Although every job has its hardships, it is agreed that parenting is the toughest job out there! Providing for, raising, and taking care of a tiny human being, whose needs to keep changing and growing, is the most challenging job. So we thought that the least we can do is provide some tips from parents to parents, that may help make the job a tiny bit easier. Some of them may definitely strike you as a little odd, but they are all worth a try, and you can count on some of them being actually quite brilliant. So read on to find out what the connection is between loose change, glue, and your children’s shoes, and how that combination can contribute to the life of a parent!
Better Start Believing! Some Tips From Parents To Parents For An Easier Life
A Ready Sweeper
The minute they can do so, babies like to crawl everywhere! They want to do so, so why not channel that energy into something useful for the whole household? Just attach some dusters onto their onesies and you’re in for a win-win situation for everyone! Okay okay, we don’t mean get your kid to crawl through dust after you haven’t cleaned the floor for months, you know, just for touch-ups 😉
A Ready Sweeper
Making Medicine Easy
Getting your baby to take their dose of medicine is not always easy, but we have a solution for you! Just cut of the end of a pacifier and put a medicine dropper in the resulting hole, and everyone’s happy!
Making Medicine Easy
Tearless Showers
It can be quite difficult as a parent when you have to give your baby a bath, and you watch their eyes fill up with tears because of the water and/or soap get into their eyes. We suggest using an umbrella band to avoid this problem, allowing for a relaxing bathing experience with zero water in eyes situations.
Tearless Showers
Do It Yourself Beach Play Pen
Having a nice day out at the beach with your little one is definitely a realistic aim. To help you be relaxed and not worry about them crawling off towards the water, make your own improvised playpen. All you need is a fitted sheet, which you can prop up by securing each corner with your bags. Sorted!
Do It Yourself Beach Play Pen
No More Monsters
Small children definitely have the most exciting imaginations. This is most often a positive thing, except for when they scare themselves into staying awake because of monsters they are convinced are hiding in the closet or under the bed. You can make your own “monster spray” that they can keep by their bed to keep the monsters away and their minds at ease.
No More Monsters
Good Habits for a Lifetime
There is no better time to accumulate good habits than from a young age. If they like to play with race cars or have a collection of small toys of one sort, you can create a rack for each toy to be stored individually, helping them create good organizational habits that could last a lifetime.
Good Habits for a Lifetime
Personal Space
If you have a number of small children, long trips in the car can be a challenge, with lots of arguments and hands getting out of control. You can introduce an element of personal space by putting a divider in between each seat.
Personal Space
Trojan Juice
Although we are not in favor of lying to your children, this is one we will make an exception for because it’s pretty brilliant! Give your child their preferred drink, but with a secret straw in the back, plugged into their medicine. Might be best to hand them the soda or juice after they have finished the medicine, to keep tantrums at bay (as well as allowing you to not feel terrible about the lying part).
Trojan Juice
Square Cleaning
When was it decided that cleaning up is not compatible with fun time? Try putting some tape around a floor tile, or any space you designate, and then ask your little one to sweep up the mess into the designated space. Ta-da! Cleaning is now a game. They can enjoy themselves, learn a life lesson, and actually help clean up too!
Square Cleaning
Comfort Glove
Many children find comfort in being held as they fall asleep. Often, you just do not have time to lie down next to your child as you wait for them to doze off. We did say we don’t support lying to your kid, but this can be a good trick to help soothe your toddler to sleep while you have some wind-down time to yourself… Just fill a glove with some beans or rice, and place it on your baby’s back and they will be fast asleep in no time! Caution though, only for bigger children, and make sure the glove is not too heavy! As well as making sure your filler is secure so there is no chance of leakage of beans or rice. Best to not leave it there all night either, so that your little one doesn’t wake up in with a fright in the morning!
Comfort Glove
Multiple Use Shower Caddy
One of those things you may never have thought of but when you know about it – it seems so obvious! Another use for a shower caddy is a meal tray, especially useful for long car journeys, minimizing the stress of food mess on your child and on your car.
Multiple Use Shower Caddy
Window Fun
A fun way to help pass the time on a flight or a long car ride is with stickers, kids love stickers! Just make sure they are the easy-to-remove type!
Window Fun
Less Mess Drip
Everyone loves a Popsicle no matter how old we are, but children have a tendency to have theirs in the messiest way possible. Just put the stick through a coffee lid so it can catch all the messy melting bits.
Less Mess Drip
Snack Portions
Children often want to snack during the day, and going to and from the kitchen for snacks can become a bit annoying after a while. A solution for this can be to organize the snacks into portions ready to munch, allowing the kids to get the snacks themselves, in portions you trust.
Snack Portions
Motivate Your Teen to Clean
Teenagers are notorious for living in a mess and doing everything they possibly can to avoid cleaning their rooms. Sometimes all they need is a little motivation…
Motivate Your Teen to Clean
Pie Clocks
Getting your kids to stick to a schedule can be quite a challenge. The challenge is not just dealing with any disobedience issues, it is also trying to stick to your own routine too! A helpful tool is to assign different colors to tasks and divide the clock accordingly, which helps your kids to know their own schedule too, as well as a visual aid to help you keep on track.
Pie Clocks
Avoiding Sticky Situations
Your young child locking themselves in the bathroom by mistake is something that if it has ever happened to you before you know you never want it to happen again! Avoid these stressful situations with the help of a simple rubber band.
Avoiding Sticky Situations
Cool Spritzing
Getting into a car on a particularly hot day is never a pleasant experience, but you can cool down the hot seatbelts with a small spray bottle holding water you can keep in the car.
Cool Spritzing
Trampoline Safety
You can cover the metal clips on the trampoline with pool noodles to help keep their little feet and hands safe and avoid accidents.
Trampoline Safety
Managing Nail Cuttings
While you are clipping toenails, just place some pieces of tape strategically along the nail clipper so that the cut nails will stick to them, minimizing mess.
Managing Nail Cuttings
Magnate Cups
Kids have a habit of reaching for a new cup every time they want a drink, leaving their old ones everywhere. You can attach magnets to their cups – that way they can simply stick them to the fridge when they finish their water, which will be fun for them and they will be at their height and easy to find whenever they want a drink. Best to attach magnets with superglue just to be on the safe side.
Magnate Cups
No Waste
Rubber bands have many uses! You can secure a rubber band around the nozzle of the pump of the soap bottle to limit soap waste.
No Waste
Keeping Your Apples Fresh
Avoid browning apples in your child’s lunch box by putting the chopped up apples in a bag with a little salt, and then shake it up with some water. The salty taste won’t remain, but it will help keep your apples fresher throughout the day.
Keeping Your Apples Fresh
Recycled Giant Canvases
Any leftover pizza boxes from pizza night? Open them up and make them into giant canvases for your children to paint on!
Recycled Giant Canvases
WD-40 to the Rescue
For occasions when your children express their creativity on the walls of their bedrooms, WD-40 to the rescue! Just spray some on a cloth and it will easily remove any crayon stains.
WD-40 to the Rescue
Kleenex Writing Assistant
Another use for a Kleenex tissue, other than at times of having a runny nose, is teaching your child how to write! Just close the last two fingers around a tissue, and it should help ensure good writing form.
Kleenex Writing Assistant
Socks With A Grip
Put little dots of fabric paint on the bottom side of your little one’s socks to give them some grip and avoid sliding across the floors.
Socks With A Grip
Sneaky Scratch Cover-Up
Kids wear and tear much quicker than the rest of us tend to, but don’t worry about it – just get a crayon in a similar shade to the shoe and it won’t be noticeable.
Sneaky Scratch Cover-Up
Removing Permanent Markers
It is generally recommended to keep permanent markers out of the reach of your kids, but sometimes they get their hands on them anyway. If this happens, just get some toothpaste and give the mark a rub and it should remove it.
Removing Permanent Markers
Cleanup Time – Game Time
Accelerate clean up time by making it into a game. You just need an egg timer and you can watch them clean up in no time!
Cleanup Time – Game Time
Bye-Bye Back Pain
Save yourself the trouble of having to bend down every other moment your baby chucks their toys on the floor from their highchair, by connecting them to the chair with the toy links that come with the baby’s gym.
Bye-Bye Back Pain
Color Coordination
When you are heading out to a busy place such as a mall with the whole family, dress everyone in matching clothes which will make it loads easier to identify your children in the middle of a busy crowd.
Color Coordination
Saying Goodbye to Pacifiers
The time comes when you need to encourage your baby to separate from their pacifier. When this time comes, begin cutting a piece of the end of the pacifier off and soon enough they will not like the feeling and there will be nothing left to suck. They might even spit them out themselves. Obviously, just make sure there are no sharp edges!
Saying Goodbye to Pacifiers
Adaptable Baby Furniture
You can make your child’s play table into an outdoor picnic table, just cover it with oilcloth to make it easy to wipe clean.
Adaptable Baby Furniture
Hygienic Pacifiers
When you are on the go, store the pacifiers in medium size sauce containers to maintain their hygiene, as well as making them easier to find at the bottom of your bag.
Hygienic Pacifiers
Kiddie Organization
Helping your kids be organized is helpful for them individually as well as helpful for the whole family, minimizing stress and mess. You could set up individual bulletin boards for each child, where you can post reminders, chores, and schedules to help them out. Best to put these in their bedrooms or the shoe area.
Kiddie Organization
Parking Lot Maze
A parking lot can be one of the easiest places for your kids to get lost. Just get some Parking Pal stickers, and put them on the side of the car in an order they will remember, so they can find it easily should they wander off, as well as a system to help ensure they don’t!
Parking Lot Maze
Indoor Pool Pen
If you have an inflatable pool and want to avoid spending more money on an indoor play area, just set up the inflatable pool in the living room, pad it with a blanket, and your baby will be safe inside
Indoor Pool Pen
Makeshift Baby Tent
If you want to get on with doing some yard work but can’t leave your baby alone, just bring out their crib, and turn it into a tent to protect them from the sun, and you can both enjoy the outdoors.
Makeshift Baby Tent
Baby Food Made More Convenient
Making baby food at home can be quite a bit of work! Here is a trick to help with that a bit. Make a large batch of baby food to last the whole week, then freeze each one in a different section of an ice tray for convenience.
Baby Food Made More Convenient
Clean Shoes and Toys
Here’s one you can thank me for later; you can clean shoes and toys in the dishwasher – easy peasy.
Clean Shoes and Toys
Outdoor Art
The outdoors and creativity are definitely not mutually exclusive, in fact, they go together quite well! A fun thing to do when the weather is nice is spreading out a sheet on the lawn and let the kids go crazy with the paint, and you don’t have to worry about the mess either. Lots of paints wash out in the wash, so the sheet could be used multiple times.
Outdoor Art
DIY Water Slide
All you need to create your own water slide is a plastic sheet and a hose. Keep that in mind when new furniture and appliances arrive it is usually with a plastic sheet.
DIY Water Slide
Fort Fabulous
Forts are definitely one of our favorite things, despite no longer being kids ourselves, and we know they are definitely a kiddie favorite too! You can attach a bed sheet to a hula hoop and hang it up for the perfect fort, and have the kids help decorate!
Fort Fabulous
Keeping Organized
A shoe organizer can be put to use for more than just your shoes! Hang it on the back of the door and store toys in the various sections. You can even take it around with you in the car.
Keeping Organized
Ice Blocks
One of the most fun things to do is build an igloo with the winter snow. To create the perfect ice house you can use a Tupperware container of whatever shape you like to make the bricks. Show the kids and let them build their own.
Ice Blocks
Mess-Free Hot Dogs
Here is a little tip for mess-free hot dogs; instead of putting the ketchup on top of the hot dog, put the ketchup directly in the bun first and then slot the hot dog in.
Mess-Free Hot Dogs
Frozen Chocolate
You can hide the candy in an unexpected spot to stop your kids from gobbling it all up in one go. Keep an empty bag of something they are not particularly fond of in the freezer, and use it as a secret cover for stashing the chocolate away from their keen little hands.
Frozen Chocolate
Ice Yogurt
Here is a simple way to make your kids a delicious summer treat. All you need is a yogurt pot and a Popsicle stick. Just make a small hole in the lid with the stick and pop the whole thing in the freezer, and when it is frozen just peel back the lid and squeeze it out of the packet, and you have a healthy, cooling, summer treat everyone can enjoy!
Ice Yogurt
A Bib Hook
In order to avoid finding bibs all over the house but never one when you need one, just attach a command hook to the back on the high chair where you can hang all the bibs on.
A Bib Hook
All Together
If you are like most of us and you have a hard time keeping track of all the baby socks when you are doing the washing, then this trick is definitely for you! Just get a mesh laundry bag and throw all the socks in there together before putting it into the washing machine, helping you keep all the little socks in one place.
All Together
Tidying Up the Small Shiny Stuff
Post craft sessions where glitter, sequins, and sparkles were involved, can be quite a nuisance to clean up! A simple hack to help you tackle the mess is to wrap a wide piece of tape around your hand with the sticky side on the outside, the glitter and sequins will stick easily to your DIY sticky mitten, and you can even keep them for another craft occasion.
Tidying Up the Small Shiny Stuff
Medicine Monitor
When you have a busy schedule, making a mistake with your baby’s medicine is a risk you won’t want to take. To avoid that, you can draw up a schedule on a sticker on the side of the medicine bottle to keep track of when you gave them each dose.
Medicine Monitor
Childproofing Cabinets
A simple hack to stop your toddlers from emptying all the cabinets is to take hair ties or rubber bands and just wrap them as is shown in the photo around the cabinet handles.
Childproofing Cabinets
DIY Race Track
It is not always easy to keep your children entertained, but we have an easy and cheap DIY hack to help keep their playtime interesting. Tape masking tape on to the carpet in the shape of a racing track for their toy cars, they can design it however they like and change it as frequently as they choose – they’ll love it!
DIY Race Track
Crawler Proof Coffee Table
Once your little one starts to stand by themselves and crawl about, making sure there is nothing around in their way they can injure themselves on is always difficult. If your coffee table has sharp corners just attach an old pool noodle to the edge, keeping the sides soft and your baby safe.
Crawler Proof Coffee Table
A Burrito in A Jar
Everyone loves a burrito, but less enjoyable is the mess left behind a burrito meal! A tip to spare yourselves the clean-up (as well as fun for the kids!), you can serve the burritos in mason jars.
A Burrito in A Jar
No-mold Bath Toys
Bath toys can get a bit moldy and gross after a while as they are wet all the time. To avoid this, seal the hole in the toy when you first buy them, with some hot glue which will prevent water from going inside the toy, avoiding mold.
No-mold Bath Toys
Band-Aids
If you are on a tight schedule and it’s difficult to find the time to get to the hardware store to buy plug protectors, you can use band-aids to seal the plugs as a temporary replacement. Obviously, these are not as fool-proof as plug protectors, depending on how old/nimble with their fingers they are already, so keep an eye still!
Band-Aids
Stress-Free Shoe Shopping
Shoe shopping with your child can often be a bit of a struggle with both of you losing patience for the whole thing, but you can save yourselves the bother with this clever hack. Simply trace the outline of your kids’ feet, make a note of the measurements, and take it down to the store with you.
Stress-Free Shoe Shopping
Babysitter Frame
This is a great idea for whenever you have a new babysitter (or any babysitter for that matter!) coming round. Just print out the template, put it into a picture frame, and you can fill in the information on the form with an erasable marker on the glass of the picture frame.
Babysitter Frame
Fake Fence Painting
On a warm summer day where you are wondering what to do with the kids, you can always ‘paint’ the fence. Day after day in fact! Just get some water and paint brushes and start ‘painting’!
Fake Fence Painting
No More Glitter Mess
Glitter is definitely a fun addition to any arts and crafts session, but it is also one of those things you see the remnants of, days after you cleaned up that particular session. A lint roller, usually used to pick up cat hair, can be a big help post-glitter fun. Just roll it around and watch the shiny bits stick to it – also fun for the little ones to do themselves.
No More Glitter Mess
Door Stopper
As you may have noticed by now, pool noodles can be very useful household tools! Getting fingers caught in slamming doors is every parent’s concern when your kids start to get old enough to go from room to room by themselves. Spare yourselves the stress by placing a piece of a pool noodle on the side of the door to stop it from slamming.
Door Stopper
Quieter Toys
If your child has a loud toy which is particularly annoying to you, just tape a piece of tape over the speaker. It should still make a sound but will tone it down a notch.
Quieter Toys
Tooth-pegs
Toothbrushes are one of those things that we put into our mouths and then chuck them on the side of the sink, where they are incredibly prone to accumulating bacteria. Help minimize this using a clothes peg as a makeshift stand for your toothbrushes. You can use a different color for each child to avoid confusions, or even decorate the pegs with an arts and craft session with the kids.
Tooth-pegs
Mess-Free Painting
Creativity should always be encouraged – and here is a way you can do that without having to deal with any mess. Just add three drops of paint into a Ziploc bag, and pin it to the window, and let the unlimited creativity commence.
Mess-Free Painting
A Masterpiece A Day
Here is a trick that will keep your kids entertained for hours! It gives them a designated spot they know is there for them to draw whenever they like, as well as being able to scroll down and create a new masterpiece any time they like.
A Masterpiece A Day
Game & Drink
That’s a creative way to make your Baby drink some water.
Game & Drink
Pennies for Entertainment
If you have also experienced trouble keeping your child focused on getting ready for school, try this trick of taping some pennies to the sole of your child’s shoes, the sound often keeps them so amused they remain motivated to keep moving while having fun with the noise.
Pennies for Entertainment
Hand Sanitizer
While the Coronavirus spreads quickly and globally, stores are running out of hand-sanitizer fast, and people are after the magic liquid like hot buns!
If you struggle with finding one, you can easily make one at home. All needed is a medium mixing bowl, spoon, empty container to store the gel, 1/3 cup aloe vera gel, 2/3 cup Isopropyl alcohol 91%, and essential oil for fragrance (optional).
Hand Sanitizer
Right Foot, Left Foot
Help your children distinguish between their left and right shoes by cutting a sticker in half and putting each half on the inside of either shoe so that when they are next to each other in the right order they make a whole. This will also be like a puzzle for them and it will also ensure they put the right shoe on each foot without your help.
Right Foot, Left Foot
Turn One Rose To A Bush
Who has time for gardening, right? This trick involves one rose, plastic bottle, soil, and potatoes. To grow your own bush out of one rose, cut diagonally the rose stem after removing all leaves, and be careful of thorns (you can keep the flower). Make a small, not too shallow-not too deep, round hole in the potato and place the rose-stem in it. Put the potato in the ground and cover it with soil. Use the plastic bottle to cover the rose stem (leave the cap off), occasionally water the plant and watch how it grows.
Rose Bush