Being a parent is no easy task; it’s a challenge that requires you to be on your toes day and night. You are either thinking of your child, or at least aware of his or her whereabouts. They will go through many a trial and tribulation, from toddlerhood, all the way through college. And you’ll have a front row seat, guiding them, prodding them, and of course, praising them.
And there may be no time more challenging than when they are little. And when I say little, I mean bumping around the house in their tiny walker, and struggling to lift themselves for their first step. Along the way, you’ll need to find the energy to keep up, to make sure that they do not long for a meal, or struggle with the milestones of their development. This is easier said than done, especially if you are a young parent yourself. To help in your efforts, we have compiled a list of parenting hacks for your young child.
We don’t need no stinking crib!
When a baby is tired, there is no stopping the inevitable sleep. How many times has your little one simply passed out cold while right in the middle of meal time, and with a mouth half-full of food? The incredible growth and development of a little one requires a lot of energy, and that also means they require a lot of rest and recovery. All your little one needs is a soft and comfortable landing spot, and he or she can conk out just about anywhere, including your luggage!
It’s BBQ time!
This may be one of the more ingenious hacks on the list. A parent’s worst fear is the safety of their new little one. This is especially concerning as toddlers love to explore. They are always on the move, looking to touch everything within reach, so parents have to go out of their way to “child-proof” their surroundings. This means putting tamper free controls on the stove, child locks on the cabinets, and a gate in front of the stairs. This young parent even came up with a nice little hack to protect his young man during the backyard barbeque!
Ah, clean once again…
Infants and toddlers sure do love their toys. They’ve got their building blocks, plastic dolls, GI Joes, and off-road trucks, used specifically to manipulate, dress up in outfits, create imaginary battles with, and roll in the dirt. And what do all of these items have in common, they get dirty. These toys arrive in clean and pristine condition coming out of the box, only to be used and abused for every moment afterwards. And how best to clean up these little treasures? just toss them in the dishwasher!.
The perfect fit
Can’t bring the pool outside, no problem, we’ve got you covered. This ingenious parent came up with the perfect solution for those rainy days when the little ones are trapped int he house. Simply take your child’s favorite inflatable pool, and drop it right into the shower and viola, your kid can enjoy some outdoors fun right in the comfort of the bathroom. The best part about it is that you don’t have to rinse the pool off before bringing it back in the house.
And they’re off!
What a very ingenious way to create a race course for your little man. One of the special skills of young children is their ability to use their imagination to a great lengths Even under even the scarcest of of circumstances, kids will find a way. Until this parent could get out to grab up one of those cool, Hot Wheels race tracks, he took the opportunity to both improvise, and teach his child how to be both creative, and how to work together to create something special.
Take your medicine
This is a clever one. This parent was having trouble getting her newborn to take required medication. Every time she would put the medicine on a spoon, more of it would end up on the baby’s face than in her mouth. Then she found a pen type device, but the baby wasn’t having that either. Finally this parent took things a step further, hiding the medication behind the nipple of a baby bottle. Before she knew it, the baby was taking in the medicine with ease, and the new mom took comfort in knowing her little trick worked!
Precautions
You know how it is trying to keep track of your young kids when you are trying to get everyone into the car for a trip to the McDonald’s. They are excited, running around in anticipation of getting the newest Happy Meal toy. Rather than trying to chase them around, all you have to do is institute the rule that, when they get out to the car, they have to keep their hand on the gas cap until you can open up the doors. This way you don’t have to worry about anyone running into the street.
Now this is valuable!
This is something right out of grandma’s bag ‘o’ tricks, and it makes for a great little child tamper-proof tool. I had something similar when my son was born, but it was made of plastic and would fit onto various door nobs around the apartment. This would prove especially valuable whenever my son made his way over to the front door, trying to open it with all his might. There is also a plastic version that goes on the stove knobs as well, preventing your new and curious little one from accidentally turning on the gas and blowing up the house!
Hmm…
At first glance, as a parent, I might look at this and say, “Hey, that’s a great idea!” I could just tether my child’s sippy cup to their car seat, and I will no longer have to pull over to the side of the road whenever he drops it on the floor, With this little trick, all he has to do now is grab it by the tether and pull it back up! But not so fast. Also as a parent, my first thought is not so much that this is a convenience, but more of a danger where my child could accidentally wrap that tether around his neck, and our next stop will be the emergency room!
Good to know
As parents, one of our biggest fears is that we might get into a car accident with our toddler in the back seat. I remember driving our son home from the hospital for the first time. While it was a time of celebration and happiness, it was also as stressful as you can imagine. The entire time, I was “white knuckling” it on the steering wheel. I was so nervous that I drove under the speed limit and stayed away from as many cars as possible. In the event that something does happen, the idea of having the child’s information attached to his car seat is a good one to be sure.
A clean way to get dirty
Not sure how I feel about this one. I know there are parents out there who would rather they keep their kids clean at all times, but let’s be honest, one of the great things about being a kid is that getting dirty is part of the job. The more of a mess you get into, the better. With that said, for all those parents out there looking to avoid the mess, this is a pretty good hack. Just gather up some paper, paint, tape, and a plastic food storage bag, and your child will be able to enjoy their creative side, and you’ll be able to keep things clean.
I see you!
This mom found a clever way to watch over her little one who was downstairs in the family room. Rather than having to traverse two flights of stairs, or invest in an expensive and unsightly camera to place in the room, the mother decided to hang a mirror she already had in another part of the house. She made sure that the mirror would provide her with a bird’s eye view from her upstairs vantagepoint so that she could always keep an eye on her child from the convenience of her living room.
Paint, how yummy!
This mom came up with not only a safer way for her child to paint, but one that could be considered healthy. We all know that toddlers just love to stick things in their mouth; it’s just one way for them to identify things in the world. To adults, this can be a disturbing practice, because they will grab up anything and everything for a taste, including paint. However, this mother found a way that her child could still enjoy painting, yet not have to worry when she turns her back, and the kid sticks the paintbrush right in her mouth. Simply replace the paint with yogurt with food coloring!
It’s playtime!
As a new parent, you are paranoid as can be about watching over your baby. This means that it is difficult, if not impossible, for you to leave the room for a moment, even to take a shower. And it doesn’t really matter that you have the kid in a secure playpen in the living room. You simply cannot shower in peace knowing that he is not in sight. The solution, set the little one up in the bathtub filled with his favorite toys, and you’ll be good to go! He’ll have a great time, and you’ll be able to relax knowing he’s withing eye sight.
It’s chilly in here
I know that they make little freezer packs designed to go in your child’s lunch box for school, but here is a great hack if you find yourself in a pinch. I ran into this problem recently when the icepack we usually use was damaged and began to spring a leak. Unfortunately, we didn’t discover it in time to get a replacement from the store. With no backup on hand, we found this little hack of taking a kitchen sponge, soaking it in water, and freezing it. It turned out to be even better than the original and we continue to use it today!
The glove treatment
Imagine you live in an area where snow only happens in the movies, and an anomaly of a winter snow storm blankets your block with the powdery white stuff. Your kids are jumping up and down with the excitement of building their very first snowman, but it’s just too cold and wet for their thin, knitted gloves. The answer, dig into your box of pandemic era rubber gloves, and slide them over the top of the knitted ones. This will enable your little ones to build as big a snowman as they want without getting frostbite on their fingers.
Ah, the pain of Legos!
Have you ever walked barefoot into your child’s room, only too screech in pain the moment you step on one of the dozens of Lego pieces strewn all over the floor? I certainly have! This is why it’s important to get them into the practice of organizing these little terrors, and what better way than to use a shoe bag? Simply hang the bag on the back of their bedroom door, or on a wall that provides them easy access, and they can just pick any Lego out that they need. Your feet will thank you later!
How very colorful
This mother knows the importance of distraction for her child; she is always prepared to give the kid something to do in the event that she needs her to be patient and relaxed, just like in a recent doctor’s visit. Now we all know the doctor’s office can be a stressful experience, and they sometimes take a while to show up, so In a recent visit, this mom was smart enough to break out some crayons she had stashed in her bag, enabling her child the opportunity to be quite creative and distracted while she sat on the examination table, waiting for the doctor to arrive.
No more bruised ankles for mom and dad
As parents, we are elated when we see our newly minted little one making their own way around with the aid of their baby walker. They get so excited once they realize that they can be instantly mobile, and you also develop a new skill; quickly dodging your toddler as they speed past. But every once in a while, they are quicker, and before you know it, they ram right into you, leaving you writhing in pain with a bruised ankle. Solution? Simply line the bottom railings with “pool noodles” and you’ll be good to go.
All together now
Taking a single child out to the amusement park or the zoo can be a challenge at times. You have to always have your eyes peeled to make sure that they, being the curious and exploratory little tike that they are, will wander off into the crowd with you in hot pursuit. Now multiply that challenge by four and you could have a very stressful day on your hands. To alleviate that stress, dress them up in bright, matching color shirts so that, even if one does fall off the beaten path, you’ll be able to track and corral them on the quick.
They’ll do anything if you make a game out of it
I remember the days when my now teenage son would do just about any task as long as I made a game out of it. If I wanted to get him to clean his room, I’d put a timer on him. If he beat the clock, he’d get a prize. If we were late walking to school, I’d challenge him to a race and he’d fly down the sidewalk. This mom needed to organize those colorful woven balls, so she challenged her daughter to a race to see who could get them organized first. Nicely done!
Don’t give up hope
Okay, it’s been a rough day for you and your little one. He continues to cry and nothing seems to get him to stop. You give him his binky, and he spits it out. You rock him in your arms, and he screams louder. You give him his favorite Thomas the Tank Engine toy, and he throws it down. It seems like there is nothing that you can do. However, there is a simple little trick that may work. Just set him in front of the washing machine. The combination of the swishing sounds along with the clothing spinning in circles might be enough to sooth him into a nap.
Gotta keep on schedule
In today’s world of both parents working while trying to raise a family, life can get pretty busy. And when life gets busy, we tend to miss some things here and there. But as a parent, we also really do not have the luxury of missing things in regards to our children, especially medicine. This parent developed a nice little hack to use when it comes to her child’s medication. Just draw the days directly on the bottle, and cross them out one by one when you disperse the meds. This will keep your medication schedule on track and give you peace of mind.
Shower caps? Really?
Who knew that shower caps could be such a versatile little tool? Well, at least one parent did. This mom took her newborn to the local park regularly, which required her to roll her stroller over some grass and dirt. The problem she had though is that she lived in an apartment, and could not store the stroller outside. She was sick and tired having to clean up the dirt and grass stuck to the wheels, so she came up with a cool little hack. She would cover the wheels with shower caps before bringing it back inside. Problem solved!
Potty training on the move
Potty training is a tricky business. There is a time when your child will begin to get the idea of it, but he or she will still have accidents, because they are not quite there yet. To help with this, parents have to get creative. This means having a portable potty on the go, and to always have an extra change or two of clothing for those times when an accident presents itself. This parent went a step further. In anticipation of the inevitable accident, she lined the portable potty with a simple diaper, making clean up that much easier.
Sticky solution
You never know how your child will be when he takes his or her first flight on a commercial airliner. They will be strapped snugly into their car seat which is a familiar and comfortable place. They will be right next to mom and dad who can attend to them at every moment. But they still might be spooked by the whole experience. To avoid a crying baby, and the wrath of the rest of the passengers, bring along some familiar sticky toys to adhere to the window and pretend that they are part of the family flying along. This should keep your baby happy and quiet.
Why didn’t I think of this?
Living in a cold and snowy climate, our family has built many a snow man over the years. We had big ones and small ones. We had some with sticks for arms, and others with a carrot for a nose. But why didn’t we think of this? Why not build an icy brick wall to go with the snowman? All you have to do is break out a medium sized Tupperware container from the kitchen cabinet, and pack it with the frosty stuff. Before you know it, your snowman will be protected by a brick wall of snow, and you and your family will have built even greater memories for the future!
The sand pit
Kids just love the beach. They get to build sand castles and burry each other in the grainy stuff. But, if you live in a land locked state with no beaches, what can you do? Well, this might be just the hack you need. All that is required is a camping tent and a few buckets of sand. The obvious benefit is that your child will be able to spend the day playing in the sand, but in addition, you can just leave the sand-filled tent in your backyard, zip it up, and it will be protected from the elements, ensuring that you’ll have many future “sand days” to come.
Cinnamon? Really?
Like most people, I love me some cinnamon…I use it in my oatmeal. I sprinkle it on my pancakes. And there is nothing better than cinnamon on top of some warm, rice pudding! But, never in my life, would I have considered using cinnamon in my son’s sandpit. Little did I realize that bugs just love them some sand. It’s a warm place where they can live in comfort, and feed on those little humans that drop in from time to time. However, they simply cannot stand cinnamon. So, if you have a little sandpit in your backyard, sprinkle in some cinnamon so that your toddler can play all day without those little bug bites.
Monsters? No problem!
Little ones can have quite the imagination. They imagine they are flying through the air. They imagine they are a superhero. And they imagine that there is a monster living under their bed. As a parent, telling them that there is no such thing as a monster living under their bed sounds like the rational thing to do, but in the end, they have yet to develop the skill of rationality, so as far as they’re concerned, there is a monster living under their bed. A better option may be to accept the fact, and create a monster fighting spray, complete with decals. Then they can battle the monsters anytime they like!
Keep those fingers safe!
How many times has your child let out a yell after getting their fingers caught in the door? You know how kids are; they are easily distracted and usually in another world as they make their way about their day. This means they will make a mess at the table, leave their toys all over the house, and catch their fingers in their bedroom door. If this is the case, you’ll want to take precautions so that you can keep your little one safe. Just take a pool noodle and wrap it around his bedroom door, and your child can say goodbye to that pain!
The dual purpose clock
Any parent knows that one of the biggest challenges in parenthood is keeping your kids on schedule. That means making sure they get their bath on time, get their homework done, make it to the dinner table, hang with family, and get to bed. Of course, this is easier said than done, so one ingenious parent decided that creating a color coded list that matched color coded times on the clock would be helpful, and she was right! Put this system into play, and the next time that your kid tries to argue with you about getting things done on time, just point up to the clock, and you’ll have the last laugh.
A DVD case? Who would have thought?
In today’s technological driven society, we’ve come a long way. Back in the day, we had the 8-track, then vinyl records, then cassette tapes, then CD’s, then DVD’s, and finally, streaming services. This means that, if you’ve been around for a while, you’ve probably got a house full of unused 8-tracks, records, cassettes, CD’s and DVD’s just lying around. So if you’re ever in a pinch and need to occupy your kid, just take an old DVD case, put colored pencils on one side and paper on the other, and you’ve got yourself some free time while your child draws to his heart’s content.
Caught in the corral
It’s not a stretch to say that even a short road trip with a car full of toddlers can be anxiety inducing. They are always getting on each other, yelling, crying, and just making the trip a frustrating experience. The sister might be punching her brother in the arm. The other brother might be trying to grab his sibling’s binky. Whatever the case, the results can often end up in all out mayhem for the parent who’s already dealing with the hassles of traffic. With a little clever thinking, this dad found a way to keep his kids calm and focused, making the journey quiet and pleasant for all.
It’s gardening time!
Okay, you’re a newly minted mom with a young baby, and you are settling into your daily routine. You’re up early to feed him; you are constantly on the move just to keep up with him as he explores the house. And you have had to put all of your own activities on hold just for him. But, wait, you can still find ways to enjoy the occasional activity for yourself. If you’re into gardening, just take your baby’s crib with you to the backyard, cover the top with a bed sheet, and enjoy your time digging into the dirt with your favorite trowel, all within eyesight of your toddler.