39 Hacks That Will Make Parenting Easier

Innovative List of Parenting Hacks

1. Bathe your child in a laundry basket so that their toys don't float away.

2. Avoid committing a gender faux pas with other parents.

Lean down and ask the baby his or her name. The parent will answer for them (if they can't talk yet).

3. Teach your child to pick up a juice box by the side flaps.

This will keep them from squeezing juice all over themselves and making a huge mess.

 4. Save your old cell phones and let your kids use them as play cameras.

Maybe you've got the next Juergen Teller on your hands.

5. Punish your kids when they're fighting.

6. Invest in a "baby shower cap."

7. If your kids have bad handwriting, make them spend some time on the monkey bars.

Read more about why certain activities can help strengthen the upper body and the fine motor skills that can lead to better handwriting.

8. Invest in a good pair of cargo pants.

Since you stopped caring about fashion the second that baby popped out of you, it's time to start wearing cargo pants every day, preferably a pair with many pockets. Keep wipes, diapers, plastic bags, and bottles in there.

9. Put sprinkles on everything.

They'll turn any healthy smoothie or juice into a fun-filled endeavor.
Here's a recipe for homemade rainbow sprinkles that are free of food coloring and corn syrup.

Source: savoringthethyme.com

10. Need a place to put your kid?

Make a hammock with a blanket tied around a table.

Source: joyfulabode.com

11. Make an incredibly easy play fort with a box fan.

Get the directions here.

12. Trace your kids' feet so you can go shoe shopping without having to drag them along.

It'll also let you take advantage of any shoe sales you happen to stumble upon.

13. Finally tell your twins apart with this romper set.

Source: ohsweetbabies.com

14. Put your kids to work by turning chores into a fun game.

They'll never know the difference!

15. Use a barrette to fix your little girl's too-loose tank top.

16. To stop nighttime coughing, rub vapor rub on their feet and put socks over them.

17. If your kids are scared of monsters, make monster spray.

Squirt under the bed, in the closet. Everybody can go back to sleep now.

18. Stick a Command hook on the back of a high chair to hold bibs.

19. Teach your child to hold a pencil the right way with a wad of Kleenex.

Get the full details here.

20. Repurpose a pool noodle to become a toddler-proof door stopper.

Keep your toddler from slamming doors, getting locked out, and from getting woken up by closing doors.

21. Use maxi pads to extend diapers for a potty-training child.

Does your kid wake up with soaked jammies? Stick a heavy absorbent overnight maxi pad into their diaper.
Alternatively, moms can actually tear off the sides, front, and back of a diaper to create an emergency maxi pad. Source: parenthacks.com

22. Get a portable high chair.

23. Use glue and glitter to make "tooth fairy money."

24. Have your child sit on a stability ball while doing homework — it'll help with their concentration.

25. Freeze a pacifier in an ice cube tray with juice, milk, formula, or water to sooth a teething baby's gums.

26. Cut a hole in the tip of a pacifier and stick a dropper through it to administer medicine.

27. Put the iPad in "Kid Mode."

This feature (only available is iOS6) locks the application and disables any hardware controls that could lead your toddler on a wayward path.

28. Install a baby-gate using heavy-duty cable ties instead of nailing into the banister.

You can buy cable ties that are 2 feet long! Get the tutorial here.

Source: foxfamilyincary.blogspot.ca

29. Those zip ties also make impromptu ponytail holders.

Source: sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net

30. Transform a DVD case into a travel art kit.

31. Use a shoe caddy to store games and snacks on a long road trip.

32. Fill a glove with pearled barley or beans, give a few pats with it, and then slip away stealthily into the night.

Just make sure you sew the glove shut so the filling doesn't slip out and turn into a choking hazard.

33. Turn an old lotion bottle into a faucet extender so the little ones can reach.

34. Push your kid on a swing from afar using a string or rope.

*We don't actually condone this one, unless you happen to be wheelchair bound.

35. For the gamer parent...

36. Put temporary tattoos on your kids in case they get lost.

These are by a company called Tottoos.

37. Avoid accidents and unnecessary hair cuts.

38. Be ready in a moments notice with all in one formula/nipple container.

39. Baby Window Cage


Built in 1937 and distributed in London to members of the Chelsea Baby Club, the baby cage was meant for women with children but without a backyard, garden or terrace for them to play in or on. Times have changed. NOT RECOMMENDED.