When it comes to child safety, I tend to lean toward the ‘freakishly paranoid’ side of things. I was once given a tip by a friend to have children touch the car while you’re unlocking it or doing whatever you need to do before you buckle them in or take their hand to walk into a store. I (while hovering, of course) tried it once and my son kept his hand on the car while walking around the whole thing. That kid will bend the rules any way he can.

I love love LOVE his new Parking Pal Magnet. These things are some serious evidence of the brilliance of a desperate mother.

Parking Pal Magnets are brightly coloured circles with a handprint in the center that attaches magnetically to the side of your vehicle. When your child is outside your vehicle, they place their hand right on the handprint while they wait for you to buckle the younger child, load groceries, grab a cart or whatever else you need to do. Along with some education and good parenting, I can see these magnets being a great addition to every household with young children. They’re available in five bright patterns and are only $7.99 each.

Get free shipping with the code opin408.
You’ll also find this code among others in our TOP Shops!

Win it! We’re giving away four Parking Pal magnets to four winners. To enter, leave a comment on this post telling us which of these five styles you’d like to have if you win. Contest closes on May 6/08.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED

I seriously can’t believe I didn’t change that title before posting this.
Blame it on the hormones with less than 3 weeks to go…

WedgEZ™ is another one of those products that we love to find here at T.O.P.. You know, the ones that we should have thought of ourselves but didn’t. Or if we did we were too lazy or stupid to do anything about it and that’s why we’re so grateful for all of the great folks that email us to tell us about their inventions!

Such a simple concept really, and one that many parents have likely wished someone would invent.

You know those little plastic outlet plug inserts?

The one you’ve probably broken several nails trying to remove?

The one that I actually used a butter knife to remove once? (Duh.)

Now you can simply insert the top of a WedgEZ™ between the plug and the outlet, gently press it toward the wall and it’s dislodged. So simple. So smart. So not a butter knife.

I tried it and it’s incredibly simple to use and works like a charm. It’s also designed to attach easily to your vacuum cord so it’s easily accessible when you need it. For me, I’m hoping it inspires me to vacuum each time I need an outlet for something.

The WedgEZ™ is 100% guaranteed — if it breaks or fails to perform as specified, they replace it for free. They retail for only $3.99 or 3 for $9.99.

Ten randomly selected readers will win their own WedgEZ! To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com before midnight MST on 12/14/07 with WedgEZ in the subject line and tell us how many forms of payment are accepted at the WedgEZ site. Just a number is good! Congratulations to Kristin, Jennifer, Megan, Renae, Nissa, Amber, Jessie, Bree, Angela & Betsy!