36 Little Parenting Hacks

A FaceBook friend of mine posted this little gem the other day and while most of the 36 are quite good, some of them had me questioning their sanity.  Here is the link, but don't worry...I will cover it here.

1.   Bathe your child in a laundry basket so their toys won't float away.  This one is a good idea especially when they are too big for sinks and too little for the tub.

2.  Avoid gender faux pas with other parents.  Don't you hate it when you can't guess the gender of the baby???  The suggestion is:  Lean down and ask the baby their name, the parent will likely say it if the baby doesn't talk.  Of course if the baby is named:  Jordan, Taylor, or Alex you may still be guessing.

3.  Teach your child to pick the juice box up by the side flaps~~this will prevent them from spilling juice all over themselves.  Wish I had that when mine were little!  Messes!

4.  Save old cell phones so your kids can use them as cameras.  I have done that!!


5.  Punish your kids when they are fighting

Of course punish your kids for fighting...but I want to meet the parents who thought this up!  Brilliant!

6.  Invest in a baby shower cap.  These are great!  Especially if the baby hates the water as my kids did.  Poor that water all over their sweet heads and they don't care.  Now my nieces baby loves the water and does not need such a tool.  However, if your baby does...seriously look into it.

7.  If your kids have bad hand writing have them spend more time on the monkey bars.  Here is a link about that.  I am not sure about this one.  I have one very good writer with the upper body strength of a newborn, okay maybe not that bad.  However, she is not my most active child yet her writing is the best.  The other two, far more active yet their writing is sloppy.  

8.  

\

This one I found insulting only because of the wording:  Invest in a good pair of cargo pants now that you have stopped caring about fashion.  See the idea is the pockets are for wipes, bottles and so on.  Well excuse me!  I care about what I look like (most days) and isn't that what diaper bags and big purses are for?  I really hope this was just a joke.  

9.  Put sprinkles on everything!  Such as milk, a banana, yogurt and everything you can think of to make it fun to eat!  This would be great for kids who don't freak out about weird things on their food or different food.  Sprinkles on milk or any food barely works in this house.  

10.  

Make a table hammock for your kids.

Yes, you read and saw correctly.  A table hammock for your kids.  I just have this say:  NO!  Absolutely NO!  DANGER!!!  DO NOT ATTEMPT!

11.  Make an incredibly easy play fort with a box fan...  Basically a sheet on the bed tucked over a box fan.  See instructions here.   The concept is fun, however little fingers and box fans are not a good mix.  I think it is wiser to go old school and build the more traditional kind.

12.  Trace your kids' feet so you can go shoe shopping without dragging them along.  Oh how I hate shoe shopping!  With children.  However, the fact is you need to bring them.  They start having opinions about shoes pretty early on and the truth is they need to try them on so you can see how they fit.  Besides, if you don't want to "drag" your kids along for shoe shopping that is for them....

13.  

Finally a way to tell twin babies apart... If you have twins.  My aunt does (they are grown now) she put a safety pin on one of them.  But this is cute.  And kind of funny.

14.  Make a game of chores they will never know the difference....

Oh, they will figure out eventually.  But yes, cute idea.  We have done games too.  But when they are teens it's really more about bribery.

15.  Use a barrette to fix your little girl's too loose tank top/bathing suit top.  I love this one!  Where was this when I needed it.  haha.  

16.  To stop night time coughing, put vapor rub on their feet and then put socks on them.  Good one.  I think this one would be particularly useful for children with that awful croupe!

17.  Monster Spray!!  This has all sorts of variations from a basic spray bottle of water to the spray bottle decorated to look like it fights the monsters.  We used it many times.

18.  Stick a command hook on the back of the high chair to hold bibs.  Better than shoving them in a drawer.  

19.  Teach your child how to hold a pencil the right way with a wad of kleenex.  I think my kids just kind of figured it out on their own.  I know we all do that caveman thing when we are tots, but that is normal.  It comes with time.  We all did it they will too.  Sometimes I think there is too much pressure where it is not needed.

20.  

Repurpose pool noodles to become a toddler proof door stopper.  I also thought of sharp corners on tables or counters (if those are still around.)

21.  Use Maxipads to extend diapers for a potty training child.  Are you freaking kidding me!?  I don't even like paying money to buy those things for ME!  Why would I waste them on THAT!?  To me it just seems like a way to keep them dry longer thus prolonging the process.  Also a complete waste of your money and much needed maxi pads.  

22.  Get a portable high chair.  Not bad for the price especially if you travel or go to family gatherings a lot.  Nice baby gift too.

23.  Use glue and glitter to make "tooth fairy" money.  Cute idea....provided you remember in the first place.  Raise your hand if the tooth fairy has forgotten to pay a visit at least once at your house!

24.  Have your child sit on a stability ball while doing homework--it will help with concentration.  If I put any one of my children on one of those they would bounce and roll all over the house.  FAIL.

25.  Freeze a pacifier in an ice cube tray with juice or milk to sooth a teething baby's gums.  I think that one depends on the baby.  If you have one that is overly sensitive to things it might not work, but give a try.  It's free.

26.  Cut a hole in the tip of a pacifier and stick a dropper through it to administer medicine.  I am not comfortable with this one because I would make the hole to big, and I am also worried the baby would chew on it and then it would become a choking hazard.  

27.  Put the iPad in kid mode.  You kids are sooo lucky!  My babies did not have these.  My youngest is seven.  He can play with one yes....(a tablet not an iPad) but yeah...my babies had the old school magnadoodle toys!  Yep.

28.  

Install a baby gate using heavy duty cable ties instead of using nails.  Works great if you have this type of banister.  Mine is half a wall.  

29.  Those cable ties can also double as hair ties... Ladies...do not let your husbands see this.

30.  Transform a DVD case into an art travel kit.  This is an excellent idea and hopefully would keep everything together.

31.  Use a shoe caddy to store items, food, and toys on a long road trip.  It certainly would make clean up at the end of it easier!

32.  Fill a glove with pearled barley or beans, give a few pats with it and then slip away stealthily into the night.  (Make sure the glove is sewed shut to prevent choking hazards)

I am still not comfortable with this idea...even if it is sewed shut.  Besides that, this baby is on her tummy.  Isn't that a no-no?

33.  Turn an old lotion bottle into a faucet extender to make it easier for little ones to reach.

Hmmm....I see lots of play in this...I am such a cynic.  

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

Okay they don't condone this one.  I think it was more of a joke.  I hope it was anyway.  Don't let the men see it.

35.  For the gamer parent...give them a remote that is not hooked up and let them "play" with you.  Yeah they will wise up pretty fast.  Kids are smart!

36.  Put temporary tattoos on your kids when you are in big places (Disneyland type)

This is a good idea.  I have lost each of my children in different places, and have been lost myself as a child.  When they are small and are too upset to talk or able to say your name.  This is a good thing.

What are your thoughts on these parenting life hacks?