Don't lose the cord

If your children have drawstrings in their pyjama pants or around the hood of a coat chances are at some stage they will lose the cord inside the casing. To stop them losing the cord, sew a large button on each end of the drawstring. This will keep the string from disappearing inside the casing, saving you a lot of time and stress.  Do this to swimming and library bags too, even if they have a sturdy knot. You won't have to spend time re-threading a drawstring ever again.