35 Parenting Hacks That People Wish They’d Heard About Sooner

One babysitter recently revealed online that her hack for getting kids to eat their food is to let the child pretend to be a pet bunny. According to this self-proclaimed babysitting GOAT, bunnies are quiet and love their veggies so getting the kids to munch down on their crudites while playing pretend is easier than ever. 

#1 Best Hack

Image source: DavidSven

#2 Went On Vacation, Wife Brought A Game-Changer: Snackleboxes

Image source: Kalabajooie

The concept seems so simple, and I’m sure has been done many times before, but for some reason it blew my mind. Get some sectioned containers, clean them thoroughly, gather together some of your and kids’ favorite non-liquidy snacks, and you have the perfect travel-ready collection of treats for even the pickiest and most indecisive eaters.

#3 Parenting Hack

Image source: MorningCoffee4

If your three-year-old is anything like mine, she absolutely loves listening to Disney soundtracks constantly and as we all know, it is easy to be driven insane by listening to the same song 3000 times in a row. I recently found a refurbished iPod nano that was fairly inexpensive and put all her favorite soundtracks on there. Now when she wants to listen to music, she just asks for her iPod, and listens on headphones. Since the nano is pretty much only a music player, there are no apps or videos, just music. No more asking for our phones or yelling at us to change the music we’re already listening to. Not sure, but iPod nano could be the move.

#4 Found A Hack For Short Hikes. Mantracking

Image source: Salvidor_Deli

We live near a state park/forest and my wife and I like hikes. HOWEVER with a younger kids it can be a pain. It’s either too slow for the adults to get decent exercise or take FOREVER because of groaning, wanting to pick up every rock, etc.

Today I had an idea.

My wife took a head start and set clues at intersections and landmarks to show the way she went. The kids and I looked for the clues to “track” and “catch Mommy.” They took turns being the “clue finder.”

My wife slowed to a stop near the end of the trail and waited to be “caught.”

Result?

She got an actual home at her pace. The kids hiked farther and faster than normal. They got practice taking turns, being observant, and thinking critically.

Your mileage may vary, but I recommend giving it a try.

#5 My Son Will Only Eat Paw Patrol String Cheese Because He Swears It Tastes Best. I Was Tired Of Paying Extra For It And Bought The Generic Brand

Image source: wittyotter

But he said it didn’t taste the same and wouldn’t eat it. So yesterday I put paw patrol stickers on it and he ate two in a row. “See, mommy?” he said. “I told you the paw patrol cheese tastes better.”

#6 Kids Want To Express Their Individuality. Dying Their Hair Is A Pretty Benign Way To Do That

Image source: DrEmilyThomas

#7 It Is All In Marketing

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#8 It’s A Good Trick

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#9 I Have A Crawling Baby. This Is My Mom Hack To Help The Older Kids Remember To Replace The Outlet Covers

Image source: Marlboro_Gold

#10 To Whoever Posted This Hack Before: You Are A God Among Men

Image source: Phuntzilla

Using a piece of plywood and some zip ties (and some duct tape for flare, obviously) solved what was until then a total nightmare trying to find a tension-mounted baby gate that worked on a rounded bannister post. Seriously, this was driving us insane, and whoever posted this before on Daddit has my undying gratitude. Now I just need someone to tell me what hardware store purchase can fix my kid getting sick at daycare all the time, and I will truly be made in the shade.

#11 Easy Dad Points Tip I Picked Up This Weekend: Duct Tape And Sharpie = Road

Image source: SwissJAmes

#12 Small Kids And Ice Cream Cones?

Image source: caswunn

#13 Dad Hack

Image source: turbodmurf

Senior Advisory Dad here with a small lifehack to all you first timers out there. Today I wanted a piece of chocolate with my coffe, but my 3rd child, who is almost 1, woke up from her nap before I got around to make that cup of coffee. She knows well what Chocolate is, but shows zero interest in coffecups so the solution is to put the chocolate in a cup and “sip” from it. Used that trick on my to older sons when they were younger. Dosent work any more but I can still foll the with Coca Cola in a coffee mug.

#14 Dad-Tip: Add Grip Tape To Help A Slippery Bunk Bed Ladder!

Image source: adumbCoder

#15 Use A Cheap Shower Curtain To Make A Little Pool For The Kids At The Beach

Image source: thenextlvl

#16 Beach Dadhack

Image source: cajunbander

Wanted a wagon for the beach but didn’t want to struggle with it in the sand. I found a wagon that fit inside a cheap sled I found on Amazon. Bungee the sled on top the wagon from the condo to the beach, then put the wagon on the sled when you get on the sand. Worked like a charm.

If I was really motivated, I would have found a way to just add wheels to the sled that could swing up out the way in the sand, but that may just have to be a project for the next beach trip.

#17 Parenting Hack

Image source: Budsygus

#18 Instant Kid Size Countertop

Image source: Kelliewithanie

#19 Tetra Pac Hack – Make An Extra Breather Hole So When They Squeeze It, It Doesn’t Spray Out

Image source: incendiary_bandit

#20 $10 At Home Depot And 10 Mins Of My Time. Little Man Is Loving It!

Image source: UnitedBeardedGuy

#21 Always Carry A Pack Of Balloons With You

Image source: Allaya Cooks-Campbell

They’re small and don’t take up much space in your bag. Rather than letting a group of kids fight over toys, you can blow up ten or twenty balloons for $3 and turn anything into a party.

This is the family room at a religious gathering we went to last weekend. Instant friends. And they all get to keep one.

#22 Parent Hack 101

Image source: bollakie

#23 Just Bragging On My Wife. Our Son Loves Trash Truck But Tt Toys Are Non Existent. She Took Matters Into Her Own Hands And DIY’ed One

Image source: madeofmountains

#24 Parenting Hack. Scotch Tape Reduces Toys Volume By At Least 50%

Image source: Tommy84

#25 After 7 Days Of Her (5 Mo) Kicking And Screaming Every Time She Got Her Medicine, This Little Thing Turned The Entire Affair Into A Quiet 30 Seconds

Image source: Skanah

Our little girl absolutely hated getting medicine, didnt matter if it was interspersed with the bottle, or if she was mostly asleep she would just cry and scream every time the syringe went near her mouth. My wife brought this home and instantly she just sucked the medicine down without so much as a peep.

#26 This One Is 100% Effective

Image source: bklinker

#27 You Have To Do What You Have To Do

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#28 Saving This One For Later

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#29 Quick Tip: No-Slip Slippers

Image source: prettyprudent.com

Back in November I was lamenting that these adorable granny-square slippers might be too slippery for a toddler when an ingenious anonymous commenter suggested adding hot glue to the bottoms. Brilliant!

#30 I Brought My New Fan On Our Zoo Day And Felt Like A Superstar

Image source: FEARthePUTTY

Every other person that we passed commented that it was such a good idea. Spoiler, I saw someone do this last year. We always used to use the Ryobi clip-on fans previously, but I upgraded when this one went on sale. I highly recommend looking into something similar for whatever battery powertool family you’ve chosen!

#31 She Kept Pulling Things Out Of The Bottom Shelf Of The Diaper Cart. So I Replaced It All And Tricked Her Into Playing With Her Own Toys

Image source: falsepedestrian

#32 Taking Kids To (Non-Kid) Museum Parenting Hack

Image source: Wisdomseeker1984

I took my 4 year old to a museum.It was mostly classical art, sculpture and paintings. For small kids it’s kind of difficult as they need to walk a lot and after 5 minutes they normally want to leave. But I really wanted to see some art and decided to give it a go.

At the entrance they gave us this floor plan and I gave it to my son, not knowing it would become a great game as he decided to try to find all the artworks in the map.

That’s it! Problem solved!

So next time I will find a way to do this myself and print out a sort of DIY museum bingo. It was really helpful.

#33 So I Adapted An Apron To Be A Food Catcher For The High Chair! Especially Important When You Have A Greedy Cockerspaniel

Image source: breatheslowdan

#34 Parenting Win

Image source: carlacalvo8

#35 Anybody Else Fold The Bottom Of The Kids Menu Like This So The Crayons Don’t Roll Off The Table At The Restaurant?

Image source: Figgler