Shoved to Them
My childhood BFF and her kids came to visit me this week for Spring Break. She’s an engineer married to someone with an engineering/inventor brain, which means there’s always a part of me that wants to see what new parenting hacks they’ve invented. This time it’s one I’m totally stealing, and you might want to too.
They have three small children (so far) ages 1, 3, and 5. Kim drives a minivan with the two youngest in the captain’s chairs, and the 5 year old way back in the back seat. It makes getting food and stuff to her really hard. (I’ve so been there, trying to pass fast food lunches over babies and to the bigger kids without spilling anything and still being in charge of the car.) In her car was the smack-my-head-why-didn’t-I-think-of-that solution.
They have a food and toy delivery pulley system!
Do you see how simple this is? A couple of cheap pulleys from Home Depot, a paracord, and a dollar store beach bucket. Voila! The driver can send stuff to the kid in the back, and she can send stuff up to the front!!!
Here’s how she made it:
She tied one of the small pulleys to the passenger-side head rest with a little bit of ribbon
and tied the other pulley to the head rest in the back seat, put a bucket on the para-cord, and tie a knot in it. The whole shebang for way under $10. I’m floored at the genius and the simplicity, and putting one in my own van this afternoon. Thanks Kim and family for being brilliant and helping us all stay sane. We can’t wait to see your next big idea.
**All pictures were taken by me and may not be reproduced without my permission. Don’t steal; just ask!
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