oldest and most traditional cocktails around. Although you only need 3 ingredients to make it, the combination yields uniquely complex results. If you want to experiment with the flavor, try substituting the traditional ingredients with different types of alcohols, sweeteners, and garnishes. Your spin on the classic recipe just might become your drink of choice! EditIngredients EditClassic Old-Fashioned Cocktail - 2 ounces (60 ml) of bourbon whiskey
- 1/4 ounce (7.5 ml) of simple syrup
- 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
- Ice
- Orange peel, for garnish (optional)
Makes 1 cocktail EditMaking a Classic Old-Fashioned Cocktail - Add the bourbon whiskey and simple syrup to a mixing glass. Measure out 2 ounces (60 ml) of bourbon whiskey and 1/4 ounce (7.5 ml) of simple syrup and pour both of them into the mixing glass. You can use store-bought syrup or make your own simple syrup at home.[1]
- Simple syrup is the best choice for cocktails because it's already in liquid form, but you can substitute 1 sugar cube for the simple syrup if you prefer. Be sure to crush the sugar cube to help it dissolve properly.[2]
- Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters to the mixing glass. Alcoholic bitters help to bind cocktail ingredients together and boost the flavors. They come in a range of flavors, but Angostura bitters are preferred for this beverage. Simply add 2 quick dashes to the mixing glass.[3]
- If you don't have Angostura bitters on hand, use orange bitters.[4]
- It's important to stick to 2 or 3 dashes of bitters. Any more or less won't create the classic flavor you're going for.
- Place a handful of ice cubes into the mixing glass. It's best to use cubed ice cubes. You can buy them or make your own with tap or filtered water. Using filtered water may make a small difference in the overall flavor.[5]
- Most people probably won't be able to taste the difference between tap water and filtered water.
- Stir the ingredients together with a bar spoon for 10-15 seconds. You often hear about cocktails being shaken or stirred, and stirring is customary for this drink. Use the bar spoon to swish the ingredients around in the mixing glass until they're evenly distributed.[6]
- Don't stir the ingredients for more than 30 seconds. You want to chill the liquid without melting the ice too much.[7]
- Fill a rocks glass with large cubes of ice. As before, use store-bought or filtered water ice cubes for the best flavor. Use large ice cubes since they'll melt slower and create less dilution than small cubes or crushed ice.[8]
- A rocks glass is traditional for an Old-Fashioned, but you can use any glass you have on hand.[9]
- You can skip the ice if you don't want a chilled beverage and to prevent dilution.
- Strain the cocktail mixture over the ice into the rocks glass. Hold a strainer over the mouth of the mixing glass and carefully pour the cocktail into the glass. The finished cocktail plus a handful of ice will fill a standard-sized rocks glass about halfway.[10]
- Garnish the drink with an orange peel. Cut off a piece of orange peel and twist the peel over the Old-Fashioned to express the oil. Then, rub the peel around the rim of the rocks glass before dropping it into the cocktail. Your classic Old-Fashioned is ready to enjoy![11]
- Old-Fashioned cocktails were originally enjoyed before meals to stimulate the appetite. Give this a try, or simply enjoy the cocktail any time you like.
EditTrying Variations - Replace the whiskey with gin, brandy, or rum for a unique flavor. Bourbon or rye whiskey are classic choices, but if you don't like the taste, you can certainly switch things up. Just substitute the same amount of your favorite gin, brandy, or rum for the whiskey.[12]
- Dark, aged rum is particularly delicious!
- Experiment with sugar syrups for a range of sweet flavors. Regular simple syrup is common cocktail ingredient made from white granulated sugar. If you want to try something more exotic, experiment with gum syrup, demerara syrup, brown sugar syrup, or sugar cane syrup. Agave syrup can also add a unique spin on the flavor.[13]
- You can also experiment with honey, maple syrup, and molasses to achieve customized flavors.
- Use ice balls instead of ice cubes for a fun alternative. Cubes of ice work perfectly fine for Old-Fashioned cocktails, but sometimes you'll see ice balls being used by fancier bar establishments or cocktail connoisseurs. You can easily make ice balls at home and enjoy them in your favorite cocktails.[14]
- Try a variety of citrus garnishes or add cherries to your cocktail. Orange is the traditional garnish, but maraschino cherries are a popular and tasty alternative! Drop 1 or several cherries into the rocks glass before serving the drink.[15]
- For a fruity variation, drop an orange wheel or slice into the drink with the cherries.
- Try using a lemon or lime peel instead of the traditional orange peel for a slightly different flavor.
EditThings You'll Need - Mixing glass
- Bar spoon
- Strainer
- Jigger or small liquid measuring cup
- Paring knife
- Rocks glass
EditReferences EditQuick Summary
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