Kristen Bell has proven herself to be a fountain of wisdom when it comes to parenting, so we were intrigued when the mums of Instagram started raving about her latest ‘mom hack’ this week.
Just a day after two mums shared their teething and baby bottle hacks with us, Bad Moms star Kristen is letting parents everywhere in on her tips for car safety.
You know when you are struggling to get the buggy out of the boot, or trying to get your shopping inside, and your little ones are waiting? You know that ever-present fear that they will run off? Well, Kristen has a handy strategy for that.
The 36-year-old posted a photo to Instagram, showing two tiny hands resting on the circular petrol cap of a car. These cute little paws belong to four-year-old Lincoln, and two-year-old Delta; Kristen’s daughters with husband Dax Shepard.
“Hands on the circle!” she wrote, in the caption. “The phrase we say as we jump out of the car.”
“’Hands on the circle’ (the circle is the gas cap) was invented by my brilliant sister-in-law, and has thus far kept all kiddos safe from any oncoming traffic while I unload the trunk,” she added.
What a wonderful idea! We’re not the only ones to think so, either, judging by the comment section.
“Good one! I’m stealing that,” wrote one fellow mum, while others shared their own versions of ‘hands on the circle’.
“Love this! We do ‘hands on Mommy’s leg’ for the two four-year-olds while I get the baby out of the car,” commented another.
“I do this every day, and it definitely works,” chimed in another mother.
We have come to really look forward to Kristen’s interviews, in which she shares her advice and experiences for motherhood.
Recently, she explained the inspiration behind her ‘one in, one out’ rule with her two daughters, to encourage them to share.
“A mum said her daughter had a toy giraffe at home, and since she was learning the concept of giving, she’d like to give it to my daughter. We exchanged addresses, and the following week we got this little stuffed giraffe in the mail,” she told Parenting magazine.
Kristen revealed that the idea had become such a hit in her house, she adopted it as a rule: “Now, we have a ‘one in, one out’ rule. If we bring home a new puzzle, my toddler has to give an old one away – and she’s pretty good at this, despite how young she is.”
Kristen and Dax sure are doing a wonderful job!
