Some parents seem to have life all figured out, don’t they? Thankfully for us, these parents are sharing their tips and tricks in the form of these handy hacks . Let’s check them out!
How to get an impromptu “massage”.
This dad who found a way to get his kids to give him a back rub by turning his T-shirt into a road for them to play with their trains and cars.
Airlines have bassinets?!
This mom who called ahead and asked the airline to save a bassinet for her. If you don’t have time, bring one and use your tray table to hold it up for you.
This smart way to make clean-ups a breeze!
These parents who came up with a smart way to catch all of that thrown and dropped food off the tray and chair—especially when you don’t have a dog to eat it all up!
The best way to cut watermelon.
Cutting the watermelon long like this allows kids to eat it almost like a popsicle and saves from a big messy face and table.
Bring crayons to the doctors to make waiting easier.
Instead of a bored, crying kid, bring crayons or markers to the doctor’s office and let your kids color on the paper while waiting for the doc to come in.
Gel clings are perfect for long flights.
If you’re taking a toddler on a plane, give them the window seat and bring gel clings that they can play with on the window to keep them busy during the flight.
Never lose a sippy cup again!
When shopping with your toddlers, strap their water cup to their chest to make sure they don’t start throwing it across the store while you’re grabbing some stuff.
Stop those popsicle drips.
Instead of having a kid drip popsicle juice all over their hands and themselves, use a cupcake holder around the bottom to catch all of the dripping juice.
DIY an icepack.
To keep your kid’s lunch extra cold and delicious, freeze a sponge overnight and stick it in their lunchbox. It will keep the food ice-cold.
Old wine corks can actually be a fun sensory toy.
For sensory fun, use some old wine corks and a cup and let your kids throw, play, and build with them. Cheap, easy, and tons of fun!
Use your kid’s scooter for heavy-lifting.
Use your kid’s scooter to wheel in heavy grocery bags that you cannot carry by yourself, and make multiple trips without tiring yourself out.
Use playpens to keep kids out.
If you’re busy with work and your baby is pulling on wires, use a baby gate to keep yourself in and your baby out. That way they have more space to crawl and play.
Upcycle old wipes containers.
For long road trips in the car, take an old wipes container and fill it with snacks. It fits easily in between seats or in the center console of your car!
Bathe your kid in a laundry basket to prevent their toys from floating away.
If you want to prevent your kid from thrashing around in the water to grab a toy that has floated away, put them in a laundry basket. It’ll keep them and their toys contained.
Clip loosened straps of a tank top or a bathing suit with a cute barrette to tighten them.
Not only does it do the trick, but it looks really cute and stylish, too.
Use a rubber band to keep kids from accidentally locking themselves in the bathroom.
Let’s face it, it’s hard to reason with a child when they’ve locked themselves in a room and they’re freaking out. Prevent that from happening by twisting a rubber band around each door knob and keeping the latch depressed.
Let your kid explore their inner artist with no mess.
By filling large Ziplock bags with paint and affixing them to a window, little hands can manipulate the paint in the bags and create patterns without making a huge mess.
Prepare next morning requests ahead of time.
If it’s a Friday night and you know you’re going to want a couple extra winks the next morning, anticipate your toddler’s breakfast requests, prepare the meal, and store it within reach in the fridge.
Use a shovel to pick up Legos.
It sure beats picking them up one by one.
Boxes make for a great distraction in a pinch.
You know what they say about kids and boxes. The next time you need a few minutes to do something on your own and don’t want little ones getting in the way, pull out a box and some crayons and let them entertain themselves.
Wrap a rubber band around soap dispensers to avoid too much soap coming out.
Those soap pumps can be pretty hard to avoid playing with, but it can lead to a waste of soap. Wrap a rubber band around the neck to keep kids from pumping out too much product.
Cut a sticker in half and put one half inside each shoe to prevent kids from putting their shoes on the wrong feet.
They may not be able to tell left from right just yet, but they sure know what a Spiderman sticker should look like.
Use cardboard to create separators in the back seat and prevent kids from fighting.
Let’s all take a moment to applaud this dad’s genius.
