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10 Playtime Disasters That Resulted in Unexpected Repair Bills

June 3, 2024 | Leave a Comment

10 Playtime Disasters That Resulted in Unexpected Repair Bills

Playtime often brings joy and laughter, but sometimes, it can lead to unexpected disasters. Parents know that when kids play, accidents happen, and these accidents can result in significant repair bills. From broken windows to damaged electronics, the cost of fixing these mishaps can add up quickly. Here are ten playtime disasters that have caused unexpected repair bills.

1. Broken Windows

Broken Windows

Children love to play ball games, but in some cases, an enthusiastic throw or kick can result in a broken window. Repairing a shattered window can be costly, especially if it involves custom glass. Aside from the repair cost, broken windows also pose safety risks and require immediate attention. Parents should consider safe play zones to avoid such accidents.

2. Damaged Electronics

Damaged Electronics

Kids today often have access to tablets, laptops, and other electronics. A spilled drink or a dropped device can lead to expensive repairs or replacements. Electronic repairs can be particularly costly, sometimes rivaling the price of the original item. Teaching kids to handle gadgets with care is crucial to avoid these mishaps.

3. Furniture Destruction

Furniture Destruction

Energetic play can sometimes lead to furniture being used as playground equipment. Jumping on sofas or climbing bookshelves can result in broken frames and damaged upholstery. Repairing or replacing furniture can be a significant expense, not to mention the potential for injury. Encouraging appropriate play areas can help minimize these risks.

4. Carpet Stains

Carpet Stains

Arts and crafts, along with food and drinks, can lead to stubborn carpet stains. Cleaning services for deep stains can be pricey and may not always restore the carpet to its original state. In severe cases, replacing the carpet may be necessary, adding to the unexpected repair costs. Using washable materials and setting rules for food in certain areas can help prevent this issue.

5. Wall Damage

Wall Damage

Indoor play can sometimes result in holes or marks on walls. Whether it’s from roughhousing or accidental collisions, repairing drywall and repainting can be both time-consuming and expensive. Even small holes need professional repair to ensure they don’t worsen over time. Creating designated play spaces can help protect walls from such damage.

6. Plumbing Issues

Plumbing Issues

Playtime in the bathroom or kitchen can sometimes lead to clogged drains or damaged fixtures. Toys flushed down toilets or stuck in sinks can result in costly plumbing repairs. These issues often require professional plumbers, adding to the expense. Supervising young children during playtime in these areas is essential to prevent such disasters.

7. Yard Damage

Yard Damage

Outdoor play can sometimes be as destructive as indoor activities. Trampolines, swing sets, and even bike riding can lead to damaged lawns, broken fences, or dented garage doors. Repairing yard damage can involve both labor and material costs, quickly adding up. Setting clear boundaries and maintaining equipment can help reduce these incidents.

8. Broken Doors

Broken Doors

Slamming doors during games of chase or hide and seek can lead to broken hinges or cracked door frames. Door repairs can be surprisingly costly, particularly if the frame or locking mechanism is damaged. Ensuring children understand the importance of gentle door handling can prevent such playtime disasters. Regular maintenance checks can also catch potential problems early.

9. Appliance Damage

Appliance Damage

Household appliances like washing machines, dryers, and refrigerators can become unintended victims of playtime. Misuse or rough handling can lead to costly repairs or even the need for replacement. Appliance repair bills can be hefty, especially if parts need to be ordered. Teaching children to respect household items and explaining their proper use can mitigate these risks.

10. Ceiling Fan Accidents

Ceiling Fan Accidents

Ceiling fans can become dangerous when kids throw toys or jump on beds beneath them. Damaged fan blades or broken light fixtures require immediate repair and can be pretty expensive. In some cases, entire units need to be replaced, adding to the cost. Ensuring that play areas are away from ceiling fans can help prevent such incidents.

Watch Out for Potential Playtime Disasters to Avoid Unexpected Repair Bills

Watch Out for Potential Playtime Disasters to Avoid Unexpected Repair Bills

Playtime disasters can lead to unexpected repair bills, causing stress and financial strain for families. By creating safe play environments and teaching children about the potential consequences of their actions, many of these accidents can be avoided. Awareness and prevention are crucial to minimizing the impact of playtime mishaps. Taking proactive steps can ensure that playtime remains a fun and safe experience for everyone involved.

Read More:

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Catherine Reed
Catherine Reed

Catherine is a tech-savvy writer who has focused on the personal finance space for more than eight years. She has a Bachelor’s in Information Technology and enjoys showcasing how tech can simplify everyday personal finance tasks like budgeting, spending tracking, and planning for the future. Additionally, she’s explored the ins and outs of the world of side hustles and loves to share what she’s learned along the way. When she’s not working, you can find her relaxing at home in the Pacific Northwest with her two cats or enjoying a cup of coffee at her neighborhood cafe.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: home expenses, home repairs, Playing, Playtime, playtime disasters, unexpected repair bills

Outdoor Activities Your Children Will Thank You For

November 14, 2010 | Leave a Comment

Jumping in a pile of leaves is just one outdoor activity your kids will enjoyPlaytime is essential to the healthy physical, social and emotional development of children. With families’ busy schedules and the increased use of technology as a form of entertainment, children are playing outside less and less. Playtime, both inside and outside, allows a child to use their imagination, which is extremely important for cognitive development. Being outside allows your child to be much more active in their play and is a change of scenery for them as well, providing their senses with different smells, sounds, sights, etc than they are exposed to inside. Here are some outdoor activities that your children will thank you for!

Classic games

If your children are not already familiar with the classic games of hide-and-seek or tag, teach them. These games are classics because all children love them, the rules are simple, and they can be played by children of all ages. They require no tools and can be played just about anywhere. These are a great way to ensure your child gets the physical activity s/he needs.

Jump in a pile of leaves

Raking is a task that needs to be completed each fall so why not have some fun with it/ Your children can play outside while you rake or they can even help by helping you bag the leaves. This is a great way to spend quality time together while also completing a chore off your to-do list. To make this task even more fun, pile the leaves up as high as you can and allow your children to jump in the pile. Children love this! Leave the very first pile of leaves for them to jump into. This provides them with extra time to play in them while you rake the rest. The leaves are easy to gather again when they are done playing in them. As an added bonus, playing in the leaves also provides for some great photo opportunities.

Wash the car together

Another great way to get something off your to do list while having fun with your children. A great way to cool off as well.

Have a picnic

Children have to eat so why not move the meal outside? You can set them up on a picnic table, if you have one, or on a blanket. Let’s face it, sometimes it is nice to not have to clean up all the crumbs from the floor too. Share a little with the animals.

Read outside

Such a simple idea but one children love. Spread a blanket on the grass and sit or lay down with your child and read, read, and read.

Go on a nature walk

Take your children on a walk or simply explore your own backyard but let them explore. Let them look at flowers, the leaves on the trees, under rocks, in puddles. It is amazing what they will discover and you may just learn a little something yourself!

Have a dance party

Hook up some music outside and let them dance, dance, dance! As a variation you can play outdoor freeze dance.

Have a water balloon fight

Water balloon fights are not something a child gets to do everyday and they are a great way to cool off. Of course, they can get out of hand without rules such as no throwing at peoples’ heads, so make sure your children know your rules ahead of time. Water balloon fights also require some preparation and clean up but they are worth it. Have the children involved in the clean up of the broken balloons. You can make it yet another game by seeing who can collect the most broken balloon pieces. Or you can assign a different color balloon to each child and have them collect only the pieces of balloon in their assigned color.

Fly a kite

Kites are relatively inexpensive and you can even make your own at home (click here) or search the internet on your own for other step-by-step instructions.

Sit or run barefoot on the grass

Children love to run around “free” and feel the grass beneath their feet. It is not something we do often enough.

Visit a construction site

I do not mean play on a construction site as we all know this is dangerous. What I mean is to walk or drive to a construction site and watch from a safe distance. This is an especially great activity for children who love building things and/or love trucks and machines.

Garden together

Whether it be a flower garden or a vegetable garden, most children love to dig in the dirt. Gardens are very educational and beautiful to look at or tasty to eat. Children love being able to pick food from their own garden and eat it for supper that night!

Use your driveway as a canvas

Thanks to sidewalk chalk and paint, children who love to draw can now use the biggest canvas they have ever seen – your driveway! These drawing substances wash off in the rain so no need to worry about any of your childrens’ creations becoming permanent fixtures. Don’t be shy! Get in on the fun with your children! Decorate the driveway as you see fit! My daughters and I have decorated the driveway for Easter, Christmas, Halloween, birthdays and many other special occasions. They also loved practising printing their names and other simple words.

Shovel the driveway together

Winter can make it much less tempting to get outside and have some fun. Adults typically cannot wait for the white stuff to go away but children love the snow. Shovelling the driveway cannot be avoided, so why not get them outside helping you? Children love to be helpful. If you have one of the scoop shovels you can always take breaks and offer your children a ride in the bucket of the shovel. My daughters love that!

Build a snowfort

My daughters are happy with snow piled up to make walls, no roof. We made snow seats for them to sit on and just left an opening for a “door”.

Build a snowman

What child does not like to build a snowman? My daughters actually own a “Snowman Kit” which was purchased for them as a gift. It comes with two pieces of coal for eyes, a plastic carrot for a nose, a black felt hat, and 3 large, black buttons. We use them everytime we build a snowman and as long as we pick up the pieces before the snowman melts or shortly thereafter, before the pieces become frozen in the snow, we always find the pieces no problem. We have had it for years and still have all of the pieces.

Have a scavenger hunt

You can hide items you already own or have purchased or you can simply have your children hunt for items you know will be easily found outside such as a rock, a leaf, a stick, etc. You can make the hunt more challenging by adding items that could very likely be found outside but are not laying around just anywhere, such as a tennis ball or a piece of ribbon, etc.

Geocaching

Check out the official geocaching website for more information on this very entertaining outdoor activity. It is basically a treasure hunt where you use GPS coordinates to find “caches” hidden by fellow geocachers. There are currently 1, 236, 409 active geocaches around the world.

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
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Filed Under: Family Time, Healthy Living & Eating, Stuff to Do Tagged With: barefoot, car wash, chalk, construction site, dance, Games, Garden, Geocaching, kite, leaves, nature walk, Outdoor Play, picnic, Playtime, read, Scavenger Hunt, shoveling, snow fort, snowman, water balloon

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Basic Principles Of Good Parenting

Here some basic principles for good parenting:

  1. What You Do Matters: Your kids are watching you. So, be purposeful about what you want to accomplish.
  2. You Can’t be Too Loving: Don’t replace love with material possessions, lowered expectations or leniency.
  3. Be Involved Your Kids Life: Arrange your priorities to focus on what your kid’s needs. Be there mentally and physically.
  4. Adapt Your Parenting: Children grow quickly, so keep pace with your child’s development.
  5. Establish and Set Rules: The rules you set for children will establish the rules they set for themselves later.  Avoid harsh discipline and be consistent.
  6. Explain Your Decisions: What is obvious to you may not be evident to your child. They don’t have the experience you do.
  7. Be Respectful To Your Child: How you treat your child is how they will treat others.  Be polite, respectful and make an effort to pay attention.
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