Friday, November 9, 2012

Plastic Lap Tray Tip





I have a couple of these plastic lap trays that the kids use for eating and crafting at when there is only one or two of them over. They are really handy to have, a good size for the kids to sit at, portable so I can have the kids in any room with me, and they only cost a few dollars. 





But they do have one problem that really annoys me; they tip over so easy! And then you have a big mess to clean up or a spoiled project. 



But I have a solution for the tipping problem; weight. I throw a bag of popcorn, beans, coins, anything with weight to it, into the holders or wells on the sides and that balances the weight of whats on top so no tipping occurs.



If I don't have a bag of something around, a can of food works too, solves the tipping problem!

(See how I used these trays teaching my little ones to sew here)


I link at these parties.

I have had a lot of content theft lately. If you are reading this post anywhere else but at Family Home and Life then it was used without permission! Copyright© Family Home and Life 2012 All Rights Reserved

22 comments:

  1. Simple, wonderful solution! Thanks for the tip! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  2. Brilliant solution! Amara used to have one of those here that she loved to play with. I let her Mommy borrow it when she broke her wrist skating. That was almost a year ago now... I don't think I'm getting it back! Her Mommy has found it is very convenient for many things!

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  3. What a great idea!
    Thanks for joining the CHQ Blog Hop this week! We hope you made some new bloggy friends! xo, Meredith @ www.waittilyourfathergetshome.com

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  4. The kids absolutely LOVE these at Grandma's house! We serve them breakfast in bed, lunch on the sofa, use for coloring and drawing etc! Always use a sippy cup or bottled water to prevent spills. Ours are the kind with pull down metal legs and colorful Disney pictures on the top! B in B is a specialty, and we use cloth napkins, let them pour own syrup on pancakes etc. A bit of "manners and keeping it clean practice" thrown in! Anchor and/or balance it if necessary with hand towels tucked around it. Thanks for these ideas as well! :)

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  5. Great solution Connie, you certainly have wonderful ideas.

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  6. Great idea. I tried the ones with the fold-down metal legs with Our Little Princesses. They're too little to manage them just yet. But I like yours better. I'm going to look for some before they visit.

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  7. I've been considering getting these for my grandsons and I had no idea they tip easily. Glad to have the solution before I even deal with the problem! Thank you! And thank you for linking up to the GRAND Social!

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  8. I love the ideas of the trays...and have bought them 2 seperate times for my 4 year old and 2 year old... but they keep breaking them... They dont make anything little boy tough anymore.. I want some more so bad because I want them to have their own little tables to craft and color on...and that I can take with us... they are so handy.

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  9. I've never seen plastic lap trays before! They look very fun! Great tip to prevent it from tipping!

    Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer... From Dream To Reality!

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  10. Oh my goodness, what a great idea. We used to have one of those trays for our youngest, and it was always tipping over on him. I never thought to add weight to the wells! Genius!

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  11. So smart! And those trays are way cool, totally useful!

    Thanks for sharing at The Fun In Functional!

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  12. Great tip! We use these when we have movie night dinners I we've spilled on more than one occasion (despite the fact that Soph is 9 and Alex is 13). Thanks for sharing it at our Linky Party!

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  13. What a great idea! I had wondered about the trays. Maybe a small rice bag would work( like the ones you make to heat? Our grand daughter would open the bags of beans or pop corn and a can would just become a missile in her hands! ). Thanks!

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  14. I definitely need something like this for my daughter. It would be so handy. I'll have to keep my eye out for it.

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  15. What a great tip to put weight in it! I have these plastic trays for my boys and LOVE them! Thanks for sharing! I am visiting from Mom on Time Out's linky party!
    Trina @ Teaching My Blessings
    teachingmyblessings.blogspot.com

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  16. Such a simple solution, but often we don't think of things like this. Thanks for sharing your tip with Share Your Cup. The trays do like they would be handy to have.
    Hugs,
    Jann

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  17. This is such a clever idea! THanks so much for sharing with the Pink Hippo Party!
    xoxo
    Amie @ Pinkapotamus

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  18. Such a great idea!! Thanks for linking up at Romance on a dime!!

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  19. Clever!! Thank you for linking up with the Clever Chicks this week; I hope you’ll join us again!

    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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  20. What a great idea, Connie! Thanks for sharing at All my Bloggy Friends. I'm looking forward to seeing what you share this week! :)

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  21. Great idea!! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!

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  22. You are preaching to the choir here, .. kidding.. plastic lap trays for kids should not miss from the home of any parent.. period. Very cheap and with a little bit of creativity - like you shown in your post - the uses are limitless.

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