Snooping Kids At Christmas – Fun Booby Traps

Snooping going on in your house this Christmas?

As parents, we work so hard this time of the year to keep secrets and hide things from our kids.  It’s only because we want our children to have a wonderful Christmas.  However, from experience let me warn you;  if you have kids, especially middle school and up, you can bet that there is a covert snooping operation going down in your house when you are not home.  The hunt is on!  If you have more than one child, chances are they are doing what my two did when they were younger.  Convincing me to tell what the other is getting.

DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SNOOPING TACTIC!!!!!!!!

This was a strategy they used, then conspired with each other and then no surprise on Christmas morning.  I never understood the snooping because it takes the anticipation away for Christmas morning, but snooping is a sport!  Most all kids take part in snooping.  This time of year it’s the Snooping Olympics!

Now keep in mind, I was only privy to these snooping strategies after they became adults and confessed all.  Even years later it still made me mad but smile at the same time.  Dirty rotten scoundrels.

As they got older, my son seemed to have developed a keen ability to guess what was inside of the packages.  He would pick it up and shake it and know immediately what it was.  One time he actually guessed what was inside and knew that I put a brick inside to confuse him.  He would even shake his sisters and guess hers.  Now I know it was not so much ability to guess but it was from discoveries made from snooping.

So as the years went on, their snooping became more methodical when it came to getting their information and soon I began to catch on to some of it.  One year my son wanted a guitar for Christmas.  I didn’t even bother to hide it.  I wrapped the case and all in the exact shape of the guitar and stood it in the corner behind the tree.  It ruined his season of snooping!  LOL

Here is a list of ideas to keep your snooping kids from finding their gifts:

1.  Never leave receipts where they can find them.  Find something gross to keep them in like a Preparation H box or if you have boys, a Tampax box ,  wrap them inside an old pair of panties in the back of your drawer.  Do not keep them in your purse!

2.  Never leave gifts in your trunk.  Your car key is in your purse!!!!!  Once you are in the shower, they have them!

3.  Wrap gifts as soon as you buy them.

4.  Buy the cheap wrapping paper that peels away with the tape and use a ridiculous amount of tape.  May not stop them but it will make them think twice. 🙂

5.  If you know you have snoops, don’t put their names on the packages.  Put numbers on them and keep a list with which number belongs to who.  I tried using a different color paper for each of them but they still figured it out.  But the number thing drove them crazy!

6.  Never confide in any of your children no matter what age!  My kids would bribe each other to find out stuff.  “I won’t tell mom you did this if you find out whats in that box.”

7.  Tell them you have hidden camera set up to see if they are snooping.  Younger kids fall for this one.  They spend their time looking for the cameras.

8.  UPS deliveries & Amazon.com boxes.  Have them delivered to your office or your neighbors house.  Never to your house!!!!

9.  Elf on The Shelf is good for smaller kids because he is watching at all times.

10.  If they are caught snooping trick them by putting someone else’s name on the package, for example if your teen finds his iPad and gets all excited and knows which package it is once it is wrapped, put your husband’s name on the gift.

Remember that your kids think they are smarter than you.  

So this year outsmart them and set some fun booby traps!!!

Snooping Booby Traps

1.   If you have to hide things that are not wrapped and you want to know if they have been discovered, booby trap them!  For example, if you are covering them with a sheet or tarp, put something small like a penny in a non obvious place.  When they pull the tarp back, the penny will fall but they won’t have a clue where to put it back.

2.  Put a loud clanging string of bells on the inside of the closet door, or attached to the underside of the tarp or sheet.  Your watching TV and boom they are busted!!

3.  Actually put a _hidden camera where the presents are kept but don’t tell them.
.

4.  Offer to hide your neighbor’s kids gifts for them and make it easy to find.  Your kids will think they are theirs but  they won’t get any of those on Christmas morning! 🙂

5.  If you are being prodded for information by one of your kids that are going to report back to the other, convincingly and excitedly tell them that you got them a collectors edition of encyclopedias to help with their grades.  It cost a fortune but it was worth it.  You get the idea.

6. If you have sliding closet doors this is an easy trick:  Place a quarter in between the door frame and door.  Shut door tightly against quarter and then remove quarter.  The chances of them replacing the door in exactly that position would be impossible.

7.  Drawer or closet?  with a small piece of tape, attach one of your hairs to the chest and drawer or top of closet and door.  The hair will pull away if it’s opened.

So let the snooping begin and have fun catching them!

Tell me your snooping stories….

Check out these other Christmas articles

Gift wrap organizing and supplies

Elf On The Shelf

Christmas Products

Please check out my ad links on the right side of page for all of your Christmas shopping!