Sure, being a parent is incredibly rewarding, but let’s face it, with all that we juggle during the day — every single day — we parents could all use a shortcut or two to simplify our lives.
Here are 30 simple parenting tricks to help make life a little easier and more fun for you and your kids. These are simple, unconventional solutions to kid/parenting related challenges that I've collected and tested myself through the years.
The chores-to-game trick alone is priceless in my book, and it taught my child to pick up after himself without any grief.
I've also included my favorite "Why didn't I think of that!" tricks for learning, playtime, eating, travel, organizing, and health.
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Have your child sit on a stability ball while doing homework. They'll think it's fun and not even know that it's also helping them to concentrate.
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Use empty lotion bottles as faucet extenders to encourage little ones to wash their hands on their own. (One of my favorite parenting hacks!)
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A cheap shower caddy makes a great place to hold food and drinks in the car!
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Use an inflatable pool as a baby playpen.
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Create a mural by using an old sheet and laying it out on your lawn during painting.
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Keep the kids from locking themselves in the bathroom by using a rubber band like this.
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Teach kids to put their shoes on the correct feet by cutting a fun character sticker in half and placing them on the insides of their shoes. Kids will have fun matching up the stickers when putting on their shoes.
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Prevent your kids from wasting plastic cups or leaving them lying around the house with these DIY magnetic cups!
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A pool noodle cut long ways can be attached to the door to prevent slamming and little fingers from getting caught.
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Scare away monsters with this “No Monsters Spray”. Decorate a spray bottle with monster stickers and when your little one gets scared in the night, you can spray away the scares, or they can even do it themselves!
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Save your car's cup holders by lining them with reusable muffin cups.
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Turn chores into a fun game. (I’ve had great success with this one!)
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Add a lint roller to your craft room. It’s great for picking up little messes like glitter!
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Teach your child to hold a pencil the right way using just a wad of tissue with this trick!
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Make splinter removals less painful. Put a paste of baking soda and water on the splinter and leave for a few minutes. The baking soda will push the splinter out for easy removal.
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No-mess painting for the littles! Add three dollops of different colored paint into a resealable plastic zip lock bag and tape to a window so your baby can create all kinds of colorful designs without the mess.
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Use puffy fabric paint to paint a grip on the bottom of your toddlers socks.
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Make a week’s worth of baby food ahead by freezing baby sized portions in an ice tray.
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Make your kids' coughs disappear. Lather some VapoRub on her feet and cover them with thick socks. I read about this all over the web so I tried it on myself and it worked. And it worked for my son's cough just as well.
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Limit soap waste by twisting rubber bands around the pump, making it impossible to push all the way down and dispense too much soap.
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Soothe sunburns by filling an ice tray with aloe and use the frozen aloe cubes to treat the skin.
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Keep pacifiers clean in your baby bag or purse by putting them “sauce to go” containers.
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Organize wrapping paper by cutting a toilet roll through the middle and wrapping it around wrapping paper to prevent it from unrolling.
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Use a little tape and place it between the handles of nail clippers to catch toenail clippings.
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Poke the bottom of popsicle sticks through a muffin cup to catch the melting ice and keep your kids hands from getting dirty.
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Keep bugs out of juice by cutting a hole for a straw in a muffin cup and placing it upside down onto a glass. Poke a straw through it so it looks like a juice box and no bugs can get inside.
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Create a kid-sized hammock by tying a sheet around your kitchen table creating a small pocket that a small child can curl up in.
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Keep your toiletries from ruining your clothes by unscrewing lid, add a small square of plastic wrap and screw the top back on.
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Get your teenager to clean their room by leaving money in a hidden spot. Their room will be clean in no time.
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Rub away a headache by massaging the spot between the thumb and pointer finger until the pain disappears. I use this trick all the time and it really works.
For more from Carmen Sakurai, visit her blog Ninja Mom Diaries and her Facebook page.
