Where to Place Blind Spot Warning Signs on Your Campervan or Motorhome for Traveling Abroad November 06 2024, 0 Comments

When traveling abroad, especially in countries like France, it’s essential to display angles morts (blind spot) warning signs on your camper van to protect vulnerable road users. But if you’re hesitant about sticking signs directly onto your paintwork, there’s a better solution: Gripper Mats. Unlike traditional adhesives, Gripper Mats hold signs securely without risking paint damage and allow for easy removal once you’re back home. This reusable approach keeps your camper van in top shape and lets you comply with local laws effortlessly. Discover how using Gripper Mats can make your travels smoother and safer in our latest blog post!

Gripper Mats by Proper Design: A Safer Way to Display Blind Spot and “Angles Morts” Signs on Campervans, Long Vehicles, Lorries, and Horse Boxes October 17 2024, 0 Comments

Gripper Mats by Proper Design offer a non-adhesive, damage-free solution to securely display blind spot or "Angles Morts" signs on campervans, lorries, and horse boxes. Ideal for non-magnetic surfaces, they are reusable, weather-resistant, and easy to apply, protecting both your vehicle and other road users.

How to Stick Magnet Signs to New Ford F-350 Pick Up Truck October 15 2024, 0 Comments

If you've just purchased a new Ford F350 Pickup truck and are having trouble applying magnetic signs because it's made of Aluminum and non-magnetic, don't worry. Our Gripper Mats™ can assist in keeping your magnet signs secure.

A Smarter Way to Display Clean Air Stickers on Non-Magnetic Vehicles: Gripper Mats by Proper Design October 12 2024, 0 Comments

Hold your clean air decal on in an easy, mess free way. Not more damaging your paintwork. Use Gripper Mats by Proper Design

Gripper Mats by Proper Design: A Paint-Safe Solution for UK Vinyl Car Stickers October 12 2024, 0 Comments

Sticking vinyl stickers to vehicles damages paint, they are difficult to remove and they can only be used once. Using Gripper Mats by Proper Design solves all of these problems.

Gripper Mats by Proper Design: Trusted by the U.S. Coast Guard for Extreme Conditions October 09 2024, 0 Comments

When operating in extreme weather conditions, safety and stability are paramount. That’s why the U.S. Coast Guard trusts Gripper Mats by Proper Design to ensure items and signage is secure on their vessels. Engineered for superior adhesion, Gripper Mats withstand harsh environments like high winds, heavy rain, ice, and rough seas. With their ability to maintain grip in all weather conditions, Gripper Mats provide crucial safety for Coast Guard personnel, offering reliable performance in the most demanding maritime situations. Durable, weather-resistant, and built to last, they have become an essential part of the Coast Guard’s operational gear.

How to Stick Magnet Signs to New Ford F150 Pick Up Truck February 29 2020, 1 Comment

How to hold magnet signs to the amazing, new Ford F150 Pickup truck. Gripper Mats.

How to stop my baby / toddler throwing food at mealtimes. November 08 2018, 0 Comments

Mealtimes can be incredibly stressful when you’re teaching your little one to eat. Often more food seems to end up covering the room than in your little ones tummy! The fact of the matter is that this behaviour is perfectly normal. Nevertheless, this fact doesn’t help your patience or your décor. To help it stop, we need to understand why it’s happening.

Why do Babies and Toddlers Throw Food?

Throwing food is completely normal for kids between 8 and 18 months old. This happens for a variety of reasons.

1. They are learning cause and effect – It’s fun for babies and toddlers to drop or chuck food, especially onto the floor. They don’t mean to make a mess, they are actually learning that they can make something happen.

2. Their way of communicating – Little ones often have limited vocabulary. Once they learn they can drop food, it isn’t long before they realise that they can throw food off their high chair simply because they don’t want to eat it. Babies and toddlers may not like certain foods simply because of how it looks, tastes, the colour it is or its texture. Alternatively, they may not know how to eat it, this is something we often take for granted as parents.

3. They want your attention – Kids, even babies and toddlers crave attention, even negative attention. So, if you give them a big reaction when they do something you’re not too thrilled about such as throwing food, they will most likely continue to do it.

4. Fear of being force fed – As a parent, you desperately want your little one to eat enough. Partly so they grow into a healthy young and energetic child and partly so that you can get a decent night sleep! Therefore, it can be really tempting to force feed babies and toddlers. We’ve all seen it; “the aeroplane is coming into land”, “the trains coming into the tunnel”, “have 3 more scoops and then you can have pudding”. These are strategies that should be avoided. The truth is that these pressurising techniques tend to cause more negative issues around food that could well go on into their adulthood.  Some kids that have been force fed will throw any and all food the instant they see it as a defence mechanism. Try to relax knowing that your little one will eat if they are hungry.

Ok, so hopefully understanding these causes should hopefully help you to keep your stress levels down. Now let’s look at what we can do about it.

 

Top Tips to Stop your Baby or Toddler Throwing Food

1. Give them less food – Kids love to play with their food. If we give them a big helping of food, it literally gives them that much more to throw. Sometimes the reason they’re throwing their food is because it’s an overwhelming amount in front of them, but even if that’s not the case, giving them just a few pieces (try 1-3 at a time) on their tray will often eliminate the throwing of food all together. Try decanting just a little bit from a plate/bowl next to you on to their tray or into their bowl.

2. Use a suction bowl – if they love to throw the whole bowl, we recommend using a strong suction bowl. NanoGrip™ on Amazon has the strongest suction by far meaning much less mess. They will no doubt try and try again to remove it but they will soon give up once they realise the bowl is not coming off.

Here's a video of our NanoGrip™ Suction Bowl pulling a 1.5 tonne car.

3. Give them 100% attention – As a busy parent, we’d often like to unload the dishwasher, clean the kitchen, or make a quick phone call while our babies and toddlers are busy eating, but you’ll be able to stop them from throwing much easier if you’re sitting down with them with your full attention.

4. Keep a cool head – Giving the illusion of calm will help your child learn that you are not fazed by any food they throw. Remember that kids love your attention, even if it’s negative attention. You may have to fake your calm-attitude initially but in the long run it will help you to be more patient. This patience will set a lovely, calm tone for mealtimes that allows your child to feel comfortable exploring new foods and eating until their tummy is full!

5. State positive expectations – When you’re at mealtime and your little one drops some food on the floor, calmly pick it up and state, “We keep food on the tray”. It is super important not to over-react. You do not want this to sound like a telling off as this is giving the food dropping behaviour too much attention and they will probably do it again. Notice how the language used: “We keep food on the tray” is phrased on the positive expectation, not worded negatively as in this example: “No throwing food”. Remember, you want mealtimes to be calm, positive experiences. You will need to repeat the positive phrase dozens of times, over a period of two weeks or more but trust us, it will sink in eventually. Just stay positive and calm.

6. Teach them to put unwanted food into a special section on their high chair – If it’s obvious that your baby or toddler doesn’t like a food and that’s why they’re throwing it, show them that they can pile it into a corner of their tray or a separate compartment (usually for a drink) like many modern high chairs now have. With little ones that are not yet talking, it’s important to understand that they understand far more than they can say so don’t feel like this is all falling on deaf ears. After you repeat the phrase: “We keep food on the tray”, take their hand. While you’re holding their hand or wrist and move it to where they can put their food and say, “You can put it here.”

Now, relax knowing that you’ve got some strategies up your sleeve ready to tackle your little ones next throwing attempts. Stay positive, these strategies will make a difference.

Gripper Mats™ Help Tesla Taxi Signs Stick On! September 04 2017, 0 Comments

Use Gripper Mats to hold your decals, uber sign to your car / taxi / cab / truck / Tesla / Audi / BMW

How to help babies and toddlers eat independently and make less mess. February 02 2017, 0 Comments

"The most effective suction bowl system on the market for parents who want to help their little ones enjoy calm, stress free mealtimes".

You've lovingly made the food and some of it has actually been eaten! This isn't the end though as you then have to clean up the mess. It isn't just on the high chair, it's all over the room, on the baby and then you have to wash up. Parenting is hard enough without your little one throwing their bowl of food all over the room.

At Gecko Grippers, we understand from first-hand experience and from our work with parents that you need the simplest, most effective solution: Gecko Grippers.

Exhausted parent, Jane, was fed up with bowls that were being launched across the room by her little boy. It wasn't his fault, it was the cheap bowls that didn't do what they were supposed to. She was at her wits-end when she discovered Gecko Grippers and became one of our earliest customers. "Gecko Gripper Suction Bowls offer great value for money. They have the best suction power by far as well as help to develop independence when eating. Being available in a 3 pack, they are ready at all times of the day. It's worth remembering that you get 4 products; 3 of the best suction bowls on the market and a Gecko Gripper place mat".

What if you didn't need to clean up so much because your little one didn't throw their bowls? Imagine how relaxed mealtimes could be if you had a bowl that actually stayed put. Imagine how much your relationship could be improved if you had calmer mealtimes with less stress. Parents worldwide are enjoying lower-stress mealtimes with their little ones:

"Such a brilliant product. The bowls are fantastic and hold really well onto my son's high chair and being silicone haven't distorted at all in a hot dishwasher".

"I'm beyond happy with this product and for anyone looking to buy suction bowls for a cleaner baby led mealtime don't bother with the cheaper options-get the best-you won't be disappointed!!!".

"My 1 year old was never trusted to have the bowl as, I'm sure most parents will understand, it either ended up on the floor or someone else so I needed something that would be really secure. I was expecting her to be able to lift the bowls off or work out how they came off but no".

As a calm parent using Gecko Gripper Suction Bowls, you'll benefit from the high quality, chemical free and versatile Silicone as they are oven, microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe. This means that you have the ultimate in convenience and can simply pop them in the microwave to warm food and into the dishwasher afterwards. The suction power ensures that the bowls stay put and your little one can concentrate on improving their eating skills rather than making a mess. The fun colour adds a splash of style and fun too and they'll last indefinitely meaning they're around to help as long as you need them.

Get a set 3 of Gecko Gripper Suction Bowls and a FREE Gecko Gripper Place Mat with no risk. In fact, we're so confident in our Gecko Grippers that we will provide you with a 365 day, 110% Money Back Guarantee. If you're not 100% happy at any point in time over the next year, we will give you a full refund plus an extra 10%.

Enjoy calmer, relaxed mealtimes knowing that you have the highest quality and most versatile bowls available. Add a set to your basket now to start enjoying mealtimes with your little one.

Remember, we are so confident in our Gecko Grippers that you have a 365 day, 110% Money Back Guarantee.