Parenting Hacks That Will Make Your Life Easier

There are many things that can be said about various jobs, but all will agree that parenting is the most challenging one of them all. It is without a doubt difficult to care for, provide and raise another cute little human. We need all the help we can get, so the least we can do is share little nuggets of wisdom to make your life as parents much easier. We have collected some advice and life hacks from a number of parents. You may find some of them these tips a little strange, but we’re sure that you will find some of them quite useful. Continue reading and see some brilliant ideas on how to handle common problems at home and why gluing pennies on your child’s shoes can make your life easier!

Duster Onesies

There is a certain point in your baby’s life that they just crawl all over the house. They do this frequently and quite willingly, too. When this happens, try to use this energy to clean your home. You can get their onesies, put some duster on it, put it on them and there you have it! Your own little cleaning machine.

Medicine Time

It could be a pain to make your kid take their medication, but really, it doesn’t always have to be such a struggle. You can use their pacifier to give it to them. Just remove the tip of the pacifier and place a medicine dropper in the hole. Easy, right?

No Crying

It’s really painful to see your child tearing up during baths because of the soap. So, why not put an umbrella band on your child’s head to solve this problem? Your baby’s eyes are safe from bath water and you will have a quiet and peaceful bathing session.

Beach Play Pen

It can be very difficult to keep up with a toddler on the beach. To lessen your stress, you can create your own version of a playpen right on the beach. This should prevent your kid from running off into the water without your knowledge. Just simply prop up a fitted sheet by using your own belongings to secure the corners. Brilliant, isn’t it?

Monster Spray

You know how kids’ imaginations can be. So, if you are having trouble putting them to bed because they’re scared of “monsters” under the bed, you might need one of these. You can make your own “monster spray” and give it to your child at bedtime. This way, your child won’t worry about the Boogeyman anymore.

No Better Time

There is no better time to educate a child than the present. So, while they are still young, teach them how to take care of their own toys. Make a bin where they can put each of their favorite toys separately. This way, you can easily establish this habit for them which they can carry into adulthood.

Personal Space

Going on long road trips with small children can be very exhausting. What you can do to avoid problems is to establish their own separate space by putting dividers between their seats. With this, they won’t have the chance to bother each other. Let’s just hope they fall asleep immediately so they can cause less trouble.

Secret Juice

We know that it’s not good to lie to your children, but this one can be an exception. As we mentioned earlier, it can be difficult to make your child take their medicine. So, you can secretly switch their favorite drink with it by putting the straw in the medicine! Just make sure to give them their favorite juice or you’ll have some serious tantrums coming your way.

Clean Up Time

Who said cleaning can’t be fun? You can actually ask your little one to help you out with cleaning and still have fun doing it. Mark a square on the floor using tape and ask your child to sweep all the mess into the square. They’ll actually enjoy the work and help you with the chore!

Comforting Hands

Children actually find comfort in their parents’ touch. That’s why they sleep better when their parents hold them. But let’s face it, we don’t always have the time to hold them until they fall asleep. As an alternative, you can put some rice or dried beans in a glove and place it on your baby’s back. What a helpful trick!

Colorful Schedule

It can be very difficult to establish a routine for your kids as well as keep up with your own schedule. To make sure that they know what to do during specific times of the day, you can assign colors to different tasks that they need to do every day and put them on a clock. This should help remind them what they should be doing whenever they see it.

Shower Caddy

A shower caddy isn’t exclusively for the bathroom. You can also use it as a meal storage area when you go on trips. It can actually help you lessen the mess that your child makes when you travel. Neat!

Toothbrushpins

It is not good to place toothbrushes in a drawer or cup as they can easily accumulate bacteria. You can actually use clothespins and turn them into a makeshift stand. You can even use different colors for your children to easily identify their own toothbrush!

Left and Right Shoes

Children often find it difficult to identify the left and right shoes. To help them, you can cut a sticker in half and place each side of the correct shoe. This will work like a puzzle that they need to solve, but it would be much easier to identify the right and left shoes. Ingenious!

Goodbye Glitter

Using glitters on art projects is pretty and creative, but they can be a pain to clean up. Good thing lint rollers were invented! You can easily collect the glitter by rolling it on the surface and see the glittery pieces stick to it.

Put A Tape On It

Some of your children’s loud toys can be very annoying. So, to avoid losing your cool, get a piece of tape and stick it on the speaker of the toy. This should tone down the volume. Your child will still find it fun to play with, only less noisy.

Fun Flights

Flights can be stressful for children and sometimes, they could get really nervous about it. So, distract them, make sure to bring stickers on your flights. This should keep them busy for a long time. Be sure to bring ones with fun shapes and designs.

Popsicle Drip-catcher

Eating popsicles is great, no matter what age you’re in. But we have to admit that kids can be very messy with it in their hands. You can easily avoid drips by converting a coffee lid into a “drip-catcher.” This way all the melted bits will not leave a mess in your house.

Minor Burns

Minor burns can be very painful and treating them can be especially difficult, too. When faced with this situation, don’t panic. Just grab a piece of face cloth or paper towel, soak it in vinegar and apply it to the burnt surface. This can easily make the pain lesser, the skin feel cooler and prevent any blisters.

Rubber Band

Sometimes, unexpected situations happen, like your kid accidentally getting stuck in the bathroom. To avoid extremely distressing situations like this, use a rubber band and wind it on the knob like this to make sure that your little one can exit the bathroom with no problem.

Fight The Heat

Summer is the usual time when the whole family goes on trips, but a long drive in hot weather can be pretty daunting. Make sure to cool down the buckles of the seat belt of your kids by using a spray bottle.

Pool Noodles For Safety

Trampolines are a lot of fun, but sometimes our kids can get into minor accidents while playing on it. So, to make sure their cute hands and feet are safe, put some pool noodles around the trampoline.

Nail Clippings

Clipping your toenails or your kids’ toenails can be a bit messy. To avoid the mess, place pieces of tape in strategic places so that the nail clippings will stick to them and you keep them in specific areas of the floor.

Scavenger Hunt

Sometimes, a little motivation can go a long way, especially in convincing your teenager to clean his or her room! If you do this, then you can be sure to find your child’s room squeaky clean in no time.

To Each His Own

Kids oftentimes use new cups when they want to drink water or juice, leaving the old ones they already used everywhere! If you are easily annoyed by this, we suggest that you assign them their own cups with magnets and pin them on the refrigerator. It’s easier to find their own cups this way and they will sure to love it!

Painless Painting

When your kids start painting, the mess can be quite difficult to handle. So, instead of doing it the traditional way, why not put a few drops of paint in a Ziploc bag and let your child unleash his or her creativity?

Not Too Much

Kids can be very playful, and sometimes they love playing with soap. You can use a rubber band to secure the nozzle of the pump and effectively limit the soap usage of your little one.

Sticker Saves the Day

If your kid is having a problem identifying which shoe goes to which foot, then you’re gonna love this trick! Simply place half of a sticker in the corresponding shoe and they’ll be able to figure it out. Make sure to pick a sticker that they really like!

Fresh Apples

Apples can easily go brown when sliced. The best way to keep them fresh is to add a little salt and water in the lunch bag where you pack them. The saltiness will not linger, but this combination will surely keep your apple fresh the whole day.

Goodbye Splinter

Removing splinters is a very difficult and painful job. A better option is to put some baking soda in water and mix them together. Apply the mixture on the wound with the splinter and leave it there for a few minutes, allowing the baking soda to push out the splinter. It can make the ordeal less painful and traumatic for your child.

How To Recycle Pizza Boxes

Do you want to know a better way to recycle your pizza boxes? We suggest that you turn them into your child’s canvases!

WD-40

If your kids are super creative and they love drawing on the walls of your home, then worry not. You can use WD-40 to remove the crayon stains on them.

Kleenex for Writing

We know that you might be familiar with the many different ways that you can use a Kleenex, but did you know that you can also use it to teach your child how to write? Yes! You can ensure that they have the correct writing form by wedging it behind their last two fingers.

No Slips

Children can easily slip on the floor. To keep your child from sliding on the floor, add some extra grip to your child’s socks by applying puffy fabric paint on them.

Shoe Trick

Kids will be kids and often times they don’t notice that they already have scratches on their shoes. When this happens, simply color the scratches with the same crayon color. It will disappear in no time!

Not So Permanent

You can try to keep your kids away from your own stuff like a permanent marker but sometimes manage to get hold of it somehow. Don’t worry when this happens. You can easily rub it off with some toothpaste.

Quick Clean Up

You can make cleanups faster by treating it as another game. Just prepare an egg timer and see your kids enjoy cleaning up!

No More Back Pain

Babies throw their toys a lot. To keep yourself from having back pains because of constant bending, why not attach your baby’s toys of their highchair or stroller utilizing the toy links that usually come with the baby’s gym.

Matching Clothes

Your entire family can go out wearing matching clothes, especially when you plan to go out in crowded places. This will make identifying your children much, much easier.

No More Pacifiers

When it’s time to wean your child from the pacifier, you may need a few tricks up your sleeve. one could be cutting away a piece of the pacifier’s nipple little by little. Pretty soon, they will feel the difference and will start disliking the feeling. Then, eventually, there will be nothing left to suck. They might even throw it away on their own!

Baby Furniture

This baby furniture can also double as a picnic table! So make sure to take it with you when you go outdoors. Just be sure to make it water-resistant by covering it with oilcloth first!

Hygienic Storage

Hygiene is vital in keeping your baby healthy. To make sure that the pacifiers are clean even when you’re on the go, keep them inside sauce containers.

Bulletin Boards For Kids

Your kids may need some reminders of the things they need to do during the day. You can make it more organized by setting up their own kiddie bulletin board. This way, they can see their schedulers, reminders, and chores easily. Make sure to place it in a place that is accessible for them like their bedrooms or the shoe area.

Parking Pal Stickers

Your kids could sometimes end up getting lost in the parking lot. To avoid this from happening, make sure to get some Parking Pal stickers. This way they won’t wander off when you load the groceries in your car.

Play Pen

It is expensive to create your own play area in the house, but you can definitely improvise by using an inflatable pool. You can set it up in your living room and let your child have fun in it. You can even add some small and colorful balls to make it more exciting!

Tent Crib

You can still do some work in the yard even if you have a baby to take care of. Just simply take the crib outside and turn it into a tent. Perfect solution!

Baby Food

With your busy schedule, making baby food every time you need to feed them seems unrealistic. You can make a big batch instead and freeze them in an ice tray. This can even last for a week!

Dishwasher

Dishwashers can not only clean, well dishes, but also your kids’ toys and shoes. How convenient is that?

Lawn Art

Let your child enjoy the outdoors by laying out a big sheet on the lawn and let your child’s creativity run wild!

Water Slide

You can make your own water park in your own backyard. All you need is a hose and a long plastic sheet to make your own water slide. So, make sure not to throw the plastic that came with your appliances and furniture!

A Fort

Let your kid enjoy playing with a fort by setting one up in your own home. Just hang some curtain or bed sheets on hula-hoops, and there you have it! A fort.

Toy Organizer

Show organizer can not only be used to organize shoes but also your kids’ toys. You can hand it anywhere in the house or even take it with you when you go out. Pretty convenient, huh?

Changeable Masterpiece

This is own trick that will keep your kids happy when they visit your office. Instead of rummaging through your stuff looking for paper, they actually have their own spot to draw! The best part is they can change the drawing whenever they want to.

Making Igloos

Playing in the snow is fun, but what’s even more fun is to make an igloo! To make perfect squares or rectangles, you can use Tupperware containers to get the perfect shape. The kids will surely love it and their imagination can run free.

No Ketchup Mess

You can avoid the ketchup mess that usually occurs when your child eats. Directly put the ketchup in the bun instead of putting it on the hot dog. It actually helps avoid clothes stain when your child eats hot dogs in a bun!

No More Candy

Keeping kids from eating up all the candy in the house can be quite a challenge. But here is a useful trick that you can use. Empty a bag of something healthy, especially one that they don’t like. Then, use it to cover the candies and stash it away!

Frozen Yogurt

You can make something healthy and delicious for your kids to beat the summer heat. All you need is yogurt and a popsicle stick. Just use the popsicle stick to poke a hole in the lid of the yogurt and freeze it! Eating yogurt will be much easier and you can beat the heat at the same time.

Makeshift Bib Hanger

Using a command hook on the back of your child’s high chair can help you keep track of all the bibs and not lose them all over the house. You can then have one place where you keep all the bibs and it’s easier to find them when it’s time for your baby to eat.

Washing Socks

Washing all your babies’ socks can be a little challenging because it’s hard to keep track of all of them. What you can do is put all the socks in a mesh laundry bag and put it in the wash. There is no better way to make sure that all the socks are in one place while you wash them.

Cleaning Up The Sparkles

When your child makes crafts and art, it can be very messy and cleaning up all the sparkles, sequins and glitter can be very difficult. You can actually clean it up easily by using a wide piece of tape. Put it around your hand, making sure that the sticky side is facing outward. Then, you can just use it to gather all the small pieces of glitter. They will surely stick to eat and solve your problem.

Personal Medicine Chart

It is sometimes hard to remember the dose or schedule of your baby’s medicine because of your busy schedule. To avoid missing a dose or making any mistakes, you can put the schedule on the bottle using a sharpie. This will make keeping track of the schedule and the dose easier.

Snack Bins

In a day, your kids can go back and forth in the kitchen to eat their snacks. But it can be a hassle preparing them if it happens a lot. So, why not prepare the snacks ready to eat portions and organize them in a bin. This way, your kids can easily get their snacks without your help.

Locked Cabinets

Toddles can be very cheeky when they are playing around the house. You sometimes find them opening cabinets and emptying them out. To avoid this from happening, you can use hair ties to lock the cabinets by wrapping them around the cabinet handles.

Self-made Race Track

You kids love playing with their toy cars. To keep them from getting bored, you can make playing with toy cars even more interesting by making a race track in your own living room! Just use masking tape to mark the track. They will surely love it and they have the freedom to change the shape or form of the track, too.

Baby-proof Coffee Table

Having babies in the house can be very stressful sometimes. You always have to be aware where they are and what they’re doing to make sure that they don’t hurt themselves. Tables in general, coffee tables especially, can be dangerous because of their sharp corners. So, to make them baby-proof, soften the corners by putting an old pool noodle on them. This will prevent your babies from getting hurt when they bump into them accidentally.

Burritos in a Jar

Children often love eating burritos because they are simply delicious. But it’s is very challenging to clean up the mess that kids make when they eat them. To solve this problem, you can put burritos in a jar and save yourself from cleaning up a lot of mess!

No Moldy Bath Toys

Bath toys can easily get gross and molded. So, when you buy one, make sure to seal the holes first by using some hot glue to cover them. This will prevent the water from entering the hole and going inside the toy. In turn, preventing molds.

Band-Aid Protectors

Sometimes, you are just too busy to go to the hardware store to buy some plug protectors. But you don’t want your babies to mess with the electrical outlets in the house. You can use band-aids to cover them temporarily. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Buying New Shoes

If your child doesn’t want to go shoe shopping with you or you find the activity such an ordeal, you will find this tip useful. Just draw your child’s feet on a piece of paper by tracing it and write all the measurements. You can take this to the store instead and shop with ease.

Template for Babysitters

It is a good idea to have a template of your kids’ information and where you’ll be for the babysitter’s reference whenever you have to go out. You can print a template like this and put it inside a frame. You can just fill out the form with the necessary information before you go.

No Door Slamming

As parents, you want to avoid painful situations like your child’s fingers getting slammed in the door. So, to be safe, we have to think ahead. Use a pool noodle to keep the door from being slammed. Easy, right?

Fence Painting

If your child gets bored with his or her toys in summer, you can easily find something fun to do together like “paint” the fence. All you need is a paintbrush and some water. Tell your child to paint away!

Having Fun

Your child’s attention can easily be taken away from getting ready for school, so you need all the tricks up your sleeve to keep them focused. One of them is to tape pennies on the soles of their shoes. The sound it makes will keep them entertained and this will make moving a lot of fun!

Pictures

When you and the entire family go out for a summer outing, make sure to take a photo at the beginning of the day. Not just to commemorate it, but also to have an accurate photo of what your kids look like in case one of them gets lost in a crowded place.

Crazy Straw

If you get annoyed at having to clean up spilled drinks from car seats, then you will love this hack. You can use a crazy straw and put it upside down instead of using the regular ones. Your kid won’t be able to take it out, preventing any spills!

Toy Basket

Bathing your kid can be a struggle especially when they want their toys within their reach. What you can do is place your kid’s toys in a laundry basket and place it in the bath with your child. This way, your child can easily reach for their toys and you can bathe them with ease.

Keep Carpets Clean

There was a mom in England who kept having problems with her stroller when it was not being used. It was parked in her carpeted hallway, but she later on found that she had to clean up grime and dirt left on the carpet. This was a hard problem indeed, but she found the perfect solution. Shower caps. Yes, she began using them on the stroller tires so they don’t make the carpet dirty.

Yoga Chant

Daniel Eiseman became a viral sensation while he was doing Facebook live. This new dad got his baby to calm down within seconds. He didn’t have to get up! While he was on Facebook live, his baby, Divina, started crying. Daniel immediately began oming to her. By that, we mean that he used the yoga chant to soothe his baby back to sleep and it worked! Baby Divina went right back to sleep!

Hula-Hoop For Walking

Parents often struggle when their babies are still learning how to walk. You know, when you have to hunch over a lot to hold your child. But say goodbye to back pain. One dad solved this problem by using a hula-hoop and he even posted it on YouTube! What a brilliant idea! The hula-hoop can act as the handle for you and your baby! So there’s no problem when you go walking with your kid.

Bathing Babies

Bathing your baby can be difficult, especially for new parents. You can follow this tip and slide a pillowcase over a pool noodle and there you have it! Great support for your baby’s body as you bath them. It won’t be so challenging anymore. Your baby will also love it as it makes them more comfortable while you’re bathing them.

Cool Teether To-Go

Babies find teething a very difficult time in their young lives, so we parents need to help as much as we can. This lifesaving hack was discovered by a dad from Queens, New York. He figured that on days out, he should put his baby’s teethers in a Klean Kanteen filled with iced water. This keeps the teethers cool throughout the day, ready for his baby’s use.

Marshmallow Packs

It is normal for kids to get hurt as they go around and play. They may fall or accidentally slip, getting all kinds of bruises and wounds. One mom found out that ice packs don’t actually help as they are too cold and uncomfortable on the young skin. So, instead of using ice packs, she placed marshmallows inside a zip-lock bag and placed them inside the freezer. She discovered that the marshmallows were cold enough to relieve the pain and soft enough so it could be wrapped around knees and elbows. The best part about it was that her kids got to enjoy a treat after their injury was treated.

Toothbrush Labels

We all know that toothbrushes should be thrown out after three months of use. But one mom from Cambridge, Ontario had a problem when she gave her 6-year-old child a Dory-themed toothbrush set. She thought that she was set for one year as there were 6 toothbrushes in the set. Boy, was she wrong. She found out that her daughter kept throwing them out too early and she was left with nothing after a few months. She started labeling the toothbrushes with their expiration dates after that and it worked like a charm!

TV Time

Kids need to learn responsibility when they are still young. One way to do this is to make them earn their TV time. This is a clever trick that can help motivate kids to do their chores. You can even have a “currency,” exchanging each chore that they complete with a specific amount of time that they can watch TV.

Fun Spelling Blocks

Education is very important. As parents, we can make the experience more accessible and fun to our children. One way to do this is by using building blocks to learn the correct spelling of words. Just write letters on each block. Then, your kid can start putting letters together and get the hang of it!

Floor Drawing

Okay, we don’t mean that you let your kid draw on the actual floor. Instead, we mean that you lay a vinyl shower curtain on the floor and use masking tape on the edges to secure it. Your kids will love drawing on the floor using it! Just make sure they use some white-board markers and see their imaginations on vinyl! Also, make sure that they understand that the floor and curtain are two very different things so they don’t draw on the actual floor in the future.

Spelling Magnets

You can also make learning fun by using a magnetic board. You can put one on their walls and they can play with magnetic letters and learn how to spell words, even during their playtime!

Tooth Fairy Money

You can make losing a tooth a bit more fun for your kid by giving them money from the tooth fairy. What better way to glam it up but by spraying some glitter hairspray on the money to make it look more magical! Just don’t overdo it. This can make the tooth fairy more real to your little one.