Product Review - Mifold Booster Seat

Give Me A Boost

It is possible you may have already seen or heard of the Mifold booster seat. The crowd-funded innovation has certainly generated a lot of buzz. Many have noted that the seat is a game changer and when one realizes it is basically the first new child booster seat design in over fifty years you feel like agreeing. Inventor Jon Sumroy had an if you can’t bring the man to the mountain, bring the mountain to the man moment. When my wife first told me about the Mifold (and after I saw the size) I kept asking the same question about our oldest son’s height. Once she repeated the concept a few times it finally sunk in. Instead of raising the child up in typical booster seat fashion, the Mifold lowers the seat belt to the child (see here).

The Mifold’s greatest strength lies in its portability and if anyone has ever looked over in traffic to see a youngster not in a booster seat you start to really appreciate the feature. The Mifold earns the name by folding to the size of an Amazon Kindle for use in grandma's car, taxi or the new carpool dad’s impulse purchased Porsche. Once unfolded the lap and shoulder belt are slid down and fed through the base. It should be noted that the Mifold was a little difficult at first for my 7-year-old to figure out, but now he is an old pro. However, since he is now at a different non-raised angle in the car he mostly points out airborne things of interested which are mostly clouds.

Over the years, I have noticed many car seats and booster seats collect in the garage especially in large families who have a wide age gap among the kids. The Mifold certainly provides a nice alternative to the traditional phone book model booster seat. And as an Organizer I think you know how I feel about phone books.

Hide and Seek

Often our clients feel embarrassed when we first arrive using the standard line "sorry about the mess." There is no need to apologize! We always work the problem not the blame. It is easy to confuse neat with organized. Many people think they are organized but what they really mean is that they are neat, tidy or clean. Your house may be spotless- sometimes it may even look like an ad out of Architectural Digest. However, if we dig deeper we can identify organizational issues. Attics, garages, closets and drawers are excellent examples of spaces in the home that appear problem free until we "pull back the curtain" so to speak. Out of sight, out of mind is a concern when it comes to being able to find a household item when you need it. While true that short term gains get the house ready when company comes over and we all know how much Betty down the street loves to compare all the houses on the block, but taking the time on one end usually saves more on the other. And it is not just time spent running around the house trying to find an umbrella or clean socks, it is the anxiety of being late or stress of knowing you have batteries for that new birthday toy but simply can’t find them. By letting us help you create proper systems, you will always find what you are looking for and even have time to hit up Starbucks before work.

Words Matter

If getting my kids ready for school is any indication, there are many things in life we can’t control. However, there are often simple steps we can take to take back a little control in our lives. I know you may think it silly but how we refer to the items and places in our spaces matters. As the Car Talk guys used to say, the harder you slam the car door the more you hate your car. This same principle applies to your house. If you call your dwelling a dump or refer to the living room as a disaster, over time the words will turn into deep set feelings. No area of the house is this phenomena more clearly demonstrated than the so called Junk Drawer. Most people call the kitchen junk drawer the junk drawer as reflex and over the years the name has become ingrained in the American vernacular tradition in the same we call all tissues Kleenex. My suggestion would be to start refereeing to the drawer in your kitchen that is filled with all manner of items as the Utility Drawer. I would also limit the contents to only the tools you use frequently, usually one hammer, screwdriver and tape measure. Take out any medicine or health items as they always get crushed. Also, leave a reasonable amount of office items such as one pair of scissors and one roll of tape. Lastly, the kids always need batteries so don’t forget those. If we are able to pick up the new habit of calling it the Utility Drawer then we will more comfortable not only using it more but trusting that the item you are looking for will be found inside and easily accessed.

 

Play Time Never Ends

Toys Are Meant To Be Played With

Over the years, one of the biggest challenges my clients have dealt with has to do with toys. From tripping hazards to ninja swords sticking out of sofa cushions parents are simply overwhelmed when it comes to their kid's toys. The central issue is the battle between the grownups desire to have the toys off the floor and the kid's desire to play with them.

The first issue that needs to be addressed before any playroom system can be designed is volume. Thanks to free trade and the rise of plastic toys are fundamentally not expensive (I know, I know LEGO are). In theory, if the whole class is invited to a child’s party plus factoring in relatives a four-year-olds haul from an annual party could be almost 40 toys. So how do we get rid of toys if my kid loves them? The answer lies with the kid. Watch them, how do they play and what really interests them? We all know the old adage about the kids playing with the box it came in and ignoring the toy. If we take away the concept of them merely enjoying the new toy and observe their play habits, we may find that that beloved new toy quickly collects dust in a remote corner of a shelf. I have found that simply taking unpopular toys out of rotation often goes un-noticed. Another useful strategy is to collect the toys and talk to the children about all the kids in the world who may not have any toys and have them select some for specific donation.

The Gate Keeper

Now that the number has been reduced what about next year, how do we stop more toys from coming into the house?  A possible respite from the onslaught of birthday and holiday toys is to become the gatekeeper. Ask party guests to donate to a charity instead of toys knowing that you will get your kid one or two actual toys that she actually wants. I know what you’re thinking, what about the grandparents? They love to shower the grandkids with gifts (all the time). We want to focus their gift giving on experiences. Tickets to the Lion King are not cheap let them take your little birthday boy. How about swimming, soccer, piano or guitar lessons. All those extracurricular activities add up so why not let mom and dad pick up the tab. Of course, the real grandparent dilemma is that they may still want to have your kids rip open wrapping party and have something tangible in their hands at Christmas. The solution, assign blame. Tell Pop-Pop that you would love to have him get a million toys for his only grandson but the doctor feels too much stimulation is making it hard for him to learn to read. Or my favorite all the stuffed animals are creating a dangerous dust situation that makes your granddaughter’s allergies flair up.
Lastly, knowing that the work of childhood is play, think about the goal of each toy. Is the same joy level reached with the 45th Matchbox car compared to the 2nd?