TikTok’s At Home With Shannon’s 8 parenting tricks for road trips and snack time

Healthy grab-and-go snacks in the refrigerator

Doherty stated, “My family is always going to the refrigerator and collecting goodies.” “I admired that they were able to obtain their own snacks without always asking me, so I wanted them to maintain their independence while making healthy choices.”

She fills self-serve containers with snacks such as cucumbers, cheese, carrots, grapes, and other simple finger foods that she prepares early in the week. The containers remain on the side of the refrigerator for convenient access, allowing her children to quickly grab what they require.

She remarked, “It’s also wonderful for me since I meal-prep all of these snacks at the beginning of the week.” Lunches and dinners are easier to prepare when side dishes are already prepared.

Doherty also organized her refrigerator by time. Things that must be consumed immediately are placed on the top shelf, while those that can last a few more weeks are placed on the middle shelf. The lowest shelf has far more durable items.

Breakfast self-service station

Doherty installed a self-serve breakfast bar to save time and maintain composure on hectic mornings. Her arrangement consists of a viral cereal dispenser, fresh fruit, and portable yogurt pouches. Doherty stores milk in a condiment container to avoid messes.

“They can go downstairs, begin their homework assignments, read a book, and eat breakfast,” she said. They feel like grown-ups, and I get to sleep a little later.

Planning weekly outfits for stress-free mornings

Doherty and her children prepare their outfits for the week and store them in shoe organizers on Sunday evenings. “If you’re anxious in the morning, how your family leaves will set the tone for the entire day,” she adds. “If I can make the morning go well, I believe their school day will be so much better.” Now, she has begun doing it herself.

Affirmations as you exit the building

Doherty has a “I am” affirmation mirror on the front door so her children can say something nice to themselves before leaving the house.

She told Insider that allowing her and her children this time may create a nice tone for the day.

Use stickers to lend personality to everything from shoes to vegetables.

Doherty utilizes the fact that her children are enamored with stickers to her advantage. “Consequently, my 5-year-old and 3-year-old frequently place stickers on their feet,” she explains. To assist her children in putting on their own shoes, she divides a sticker in half and places one half on each shoe.

Doherty utilizes character stickers in the kitchen, affixing family favorites to fruits and vegetables. “When you bring your shopping home, label your vegetables,” she instructs. “We’ll prepare Ariel peppers or Paw Patrol squash so they’ll at least taste it when they see the character on it.”

Shoe organizers are ideal for driving and kitchen food.

Doherty stores snacks in an over-the-door shoe organizer. It is cute and saves room in the kitchen. On road trips, she employs over-the-door shoe organizers to keep her children’s belongings close at hand.

She has even utilized the same organizers as food stations during extended vehicle trips. “You can place whatever you need in the rack organizer, and then your family can get what they need without you having to constantly turn around.”

Place a laundry basket in the automobile and the bathtub.

Doherty asserts, “Laundry baskets are not being utilized as much as they should be.” She suggests leaving one in the car for grocery shopping and incorporating it into bath time. In one of her movies, she carries towels and swimsuits to and from the beach in a beach bag, shaking out the sand before entering the car.

“If you have a small baby, you can actually use it in the bathtub for a bath instead of knocking your head on the side of the tub and having water seep through it,” she explains. Another Doherty bathing tip is to place bath toys on a hanging fruit rack, which allows water to drop through.

Save everything and demonstrate the effectiveness of repurposing.

Doherty preserves bottles, snack boxes, and even detergent containers to make crafts or store dry items like cereal: “I’m about educating my kids to reuse things, and the power of that is great.”

The cap off a Parmesan bottle is one of her favorite things to reuse. She also notes that milk cartons can be adorned for any event; one of her favorite Halloween hacks involves using gallon milk cartons to create ghost lanterns.